Tanzania Safari « Tanzania Safari Blog with Tanzania Odyssey

February 10, 2012

News from Adventure Camp

Filed under: The Selous,ruaha — Tanzania Odyssey @ 10:53 am

Our four camps in Selous and Ruaha will be closing for the rainy season around 24th March – Kwihala camp closes a little earlier, on 1st March. They will all re-open on 1st June, and Mbweni Ruins Hotel is open all year round – no closure.

Here is a little news on our properties:

Selous Impala lodge - night
Selous Impala Lodge, overlooking the Rufiji sunset

Selous Impala Camp – Jan 2012

The camp continues to thrive, situated as it is on the Rufiji in the ever popular Selous Game Reserve, only an hour’s flight from Dar es Salaam. The camp is pretty full in February and March this year, partly because of the fantastic 4 for 3 low season offer we have in place.

Selous Wild Dogs – photo by Dominic Oldridge

Wild dogs have again been seen in the Selous this season.

Lake Manze Tented Camp – January 2012 Newsletter

Environment

Lake Manze in Jan 2012 – full to the brim

The rains have almost finished here in Selous, in the whole month of January we only recorded 16mm, but there has been so much consistent rain up in Ruaha, that our lakes here are huge and they completely flooded the shore around, that is usually dry.

Some roads have disappeared now under water; water is so close to the camp that we can now see some of the animals that usually prefer to stay close to it: like for example the big water monitor lizard I found yesterday on the veranda of tent no. 12, basking in the sun looking at the landscape that the lake offers now.

The water also opened up the way to the airstrip. Sometimes the guests are collected by boat as the channel to the Rufiji is open, with the water being so high. Straight away they can experience an adventurous boat safari for a couple of hours on the way to the camp.

Sightings

A mum lioness this month has been the star of the game drives. She and her two cubs showed up almost every day with long sessions of playing and stalking little lizards and squirrels. We see them growing up and this is great.

Doing the same are the pack of 18 wild dogs we found around Beho Beho area. It seems to contain lots of half grown puppies who are now learning how to hunt, looking at the efficient strategy their parents use.

Together with the big animals’ sightings we can also mention the tiny and inoffensive bark snake we found in camp a few days ago. It is a Hemirhagerrhis nototaenia, very agile climber on quite vertical and difficult tree trunks.

Our Wild Firends – Genets

Genet kitten at lake Manze camp

Its 2:00 p.m., the sun is high in the sky, silence around, everybody is having a little nap before the afternoon activity, waiting for the sun to go down a little bit. Phil and I are sitting in the office, doing our daily duties, when we hear a strange crying sound just a few feet away. It’s a few weeks that we haven’t seen “our” genet.

It seemed to have disappeared, and we have been quite concerned for her, so we both run to the entrance in order to look outside hoping to see her. We hear it again, we look, we search but nothing! Once again, and again, and finally it’s there! No! It’s not her, it’s her kitten. Not one but two of them. She’s had kittens.

This is great news, she had disappeared to give birth to two fantastic tiny sweet kittens! One is right in front of our eyes, near enough to touch it if we wanted, but he was so quiet that we almost couldn’t spot him. The one making the noise is now probably experiencing his first outing from the nesting place. He’s literally running away from the mum, down the Doum palm here beside us. Mrs genet is running around trying her best to catch at least one of the kittens wandering around. When one is caught by mum’s mouth, by magic the other one leaves his games and follows the mother diligently, back to the nest.

Sarah and Phil, lake Manze Camp Selous

January 2012 Newsletter: Kwihala, Ruaha NP

young Bat-eared Foxes, Ruaha

A drop of rain falling onto the dry ground is like cold water being poured into a glass destined for your lips: it provides sustenance and renews life, it cools and it cleans; its vital, critical. We sometimes take that for granted, especially since many human lives are so viscerally separated from the real and tactile significance of it… yet it is by a very great measure, probably the most single important resource human beings have for their survival. Indeed, for the survival, growth and reproduction of almost every other living creature on planet earth. And so, Ruaha is wet and lush and verdant now and a renewal of life – with a little death thrown in for good measure – is taking place at a breathtaking pace.

We are daily witnessing butterflies & bees and all manner of nature’s inordinate fondness for ‘small life forms’ busy about their daily activities and replicating their kind in almost every corner of the landscape – what an incredible eruption of colour and movement! Witnessing the tail-end migration of Common & Brown-veined White butterflies drifting across the woodlands reminds one of snowfall almost they are so numerous! Perching on every object from their specific host plants to lion scat provides for interest and entertainment and wonderful photo-opportunities. The grass has become a verdant ocean drifting and swaying in the afternoon breeze, whilst Kudu and Giraffe even partake in ingesting some of its sustaining goodness, a broad departure from their otherwise obligatory diet of bushes and trees.

Watching lions hunting Lesser Kudu, Impala and Giraffe here over the last month has provided us with dropped-jaw excitement at times, and they have in so doing not failed to enthrall and draw the gaze of our guests who have the good fortune to come and stay for a while with us. January has seen a drop in leopard sightings but we have had 3 memorable experiences with these “Princes of Darkness”, once a leopardess deciding she ‘liked’ the vehicle and stayed walking around investigating the environment for some time, rolling on the ground, stalking prey, staring at the tyres (fascinating for leopards you know!) and then sauntering off into the savanna. A few steps and all that is seen is the white tip on her active “tell-tail” drifting effortlessly… silently… throught the long grass. “Death in the Long Grass” to borrow a phrase from another writer.

Elephants have been numerous and beautiful to spend time with in this stunning landscape of running rivers, mud and soft rain. We got a little wet… so what? So did the elephants! So many antelope and other larger game species, elephants certainly not excluded, are so enjoying the absolute abundance of food that surrounds them that they are engaged in social activity for much of the time. Watching baby elephant go to sleep at the feet of their mothers; and at other times having the “free time” to push and thump each other around, play in the water and mud and soft cool sand, allows one to really take a look through the proverbial ‘keyhole’ into their lives! Spending time with these animals, great and small, is what turns an ordinary ‘game drive’ into something more, an experience with nature, a chance to spend some ‘oblivious time’ in the “now” where you forget everything else and witness a spectacle which brings a smile to your face but pushes that smile deeper down. Elephant have the capacity, through our knowledge of their exceptional intelligence and their obvious gargantuan proportions, to really slow us down and make us start taking notice of beauty just for the sake of it, silence for the calmness of it, sound for the feeling of it and awe that something could be so big and yet so gentle. Delicate almost. The 28th of January was exceptional… over 25 different herds of elephant in one morning!!! The day before in the same area… one solitary, lonely bull!

Ruaha Wild dogs, January 2012

We had I think 5 or 6 Wild Dogs sightings in January – it’s not Selous, but it’s Wild Dogs! The pic here was from a sighting I enjoyed by myself for about 2 hours, following a pack of 29 dogs. Eventually we left them as some of the guests needed to ‘mark territory’. The dogs followed us (unbeknown to us of course) and pitched up with all of us standing around the car enjoying a drink and discussing them! A few minutes later we watched them kill a baby warthog not 20m from the vehicle, all of us standing around still with glasses in hand!!

We’re having fun out here! All the best and hope to see you soon.

Steven Roskelly

presently in Ruaha N.P. Tanzania
www.clearlyafrica.com (the manager guides at Kwihala are supplied by Clearly Africa, and spend approx 3 months each in the Ruaha)

RSA +27 83 564 3041 TZ +255 76 385 7736

Mdonya Old River Camp – January Newsletter

Environment

Mdonya and the surrounding Park has changed overnight with the much anticipated rains, from a dry and harsh environment into a lush and green Garden of Eden. Bone dry riverbeds have turned into flowing rivers, hippos that huddle anxiously in tiny caked puddles of water are now wallowing in deep pools and the elephants are out in great numbers, covered in mud, spraying great streams of water over their backs. The impala’s coats are glossy with health and the zebra fat with feasting. At camp our little office has all but disappeared into the overhanging foliage. It is a wondrous sight: the Great Ruaha’s waters glinting in the sun as you fly in to land at Msembe. An amazing transformation. What an incredible start to the new year of 2012!

Sightings

Ruaha Pangolin

It is said that the top 3 rarest creatures to be seen in Africa are the aardvark, the pangolin and the caracal, in no particular order. Guests at Mdonya had the most unbelievable luck recently to find the elusive pangolin, a nocturnal, incredibly shy and rather odd looking creature. This wonderful specimen, large for its species, was spotted trotting along happily close to one of our roads near to the camp. With all the excitement and noise, this fellow, not being a fast mover at the best of times, dug in and stayed put, as pangolins are wont to do in defensive mode: the best option once spotted. He thereby gave all our guests the very rare opportunity to really get a close-up look at one. Chances are that none of us will ever see one again. The clever creature waited until all of us had visited, and as we drove away, we saw him uncurl and walk off, which we would have paid large sums to get a picture of, but none did, and the mysterious pangolin got the last laugh.

Our Wild Friends – Chameleon

Ruaha Chameleon

There have been so many through the start of this year in and around camp. Herds of zebra – who we don’t see here at all in the dry – have decided to make Mdonya camp their grazing grounds for a while and their many hooves can be heard thundering around in the evenings. Two lions graced us with a stealthy walk-past the dinner table as we had just settled into our starters at dinner – the starters went cold of course… the big cats always steal the news in the dry season.

In the wet we think it right that the smaller creatures get their just coverage. Enter the chameleon, which we don’t see here outside the rainy season: a most marvellous creature that appeared near the office, all flashing green and yellow, and a lot of black, a reaction to all the attention it wasn’t too pleased about. It’s amazing 360 degree rotating eyes watching our every move, its legs jerkily moving forward in very measured and slow turns, swaying gently backwards and forwards, as a means of camouflage, mimicking the movement of leaves and branches. Once safely back in the foliage, it turned a beautiful luminous green.

Mbweni Ruins Hotel in Zanzibar

Mbweni Ruins Jan 2012b Mbweni Ruins Jan 2012a

The Mbweni Ruins – the old arab house

We have been repairing the historic ruins – 6 lovely rooms are being built into the “Industrial Wing” overlooking the palm gardens.
A “Wellness centre” including a spa aromatherapy centre has been installed in a wing of the old Arab house, the oldest part of the Mbweni Ruins.~
The current rooms have been refurbished and in some cases enlarged.
Mbweni is a lovely place to relax after safari – and our new Arusha-Ruaha-Selous-Zanzibar packages are making this easier than ever for the cost-conscious clients.

Take a look on our website in the Specials section :
www.adventurecampstz.com/acspecials.htm

please ask me for Agents’ nett rates for these packages.

- you can book a 6 to 9 night safari from Mbweni Ruins Hotel in Zanzibar, to Ruaha and Selous, beginning or ending in Arusha – for an unbeatable rate.
Valid (using high and low season rates) till 20th December 2012:

Agents’ Rates: Mbweni-Selous-Ruaha-Arusha Packages

Please don’t hesitate to ask me if I can help with rates or info any time.

Sincerely,

Flo Montgomery

info@adventurecampstz.com

The House of Spices in Zanzibar

The House of Spices, Zanzibar

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February 7, 2012

Beho Beho Bushmail

Filed under: The Selous — Tanzania Odyssey @ 1:36 pm

January – the first month of the year and a warm beginning to another exciting twelve months. Another year to do all the things you wished and dreamed of – to finally take that dream trip, give more, smile often, achieve your goals and find peace. January has proven to be a very exciting month and gives us a cheery push start to 2012. The Selous is green and lush with the good amounts of rain we’ve had. Birds and wildlife have been abundant and elephants and hippo’s slosh about in the mud and rejoice in the large pools of water forming everywhere. Game Activities are still happening – even if walks entail getting a bit of mud on your boots, and drives involve some delays with getting stuck in the mud! It’s all fun and games during the rainy season in the Selous and the animals are subjected to this too! The weather is fine – hot and humid most days and some days with heavy cloud cover. For the most part of the month – there has been minimal rain so the roads are good and wildlife viewing has been excellent.

January can be summed up pretty nicely with just one word – ‘Abundance’. There has been an abundance of a wide variety of animals, birds and reptiles throughout the month. Large herds of buffalo have been seen regularly – some herds comprising of up to a few hundred. Big herds of zebra, wildebeest and eland are seen regularly and the migratory Northern Carmine Bee-eaters are back. With their beautiful cerise pink bodies and blue heads – they fly along the sides of the vehicles in flocks of up to 30 – twisting and turning picking up bugs that fly out of the grass as the vehicles pass by! Lake Tagalala is teaming with wildlife with a huge variety of water birds and then a frightening number of crocodiles patrol the shores of the lake and big pods of hippos surface here and there.

There has been constant change and movement with the lions in the area and many times we have seen what seems to be a Beho Beho pride forming. Four lovely adult females plus their four cubs have been seen often. Earlier in the month, whilst out on drive Heribert discovered two cubs stranded in the Beho Beho River and thought these two must have belonged to the Beho Beho pride. They stayed there for a couple of days and we went back to check on them on a daily basis hoping that their mother had left them hidden to go hunting and was just delayed to return. After a few days – they were gone, and we hope they were reunited with their pride.

The three musketeers are continuing to enjoy being king of the African savannah and are seen regularly in their territory. One of the males has been spotted many times on honeymoon with his lovely new lady. Within the Beho Beho area we’ve seen a number of females – some seen alone or in small groups, (sometimes straight from the main area in the camp) and one day a very hungry looking lone single female looking desperate for some food. Onesmo also spotted a single female with a zebra kill in her prized possession as well as finding more than once a female hunting on the battlefield plains.

Heribert discovered a new pride of lions which he had never seen before. They were quite far from the camp near another one of the airstrips in the Selous called Kiba. The pride composed of five – four females and one male who were unfortunately in a terrible condition. Each member of the pride was badly cut especially the male who had a bad cut on his hind and front legs. We could only guess that there had been some sort of territory pride war between this family group or a careless attempt to bring down a large prey which had failed?!

Some say that the Selous has more Leopards than lions! With the number of tracks we find in the Beho Beho area and with the calls we hear regularly at night – we could perhaps say that this may in fact be true. Yet it is still incredibly difficult to see this stunning and elusive cat. This month though, we have been showered with leopard sightings – sometimes even day after day – and each time a different one! It’s been fantastic!! Heribert caught a glimpse of one on a drive and Walter caught a leopard by surprise as he was trying to hunt an impala. Unfortunately the leopard jumped up from his position when the vehicle arrived and was spotted by the impala who then proceeded to charge after the leopard in defiance! It was very amusing for all!! Onesmo (AKA the leopard man) has seen at least 3 or 4 sightings. One was on a walk where him and his two guests stumbled onto a sleeping leopard in the bush. It was a big male who jumped up sleepy eyed and quickly turned and ran through the bushes. A few days later, Onesmo saw yet another big male leopard on the way with guests to enjoy Lake Tagalala. This big guy was quite relaxed and moved off slowly but allowed some pictures to be taken before he disappeared.

The local Hyena clan are still up to their usual tricks and we hear them calling every night and sometimes followed by the eerie cackling or laughing sound they produce when they are excited. The regularly take down big game near the camp which is surprising for one of Africa’s greatest scavengers. The Hyena’s of the Beho Beho though are a force not to be scoffed at. Recently we found them feeding on a young giraffe – each tearing at the carcass and crunching through bones with their strong jaws and teeth. There was some squabbling over scraps, which could only be expected with a family feast for hyena – there is definitely no dinner-table etiquette here. When another vehicle arrived to the scene, one of the hyenas took this opportunity of distraction to steal the main meal from the rest of his family when they weren’t looking. And he galloped off into the bush with almost the whole carcass – a pretty impressive thing considering a baby giraffe can weigh up to 80 kilograms.

Blackie’s pack is around and is seen every couple of weeks as they move throughout their territory. They are all very relaxed and love lounging around in the shade – allowing guests to photograph them. With his eleven youngsters still healthy and growing strong and doing well, Blackie’s pack continues to be the firm favourite sighting by all. Seeing the painted dogs always stirs some emotions inside and you get the feeling you are seeing something extra-ordinary and something extra-special. A glimpse into a delicate world of beauty and wonder.

January has also been a month for some new and unique sightings – such as a nocturnal honey badger seen by Heribert and guests one day. He was surprised to see this quirky little critter during the day fearless and courageous! A large flap-necked chameleon was also found in the garden behind the office, which made for some great photos. She was a beautifully large specimen and was in the process of shedding her skin – hence her grey patchy appearance.

Bond and his two friends have also been in the camp – but only recently in the last week of January. He has returned after disappearing for some time and definitely returned determined to make another good first impression. One morning all the staff came to the office garden to start the daily morning meeting, only to find Bond squashed between the solar panels and the fence – feeding on the delicious grass growing here. He then tucked himself under the washing line and continued to feed – regardless of how many people stood around him. Determined and stubborn – Bond was not about to move for us to have our meeting, so we accepted defeat and moved the meeting to the main area to leave Bond in peace as he circumnavigated the tiny clumps of grass between the fire hose and the steps!! It is amazing when you see an animal as large as an elephant managing to fit between the smallest spaces possible – just incredible!

The green season continues but not as one would imagine. The last two or three weeks have seen hardly any rain and the pools that were forming everywhere have started to dry up. This means that as animals become stretched for water resources – our watering hole in front of the camp livens up. A large number of animals – from elephant, hippo, waterbuck and lion (only after midnight!) become regular visitors to our main dining area watering hole. Game also returns to the lake’s and game drives to these areas is a sure way of seeing a wide variety of wildlife near these water courses. We hope whilst you are reading this that you too are enthusiastic with the start of the New Year with the first month of 2012 already behind us. And for those of you who have made a few new year resolutions we hope you are trying to stick to them and if not – no worries – for that’s why we make them so that they can be broken!! Wishing you again a wonderful and prosperous New Year – Enjoy 2012 and all that it will hold…

Recently Heribert posted some fantastic photos of Hippos fighting on the blog. Check this out at Beho Beho Bushblog

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January 30, 2012

Surprises, suspense on Tanzanian safari

Filed under: Tanzania Safari,The Selous — Tanzania Odyssey @ 9:29 am

Originally published January 28, 2012 at 7:01 PM | Page modified January 29, 2012 at 7:19 AM

A safari in Tanzania should always begin in the Serengeti, but there’s much more to explore.

By Mary Ann Anderson

McClatchy-Tribune News Service

PREV 1 of 3 NEXT

SARAH DURANT / AP

Wildebeest are seen at sunset in the Serengeti in Tanzania. Wildebeest and zebras rumble across one of the world’s biggest nature reserves during annual migrations.

SELOUS NATIONAL PARK, Tanzania — The hot African sun was unrelenting, the sky broken only by an occasional wisp of cloud. My guide, Mtambo, and I were alone in the Land Rover for an early-morning game drive.

As he drove through Selous National Park, gazing at the verdant treetops for an elusive leopard, I glanced at him. Mtambo, of the Ndengereko tribe, was of an indeterminate age. He could have been 40 or 70, but this much is known: He can identify every African critter or bird that crosses his path.

He pointed out an ebony tree, all gray and gnarled and not black as I thought it would be.

“It is black inside,” he said in a pure and simple declarative statement before driving on.

A few minutes later we stopped in a clearing framed by acacias and baobabs. Mtambo shut the engine, and for long minutes we just listened to the sounds of Africa: the softest of winds whirling around as rhythmic as iambic pentameter, the high pitch of a bazillion insects and birds. A bazillion of those, too.

All around us was an avian orchestra of calls, songs, whistles and tweets. Above the crazy din, a hornbill trumpeted “wah-wah-ned!” I thought it was a baby’s cry.

But no leopard, at least not on that day.

Leopards don’t come out on cue, and neither does any other African wildlife. But on safari, there are always surprises and elements of danger, plenty enough to satisfy a sense of adventure and curiosity and develop a healthy respect for the natural world.

Tanzania, in East Africa and surrounded by geographical treasures of the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, the Indian Ocean, Mount Kilimanjaro, Lake Victoria, Lake Tanganyika and Lake Malawi, is a melding together of Tanganyika and Zanzibar.

The Serengeti

A safari in Tanzania should always begin in the Serengeti. Our journey took us to Singita Grumeti Reserve in the heart of the Serengeti, a Maasai word meaning “open plain.”

The Singita Sabora Tented Camp borders a windswept plain where you can see forever. Evening brings all sorts of animals close to camp, and all night buffalo snorted, lions roared and hyenas barked just steps away.

On our drive to Faru Faru, the next camp in the Singita reserve, the hunt was on again for leopard but they remained hidden that day, too. “It’s not easy to find them,” said our ranger, Arnold Swai. “Never is.”

We hunted for cheetah instead, finding a pair of young males resting in the shade of an acacia, their colors blending in easily with the warm notes of Tanzanian earth. We were greeted at Faru Faru with big glasses of sweet iced tea and a lunch of fried fish. Who knew you could get touches of Georgia it in the heart of the Serengeti?

Just a few minutes into our next game drive, Arnold’s radio crackled to life from a call from another ranger. All I picked out was “chui,” Swahili for leopard. Finally! The holy grail of all African wildlife. Arnold punched the gas, driving quickly for about a half-hour. Then there Miss Chui was, slumbering in the top of a tree, nearly completely occluded by gnarled limbs and thick leaves.

“We are lucky,” whispered Arnold. “It is very rare because they are so elusive.”

Sasakwa, the last of the three Singita lodges we visited, crowns a hilltop overlooking the vastness of the Serengeti. It is stunning.

“Being up here with these views puts the entire Serengeti into perspective and just how far it goes,” said assistant lodge manager Christopher Ford. I pondered getting a job there washing dishes, making beds, mowing the lawn — anything to see that view every day.

Untouched wilderness

The Serengeti is a tremendous introduction to Tanzania, but when you return or even extend your first trip, there’s always the “second safari” to lesser-known areas.

The untouched wilderness of the Selous Game Reserve is one of those places. Americans have yet to discover the Selous (pronounced “sa-loo”), a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the world’s largest game reserve.

Only a handful of camps dot the Selous, including the Selous Safari Camp where we stayed. Like the Serengeti, it is home to the Big Five, untold numbers of impala, a lake filled with crocs and hippos, and those bazillions of birds.

Everywhere sunbirds, bee-eaters, weavers, rollers and herons flit from tree to tree in the primary and pastel colors of yellow, green, blue, red, lilac and pink.

Mtambo also showed me “hippo highways” crisscrossing the Selous where those big boys come out of the lake at night, making tracks through savanna grasses for a midnight snack. Riki Tiki Tavi made an appearance, with Mtambo showing us a banded mongoose and explaining, “They kill the big snake.”

Our next stop was Jongomero Camp in Ruaha National Park, another perfect spot for a second safari.

The very uncrowded Ruaha is characterized by its diversity of open plains mixed in with riverine forests, savannas and acacia woodlands. Parts of it are so lush and thick that you can practically be standing next to an elephant and not see it. So many giraffe are here that a Dutch couple jokingly called it Giraffic Park.

The camp is not fenced and Maasai warriors — the askari — accompany you everywhere, lest samba (Swahili for lion) might be lurking in the tall grasses.

Then there’s Ngorongoro, which takes safari to an entirely new level. Ngorongoro, once an active volcano a few million years ago, is the world’s largest intact caldera. Nearly 2,000 feet deep, it is a virtual Garden of Eden, sheltering one of the most dramatic wildlife havens on Earth.

More than 30,000 critters graze its pastures at any given time, not including the birdlife and flocks of pink flamingoes that flood the lakes in an explosion of color. For the predators like lion, leopard, cheetah and hyenas, Ngorongoro is like a big open buffet for tamer creatures like buffalo and zebra. There are few hiding places in these high open plains, leaving a natural collision course waiting to happen.

Ngorongoro, which means “deep” in Swahili, is home to Maasai pastoralists who predominantly inhabit the conservation area, tending to their cattle and goats in a peaceful coexistence with the wildlife.

Only five hotels rim the crater, and Extraordinary Journeys, which set up almost our entire itinerary into Tanzania, selected for our group Ngorongoro Crater Lodge. The luxurious lodge, at about 8,000 feet in elevation, stands sentry over the crater and its terraced slopes. The view is simply unreal.

“Contrary to the belief that the animals are ‘trapped’ inside the crater, they move frequently in and out, especially the wildebeest and zebra during the Great Migration,” said lodge manager Innes Pruissen. “It’s a unique, amazing place.”

Yes, I think, as is all of Tanzania.

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November 23, 2011

Serengeti Migration Update – 23rd November 2011

Filed under: Serengeti,Tanzania Safari — Tanzania Odyssey @ 9:50 am

UPDATE: Kennedy has just called in to say he’s seen a wildebeest herd of over a million strong between Naabi, Gol Kopjes and Golini.

Nomad guides also report seeing some smaller herds down in the central Serengeti area, groups spread out between the Moru and Maasai Kopjes. Good rains in the area means there is plenty of grazing around.

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November 16, 2011

Beho Beho

Filed under: The Selous — Tanzania Odyssey @ 1:21 pm

BEHO BEHO BUSHMAIL

OCTOBER 2011

October – known throughout Southern and Eastern Africa as ‘suicide month’ is an intense month. It is a time when heat and her friend humidity sneak in and get comfortable – making themselves at home on your skin and hanging between the furniture like unwanted ghosts. Saying this, it is a fantastic month for game viewing – when animals are usually forced to drying water sources and desperate for the coming rain. Things have been slightly different this year with the early September rains we have experienced – which has bright green shoots of grass popping up everywhere and has filled up some small pools around the camp. Game viewing has not always been easy this month, with new grass coming up in the North of the reserve first attracting a lot of plains game to this inaccessible area. Yet, we have still managed to see our share of interesting and spectacular things! And of course the Beho Beho breeze continues to blow no matter the temperature – a wonderful relief during these months before the big rains.

October can be summarised as a month of change – with new grass coming up and then the bushes coming into bright green leaf followed by impala’s lambing – producing hundreds of young beautiful babies. It is during this stage that the burping calls of the ewe’s can be heard. The only time, besides giving alarm calls that the ewes are vocal, this call being used to communicate and remain in contact with the lambs. Some guests were even treated to finding an impala female who had just given birth. They watched in awe as it struggled out of the placenta and found its way on spindly legs to its mother. Ian has also had his share of finding rare antelope in the Beho Beho forest. This area with its dense forest cover is the perfect place for walking and searching for Suni. Being one of the smallest antelopes, they are difficult to find and spotting them involves a lot of crouching down and peering through thick foliage. But it’s a real treat to find one! They are monogamous and highly territorial little creatures who browse on forest leaves and fruit.

Heribert was chuffed to see some very spectacular sightings and a few rare ones as well! A morning game drive started with a rare sighting of a red duiker – which turned out to be a very short glimpse! Thereafter one of his guests saw some strange spots and they stopped the vehicle to reverse and get a better look. Just then a spotted cat-looking creature raised its head for a second from the long grass and then darted away. Mary-Beth (one of our guests) who was with Heribert managed to get some fantastic shots with her camera. Photographic evidence that they had in fact seen a Serval! Here in the Selous! A serval is the tallest of Africa’s small cats with very long legs, a spotted coat and large prominent ears. It is usually found in long grass where it hunts rodents and birds using it’s excellent sense of hearing. Once it has located its prey it leaps high in the air, out of the grass and pounces on its prey. Heribert and his guests were mighty pleased to have seen such an exceptional sighting here in the Selous. Heribert also spotted a beautiful puff adder on his way back to camp late one evening – adding a second very interesting sighting to his collection for October.

Around the same time Onesmo was up to his normal tricks and was the one who spotted a very relaxed leopard hanging out in a tree one afternoon. He had time to call the other guides and everyone got a good look at this gorgeous spotted cat with limbs hanging casually over either side of the branch. Some decided to wait and once it was almost dark the leopard came down from the tree and disappeared into the thickets. It was Onesmo too – who was even able to have a once-in-a-lifetime experience with one of our guests Angela. It was only Onesmo and Angela out on this particular drive when they turned a corner and there suddenly were two Rhinos coming towards them. Onesmo immediately switched off the engine and with the wind favouring them and blowing in the right direction – they were able to climb to the top of a nearby hill without the rhino’s smelling them. From there they watched them bathe and roll in some muddy pools – Fantastic!Walter bumped into an unlikely visitor on a walk one morning with some of our guests. It was a special lady – but not one anyone would like to meet unexpectedly! A female crocodile was waiting for him along the path down to the rivine overlooking the riverbed below. A 3.5metre croc lay to the side of the path ahead of them. She seemed to look almost dead apart from her deathly stare. After a little prodding with a very long stick she did open her jaws and let out a long hissing sound – showing she was very much alive! Walter skirted around his new acquaintance – leaving them to get to know each other better perhaps another time! Crocodiles will often travel long distances across land to find water and it is possible to meet them in the oddest of places! Even on a walk in the Beho Beho hills!

In terms of our resident Wild Dogs – October has been a very quiet month for us and we have struggled for most of October to find them. In the last week of October, the local pack with pups re-appeared and for a number of days provided excellent sightings. All the guides and guests were treated to an incredible spectacle when out driving one day. After spotting the dogs on a plain and watching them for some time, the vehicle continued on to find a lone baby impala lying hidden in some long grass. A zebra happened to pass nearby and the poor little impala decided to get up and get a better look at the zebra (some thought – the little impala thought the zebra was his mum returning). Unfortunately he gave away his hiding place and the dogs immediately spotted him and began careering towards the little fellow. He froze and stared at his quickly oncoming fate and then sprinted in the opposite direction. He gave up a good fight darting away on spindly little legs – but unfortunately was no match for a pack of hungry dogs. They killed the little impala in some thick brush and by the time everyone got there – the little impala had almost disappeared! It was sad then to see the mother impala returning to all the commotion – unfortunately to find her young missing.

‘Bon voyage Paka….’ We have all said a sad goodbye to a very special member of the Beho Beho family in October…a little courageous ginger tabby cat who arrived here to Beho Beho about five years ago. We are not sure how he arrived here but we think it must have been on an incoming supply truck from Dar es Salaam. As a fully grown kitten, he must have been very surprised to find himself suddenly in the middle of the Selous with lions and elephants as his new friends! He was named ‘Paka’ which is ‘Cat’ in Swahili and has spent the last 5 years or so living around the camp – sleeping in the day underneath and between storage containers and in the night prowling along the paths. One of our night gaurds once saw Paka be chased by lions and he has grown into a brave little fighting cat determined to survive against the toughest elements! He is still very much wild and does not allow anyone to touch him, but if you are lucky you could catch a glimpse of him on a pathway before sunrise. He has a muscular build and a stunning ginger and cream coat with huge green eyes.But correct wildlife management legislation stipulates that we may not keep any pets in the Selous Game Reserve (and rightly so!) and even though he came by accident it was decided that Paka must find a new home. And so ‘Operation relocation of paka’ commenced! A special cat capturing cage came from Dar es Salaam and it was baited with some yummy fried chicken. We managed to catch him on the first night that we put the cage out and then kept him covered until we could arrange a flight for him to Dar es Salaam. In the meantime, Kimberley contacted some friends Geoff and Vicky Fox who own and run Fox Farm in Mufindi. As a working farm (see image) surrounded by beautiful tea plantations this was thought to be the perfect place for Paka- somewhere he could roam free and get fat on tasty mice and rats! It turned out that Geoff Fox had a female farm cat and they were in fact looking for a male mate for her. Perfect match! After flying in the tiny plane to Dar es Salaam with his personal escort (Sean) he was taken to the local vet where he was checked out and inoculated. The vet was very impressed by his healthy size, strength and gleaming coat. In our opinion, clear indicators that a life in the bush is good for your body and soul! (If you can survive!) Furthermore the vet confirmed our hope and suspicions that Paka was indeed a male! Shortly thereafter Paka was flown on the next available flight to Mufindi where he has now settled into his new home very well. We wish Paka well…and hope he grows a thicker coat quick – as it is much colder up in the Mufindi area compared to the dry hot Selous! ‘Good Luck Paka!’

The end of the month saw a special fun celebration in camp with Halloween on the 31st October. The day was packed with yummy mouth-watering surprises -almost entirely the treat kind (rather than the trick kind)! Guests departing in the morning were sent away with a treat box filled with beautifully crafted orange spider web cupcakes. Those who stayed on had the usual delicious lunch but Karin and her team had added a scary face to the pie pastry top and we all could see it was going to be a fun-filled day! Tea time arrived and we were all in awe of the delicately crafted spider web cupcakes – some with marzipan pumpkins on their tops and the web-like dark and white chocolate cookies made by the cooks! As soon as it was dark, it was time for the creepy-crawlies to come out and we ate under the stars on the parade ground. The dinner table was filled with glow-in-the-dark snakes, mice and spiders and orange pumpkin buckets with candles lighted the pathway to dinner. One of our ‘more enthusiastic’ waiters appeared from the darkness dressed in a full skeleton costume – and danced a little jig as he mingled with the guests – providing much amusement and the odd fright as he took away your plate from behind you in the darkness! Dinner was a scrumptious meal especially pudding which was a creative coffin style chocolate mousse even with its own white chocolate RIP sign!

We will be closing for most of November and the beginning of December. This quiet time with no visitors enables us to do some important maintenance and also to complete some of our new projects. As a safari camp – we always strive to evolve and improve the product we provide to our guests. New exciting developments include an extension on the pool area making more space to relax and sunbathe; the demolition of an unused pilot’s room (banda 1) and a refurbishment of the interiors of the kitchen (which Karin is chuffed about!). All of this is keeping our camp manager Ian very busy as he regularly runs around all day with his tape measure in hand! We also have an exciting new look and feel for the camp with some bright new furniture and fittings – but we won’t spoil all the surprises – hopefully more on this next time!We hope this Bush Mail finds you well and you are looking forward to an enjoyable festive period ahead! Christmas plans are already under way here at Beho Beho and we are all brimming with excitement for the glorious food, fun and entertainment of Christmas that we have in-store for the lucky guests who will be here during this period! And if anyone is stuck with nothing exciting planned- then why not escape the cold and come spend Christmas with us in the Selous – we still have space and it’s going to be a bumper one! A very special and memorable Safari Christmas! Oh yes, and did we mention the weather looks to be blue skies and sunshine and HOT HOT HOT!

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November 8, 2011

Singita Explore Mobile Tented Camp

Filed under: Grumeti Reserves,Serengeti,Tanzania Safari — Tanzania Odyssey @ 9:32 am

Just back from Singita Explore Mobile Tented Camp, Mark Witney, Chief Operating Officer at Singita, shares his musings about a night under canvas and the vast African sky.

If you have never spent a night in the African bush with nothing between you and the vast African night sky but a canvas tent, you have to put it on your ‘bucket list’!

Anthropologists are pretty certain that man originated in Africa and I have to believe that this accounts for the spiritual experience often described by first-time visitors to this continent. Africa is etched deeply in the DNA of all of mankind. The best way to experience this is to immerse yourself in the sights, smells, sounds and feel of the night, and what better way to do this than to lie in a comfy bed in a beautiful tent with a gentle breeze blowing.

An evening at Singita Explore starts with a gathering around the fire. Cocktails and campfire talk as you watch the fire throw sparks up into the dark sky, and above you a view of the Milky Way as you have never seen it before. Because there is no surrounding light pollution, each star in this huge galaxy is clearly visible. Satellites drift across the evening sky, distant reminders of the technological world that seems so irrelevant when you contemplate the universe. Nearly 14 billion years old and expanding at hundreds of kilometres per second, around a billion galaxies in the universe and approximately a billion stars per galaxy – the numbers are beyond comprehension. Our sun is just one of those billion x billion stars and our earth is just a tiny speck revolving around that tiny sun. How irrelevant we are and how full we are of our own self-importance!

Nearby a fiery necked nightjar calls its plaintive prayer ‘good Lord – deliver us’. Far away a hyena whoops to announce that her night patrol has begun.

“Dinner’s ready” shakes you out of your reverie and to the table set just beyond the campfire. Hurricane lamps create a warm glow as you sit down to a simple but beautifully prepared meal. Potato and leek soup with bread freshly baked on the fire, grilled venison with locally grown, organic vegetables and a good old fashioned malva pudding with cream for dessert.

Coffee is served around the fire and as the embers fade so too does the conversation.

Back to your tent and, in the silence of the camp as you snuggle between the sheets, you become aware of the fact that many of the nocturnal creatures are just beginning their ‘day’. A spotted eagle owl hoots while the nightjars continue their repetitive call to the Lord. A lone hyena, closer now, whoops gently and sadly and in the distance you can just make out the roar of a territorial male lion announcing his dominance.

As you drift off to sleep you briefly contemplate how strangely familiar it all feels and yet how far away you are from the life you lead. You are hooked – and you’ll be back!

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October 13, 2011

Beho Beho Bushmail

Filed under: Tanzania Safari,The Selous — Tanzania Odyssey @ 8:44 am

September draws to a close and we all are astonished at how fast the time flies! Especially out here in the bush, where the sun rises and sets rhythmically to a simple tempo. Mornings are cloudy with the noon sunshine burning them away, skies are blue and the breeze still blows here in the Beho Beho Hills. The heat radiates at mid-day and all creatures great and small go quiet as they rest. The sun turns dusty orange, then crimson red and the crickets start to chirrup – and not long before it is night. The nocturnal brave start to move and get ready for their night-time adventures. Days come and days go – and in the simple world of the bush life – they pass calmly and quickly and each day we say fond farewells and warm welcomes to very special people. The long pod cassia are flowering all around the camp. Bright buttercup-yellow flowers brighten moods and are a refreshing splash of colour in the muted tones of the dry grass and barren trees. The dry season edges forward slowly, but this month we have seen some strange weather patterns. A couple of light rain showers as well as one heavy 30 minute shower falling during tea time – has got everyone talking of early rains. We should usually expect the short rains in early November but we have seen storms brewing over the Uluguru Mountains and predict some early rainfall.

We have seen similar curious changes with the movements of our local wild dog packs. Our beloved ‘Blackie’ and his pack with the heavily pregnant female from June have not been seen for a while. Instead we have seen a different pack now in the Beho Beho area. We first spotted them in early September on a walk with Ian – when they jumped out from behind a doum palm where they had been snoozing in the late afternoon heat. The adults stood and barked and then three little pups went scrambling up the hill first towards the airstrip. The radio call came that dogs had been sighted plus new pups and everyone diverted their drives and plans to go and see them. Everyone, especially the guides were thrilled to see the new pups of the season with hairy, healthy coats, short legs and fat tummies! Thereafter they have been seen a number of times by the game drive vehicles and the entire pack are relaxed enough to snooze around the vehicles with the puppies. Now that the denning season is finished, the dogs will move great distances again with their 3 new additions in tow – searching for food. We do wonder however what has happened to ‘Blackie’ and where his new pups are and how many they may be. They must be somewhere and we hope they return to the area soon giving us not one but two wonderful packs of dogs both with pups.

The ‘three musketeers’ (the three male lions frequenting the Beho Beho area) have been seen regularly and getting up to all sorts of mischief. Often we stand in the lounge area or for a better view from the pool and see them lounging around on the plains near the giant baobab. On walks we find fresh tracks around the camp and in the night we hear their presence. At the beginning of September they killed a large adult buffalo right on the plains in front of the main area. Each of the three brothers took turns to protect their prized kill from the encroaching vultures who waited patiently for a couple of days. By the end of the second day – the lions eventually gave their kill up with bulging bellies. Then for the next few days they hung around in the area digesting their enormous meal. Luckily for us, we had the perfect elevated view point from camp and during all the excitement were able to glance out on to the plains and see a theatrical vulture chase by one of the lions or them simply lounging with their legs in the air. Thereafter they disappeared for a few days, and we all wondered where our boys had gone? It was thought that these young boys needed some company – especially some lady company. That did make sense indeed! Not long afterwards we found our boys with at least two or three different females in various areas not far from the camp. It was not long before they were all mating – some of the boys with more than one female – naughty! But in all honesty, these are good signs – indications that we may have a Beho Beho pride soon – a coalition of the brothers, pregnant females and some cubs hopefully soon!

Lots of our guests have been lucky enough to catch the three musketeers in action and see them mating and some guests even got a closer encounter than was expected. On an afternoon drive with Ian, he drove to a nice-looking spot for a sundowner. Guests jumped out and Ian began to unpack the coolerbox – taking out drinks and snacks, when one of the guests – Beth said calmly, ‘Lion….lion.’ And she was right, not far off in the brown grass two ears and wide head watched them curiously. Everyone got back into the vehicle quickly and calmly and Ian put the coolerbox back – and off they went in the vehicle to find one of the young males with one of the new females. After taking some pictures, it was agreed to drive a little further to find a new sundowner spot – one preferably without lions nearby! The three boys also joined us at Bush Dinner one night – they were spotted hanging out around the Beho Beho International Departure Hut (which they love to do) and walked right past dinner whilst everyone ate. One of them also strolled past the main dining area just before tea time one day, at around 3pm when one of our guests was lying on the couch reading his book. I’m sure he could not believe his eyes! The lion just continued on past all the rooms and gave everyone in the rooms a very special veranda safari!

Lake Manze has also been a hive of activity at the beginning of September. Hungry (and very lazy lions) hang out at Lake Manze in big numbers waiting for their meals to come down to the water to drink. Guests were often treated to feeding lions or lions digesting food lying around sleeping and some were even treated to the odd chase – although not always successful! We have also seen some changes with our Manze pride – as last month saw a couple of them wounded from a few fierce fights – probably amongst themselves and new rivals. It has now been confirmed by Heribert that we have two new Manze boys who have taken over the territory and females of the Lake Manze area. There seem to be just two of the adult females left of the previous Manze pride (nicknamed ‘The Greedy Pride’) and these two have been seen happily mating with the two new brothers suggesting acceptance to the new rule. The guides have no idea what has happened to the rest of the previous pride. There were some sub-adult males and a female with cubs but they seem to have dispersed. A smart move when new males enter the area! Run and take cover! Male lions often will kill previous offspring that is not theirs, when they take over a new pride. This brings the females back into oestrous so they can mate. They will also chase away any sub-adult males which helps to reduce any possible competition in the near future for dominant rights! These two new boys have already been named by the Lion Research Project – ‘Uhuru’ and ‘Umoja’ which means ‘Freedom’ and ‘Unity’. We will be needing some new names for the three young Beho Beho Boys – any ideas are welcome?

Lake Tagalala is still an interesting and entertaining activity which we encourage all our guests to do! The lake is a bit shallower now as the dry season continues – and from time to time the boat skims over the tops of surprised hippo’s and crocodiles. Did you know? That Lake Tagalala is said to have the highest density of crocs per cubic volume of water in all of Africa. It is no surprise then – that lake trips always involve a gigantic count of crocodiles and some great photo opportunities. With the shallower water the jumping fish are also keeping busy – jumping into the boat regularly. One even jumped and knocked one of our poor honeymoon couples sunglasses off her head! Luckily they didn’t fall into the lake – as no one would be jumping in to retrieve them!

Onesmo has found himself a new lady…and her name is Lady Luck! He discovered not one but two leopard not far from the vicinity of the camp on his way back from sundowners one evening! It appeared to be a mother and sub-adult cub and they had killed an impala and dragged it down under a bush. They had just started eating it, and Onesmo and guests got a pretty good view of them before they slinked off into the thick bush a little disturbed. He returned the following morning – saw signs of them having been around but missed them by a few minutes. Later on that afternoon as the day was drawing to a close, he passed by again and this time spotted both of them next to the kill – still feeding! Guests were overjoyed and Onesmo was beaming with pride!

September has also seen some very special visitors to the camp. An elephant who was very relaxed and calm right by the main area during teatime. He came right up to the edge of the dining room and posed beautifully for everyone having tea and cake. This same visitor came another day and dipped his feet in the duck pond. We are also thrilled to have had some of the Bailey family visit us. Nicky (Charlie’s wife) visited us for a few days and Mrs B. (Charlie’s mother) has been here for a few weeks. Mrs B. has been visiting Beho Beho since it was purchased by her husband, Christopher in 1977. Since then Beho Beho has been a very special place to her and the family and a wonderful holiday home – a sanctuary to find peace in the tranquillity of the bush and enjoy the pleasure of the wildlife! For guests who are lucky to be here when Mrs B. is around, she will amuse you with fascinating stories of a colourful life lived – about pet Lemur’s named Tiki, elephants that walked through the main area and ate the Christmas cake, and tales of travel to almost every exotic place you can think of in the world!

And even around the camp, there are not only the big (lions and hippo’s passing by in the night) but also the little. Wahlberg’s Epilletted Fruit Bat’s hang out in the cover of the pathway roofs during the day and giant exotic looking insects are always around. There is also a special pair of slender mongooses who have a burrow under in the bush around the base of the long pod cassia in front of the office. Two heads often pop out from beneath the earth early each morning with bright brown eyes – and then they disperse to feed and forage for the day. We hope this September Newsletter finds you well, healthy and happy. And we hope unlike us that your home dwellings do not have too many creatures big and small!

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November 29, 2010

The Grumeti Reserves, Singita

Filed under: Grumeti Reserves,Serengeti,Uncategorized — Tags: faru faru, grumeti reserves, sabora, sasakwa — Tanzania Odyssey @ 4:25 pm

By Ted Archdale
29.11.10

On my most recent trip to Tanzania I was lucky enough to spend the first few days in a private game reserve in the Western Corridor of the Serengeti Eco-System- Singita’s Grumeti Reserve.

This is home to 3 of the most luxurious lodges in Tanzania in a beautiful private setting where you can enjoy the excellent resident game as well as experiencing the Wildebeest migration from June through to August. The 3 lodges are Sabora which based on a 1920’s tented safari camp, Faru Faru which is the more intimate permanent lodge with canvas roofs overlooking the river and Sasakwa the most luxurious lodge in the North of Tanzania with incredible views across the plains.

The view from Sasakwa onto the Grumeti Plains

I was blown away by the quality of this product including the awesome food,exceptional guiding and the private game viewing but at $1,725 per person per night, what do you expect!

Lunch at Faru Faru

For detailed information about Tanzania and Zanzibar please look at our site – www.tanzaniaodyssey.com, and click here for information about a Tanzania safari.

To view videos of the country and the various lodges please see our Video Console

Or for advice / quotes or anything else please call us in London on 44 (2) 7471 8780 or in the USA on (toll free) 1-866 356 4691

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