Furaha in Ruaha (and Selous) Aug/Sept 2013

[stokeygirl]

I didn't exactly have my camera handy. I didn't even know what it was, and even when I described it to the manageress and she said it was an elephant shrew, I didn't believe her until she showed me a photo. I've only seen elephant shrews in Zambia where they are hamster sized. This was the size of a rabbit and a totally different colour, with a ginger head- clearly a different type of elephant shrew! The owners of the lodge said when they'd built it they tried to leave as much as possible of the original vegetation to keep the indigenous wildlife. There were lots of monkeys around too (black tailed?)

 

The diving was OK. I've dived in Zanzibar before and it's not somewhere I'd rush to go for the diving, but for an add on to safari and to keep my hand in at the diving it was fine.

[kittykat23uk]

Just had to look it up! I'm assuming it was the Black and Rufus Elephant Shrew, Rhynchocyon petersi adersi Looks pretty impressive!

[pault]

Impressive lion and croc interaction and elephant shrew and bush pig - I praised the birds too soon, although I think from the photographs you've come back with that's what really stands out about Selous. Yes, I bet dogs would have made a huge difference to your Ruaha to Selous comparison.

 

Impala sounds like a good camp but pretty unsuitable for singles - especially if the guide wasn't talkative! Did you have to sit on your own at dinner, or chat people up around the fire, or did management try to hook you up with potential company? Just wondering what they do rather than being nosy about your experience.

[stokeygirl]

@pault I wasn't alone on this trip- I was with 2 friends. Apparently, for solo travellers one of the managers will come and sit with you, but I think that would feel a bit weird having one person sitting with you just to keep you company.I think if I'd been alone I simply wouldn't have chosen to go there, although as I said the options in Selous are somewhat limited.

 

I don't know what I would do for a solo trip. Lake Manze Camp has communal dining but I wasn't overly impressed with the guiding when I stayed there (Aug 2010). I was trying to ask my guide about the carmine bee eater migration, and when they were in the park and the looks I was getting I felt like I was asking him where the tigers were. It transpired he'd only recently moved to Selous from N Tanzania hence didn't have a clue about carmine migrations.

 

Siwandu (previously Selous Safari Camp) also has private dining.

 

Beho Beho has communal dining and I have heard great things about it (especially the guiding) but at $1000 pppn (but no single supplement at least) it is a bit pricey. I'm contemplating a visit in green season when they do 7-for-5.

 

I think if I went back alone in high season I would either go to Lake Manze and hope for a better guide, or suck it up and pay for Beho Beho! It's a real shame there's nothing more suitable in the middle ground.

[pault]

@@stokeygirl. Duh! Forgot your companions.

 

Still good stuff to know. Strange thing isn't is, as the other Adventure camps all have communal dining.

 

Edit: You should try talking to Flo Montgomery if she is still around (Adventure Camps Marketing)... I contacted her a couple of times and she was really helpful - not at all like a Marketing person!! Maybe she could help.

Edited October 7, 2013 by pault

[stokeygirl]

Yes, I think Sand Rivers is a little bit less expensive than Beho but in the same ballpark.

 

@pault I think it's a bit of a misconception (one that I had too) that the Adventure Camps camps are all co-owned. They're not, they're just all marketed by Adventure Camps. Lake Manze and Mdonya are so similar that I think those two might be co-owned, but Kwihala definitely is not owned by the same person as the others.

 

So the experience isn't quite as uniform as one might expect.

[twaffle]

Loved all the birds in Selous and of course, the croc v lion sequence. What a trip, wonderful.

[pault]

Yes, I think Sand Rivers is a little bit less expensive than Beho but in the same ballpark.

 

@pault I think it's a bit of a misconception (one that I had too) that the Adventure Camps camps are all co-owned. They're not, they're just all marketed by Adventure Camps. Lake Manze and Mdonya are so similar that I think those two might be co-owned, but Kwihala definitely is not owned by the same person as the others.

 

So the experience isn't quite as uniform as one might expect.

Yes that's true isn't it? It's quite complicated... Involving Coastal Aviation, EMC, aforementioned Flo (i think) and almost certainly some Italian connection.... at the very least. I thought only Kwihala was the outsider as it doesn'tt always feature inthe "specials" but that is an assumption based on an assumption. Pietro would maybe know the full story as he seems to have been around with one or other of the camps, on and off, since Coastal Aviation's (long past) involvement.

 

And further complicated by the fact that they market but only rarely sell! I've wondered before, if they have owners, managers, marketing company, and at least one agent to feed, how do they manage to keep the prices where they are?

 

Anyway, not something to lose sleep over. Thanks for a great report. I feel like I'm the some who talk and you're the some that do when it comes to Ruaha! Look forward to your next visit, which will probably be before my next one.

Edited October 7, 2013 by pault

[stokeygirl]

Kwihala is owned by an Italian called Carlo Rossi. I believe all the camps are Italian owned, just not the same Italians!!

 

Kwihala is the newest to the group, and has had the green season 4-for-3 deals for the last couple of years- I took advantage of them last year in June.

[TonyQ]

@@stokeygirl

Thank you for a great report - especially for your enthusiasm for Ruhaha - you have done a good job of selling it to me

Having said that, some great bird photos in Selous and I loved the baby hyena picture. The lion-crocodile sequence was amazing - I would never of imagined lions doing that

When I have a bit more time, I will go back to the beginning and read it all through again as one piece!

[janzin]

Incredible report @@stokeygirl, that lion/croc fight over the impala--and the cheetah hunt--and all those fabulous birds! Beautiful shots of the White-fronted Bee-eaters! Now I'm a little disappointed I switched my trip and decided against Selous/Ruaha in favor of Botswana (but I'm sure I'll get there at some point in the future.)

[Galana]

Thanks for these reports Stokey Girl. I enjoyed the whole sequence.

Time I went back there myself one day soon.

[stokeygirl]

Competition time. It's been brought to my attention that the bird on page 7 is NOT a lizard buzzard.

 

Any takers? Winner gets......... well, nothing actually.

[zihuatcat]

Your report was outstanding. I was really looking forward to your thoughts on Selous and Impala Camp and especially the guiding.

 

We were lucky and saw dogs there in June. There were a couple of packs around. The guides said that a smaller pack was denning close to Impala camp but we never saw them. I think they had probably just moved on at that point because they hadn't been seen at the den in a while. They were seen out and about by some other guests after a hunt. We saw the larger pack of about 18 (our guide referred to them as the Beho pack) about mid-morning one day, all resting under some brush.

 

Ruaha was already on my list but the more I hear of it, the higher it rises.

[wilddog]

Just catching up again @@stokeygirl - been away (France) for a bit.

 

You really have got some great bird shots and how fascinating to see the croc/lion interaction,. You said and I can see, they are very thin and perhaps desperate. The shot with the croc and lion nose to nose supports this. What a great sighting.

 

It sounds as though Selous has changed a bit since I was there and it is disappointing that your guide did not seem to be of the best.

 

Beho Beho is superb but expensive; I saw my first ever wild dogs there (sorry!) and was escorted by a very good guide who has now returned to his home patch - Zimbabwe. But the camp is certainly renowned for the guides they employ.

[fiscal shrike]

Competition time. It's been brought to my attention that the bird on page 7 is NOT a lizard buzzard.

 

Any takers? Winner gets......... well, nothing actually.

Well, a birder much more skilled than I challenged me to figure it out. Though difficult to tell the difference, I am going to throw 'dark chanting goshawk' into the ring.

BTW, SG, I really enjoyed this report. Interesting about the private dining options. I have eaten solo numerous times, but usually with my nose in a book. However, dim camp lighting and the embiance is bound to throw off the book option and would be much more isolating. So, would they provide you a plate for room service, I wonder? Also, at other times I have been invited to join other diners, so perhaps not all would be lost going to Impala as a solo.

[stokeygirl]

Your report was outstanding. I was really looking forward to your thoughts on Selous and Impala Camp and especially the guiding.

 

 

Yes, we didn't really gel with our guide. He also seemed very reluctant to turn the vehicle engine off which was a bit annoying. When we had our special sundowners, the guide who came and set that up was a very eloquent and interesting chap. I recognised his name as a guide someone from TA had a couple of years ago. I rather wish we'd requested him, I think we'd have got on a lot better.

 

@@fiscal shrike not a dark chanting goshawk.

 

Any more guesses?

[stokeygirl]

 

Beho Beho is superb but expensive; I saw my first ever wild dogs there (sorry!) and was escorted by a very good guide who has now returned to his home patch - Zimbabwe. But the camp is certainly renowned for the guides they employ.

 

Now I wonder who that was

[Galana]

Competition time. It's been brought to my attention that the bird on page 7 is NOT a lizard buzzard.

 

Any takers? Winner gets......... well, nothing actually.

You don't want guesses. You want an accurate informed opinion.

Where are the birders on this Forum?

Oops. this is not my thread, forget I said that!

[fiscal shrike]

I have been told I was incorrect from other sources (an "informed" birder) but I would never have guessed, so I will let the game continue.

[zihuatcat]

 

Your report was outstanding. I was really looking forward to your thoughts on Selous and Impala Camp and especially the guiding.

 

 

Yes, we didn't really gel with our guide. He also seemed very reluctant to turn the vehicle engine off which was a bit annoying. When we had our special sundowners, the guide who came and set that up was a very eloquent and interesting chap. I recognised his name as a guide someone from TA had a couple of years ago. I rather wish we'd requested him, I think we'd have got on a lot better.

 

@@fiscal shrike not a dark chanting goshawk.

 

Any more guesses?

 

 

We had the same problem at first. The guide who picked us up from the airstrip and did our first drive we did not gel with either. He was very quiet and didn't tell us what we were doing or anything (same guy maybe?). When we asked a question, we got a long, rehearsed encyclopedic response. After a couple of hours of this, I wanted to pull my hair out. So when we got to Impala and met the managers, I requested a new guide. They had a new guide/driver assigned by dinner who worked out much better. He was much friendlier, explained the plan, asked us questions, etc.

[kittykat23uk]

Difficult to tell from the photo. But I am guessing it's not often seen in Selous and will go for Western banded snake eagle.

[stokeygirl]

@@kittykat23uk close but no cigar.

 

http://www.birdforum.net/opus/Fasciated_Snake_Eagle

 

or Southern Banded Snake Eagle.

[Galana]

Well kittycat did get the genus right so maybe a tiny Cigar?

SG. I think your own picture is almost as good as the one in the link provided.

[Safaridude]

Thanks for a great, comprehensive report. I have never been to the Selous... and this report is getting my mind started...