Weekend safari

We were looking for a budget safari for a weekend out of Dar and found the perfect place via the internet. Covering almost 55,000 square km in the south of Tanzania, is an area greater in size than Switzerland or twice that of Massachusets, known as the Selous Game Reserve. It is one of the largest areas set aside for wildlife preservation in Africa, and is a world heritage site.  The Selous River Lodge is on the  banks of the Rufiji river, close to the Mtemere gate. 

Brooke and Narelle

Henry our driver and safari drive guide, collected us from the house  and we then drove to the camp. A great way to see  some of the Tanzanian countryside. 

 

 5 hours later including a stop for a cooldrink and we were warmly welcomed by the staff of the Selous River Camp and shown to our mudhut. The accommodation was basic but comfortable and located at the edge of the river. The only negative was the heat. As it is November it was quite warm. There is no electricity is the huts so the heat was rather uncomfortable but the kerosene lamps made it seem very romantic and fun. We could hear animals nearby at night but at no point  was it a problem. There was a guard located outside our hut all night.

As soon as we had unpacked we were directed to the dining area and served with lunch - pizza and salad. Not quite the African cuisine we were expecting.

Boat Safari

At 4pm we were taken on a boat safari on the Rufiji River. During the two and a half hour trip we saw more hippos than I have ever seen in one spot as well as crocodilles and birds. We hopped off onto one of the sand banks in the river and watched the sunset while the hippos made some very loud noises around us. 

 

There was enough time to shower change and head for the bar for a cold G&T before a very satisfying dinner.

Game drives

The next morning it was breakfast of cinnamon buns, muffins, fresh bread, jams, made to order eggs, and fresh fruit, then back into the land cruiser for a full day game drive.

 

At first I thought we weren't going to see anything but we  ended up seeing many animals including lion, wildebeest, giraffe, impala, waterbuck, kudo, zebra, hippo, warthog, crocs and lots of birds. Henry was a font of knowledge and very patient.

 

 

 

 

 

Walking Safaris
On Sunday morning we did a 2 hour early morning walk in the company of an armed Game Rangers called Moses. It seemed as if it was already almost too hot for the animals to make an appearance. We learned a lot about animal scat but also managed to see few animals. 

The trip back to Dar took about 8 hours.  We had 2 flat tyres along the way which took an age to repair.
 

Even when I lived in Africa I dont remember doing the whole tourist safari thing.  It was fun and Im glad we managed to do it.