Selous - The rest of the story

I was barely able to scratch the surface of this incredible holiday in my Rebel Mom post, so I thought I'd add a bit more detail here.

Far, far from the maddening crowds there is a prehistoric land.  A land where the pulsing footsteps of giants can be felt through the vibrations of the ground... Where the night is filled with singing and roars and cries and trumpeting...  Where fat reptiles laze languidly in the sun, wide-open mouths inviting daring birds to clean their razor teeth...  Where human kind has not encroached upon the ways of nature.  This is the Selous Game Reserve in southern Tanzania.

I’d wanted to go on an African safari since I was a small child and my husband made it happen as a belated honeymoon.  Of course, his motivation might have stemmed from the fact that I was adamant I wouldn’t have children until I’d gone – but the joke was on me because I became pregnant the week before we left!

Having made a few mistakes in planning exotic vacations in the past (Belize), I put Imagine Africa, our tour operator, through the wringer and they came up trumps!  I had heard that in some parts of the Serengeti, there are more tourists than animals, which makes the experience feel more like a zoo than a safari.  That was the last thing we wanted.  Thus, Imagine Africa recommended the little-visited Selous.

We took a puddle jumper from Dar es Salaam to Selous with Nick in the co-pilot's seat, wearing an expression most often seen on small children at Christmas.  

Our first glimpse of the adventure to come was the herd of wildebeest that sprinted across the dirt landing strip as our plane descended.  

We were met at the airstrip by Mpogo, our driver and Makomba, our guide.

Makomba was raised in a village not far from Jane Goodall's chimpanzees in western Tanzania.  At twelve years old, he and the other boys his age were sent to live in the forest for two years where they learned how to survive off the land and slept in the hollow of baobab trees.  He then left for school, where he learned three languages and earned a Masters degree in ornithology.  Though I tried to stump him, there was no question Makomba couldn't answer.

We drove through the gates around the air strip and there, staring at us from the side of the road was a giraffe. 

I couldn’t have imagined that just four days later, giraffes would seem commonplace.  

Or that one would block the path between my tent and my breakfast until a Masai warrior scared it off.  

But giraffes were just the beginning of our safari adventure.  What would follow over the next four days would be extraordinary.

It is rare that something you have built up in your mind for nearly thirty years lives up to your expectations.  But the four days I spent in the Selous Game Park far exceeded even my wildest dreams.

On the ride from the air strip to the camp, we saw a baboon running off with a baby impala:

We saw giraffes, hippos, crocs, antelope and buffalo.  All in the first twenty minutes.

But none of the hippos compared with Arnie, the male who had been evicted from his pod and made his home around the camp:

As I mentioned in Rebel Mom, I had expected to "rough it" on safari, but the Selous Impala Camp, though only mid-range among the nine camps in Selous, was anything but roughing it.

The "tent" itself had his and her sinks, a lovely shower and toilet, a changing room and a double bed.  Upon our arrival, the managers suggested a nap after our long trip, then brought us coffee to wake us up before our first trip out - a boat safari.

They brought us coffee to our room every morning before our 6:00 am game drives and the tents were kept critter-free and perfectly clean for the duration of our stay.  

We ate breakfast, complete with eggs, bacon, cereal, tea, coffee, juice, milk and fruit, out in the bush every morning, prepared by the camp chef and set up by Makomba and Mpogo.

It was a feast!

And the food back at camp - unbelievable.  The Zanzibari chef Mwamed could compete with any New York or London star.  After two days, we actually had to ask for half portions because it was a crime to see any of our three course meals go to waste!  Even his presentation of simple fruit was mouth-watering.

But enough about the food for the moment.  The true excitement was the animals.  Whether on the boat, in the range rover or on foot, we were never disappointed.  Even from our tent's deck, we were able to watch crocs and hippos, hear bush babies wail at night, and were amazed by the size of a goliath heron. Because the animals walked the campsite freely, we had to be escorted to and from the dining tent by a Masai warrior.

What amazed us most was how close to the animals we could get:

Especially, on our walking safaris, which required the company of an armed ranger.

And when we didn't see them, we could tell they were still nearby:

and a hippo trail:

In January, we were able to see all the newborns learning to walk and play.  

This little giraffe stood like a statue, attempting to blend into its surroundings while it's mother was off about a mile away.

Among my favorite things to do on our drives was to quote Lion King, "When he was a young wart hog, he found his aroma lacked a certain appeal, he could clear the savannah after every meal..."  Didn't get old at all, or so I think.

The elephants never failed to impress.  Whether crossing the river, snorkels up:

Or letting us know who's boss:

It took three days, but on our final game drive, we saw a small pride of lions.  In Selous, the lions are evolving in such a way that the males no longer have great manes.

Nick and I sat in our open top jeep not fifteen feet from these cats.  When we arrived, they were all snoozing in the mid-day sun and we wanted to change seats so as to get a better view.  We stood up to move and immediately every head snapped in our direction.  Makomba turned to us and through gritted teeth, he whispered, "Don't make any sudden movements."  We learned our lesson.  They may have seemed like giant house cats:

But we didn't want to test these cat's teeth:

Nick was rather relieved and enjoyed his beer after our afternoon with the lions:

Between game drives, we were able to relax and the camp's pool was surprisingly refreshing.

Neither Nick nor myself had any particular interest in bird watching, but in Selous, they are so extraordinary, we couldn't help but be entranced.  From fish eagles:

To kingfishers:

we were for the birds:

I was surprised by how elusive the zebras were, but on the same day we saw the lions, we also got our fill of what one expects from a safari:

And finally, on our last day, we found the great treasure of Selous - the African wild dog.  Of course, seeing them made me sing Toto for the rest of our trip: "The wild dogs cry out in the night, as they grow restless longing for some solitary company."  Unfortunately, we had forgotten to charge our camera the night before and while we got pictures of some bones on the ground and our breakfast, we missed the elephants who crossed right behind us while we ate, as well as the dogs.  But, kindly, Mpogo and Makomba put off their well-deserved break to drive us to the airport by way of the dogs and we were able to get our pictures:

Our safari adventure was beyond anything I'd hoped for and yet I was not satiated.  Sitting on the deck, watching the hippos, Nick and I made plans to return, next time when Conall can appreciate the experience!

If it hadn't been for Nick, this would likely be a life's ambition I would still be dreaming about.  I'm extremely grateful to Nick for making this dream come true - it was everything I'd imagined and more.  To live life, sometimes you just have to pull the trigger and buy the ticket.  Memories mean so much more than dreams.