Tanzania
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Luke and Caroline from Berkshire travelled to Kenya & Tanzania
Hi Rob, Caroline and I would like to thank you for organising the most wonderful trip that exceeded all expectations for our silver wedding anniversary holiday. In the Serengeti we saw a crossing of Wildebeest across the Mara river and crocs taking their share. We were lucky enough to see all the big cats – Lions, Leopards, Cheetahs as well as plenty of Elephants, Giraffes, Hippos, Buffalo, Hyena, Zebra, Ostrich, Baboon, Bat eared foxes, plus many more. In short, fantastic and we loved the Kirurumu North camp (once we got used to the Zebra and Wildebeest roaming through camp!). In Ruaha we saw several prides of lions, cheetahs climbing trees, jackals, greater and lesser Kudu and an Eagle owl . It was interesting to see the elephants digging for water in the sand river and the Mwagusi camp team organised a day of private guiding followed by a wonderful champagne and cake sundowner on the actual day of our anniversary which was great. In Selous we had Elephants, Hippos, Bushbabies and Genet Cats in camp (the last two joining us on our dinner table!). We spent time with a family of wild dogs (sightings are not frequent we understand) and saw several Lions (including one up a tree with his kill below!). We also saw many birds including eagles, bee-eaters, pelicans, storks and a swarm of killer bees! Selous Impala organised a lovely champagne and nibbles sundowner at the end of our afternoon river safari followed by an anniversary bush dinner at camp complete with our own fire! On Mafia we swam with whale sharks, snorkelled over excellent coral in the marine park with lion fish, moray eels and many others. Thanks again to you and the team for a great job!
Tanzania
Regions
The Selous Game Reserve
The Selous is Africa’s largest wildlife sanctuary, covering over 54,600 sq. kms. (almost the size of Ireland). The region is dominated by the Great Ruaha River and Kilombero rivers which join to form the mighty Rufiji River, East Africa’s greatest waterway. Although only 45 minutes by air from Dar es Salaam, the Selous is still one of the worlds last great wilderness areas. It is a largely inaccessible region, dissected by water courses which become raging torrents during the rains, forcing the animals onto high ground. In the dry season, the rivers whither away to form ‘sand rivers’.
The reserve is named after the famous hunter and explorer, Frederick Courtney Selous, but it was the Germans who first established a game reserve here in 1905. The first warden was an eccentric former ivory hunter called C.P. Ionides (known locally as the ‘Snake Man’ and it was he who helped develop the reserve into it’s present size. Under the wardenship of Brian Nicholson, the Selous became an example of intelligent wildlife management; it is divided into controlled areas and human habitation is prohibited. However, groves of mango trees scattered through the bush are grim reminders that the main southern caravan route from Lake Nyasa passed through this region; they grew from the stones dropped by slaves as they were marched towards the slave markets of Zanzibar.
The habitat and scenery varies significantly over short distances: purple rolling hills, rock-strewn plains, ‘sand rivers’ lined with salt bush, cluster lush swamps and marshes, rocky gorges, savannah bush country and miombo woodland. Altitudes range from 110m to 1250m and the climate is quite tropical – humid during the rains and pleasantly warm during the dry season (June to October – the best time to visit).
There is a wealth of animals to see on a Selous safari including lion, leopard, wild dog, elephant, Cape buffalo, eland, sable antelope, greater kudu, wildebeest, hartebeest, impala, waterbuck and the very elusive black rhino. The birdlife too is superb, with over 350 species having been recorded.
Three quarters of the reserve is made up of hunting concessions and closed to most ‘photographic’ tourists. Most photographic tourists are limited to the north-eastern part of the reserve where there are a number of good safari lodges. In the last few years however, new conservation initiatives have resulted in one of the ‘hunting concessions’ being operated solely for exclusive photographic safaris.
Aside from daily walks, boat cruises and game drives, some lodges in the Selous offer a range of different walking trails from overnight fly-camping to longer multi-day trails.
To find out more on Selous safari options please call us on 01787 888590 or contact us to speak to one of our safari specialists.