The Niassa Special Reserve in northern Mozambique is one of Africa’s largest (42,300 km2), wildest, and most spectacular protected areas. Comparable in size to Wales, Denmark or Massachusetts. It is twice the size of Kruger National Park
It is connected to the Selous Game Reserve (SGR, 55,000 km2) in southern Tanzania by the Selous-Niassa corridor, and remains connected by a natural corridor of forestry concessions to the Quirimbas National Park (7,506 km2) to its east on the coast of northern Mozambique. This remains one of Africa’s largest contiguous wilderness areas.
Niassa Special Reserve is a prehistoric wilderness with incredible diversity by geography, flora and fauna – and includes miombo woodlands, granite inselbergs , open savannah, wetlands, river floodplains, and riverine forest. Wildlife in the concession include: Niassa wildebeest, Boehm’s zebra, Johnston’s impala, elephant, buffalo, serval, lion, leopard, hippopotamus, Niassa wildebeest, Lichtenstein’s hartebeest, kudu, crocodile, sable antelope, eland, African wild dogs, duiker, warthog, baboon, hyena, common reedbuck, klipspringer, jackal and hundreds of bird species. Pel’s fishing owl, African Pitta, African skimmer and the Taita falcon feature prominently within this biodiversity.
The complete lack of tourism infrastructure is what makes Niassa so special.
Niassa is a remote wilderness with limited road networks making the game viewing more demanding, however the quality of each sighting and exclusivity of this area far outweigh the fact that one isn’t constantly wading through a sea of wildlife.
Some Highlights:
Explore this vast wilderness on foot, silently tracking wildlife with expert guides
- Canoe large sections (up to 300 kms of river frontage) of the Lugenda River taking in the majesty of one of Africa’s great rivers stopping on a sandy bank to enjoy drinks and lunch
- Visit a watering hole after dinner and wait and listen as the night comes to life. With any luck lions, leopard and hyenas will come to drink
- Sleep atop an Inselberg with nothing but a bedroll and Linen
CLIMATE:
The climate in Niassa Special Reserve is characterized by distinct wet and dry seasons, typical of the tropical savanna climate. The dry season in Niassa typically lasts from May to October. During this time, the weather is generally dry, with little to no rainfall. Days are warm to hot, with temperatures ranging from 25°C to 30°C (77°F to 86°F). Nights can be cooler, with temperatures dropping to around 15°C to 20°C (59°F to 68°F).
