Recently purchased and renamed by luxury brand Azura, this lodge is now set to compete with the major players in Selous. The level of accommodation at Azura Selous (previously 'Amara Selous') is no doubt one of the highest in the reserve with plunge pools and air conditioning in every room. The lodge is south-west of the main cluster in an area known as Upper Selous and its location is a bit of a double edged sword. The area was, until 2005, a hunting concession, meaning game is slightly less abundant than around the other lodges. That was a decade ago though now and substantial quanitites of game have returned. The flip side is that you are incredibly unlikely to see another vehicle, making Azura Selous one of the only camps that can offer a total wilderness experience while on game drives.
Azura Selous - The Details
Amara Selous changed hands in Summer 2014 to become Azura Selous. It is the first foray into safari lodges by Azura, who up until then owned the luxurious Quilalea private island and Benguerra, both in Mozambique. There was always great potential at Amara Selous and it seems that this is now going to be realised by Azura. The lodge is located in the western area of the photographic zone in the Selous which is not necessarily famous for the best game viewing compared to the lake area of towards Lake Manze but the game viewing is reported to constantly improve as the number of years since hunting became photography increase. The Lodge is located on the Ruaha River with 12 rooms which are half stone, half canvas with air conditioning. The rooms are very spacious and luxurious with a chandelier in the main area and an outdoor terrace with private plunge pool looking onto the river. The main area is located around a huge infinity swimming pool (the best in the Selous) with a restaurant and living area which is raised off the ground overlooking the banks of the river where there are plenty of hippo and crocodiles.
Azura offer driving safari in shared open sided vehicles, walking safari and boating safari however the water is almost always too low to be able to boat. Rhino are very hard to see in the Selous but if there is one place to see them it will be in this area. Given the impressive increase in the abudnace of game between our first and second visits we expect and hope that rhino sightings will become increasingly common. And given the lack of other camps around (there is only one,
Azura Selous is not a lodge for seasoned safari goers but the new owners have transformed a slightly awkward property into one of the best in Selous. There is no lodge more luxurious or remote in the entire reserve.
