First Timers visiting Selous and Ruaha in the Green Season (February 2018)

[CDL111]

@FirstTimeAfrica, enjoyed reading your report, and impressed what you were able to see. You obviously need to invest in a book of birds, as no doubt you will, sometime in the future, look back on this trip and ask yourself what was the name of that bird. 

[FirstTimeAfrica]

Day 10: Big Fish

 

After all the driving the last days and the routined schedule of getting up early, game drive, rest, game drive, sleep,...  it felt really good to be on our own again and more free in terms of planning our days and moving around freely. Also we enjoyed the comfort of Meremeta lodge, with a big bed, nice terrace and hammock and calm "tropical island feeling" of Mafia.

 

The reason why most people visit Mafia Island is diving / snorkelling in general and more specifically Whale Sharks, the worlds largest fish. As February is still the season to see them, we arranged a whale shark trip through the lodge, hoping to have luck and see some. The trip is not cheap, but we payed considerably less than what the diving resorts charge and also part of the money goes to some kind of authority, which takes care of licensing for the whale shark guides.

 

The driver brought us to Mafia Island "harbour" next to the main "town" Kilindoni. Besides the diving resorts Mafia is not really developed yet and still very authentic and not touristic at all. I guess most people here live from fishing and some farming.The harbour consists of a jetty and a small building for the authorities, but is mostly more a beach than a harbour. It's very interesting to watch the fishermen doing their business.

 

Fisher boats on Kilindoni "harbour":

 

 

We met our guide on the beach and got on a small wooden fisher boat, equipped with snorkelling stuff (though we brought own mask and snorkel), which should brings us to the Whale Sharks. Chances to see them are still good in February, butyou never know whether you will find some. The Whale Sharks are best seen in the „channel“ between the mainland an Mafia Island. After searching for maybe 30-45 minutes the guide finally spotted a Whale Shark (just a dark shadow in the water), so we sailed in his direction, put on the fins and, when we were close enough, quickly jumped into the water and followed the shark.

 

Being about 8-12 meters, these animals are really impressive and they move so elegantly with their large fin. They also have a very big mouth, so you're happy to know they are vegetarians and not really interested in humans    With the fins you are just fast enough to follow them for about 5-10 minutes… then you’re either exhausted or the Whale Shark dives down too deep, to see him anymore. But it's really exciting how close you can get to them. You could even try to touch them, though keeping a distance of about 3 meters is advised, because they could accidentally knock you out with their fin.

 

The first Whale Shark (fortunately they are vegetarians  ):

 

 

 

After the first shark we got back on board, sailing around and searching for more. We were very lucky this day to spot Whale Sharks several times, so we could swim 5 times with different whale sharks. The visibility was mostly good, though sometimes a bit blurred by plankton. After the second whale shark we were much more relaxed and routined, which allowed us to concentrate more on watching how they behave and enjoy it even more than the first times, when you're too excited. Also you have very different positions to see them, sometimes following them, sometimes they swim directly underneath you, sometimes they come straight into your direction.

 

From the side:

 

From above:

 

They are looooong:

 

Swimming back to our boat:

 

 

Tanzania has really so much to offer. After all the wild life on the mainland, the Whale Sharks were another highlight and very easily  accessible just 30 min from the shore. We sailed back to Kilindoni, where it was low tide now. Again it was nice to see the fishermen's life. Fisher boats are still all traditional wooden boats, from the small "Dhows" to larger sailing boats.

 

Dhow:

 

 

"Strong boys" at work:

 

 

They still use traditional sailing boats:

 

 

Basic infrastructure:

 

 

The rest of the day, we spent at the beach in "Chole bay", which is part the Marine National Park area and lies on the South-East of Mafia Island. It's a beautiful bay, with the small "Chole Island" in front of it. You have a nice white beach, surrounded by mangroves. This is the area, where most of the diving resorts are located. Water is very hot in the bay, because it's protected by coral reefs, so the water really heats up close to the beach. It must be like 35°C, so not refreshing at all, more like a hot tub  

 

Fisher men still use traditional dugouts here, some with, some without outriggers. Seaweed farming is an important business here, exporting the seaweed to Japan mostly (where the Japanese create really delicious dishes with it, by the way  )  For those seeking an unspoilt island experience, Mafia is definitely a good option.

 

Chole bay - white beach with mangroves:

 

Fisherman in dugout with outriggers (Chole island in the background):

 

Dugout in the mangroves:

 

[FirstTimeAfrica]

@CDL111 happy you enjoyed the TR. Yes, I have to get a book and look up all the animals' names. I'm really a terrible wild watcher and very bad at remembering names  

[CDL111]

@FirstTimeAfrica, to see the whale shark must have been magical. Was the location busy with tourists? Went to Hervey  Bay in Australia in 2016 and did three days watching humpbacks. On our last day a marine biologist let me use her hydrophones to listen to the whales, something l will never forget. 

[Hads]

@FirstTimeAfricathanks for a Super trip report and awesome photo's. Ruaha is high up on my wish list of places to visit.

What would be your preferred Safari destination Ruaha or Selous?

I dived with whale sharks many years ago and it was an amazing experience as you found out.

[FirstTimeAfrica]

@CDL111 Yes it was really great to swim with the Whale Sharks, as you could be so close to them and really swim next to them for a while. Regarding other tourists, it was mixed. The first two Whale Sharks it was a bit busy, with two other boats. And they were a group and not alone like us. So then it was about 10 people trying to swim around the Whale Sharks. But with the other Whale sharks afterwards we were alone with no other tourists, as their boats stayed far from us. I guess it's best not to go with the diving centres, as they are more expensive and you'll always have a group. When you book with locals (as arranged by Meremeta lodge in our case) you have it cheaper and have your own boat.

[FirstTimeAfrica]

@Hads Thank You! 

That's a tough one, choosing between Ruaha and Selous.

 

All in all, I think I would prefer Ruaha, as we loved the Elephants so much and there are just countless of them. But maybe it's just because we stayed there longer than in Selous. Also, if you don't take into consideration the lakes of Selous, the landscape is more varied in Ruaha with the wide plains, many dry river beds and rocky mountains. On the other hand, the boat safari in Selous is also a great experience and it's also a very special atmosphere and landscape.

 

So I cannot really decide between the two, maybe others can add their preferences or experiences  

[FirstTimeAfrica]

Day 11: Small fish

 

Whale Sharks are not the only marine attraction on Mafia Island. In fact, the main attraction is the Marine NP around „Chole Bay“. It offers great snorkelling and probably even better diving, but we’re just snorkelers, so I can just tell about this. We booked a private snorkelling trip arranged by Meremeta lodge and were brought to the coral reefs at the end of Chole bay. Snorkelling ist really great here, regarding the corals it was actually one of the best snorkelling we have experienced so far. Only Komodo NP in Indonesia was slightly better. You will find a lot of different corals, both hard and soft corals and a good amount of tropical fishes. It’s very nice to see that this area is protected as a Marine National Park, hopefully conserving this beautiful underwater life.

 

The pictures did not turn out very well, so just a few impressions from the snorkelling, which was much better than the photos suggest.

 

Weird plant:

 

 

Powder-blue surgeonfish (thank you Wikipedia):

 

Many fishes (corals were nicer in other areas):

 

At Chole bay, there's a nice beach bar from one of the diving resorts (but everyone can go there) with reasonable prices (good Italian Pizza ) , so we had our lunch "sea-view lunch" there. The rest of the day we just spent at the beach, reading and relaxing.

 

Lunch at the beach-bar:

 

Beautiful butterfly back at the lodge:

 

 

Day 12: Island life

 

As Meremeta lodge offered free bikes, we went on a small tour to Kilindoni by bike, in order to see a more of the local life and walk around in Kilindoni a bit. The distance from Utende to Kilindoni is about 12km so it takes about 45 min by bike. As Mafia is not very developed yet, besides beach and snorkelling / diving there's not so much one can do on the island, but it's nice to relax for a few days and getting a feeling for island life in Tanzania, without being compromised by tourism.

 

Just some impression from our bike tour following. The main-town Kilindoni is just a small village, with a bank and some small shops and stalls. There's also a small market, consisting of about 10 market-stands.

 

Typical house on Mafia:

 

 

Some traditional house had photovoltaic yet:

 

 

Weird bi-coloured tree  :

 

 

Main-road in main-"town" Kilindoni:

 

Market-stand in Kilindoni:

 

 

Colourful fabrics:

 

 

Showing the whole picture:

 

After buying some fruits on the market we rode back to Utende. If you don't want to go by bike, Tuk-tuks are a good alternative and much cheaper than a taxi

 

Tuk-tuk:

 

 

 

 

The rest of the day we stayed at the beach and had walk through the beautiful mangroves. Later we met a funny Massai, who moved to Mafia Island for earning money by selling "Massai craft work" to tourists (though at least half of the stuff he was selling, was probably Chinese "craft work"  ). He was a nice guy though and we talked with him for a while and it turned out, he could arrange a snorkelling trip with a fisherman at half the price from what the lodge charged us (which was still less, than what the diving centres charged). So we made an appointment for the next day, when they should pick us up on Chole Island, which we wanted to visit the next day.

 

 

Not only Jesus knows how to walk on the water   (at low tide the ferry on Chole Island stops about 50-100m away from the shore and people have to walk the rest):

 

 

 

 

 

[FirstTimeAfrica]

Day 13: Chole island and more corals

 

This was our last full day on Mafia island. After breakfast we went by bike back to the beach and took the small ferry (which is just a small fisherboat, see last image of the day before) to Chole island. With a guide you could visit the people who build traditional boats and also a tree with bats (I guess the "bats" are flying foxes, which we have seen several times yet). But we were not in the mood for taking a guide, but just wanted to have a little walk over there before the Massai should pick us up and bring us to the coral reefs.

 

Chole island is very small. When you arrive there is a small village with a school and a Café, which belongs to the only accommodation on the island. There are also some ruins to visit, which are nothing to write home about though in my opinion. We had a walk around through the island and were surrounded by a group of school children the whole time, who were really curious what this strange couples "wants" on their island    The houses were a mix of mud and corals, so had a special look. Also it's notable, that even though they were in a very natural environment (basically just in the woods with small pathes and without any pavement), most people kept the area around their houses spotlessly clean. Actually Chole island is a bit like the stereotype of a small tropical island you imagine, without any infrastructure but everything reachable by foot.

 

Coral-stone house:

 

Another coral-stone house:

 

 

Surrounded by school-children:

 

 

School on Chole island:

 

 

Around noon we got picked up for more snorkelling. And this time it was even better, as the water was clearer. The Massai was on his first snorkelling trip ever, not knowing how to swim. Fortunately one of the divers boats was close to us and lent him a swimming-vest, so he could also enjoy the corals. Due to the clearer water, pictures give a better impression of the great marine life.

 

 

Clown fish:

 

 

Many different kind of corals:

 

Many many soft corals:

 

 

Another species of clown fish (or something similar):

 

 

Special kind of coral:

 

 

Just beautiful:

 

After the snorkelling we stayed at the beach bar and had a few Tangawizi, which was our favorite drink in Tanzania (besides beer  ). This was our last day on Mafia island and the next day we would leave for Zanzibar, to stay two nights in Stone-Town.

 

Last drink at the beach (if you like ginger this is best!):

 

 

Day 14: Time to leave

 

The report will end here with Mafia, as I guess Zanzibar is very well known and described already. Moreover, we did not really like Stone-town. As beautiful as it is from the buildings, for us it was way too touristic with all the souvenir shops and people trying to sell you something all the time. 

 

So I hope everyone enjoyed the TR. We had a really great time in Tanzania, both the safari and Mafia and will definitely come back sometimes. People in this country are very friendly and helpful and have a great sense for hospitality. Learn a few words of Swahili and you can make people very happy  

 

 

Good-bye Mafia:

 

 

Edited September 9, 2018 by FirstTimeAfrica
Double posted image

[CDL111]

@FirstTimeAfrica, thanks for the report, the wife and l have really enjoyed it. It’s very difficult to capture the true colours of fish, but they do stay with you.

[Africalover]

Yes, you should go back to Ruaha, bush camping around Mwagusi river, with Otto - in the dry season.. Totally different experience. Nice reading about your trip to Mafia. I will go there one day.

[lmonmm]

Just absolutely loved this TR- everything from beautiful elephants to beautiful whale sharks. So glad you shared those. Really, just thoroughly enjoyed myself. Thank you

[FirstTimeAfrica]

18 hours ago, lmonmm said:

Just absolutely loved this TR- everything from beautiful elephants to beautiful whale sharks. So glad you shared those. Really, just thoroughly enjoyed myself. Thank you

 

 

Thanks You! Really appreciate the feedback  

[Marks]

What an unexpected and beautiful addendum to this TR. The whale sharks in particular are stunning.

[anocn4]

Your report is one of my most favorite reports on ST. I did not think much about Mafia island until I read your report. I also like your unplanned interactions with the locals there (school children, the Masai).  Thank you so much for sharing your trip with us.

[FirstTimeAfrica]

@anocn4 happy you liked it!  

 

Mafia is definitely worth a trip and I’m sure it will develop more soon, so I guess it’s better to go sooner than later, before the “masses” come. 

[AKR1]

@FirstTimeAfrica

 

Just read your excellent report and really enjoyed it. I love reading about first time safari reports. Have to say your report and pictures in particular were really good. Thanks for the detailed formation about the Selous and Ruaha that I would bet very few first timers go to. Also enjoyed your Mafia island report. 

 

[Amylovescritters]

Great report... southern Circuit is definitely on my bucket list (amongst so many other African destinations). Omg the dogs... One day. 

Whale sharks are indeed magnificent. Another bucket list item. I must interject we humans should be observers in nature and refrain from touching them or interfering in their realm. Just returned from a trip to Yellowstone and was appalled by so many humans behaving poorly with regards to respecting animals and giving them appropriate space. Same with sea turtles in Mexico and Hawaii... Snorkeling looks pretty amazing, too. Mafia looks lovely. Love the laid back, authentic, less touristy vibe, for sure. Thanks for your fun, unique, and descriptive TR. Cheers!

[Atravelynn]

"The great thing is, at the beginning you're really excited about anything you see, including Impalas, which are literally everywhere. "  Your comments on your first elephants were great too.  Wild dogs on safari #1!  Way to go.  I am very interested in how you found Ruaha in Feb.

 

The lush vegetation and saturated colors of green season were beautiful in Ruaha.  Your comments of Tembo Wonderland and Elephant Paradise echo what I had read about Ruaha eles in green season.  Even though it is your first safari, it is obvious you are not new to photography.  Fantastic shots.  The lesser kudu may have been id'd previously.  Another fine sighting!

 

This report shows Ruaha and Selous as attractive destinations in green season.  Very intrepid of you to camp on your first safari! 

 

"Mafia business"--ha ha.  Will check that out later.

 

Edited April 2, 2019 by Atravelynn

[Atravelynn]

What a brilliant complement to your safari on Mafia Island.  Wonderful whale sharks! 

 

Now a barrage of questions:  Is Februrary-ish the time you are most likely to see the whale sharks and was whale shark spotting a reason you chose Mafia Island?  Did the captain/guide give you an indication of the odds of seeing whale sharks on a single outing during the time you visited?  What kind of camera were you using for the underwater shots?  They turned out very well. Underwater photography is a real challenge.  T

 

The Maasai guy's first snorkel had to be a touching moment.  The Tanzanians should experience the tremendous natural resources of their country. How nice this guy got to. 

 

It appears you did some bike riding.  How safe would you say it was along the roads--busy roads or more like  backroads?  Did anyone wear a helmet?  There are quite a few beach options for Zanzibar, why did you pick Mafia Island?  And why did Stone Town fit best at the very in your itinerary end instead of putting  Mafia Island at the very end? 

 

Back to Ruaha/Selous--I know of one person who traveled at the time of year you did.  They said the heat and humidity was unbearable and the insects were too.  I think they were talking only about tse tses, but mosquitoes too.  And they were not camping.  Sorry if I missed it in your report, but can you comment on heat, humidity, and insects?

 

The most important question of this barrage--any plans to return to any part of Africa?  If this was a one off, you certainly did it right!!!

Edited April 4, 2019 by Atravelynn

[ZaminOz]

Wonderful report, thank you

 

[FirstTimeAfrica]

On 4/3/2019 at 5:13 PM, Atravelynn said:

What a brilliant complement to your safari on Mafia Island.  Wonderful whale sharks! 

 

Now a barrage of questions:  Is Februrary-ish the time you are most likely to see the whale sharks and was whale shark spotting a reason you chose Mafia Island?  Did the captain/guide give you an indication of the odds of seeing whale sharks on a single outing during the time you visited?  What kind of camera were you using for the underwater shots?  They turned out very well. Underwater photography is a real challenge.  T

 

The Maasai guy's first snorkel had to be a touching moment.  The Tanzanians should experience the tremendous natural resources of their country. How nice this guy got to. 

 

It appears you did some bike riding.  How safe would you say it was along the roads--busy roads or more like  backroads?  Did anyone wear a helmet?  There are quite a few beach options for Zanzibar, why did you pick Mafia Island?  And why did Stone Town fit best at the very in your itinerary end instead of putting  Mafia Island at the very end? 

 

Back to Ruaha/Selous--I know of one person who traveled at the time of year you did.  They said the heat and humidity was unbearable and the insects were too.  I think they were talking only about tse tses, but mosquitoes too.  And they were not camping.  Sorry if I missed it in your report, but can you comment on heat, humidity, and insects?

 

The most important question of this barrage--any plans to return to any part of Africa?  If this was a one off, you certainly did it right!!!

 

Glad you like the report and the photos

 

Now to your questions:

February is the end of the "whale shark season" which lasts from October to February, so I guess it's still a good time, though January or before is probably more safe to see some. The guy from the lodge, who arranged the trip, called the captain the evening before to ask the odds for the next day, as it seems to depend on the weather if chances are good to spot some. But I think chances are really good in general on Mafia and if you don't see them one day you still can try another day (paying twice of course). We payed 65 US$/person, though i guess with bargaining you could get it for a bit less. From the price lists we saw, the diving lodges charge 100+ US$. 

 

Camera is a 6 year old Nikon 1 (J2), which we bought for snorkelling, as there was an affordable underwater case from Polaroid available. This setting is more bulky than a compact outdoor / waterproof camera, but the autofocus of the nikon is extremely fast and accurate, which helps a lot under water. Moreover the 1" sensor of the Nikon 1 is still much better, than most compact cameras. But newer generations of outdoor camera might be better now and easier to carry around.

 

Bike riding on Mafia is totally safe as there's not much traffic at all. They have few cars and mostly motor bikes or tuk tuks, most people on motor bikes were wearing a helmet. The island is small and not many people live there, plus they usually walk or take the bike themselves.

 

 

Whale sharks specifically and snorkelling in general were definitely the main reason to choose Mafia. We thought about Zanzibar first, as it is promoted by moste guide books, agencies, etc. and easier accessible, but we prefer more remote and less touristic places. The main reason why we went to Stone Town at the end, was that Flight options from Mafia are rare and after rain flights are cancelled commonly. So we wanted to leave Mafia at least one night before flying back to Europe, to make sure we don't miss our long haul flight. The choice was between then between just staying in Dar or going to Zanzibar, so we chose to add 2 days of Stone Town at the end.

 

We had no problems at all with insects. In Selous neither mosquitoes nor tse tse were present at all (only when leaving for Mikumi there was a small tse tse area around the gate, when we had to keep the car closed). In Ruaha mosquitoes were a bit an issue during dinner, but not more than in many other places of the world and using repellent and long clothes was totally ok. No tse tse at all in Ruaha. Regarding the heat: Its a tropical country so it gets hot    I think everyone has its personal limits, for us it was no problem at all. Especially in Ruaha nights get cold so sleeping is no problem and during morning game drives one should definitely wear long clothes, as its too fresh otherwise. In Selous, it was hot also at night, but not unbearable. For us, humidity was not an issue at all, as it didn't rain (only when we arrived in Ruaha). It might be different right after a long rain.

 

 

I guess we will definitely go back to some African country    I got some recommendations here already, about other countries / NPs, where you can get closer to nature (walking / kayaking), as being in the car the whole day, was the only thing, we didn't really like about safari.  

 

But we want to wait  bit, as we want to keep our memories something special  

 

[Atravelynn]

Thanks for all the responses!