Dar es Salaam to Johannesburg

The flat savannah of the East African Plateau. Selous is located on the highest point of the plateau, the Tanzania Craton which is one of the oldest geological regions of Africa.

The diverse landscape of Selous ranges from dense miombo forests to savannah plains to the Rufiji River, each providing habitats for a huge diversity of wildlife.

The Rufiji River is marked on this topographic map of Tanzania. It is one of the largest drainage basins of the East African Plateau, shown as the large area of orange on the map.

The East African Plateau is clearly visible in this satellite image of Africa, marked by the ring of lakes that forms its borders.

The Rufiji River and its tributaries drain the eastern portion of the plateau, carrying the water on a broad meandering path through Selous Game Reserve.

The east and west boundaries of the East African Plateau are lined by branches of the East African Rift Valley. Lakes have formed in the Rift Valley, lining the borders of the plateau.

On this topographical map of Africa the East African Plateau is clearly defined, as an oval surrounded by lakes and mountains in East Africa.

The Rufiji River is the lifeblood of Selous, providing for the millions of animals and thousands of people who live here.

The location of the three-million-year-old Tanzania Craton can be seen here on this approximation of the relative positions of Africa and South America more than 1.3 million years ago.

A satellite image showing the sandy Rufiji River flowing through the green of Selous Game Reserve. The Rufiji drains the eastern portion of the East African Plateau.

The Rufiji is the largest river in Tanzania; at 600 kilometres long, it is more than 1.5 kilometres wide in places.

The Rufiji River stretches for 600km from the East African Plateau to the Indian Ocean, dividing the Selous Game Reserve into two.

The Rufiji River cuts across the East African Plateau through Selous Game Reserve. The river is one of the plateau's largest drainage basins.

The Rufiji River sustains huge amounts of freshwater life that attracts hundreds of different species of birds.

Selous is home to some of the largest miombo forests in the world. It is extremely important for the vast numbers and great diversity of animal species that dwell here relatively undisturbed by humans.

Selous Game Reserve was named after Frederick Selous, a famous British hunter, explorer and conservationist who died at the reserve during WWI.

Around 40,000 hippos can be found in Selous, most of which live in the Rufiji River.

Crocodiles dominate the waters of the Rufiji River, which runs through the north of Selous Game Reserve.

Leopards are common but difficult to spot, as they are well-hidden across Selous Game Reserve.

A yellow baboon drinks from a lake in Selous Game Reserve. More than 400 mammal species have been observed in the reserve.

The vast expanse of Selous is host to several different landscapes that provide habitats for a variety of creatures. The Rufiji River is home to thousands of crocodiles.

While the large area south of the Rufiji River is assigned for hunting tourism, the smaller northern portion of the reserve is open to safari and photographic tourism.

Selous has remained popular with tourists since it was first established as a hunting reserve in 1905.

A small herd of giraffes roam a clearing of the miombo forests in Selous Game Reserve.

The Selous Game Reserve is home to half of all the wildlife in Tanzania, including a hundred thousand buffalo, and tens of thousands of zebras and giraffes.

Selous Game Reserve is at the centre of one of the largest areas of protected wildlife in the world, the Selous Ecosystem - a region the size of Portugal.

At their peak in 1976, 110,000 elephants roamed Selous Game Reserve. Today, there are around 70,000 that live within the Selous-Niassa region.

The distribution of African elephants across the continent. Selous-Niassa can be seen as one of the largest areas of green on the map.

An elephant family on the banks of the Rufiji River. Selous is home to one of the few growing populations of African elephants in the world.

c. 1900 - Enormous African elephant tusks ready for sale in the ivory trade in Dar es Salaam. Today, Tanzania's elephants are protected, and most live in Selous Game Reserve.

Chess pieces are traditionally made of ivory. The international ivory trade has existed since the 14th century.

Though poaching is still a threat to elephants worldwide, the numbers of elephants in Selous are hoped to soon reach 1976 levels once again thanks to the vital protection the reserve offers.

The Selous-Niassa Wildlife Corridor is a 170km long corridor that allows elephants to migrate safely between these two massive reserves.

1880s - Huge African elephant tusks piled up ready for sale. Today, the ivory trade is illegal but the industry is still highly lucrative.

In Selous huge numbers of elephants were killed for their tusks during the 1980s. By 1989 there were only 30,000 elephants left in Selous, down from 110,000.

African elephant numbers have dwindled worldwide from more than a million to just 400,000 since the 1970s. Selous-Niassa Wildlife corridor allows the protection of more than 70,000 elephants.

The illegal ivory trade has decimated the world's population of African elephants, but the populations are growing again in Selous.

The current population of elephants in Tanzania has a younger average age than would be expected, as the species gradually recovers from a decade of poaching.

Ivory is often used to decorate ornaments. This 11th century casket is made of intricately carved ivory pattern.