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


Julian

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Some of you may have problems loading page 7 of this report if you are using an IPAD or internet enabled TV , or other devices that are not a PC, as Page 7 has rather lot of photos on it - about 350.

 

Our 2 IPADS and TV really stuggle to load that page and always fail to load some of the photos on that page

 

I thought that posting batches of photos in separate posts would force the page to change when there was more than a certain amount of data, but I've only just realised that the page automarically changes after 20 posts - regardless of how much data is in each of those posts.

Edited by Julian
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@@Julian

Firstly - a great Serengeti section - you did really well for cheetah, lovely landscapes, and what a great final sighting of those lions - beautiful.

Secondly, thank you for the whole report. I have really enjoyed reading and looking at the photos.

I look forward to your next trip!

(I had never noticed that 20 posts per page :) )

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@@Julian

Firstly - a great Serengeti section - you did really well for cheetah, lovely landscapes, and what a great final sighting of those lions - beautiful.

Secondly, thank you for the whole report. I have really enjoyed reading and looking at the photos.

I look forward to your next trip!

(I had never noticed that 20 posts per page :) )

@@TonyQ

Thanks Tony , pleased you found my first trip report enjoyable.

The cheetahs were definitely one of the highlights and the Serengeti certainly showed us with plenty of its predators.

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Some of you may have problems loading page 7 of this report if you are using an IPAD or internet enabled TV , or other devices that are not a PC, as Page 7 has rather lot of photos on it - about 350.

 

Our 2 IPADS and TV really stuggle to load that page and always fail to load some of the photos on that page

 

I thought that posting batches of photos in separate posts would force the page to change when there was more than a certain amount of data, but I've only just realised that the page automarically changes after 20 posts - regardless of how much data is in each of those posts.

 

Sometimes Safaritalk even brings my PC to its knees (or at least the browser can't keep up with all the loading images, and the scrollbar jumps all over the place!).

But this has been a great report and I'm sorry to see it end.

You had some great Serengeti landscape views indeed, especially with that perfect blue sky.

I remember reading an Africa Geographic article about Ol Doinyo Lengai a few years ago - your views of it are even more alluring.

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Some of you may have problems loading page 7 of this report if you are using an IPAD or internet enabled TV , or other devices that are not a PC, as Page 7 has rather lot of photos on it - about 350.

Our 2 IPADS and TV really stuggle to load that page and always fail to load some of the photos on that page

I thought that posting batches of photos in separate posts would force the page to change when there was more than a certain amount of data, but I've only just realised that the page automarically changes after 20 posts - regardless of how much data is in each of those posts.

 

Sometimes Safaritalk even brings my PC to its knees (or at least the browser can't keep up with all the loading images, and the scrollbar jumps all over the place!).

But this has been a great report and I'm sorry to see it end.

You had some great Serengeti landscape views indeed, especially with that perfect blue sky.

I remember reading an Africa Geographic article about Ol Doinyo Lengai a few years ago - your views of it are even more alluring.

I realise how much you enjoyed this report as your frequent comments appeared soon after I posted the sections.

The Serengeti landscapes with the amazing skies on our last day were truly spectacular - I'm so pleased to have seen it looking the way it did because the light and the landscape on that day ( and the previous day ) will forever be my memory of what the Serengeti looks like.

 

I did enjoy writing the report but it does take a long time and a lot of effort. I hope to post trip reports of our previous safaris at sometime - but they certainly wont be as detailed as this one, but there are plenty of photos I could post - its just finding the time.

Edited by Julian
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  • 2 months later...

Next destination now provisionally decided......... Zambia in 2017............... Never been there ( other than Victoria Falls) , so new country, new game reserves/ parks, new landscapes, new camps, new experiences...... This will be our sixth safari......

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  • 1 year later...

This was a great find as I'm looking at a Selous and Ruaha trip for next year.  Thanks for sharing all your notes and pics!

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3 hours ago, Robjwilli said:

This was a great find as I'm looking at a Selous and Ruaha trip for next year.  Thanks for sharing all your notes and pics!

@Robjwilli Mwagusi is  a beautiful camp . The 'rooms' are far better than anything else we have found anywhere for the price. With a driver and a separate guide in each vehicle it really makes a difference, and being a owner hosted camp with Chris Fox often there it's always initeresting at meal times - food being another highlight.

we saw 44 different lions in four days there ( which included cubs as young as two months old) as an example of the great wildlife sightings. 

Regarding Selous- it's a great place to go- you really must do a riverboat safari whilst there. Never seen any river anywhere that is so stuffed full of crocodiles, fish with  kingfishers fish eagles and herons hunting for them, and loads of elephants on the banks. Also never seen so many giraffes - they appear everywhere. No tests flies  when we went in September.

Edited by Julian
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  • 4 weeks later...

Really great report.  I was at Chada and Greystoke last November and just amazed at the wide open space at Chada.  FYI - Julien is now the manager at Greystoke.  I am looking forward to a two week visit to Selous and Ruaha already booked for next year.

Edited by SafariCraig
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  • 3 months later...
On 01/10/2017 at 0:39 PM, SafariCraig said:

Really great report.  I was at Chada and Greystoke last November and just amazed at the wide open space at Chada.  FYI - Julien is now the manager at Greystoke.  I am looking forward to a two week visit to Selous and Ruaha already booked for next year.

 

@SafariCraig

Thanks, I am pleased you enjoyed it. It’s interesting to note how much interest trip reports generate even two years on. 

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  • 1 year later...

@Julian I am getting that orange banner, "topic is quite old" thread.  When I get a banner stating "poster is quite old" I'll be in trouble.

Anyway...could you do a summary of your itinerary--dates and parks/camps?  It really combines some outstanding locations.

Also, do you recall the water levels of the rivers in Katavi and Ruaha when you were there or there were any comments about it being a normal, wet, or dry year?  My concern with Ruaha in late Sept/Oct was that there might be very little water in the Ruaha River, and of course the Mwagusi is mostly a sand river at that point and the Mdonya River is dry. No water means no gatherings of animals.   Katavi can experience some of the same issues.  It appears your trip had ample H20 and animals!

Thanks!

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@Atravelynn

The fully detailed itinerary is post 19 on page 1 of the report.

As we were there in early Oct,right at the end of the dry season, it was very dry in Ruaha but that seems to be normal for that time of year. Animals went to drink from the Ruaha river, but not much water in it.

we did see 44 lions in Ruaha I think as well as loads of elephants.

When we arrived at Katavi they had already had some unseasonal rain a few days before, and we had a big storm overnight when we were there. Apparently the hippo pools never dry up completely in Katavi but at that time of year the rest of the river is more of a trickle.

 

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Right-o there it is with cost even.  Nice price!!  Thanks for the river accounts.

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SafariCraig

Hi Atravelynn - I was in Selous and Ruaha in Sep 2018 for about 16 days.  I had a chance to stay at or visit (for lunch) most upscale properties with the highlight being the final nights at Kichaka Expeditions.  The water levels on the Rufiji River were very low even in early September.  We had a special motor on the boat at Roho Ya Selous and the boat probably would have had trouble making it to the gorge from Sand River Selous.  With that said, the park is amazing and the weather mild enough in early September.  In Ruaha, the Jongomera and Mwagusi were bone dry and just sand.  We had dinner in the river bed a few times at various camps.  I was at Katavi in November 2016 and there was no water in any river.

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Back in early November 2009 (Selous Safari Camp (now Siwandu) & Jongomero, there was plenty of water in Lake Nzerakera although I can't remember the levels on the Rufiji River.  The Jongomero river was indeed dry however one afternoon, although it didn't rain "in camp", there were some pretty spectacular thunderstorms not far away which turned the river from dry to a raging torrent in a couple of hours and had Moli (who was camp manager there at the time) having to rescue all the tables/chairs etc that had been setup in the river bed ready for dinner!

In October 2014 (Kichaka) there was still some flow in the Great Ruaha river but it was drying fast and big flocks of pelicans were dropping in to clean-up all the trapped fish.

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