Tanzania
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Wendy and Miranda from Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire travelled through northern Tanzania
Hi Michele, Just wanted to let you know that Miranda and I had a wonderful safari. I can’t quite believe how fortunate we were with our wildlife sightings and experiences. Our guide was Kevin Mlay and he was very experienced and knowledgeable and looked after us so well. I would certainly recommend him. Olakira Camp was great, they gave us a family tent so we had an extra bedroom which was very good of them, and Alex the manager was such a good host. It was quite an adventure for two middle aged ladies hearing the wildebeest and lions roaring at night over the sound of the rain failing on the tent, then seeing lion prints in the mud in the morning just outside the tent! We saw everything we wanted to including lots of lions, leopards and cheetahs – but my true love are the elephants, such a joy to see the babies wallowing in the mud. My favourite day was spent at the crater, just so much to see and the lions got so close to the land cruiser, just for a bit of shade. Spotting the Black Rhinos was a treat , even at a distance. All the staff were wonderful at all the places we stayed, couldn’t do enough for us, we were treated like royalty. So a big thank you Michele for organising it all for us and recommending such wonderful accommodation and providing such a good company as Asilia as your agents. Thank you again Michele – it was a holiday of a lifetime and one I will never forget.
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.