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Selous, Ruaha, Katavi, Serengeti Mara - Sept 23rd to Oct 9th 2015


Julian

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Day 6: Monday 28th Sept – Second day at Mwagusi camp

 

Breakfast would be eaten out in the bush each day here, so we commenced our morning game drive just after sunrise. This morning we found game in abundance – lots of giraffe, plenty of elephants, baboons, dikdik, rock hyrax, impala, zebra, buffalo, assorted birdlife, and eventually lions.

 

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We came across a herd of impala feeding along the edge of a wide dry sand riverbed. However feeding with them was a solitary kudu. The impala were reluctant to cross the riverbed as the vegetation along the bank on the other side provided great cover for any predator that might be lurking there. Much to the surprise of all of us the solitary kudu cautiously made its way cautiously across the wide dry riverbed and as it did so all the impala turned to watch it. Then one by one the impala slowly followed the kudu. This behaviour seemed quite bizarre – almost as if the kudu was accepted by the herd of impala as it was useful to lead ahead of them in case of any danger.

 

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Then a very pleasant stop for a leisurely scenic breakfast.

 

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After that some bushbuck, buffalos and elephants:

 

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Next we moved on to one of the larger rivers which actually has some water flowing (a small amount), which was an obvious draw for the wildlife- including the lions. Two female lions and a very majestic male were waiting to see what might possibly be on their male. The male, who was old, rested on the bank in the shade of a large tree observing the panoramic view below.

 

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One of the females had managed to hide down in the riverbed in an area of long grass. The other female was walking along the riverbed right up against the bank – presumably trying to distract the impala that had arrived from spotting the hidden lioness, but also to block off the escape route should the other hidden lion have a chance to chase the impala.

 

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A solitary impala had moved steadily along the section of riverbed grazing on the short grass with the hidden lioness in the long grass nearby, and was getting increasingly closer but still way too far for the lioness to chase. The male under the tree stood up and walked past our landcruiser, wanting to get a bit closer to the potential action.

 

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The four of us in the vehicle decided we would like to sit this out for as long as necessary – as we might just get the chance to see a hunt, and we had already seen plenty of other wildlife this morning. It was now around 11.00am and we sat there waiting patiently as the solitary impala moved first a little closer to the hidden lioness, and then further away.

 

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It was a bit of a stalemate situation and after another hour and a half, by which time it was getting hot, the lioness had obviously had enough of waiting and charged the impala – without the slightest chance of catching it because it was still too far away. Time to head back to the camp for lunch.

 

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Edited by Julian
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Beautiful leopard, lions, and landscapes.

Edited by Marks
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The afternoon game drive was less eventful but among the wildlife we encountered we did see another adult male lion, a fairly large herd of buffalo and a pair of grey crowned cranes.

 

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Fantastic pictures Julian!! Waiting for your katavi pics, including camp and chada plains ;)

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Day 7: Tuesday 29th Sept – Third day at Mwagusi camp

 

Yesterday it had turned out extremely warm and humid but when dawn broke it was chilly and very refreshing. The excellent dinner yesterday evening was, as usual, out in the open – in a different spot - with all the guests and managers again engaging in cheerful lengthy conversations. As we headed off this morning just after 6.30am the sun was rising. Today was our 20th anniversary and so we hoped it would be a special day, and the glorious sunrise filled us with hope and anticipation of what we might encounter.

 

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We did not have to wait long, after seeing a few baboons we approached a rocky area which turned to be where hyenas currently had a den. The cubs were next to the entrance to the den soaking up the early morning sun – which cast a beautiful light on the rocks and on the hyena cubs. A wonderful start to the day.

 

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After watching them for around twenty minutes we moved on and in just a few minutes we came up to one of the larger but dry sandrivers, and there perched on the large shiny whiteish coloured boulders in the riverbed were seven small lion cubs. Most of them were sleeping but the one that looked younger than the rest was keen to explore. The early morning sunlight was again casting perfect light on to the cubs and the boulders.

 

We watched them for about twenty minutes during which time Geoffrey told us that there were four lionesses in the pride who had obviously left their offspring to go off hunting. It made us realise just how difficult life can be for a young lion cub – if another predator came along now, or some buffalo, that would be the end for some of them.

 

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As we drove off again we immediately spotted some impala and then it was only a short while before we came across a group of elephants stripping off the bark and feeding on a tree. Next we came across a few kudu and then it was time to stop for our bush breakfast. It was only 9.00am and we had already experienced some great wildlife sightings today.

 

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@@Julian

 

The lions amongst the rocks -- the rocks give a "modern art" air -- with the uniqueness of their shapes.

 

I was at that hyena den 3 weeks before you. I don't see the one small pup I saw. Hope he has made it.

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@@Julian

 

The lions amongst the rocks -- the rocks give a "modern art" air -- with the uniqueness of their shapes.

 

I was at that hyena den 3 weeks before you. I don't see the one small pup I saw. Hope he has made it.

 

Difficult to know if we saw all the cubs ( I understand they are called 'cubs' and not' pups' as hyenas are surprisingly more closely related to cats than dogs), as it was very early morning , before 7.00am, and the other cub could have still been asleep in the den.

 

I agree with you about the lion cubs - it was a rather unique setting /lighting.

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After breakfast the wildlife continued to be prolific – first of all giraffes, then elephants.

 

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Soon after we came across another group of lions, part of a larger pride. Stretched out in front of us there were eight lionesses and a sub-adult male. In the distance were a large herd of buffalo – well into the mid-hundreds. However it was now becoming very warm – probably around 35 degrees and the lions did not appear very interested or hungry. After a while the buffalo moved off and the lions settled down to sleep in the shade.

 

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We decided to make our way steadily back to camp, but there was still time to see more elephants and more giraffe. We arrived back at our room around midday and reflected on what a superb morning it had been.

 

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Another very nice buffet lunch and now it was time to relax for a while. The thermometer at the back of the dining area indicated it was 35 degrees, which means that outside in the heat of the early afternoon sun it was at least 40 degrees. Therefore when we set off on our late afternoon game drive we were not expecting to see much.

 

However when we drove up to one of the riverbeds there were a group of lions lazing in the shade close to the bank under some trees. Some elephants, including a very young calf, were slowly making their way along the opposite edge of the river bed towards a narrow channel of water. At first the lions sat up and seemed to take an interest, but obviously decided the calf was not an option. They did eventually get up and very slowly make their way across the riverbed, but were clearly not interested in hunting anything on this very hot afternoon.

 

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We had a very leisurely paced drive for the last hour, stopping at a suitable spot for a sundowner, in a convenient position to take some nice photos of the sun going down, Geoffrey surprised us with a bottle of wine, compliments of the management for our anniversary, and we drank the wine chatting to Geoffrey and Vincent about how wonderful the game viewing had been today, and finally a really magnificent sunset developed. A wonderful end to a fantastic 20th anniversary for us.

 

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(I forgot to mention one sighting from the previous day, when we were on our way back to camp yesterday evening Geoffrey managed to spot four lions and four cubs in the rapidly fading light – unfortunately no photos as it was almost dark.)

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Day 8: Wednesday 30th Sept – Fourth day at Mwagusi camp

 

Our final day here in Ruaha and another refreshing cool dawn after the hot day yesterday. The plan for this morning was to have a quick look at some of the more likely locations for wildlife sightings before heading off to a more distant area of the park, where a guide had reported a wild dogs sighting yesterday.

In the first hour or so the sightings began with a reasonably close view of a jackal and then more of the regular sightings of elephants, impala and giraffe.

 

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After that we came upon a lioness with three very young (two months old) cubs, resting in the shade in long grass by a bush. We watched them for a while as one of the cubs was being very playful with its mother. Nearby was the adult male also resting by a bush who we were told was the father of the cubs.

 

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We then headed to a scenic rocky area to stop for breakfast, on the way seeing some more wildlife including a large, very old looking, male warthog.

 

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After breakfast we drove quickly for about 40 minutes to the edge of the park to look for the wild dogs. Today we had a trainee guide with us as well, and the three of them (guide, driver and trainee guide) all became very enthusiastic when Geoffrey spotted some wild dog pugmarks along the road. He showed us the difference between hyena and wild dog pugmarks (which are similar) in one of his reference books and the three of them got out and looked closely at the pugmarks. Geoffrey showed us where several wild dogs had been trotting along the road, most likely earlier today, but unfortunately we never managed to find the wild dogs.

 

However in the meantime we were told that a leopard had been sighted in this area, but some distance off, in a tree only a few minutes ago. We drove quickly for another 20 minutes and there about 50 yards off the track was the leopard in the tree. We were in a remote area of the park and they decided that they would drive ‘off-road’ to enable us to have a much closer, but very quick view of the leopard.

 

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By now it was midday and we needed to head back to camp, which was an hour away if we drove quickly. It had become hot again and in this area there were lots of tsetse flies, so the fast drive back was very welcome, keeping us cooler and free from the biting flies.

After another fine buffet lunch and conversation with the other guests and staff we needed to ‘pack’ our belongings before we headed out on our last game drive as it was going to be a very early start tomorrow to go on to Katavi.

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It was another hot and humid afternoon and as we headed off we felt quite sad that this was our last game drive in Ruaha. We came across plenty of the more common wildlife but nothing else exceptional.

 

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We ended the last drive here with our sundowner drinks watching the elephants as the sun was going down.

 

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Back at camp it was another excellent dinner out in the open, with plenty of socialising and good wine. Since arriving in Ruaha we had seen 44 lions, 3 leopards, hyena cubs at their den and many elephants, plus plenty of other wildlife – so we felt we had certainly done well with our wildlife viewings. Tomorrow our plane leaves for Katavi at 7.00am, therefore a very early start. It would be wonderful to come back to Ruaha and if we ever do we will definitely stay again at Mwagusi Camp -it really is a wonderful place.

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"some great stories to tell from a long time ago – such as a rhino charging at a car, getting its horn stuck under the bumper and ending up on the roof of the car ( back in the days before there were any camps, visitors arrived in their ordinary cars, and rhinos were common)."

 

Where's the video camera when you need it?

 

The rocky terrain played a role in many of your animal shots such as the hyenas, lions, and warthogs. Nice to get the sense of place.

 

It seems there were lions (often with cubs) around every bend.

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"some great stories to tell from a long time ago such as a rhino charging at a car, getting its horn stuck under the bumper and ending up on the roof of the car ( back in the days before there were any camps, visitors arrived in their ordinary cars, and rhinos were common)."

 

Where's the video camera when you need it?

 

The guy whose cars roof was seriously dented by the rhino apparantly kept his vehicle in that condition as it was always a great talking point in the future.

 

There were a number of stories from Mike Ghaui, Simon , and Chris Fox - all of them really good - but they were some of their outstanding experiences from decades of living in the bush , so hardly surprising that some were rather unusual.

 

 

The rocky terrain played a role in many of your animal shots such as the hyenas, lions, and warthogs. Nice to get the sense of place.

 

It seems there were lions (often with cubs) around every bend.

It did begin to feel like that - 44 different lions is quite a lot - but you can never have too many lion sightings. Edited by Julian
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~ @@Julian

 

You and Rachel had a terrific safari, well worth waiting six years!

The goliath heron photo is especially nice.

I liked the concept of chunks of fresh fruit on plant spines.

The image with impala and wildebeest mixed together is intriguing, as they're moving along as if in formation.

There's a sleepy lion portrait you've posted which is a phenomenal shot, as with so many of your lion images.

As a crocodile fan, your trip report is a treat, with superb crocodile close-ups! The young green crocodile is such a fine image.

Wow! Those bee-eater nest photos — what a sight!

Thank you for the vulture photos. I'm very glad that you saw them.

The eland family is impressive, with quite a number of young.

Your boat cruise photography particularly appeals to me. Many of your most striking images were taken while seated in the boat.

What a lovely setting for you and Rachel to toast your 20th with sparkling wine!

Ha! A more obliging leopard couldn't be imagined. That's a leopard who enjoys being in the limelight.

Yet the show-stopping photographs are those remarkable lion cubs on the water-sculpted rocks images.

Having never seen such young lions, your images deeply impress me. I agree with @@Safaridude that the rocks lend a ‘modern art’ flair.

Truly lovely photography!

Thank you so much for this trip report, which inspires me for my own next safari, which begins a few hours from now.

Tom K.

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Stopping at the end of Selous today, but looking forward very much to reading the rest! I loved reading your pre-safari descriptions as well. Very glad to see the eles finally made some lovely appearances for you - I was scared on day 2 that you may leave the Selous without having seen them!

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Sorry, double post deleted.

Edited by Sangeeta
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madaboutcheetah

I missed updates from this topic - again, a request for members to not top up a zillion outdated topics in a heap - people like @@Julian put in a lot of effort to write up a report that is so amazing!!!

 

Thanks for the report and brilliant reading!!!

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