day 5

After an early morning water safari in lovely light and a glass like lake we left Siwandu in Selous. The highlights on the water were seeing 2 hippos grazing on the small island, alongside the crocs and nesting egrets. Also watching a fish eagle eat his early catch. Siwandu had been a delight with impeccable service and private game drives in a vehicle to ourselves throughout.

By 9.15 we were at the side of the grass airstrip as our small plane landed to whisk us off on a 1.5 hour flight to an even more remote National park called Ruaha. Here we are at a sister camp, probably even more luxurious and at least 2 hours away from any other game vehicles. Game is harder to find here when there are no other drivers with radio contact passing on knowledge. But within 30 minutes on our afternoon drive we had seen bat eared foxes and a pride of lions. The landscape and climate in Ruaha is totally different to Selous. Much denser bush and far cooler. We have even seen rain today as the rainy season is just starting here. I had been bemoaning the advise to bring fleecy jackets when night temperature to date hadn’t fallen below 20^C but we will need them in the mountainous Ruaha.

The Ruaha National Park is the largest National Park ( everything protected) in Africa. true vast and due to its remoteness not as yet populated with safari camps.

extras; hippo, lions, Jongomero welcome party, bat eared fox