Deep in the heart of the Selous Game Reserve in southern Tanzania a wild dog is regurgitating some of the contents of a kill that must have been made an hour or so previously. Its digestive system has only just begun to break down the lumps of meat, which are hungrily consumed by another adult wild dog. They are its reward for baby-sitting several young pups while the rest of the pack, some dozen-strong, went hunting.

[IMAGE1]To witness such a welfare system in animals renowned for being one of Africa's most formidable predators was almost humbling. A pride of lion would never countenance such selflessness, but wild dogs are quasi-human in valuing the lives of their own species. "They would even feed a sick or injured member of the pack," said Augustine, our guide.

With their need to roam vast areas, wild dogs, or "painted wolves" if their Latin name is translated, have found a spiritual home in the Selous, which, at 54,000km2 (twice the size of Belgium), is the largest protected wilderness reserve in Africa. The latest estimates of Africa's wild dog population put it at no more than 4500. Of those, around 1400 - nearly a third - inhabit the Selous. It is, therefore, the reserve in which to see what is now an endangered species. And there can be no better place from which to find them than the Selous Safari Camp, set on Lake Nzelekele, which runs into the Rufiji River.

[IMAGE2]There are no wild dog at all left in the Serengeti, Tanzania's other great home to wildlife. The two could hardly be more different. While the Selous has a thick cover of vegetation, with its hot volcanic springs, placid lagoons and many channels from the Ruaha and Rufiji Rivers (which bisect the reserve), the Serengeti possesses a special openness: that apocalyptic sense of space with its 360 ° views which seem to reach to the ends of the earth. For sightings of the big cats, especially cheetah, it can have no peer. In one morning, after setting out early from Kusini Camp, we saw lion, leopard and cheetah without coming across a single other vehicle. It was as if we had Eden to ourselves.

Those seeking a very private safari should, therefore, look no further than Kusini. Meaning "south" in Kiswahili, it is aptly situated at the southern end of the park, close to the path of the wildebeest migration but 40km away from the nearest camp. Perched on top of a kopje, its mess-tent nestles under an albizia amara tree which happens to be a landmark for migrating birds as it is located on a high spot. Small waxbills, Red-billed queleas and seedeaters, among others, like to rest in it. From it, they can see Kimali Hill some 90km away.

"Other drivers don't like to come down to our part of the park," says Colin McConnell, the Kenyan-born guide and manager of Kusini. "It's out on a limb and uncharted, and they get lost. The land is quite confusing, with its kopjes, ridges and mini-valleys. One driver became so disorientated late one afternoon that he and his clients had to spend the whole night in their vehicle. They weren't too pleased."

McConnell, however, knows every contour of the southern half of the Serengeti. He has absorbed much of its wildlife history too, and recounts wryly how rhino were rediscovered in the park several years ago. "It was thought by the authorities that we didn't have any rhino here. But then one day a male walked here from the Ngorongoro Crater, well over 100km away, because he had picked up the whiff of some females in oestrus. Incredible sense of smell. He was spotted and led us to them." The park now has seven rhino, all of whom are closely watched and protected, partly so that they do not wander over the Kenyan border into the Masai Mara.

Thanks, I suspect, to McConnell's skill in finding wildlife, modestly dismissed as good luck on his part, we are treated to a string of excellent sightings, some rare. We catch a serval cat out in the open for a couple of minutes before it disappears; we get within ten metres of a honey badger, a largely nocturnal creature that this time lies flat in the grass, thinking we cannot see it. "Never been that close before," muses Colin. "Not sure that I'd want to - they're fearless and very vicious. If they attack, they go straight for your private parts."

We see a rather comical, and ultimately unsuccessful, attempt by a young cheetah to climb a tree. Another morning we spot a female adult cheetah dragging a kill, a Thomson's gazelle, under a lone bush whereupon, exhausted, she leaves her cub of nearly a year the task of breaking through the skin. The cub has no idea what to do, and only when the mother obliges and begins to chew at the soft inner thigh of a hind leg can the cub begin his meal. "See how she leaves the stomach area completely alone," says Colin. "That's to stop any smell wafting downwind which a hyaena could pick up."

Unlike the Serengeti, the Selous has few cheetah, but in both reserves we come across plentiful lion. While one magnificent male, with a thick honey-blond mane that flaps like a rug around his shoulders, is typical of prime Serengeti specimens, the Selous males are noted for much less hirsute manes. They have evolved without them because a long mane would get caught up in the far denser vegetation of the Selous.

Despite the fact that these two reserves are at opposite ends of Tanzania, it is possible to get from one to another in a day, cutting out a time-wasting stay in Dar es Salaam. An early morning flight with Air Excel took us from Kusini's own airstrip via Arusha to Dar, where we connected with Coastal's daily scheduled service to the Selous Safari Camp's strip. The camp's waterside location enables it to offer more varied forms of game viewing than the Serengeti, most obviously by boat.

On our numerous forays up the Rufiji River, we encountered elephants swimming, using their trunks as snorkels. While the numbers of crocodiles and hippos visible seemed to exceed even those on the Zambezi, the birdlife, with its 440 species, was no less exceptional.

On a tiger-fishing trip late one afternoon, as we cast from the banks, Senegal coucals and Water dikkops maintained a nonstop chorus of calls. With such a backdrop, few settings could have been more perfect, especially at sunset with its riot of pinks, reds and oranges.

A major attraction of Selous Safari Camp is the opportunity to walk in the bush. When Princes Charles, William and Harry stayed there in 1997, they were all taken on a walking safari. "Don't get caught by the black-thorned acacias," barked our guide, Vonan, a South African with an encyclopaedic knowledge of trees and wildlife. "They're known as ‘wait-a-bit' as their thorns point both ways, which means you can't move if you get stuck."

From Vonan we learnt to identify all forms of animal dung and that giraffe are the only antelope who defecate while walking. On foot, we surprised both a pair of elephant, swiftly moving downwind of them, and a leopard feeding on a giraffe (which, judging by the pungency of its smell, had been dead for some time).

Quite different from either the Selous or the Serengeti is Tarangire National Park in the north of Tanzania. Lacking the celebrity status of the other two, it is nevertheless a gem within the East African crown. Situated not far from Arusha, it is reputed to contain some of the largest elephant herds in Africa. We saw only small groups, but what we did witness in Silale Swamp was a herd of some 1000 buffalo strung over a kilometre, as well as 300 zebra. The park is also home to two rare species - Greater kudu and Fringe-eared oryx - as well as Ashy starlings.

Selous may have a good number of baobabs dotted around its huge expanse, but Tarangire seems to have forests of the grand old trees. And many of them are very, very old, dating back to the first millennium. One particularly famous one, known as Poachers' Lookout, has a small man-made entrance that admits you into its cavernous, hollow interior. With room for half a dozen to sleep, it was used by poachers to avoid detection by aerial patrol.

Swala, meaning "gazelle" in Kiswahili, is an ideal place to stay, although it should be rechristened "elephant". The venerable beasts all but live in the luxurious tents there, seduced by the smell of water from the borehole in front of the mess-tent, from which staff dutifully top up a drinking hole. A resident pride of lions is never far away, and at night tends to wander between the tents, trying to extinguish the artificial path lights. Some, though, have burnt their muzzles in trying to do so.

Such painful experiences do not overly bother them. On the morning we left, we later found out that a lioness and two cubs had been lying in some long grass no more than ten metres from our vehicle assembly point. No one saw them until they got up and left five minutes after our departure. That is what makes these three parts of Tanzania so special. You feel assimilated by them.

The Selous, Africa's largest game reserve, is home to significant numbers of almost all African mammal species. It is divided into two unequal sections by the Rufiji River; most visitors go to the smaller northern section due to ease of access. The roads within the reserve become impassable after heavy rains and camps close towards the end of the wet season (April) and reopen in July.

Getting There The reserve can be reached by road from Dar es Salaam, taking about ten hours on poor surfaces. All camps have access to an airstrip and flights can be chartered.

Accommodation There are half a dozen privately run camps in the reserve, all of which arrange game drives, boat safaris and walking safaris:

Sand Rivers - luxurious lodge on the banks of the Rufiji River. Has a strong reputation for walking safaris, with flycamping if necessary.

Impala Camp - basic budget standing tents overlooking the river.

Stiegler's Gorge Camp - self-contained cabins in an exclusive area overlooking the Gorge.

Rufiji River Camp - standing tents on a bank overlooking the Rufiji.

Mbuyu Camp - luxury self-contained tents on the river bank, built around a large baobab tree.

Selous Safari Camp - self-contained cabins situated on a hill overlooking the plains around the lakes; swimming is possible in nearby hot springs.

Factfile: Selous, Serengeti & Tarangire

The Serengeti is among Africa's most famous game reserves, with vast plains and enormous numbers of animals, most notably the wildebeest which migrate to the Masai Mara between April and June. There is little permanent water so migration is strongly linked to rainfall and there is less game here during the dry season.

Getting There The only practical way to get to the Serengeti is in your own vehicle or with a safari company. The main park headquarters are at Seronera, which has an airstrip handling charter flights. Precision Air flies between Arusha and Seronera, usually twice a week. Most vehicles enter at the Naabi Hill gate to the south-east of the park, 45km from Seronera.

Accommodation There are numerous lodges in the park and its adjacent communal lands, and seven campsites about 5km from Seronera Lodge, as well as special campsites at Lobo, Kiwara, Moru Koppies, Lake Ndutu and Naabi Hill. These are rarely used, so offer relative solitude, but they lack facilities.

Even in the dry season (June-November), Tarangire abounds in game attracted to the permanent water of the Tarangire River. The park supports similar large mammals to the Serengeti, but the denser vegetation makes predators such as lion and leopard harder to see.

Getting There Tarangire lies about 7km off the main Arusha-Dodoma road (tarred as far as the park turnoff). You will need to join an organised tour or have a private vehicle. The main gate is in the north-western corner of the park, 5km south-east of Kwa Kuchinia village.

Accommodation: Tarangire Safari Lodge, the park's oldest, overlooks the river and has standing tents and bungalows. Tarangire Sopa Lodge is high-standard, with luxurious rooms and excellent food. Oliver's Camp is a tented camp among the Kikoti Koppjes, specialising in walking and vehicle safaris. There are also two or three campsites.

When to Go You can visit Tanzania at anytime of the year. However, the rainy season (November-April) is the best time to see wildlife in the Serengeti (animals migrate to the Masai Mara in the dry season).

Citizens of most countries, including Britain, need a visa to visit Tanzania.

Stephanie Debere flew to Kenya courtesy of Kenya Airways.

 Published in Travel Africa Magazine
Edition Nineteen: Spring 2002
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