Travel Guide Vallée De Kilombero

The Kilombero protected area, covering some 7,000 km2, is a wild corridor linking Selous, Mikumi and Udzungwa. This little-explored region is well worth the trip. It is home to 70% of the world's population of puku (antelope). The local human population consists mainly of farmers with meagre means of subsistence. Many communities, forced to leave the Selous Game Reserve, have found refuge here, creating environmental and food resource problems. Numerous rivers run northeast down the valley, until they empty into the Rufiji, east of the town of Ifakara.To get there, turn south on the Dar-Mbeya road at the village of Mikumi: the road is tarred as far as Kidatu, 40 km away, and then continues for 70 km to Ifakara, after which, except from March to May, you can cross the Kilombero by ferry, between 6.30 a.m. and 6.30 p.m. The river, which descends from the Mbarika Mountains in the south-west of Selous, is frequented by fish, hippos, crocodiles and birds.Don 't miss Mikeregembe, a fishing village located 1 km from the Selous border, between the Boomerolanga Forest Reserve and the Kilombero River. The best time to visit is from July to January. Inaccessible from March to June (rainy season).