Day 36
We kick off day 36 with an early morning boat trip down the Rufiji River
On our boat trip we expected to see lots of birds but it is
surprisingly sparse in terms of bird life which consisted king fishers, fish
eagle, open billed storks, egrets and a few others, but in no great numbers.
We spot a dead hippo from where we are staying and when we
get close on the boat we see it is being devoured by crocodiles and it looks
like it will be consumed before we leave.
As a matter of interest you can cross the river in a dug out
canoe for the princely sum of KShs 100 which is +/- R0.70
The Selous River Camp is a series of mud huts with an
outside bar and dining room under thatched coconut fronds. There is no
electricity apart from a generator that operates from 18h00 to 22h00 and is
primarily for charging camera batteries and the like, its paraffin lamps,
candles and solar lamps and thank goodness we had a solar powered fan the first
night which was sweltering hot and humid, we definitely know and feel that we
are in Africa .
The second part of our day is taken up with a game drive in
the Selous Game Reserve.
The reserve is larger than Swaziland and the Serengeti, but it
is a bit of a misnomer as 80% of the Reserve south of the Rufiji is cut up into
hunting concessions.
Although we saw a fair amount of game it does not come close
to the Kruger nor does it live up to its reputation. My impression and
perception was that there is a fair amount of mis management of the resource
and the game was very shy and timid, could be put down to the hunting
concessions in the South, but my guess is that there is still a fair amount of
poaching in the photographic areas as with Tsavo.
To back up my point we see some buffalo and lion and no
problem to our guide he goes off road to within 2 to 10 metres from the animals
and this a driver/guide who supposedly is trained in conservation. The poaching
history of these parks which they claim is under control is not, here are some
statistics:-
Parks 1970’s 1990’s 2010 Claimed
Tsavo West
Rhino
6000 10 150 (In a Sanctuary guarded
24/7)
Elephant
30000 6000 12000
Selous
Rhino
3000 20 150 (Special permit to enter
area) Elephant 110000 25000 60000 (We saw one in a whole days
game drive with a guide)
We have driven these parks extensively and the visible
numbers do not match the stats and I had top notch spotters. Other endangered
species such as wild dog, puku and sable antelope in the Selous are not seen
with any frequency.
We had a bone rattling, kidney hammering day but it was a
little more rewarding than Tsavo West and a full days activity.
We have another boat trip up the Rufiji another full days
game drive and a walking session in the park lined up for the next two days,
however we decide that we would unlikely to see anything we had not already
seen and opt for the day in the camp relaxing before we head north for Mikumi.
Day 37
We spend the day in camp, tidying up the car, catching up on
this blog drinking ice cold shandies and eating, so nothing to report.
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