Selous – Lake Mwanze
Most of the national parks are quite far away from Dar, meaning we have to fly to them to be able to go on safari in a weekend. And even then, some of the national parks are that far away that it is not feasible to go there for a 2-day, normal weekend. We investigate and Selous is our first destination for a weekend safari. One of the airlines also owns some lodges and if there are still seats remaining they are offered a week in advance at a cheaper rate.
It’s an early start on Saturday, and a rather posh way to start your weekend with a flight in a little plane. We can get used to this!
view of the Rufiji River from above, this river is a lifeline where it cuts through the land, as well as deposits huge amounts of nutrients into the ocean
after landing our guide and driver await us, we can get used to this luxury…
As soon as we arrive the game drive starts and we are spotting new birds and lots of animals on our way to the lodge for lunch.
straight away we spot a new bird for us, the very beautiful white-fronted bee-eater
in the Selous you find the Crayshaw’s zebra, a subspecies of the common plain’s zebra with narrower stripes
Jon behind Zahor, our excellent driver and spotter
always stunning and posing, the lilac breasted roller
Our room is a tent overlooking one of Selous’ many lakes. We will definitely come back here.
our humble abode in Lake Mwanze camp, it comes with our own private bathroom open to the skies
it also comes with this view, amazing
Lake Mwanze bar area
In the afternoon we go on a boat cruise as the Selous is famous for all its waterways and lakes. This is a perfect way to see what happens in and around the water. We catch a gorgeous sunset whilst enjoying our sundowner in the boat, a lovely way to end the day.
Jon in his element, cruising on the sunset cruise boat with his camera in hand and a beer next to him
malachite kingfisher
Nile crocodile, there are plenty of those around here
this great egret is showing off his best surfing moves (and was succesful catching fish whilst surfing too!)
African sunset over the waterways of the Selous
During the communal dinner a common genet pays us a visit, a great bonus to an already fantastic day.
a slightly fuzzy picture of the large-spotted genet who came to visit during the communal, outdoor, candlelit dinner
We go to bed on time for another early start in the morning. We continue the game drive, enjoy a picninc breakfast out in the bush and get back for a late lunch in camp. Directly after lunch we pack up and head out again for another game drive on the way back to the airstrip. We are lucky as half an hour before the plane takes off we finally spot one elephant. The Selous was famous for its number of elephants…
cutest dwarf mongoose ever
red-necked spurfowl
two gorgeous young lions are relaxing in the grass
lilac breasted roller in action, not a good day for the little lizard
impressive horns of the male greater kudu
a male von der decken hornbill, with the female in the foreground
can you spot the prey and predators?
this youngster is having none of it
striped ground squirrel
masai giraffes
finally one elephant in the Selous, more than 90% if the elephants here have been poached in the last few years
After a short, half hour flight we land just after 6pm and are home in time for dinner. An amazing, but expensive, way to spend a weekend.
watch out for giraffes on the landing strip at the Siwandu airstrip in the Selous
last views of this stunning world heritage site
back in ‘civilisation’…