Selous Safari

The trip to Selous Game reserve was our first real Safari. We left Dar with our driver and cook planning to stay in a tented safari camp on the bank of the Rufiji river at the Hippo Camp. The trip south through Dar es Salaam was dusty and hot. At low tide the smell from the waterfront is overwhelming as the untreated sewage from the 6 million people living in this urban centre seems to flow down to the ocean. There is no air conditioning in the Land Rover so you have to decide between the heat or the smell.

And, even though it was Saturday, we passed through a series of busy suburban villages and bus depots where the locals are transferring to their local buses for the trip home (many work half day on Saturday). The average commute for people in Dar is approximately 3-4 hours in the morning and then again in the evening. Their morning starts at 3:30-4:00 am in order for them to arrive at work for 8:30-9 am and they rarely return home before 8-9pm. They then usually have no or very little electricity so they cook with charcoal and go to bed early. The work week is usually 6 days.

Our cook, Lasaro, and our driver, Nestor, clearly enjoy the prospect of our trip and keep up a lively Swahili conversation during the trip. Like most Tanzanians they enjoy talking about politics and government policy issues. They are invariably kind and generous with the little resources they have available and stop to give assistance to other drivers who need some help.

Selous, the game reserve less travelled, has appeal because the animals are there year round. The lakes and rivers in the park reduce significantly during the dry season, but the animals do not have to migrate for water.

We stop for lunch in the little village on the main road and then head into the wilds on dirt roads for next 3 hours. Your bones literally crunch from the potholes over the rough roads. I find myself hanging on for dear life as we pass mud hut village after village. This area is a mix of Islam and Christian cultures with a few NGO funded schools and projects. Time seems to have stood still in these villages with women wearing Kangas (the colourful cloths they use as wraps) and carrying water in their heads from the village  well. Still it seems idyllic compared to the dusty, crowded streets of Dar. In this area of  Tanzania there are many wood working villages where they seem to be making wooden bed frames from mahogany.

By 4pm we reach our campsite along the river. To our surprise we are shown to our tent which is basically a permanent tent structure with a verandah looking over the river. There are actual beds in the tent with fresh linen and towels. At the back of the tent is a zippered bathroom with a toilet and shower. This makes camping easy. They have a cruise along the river planned for sunset.

Our sunset cruise along the Rufiji river is a guided tour with our local guide. He takes great pleasure in teasing us as we show a healthy fear of the Nile crocodiles that inhabit the river. The guide tells us that the local villagers swim and bath in the river despite the danger. They usually lose one or two people a year to the crocodiles. Acuna matata, this seems to be a way of life for people here. Their view of the crocodile attack is, oh well it was an accident,  and life goes on in the same way it does for us if someone has a car accident. So we observe village children and women getting water and washing in the river.

The hippos are very plentiful here. They make lots of noises as they get closer to shore waiting or the sun to go down so they can come out of the water and graze on the grass and bushes along the banks of  the river. Their delicate skin make it impossible for them to come out of the water during the day.

On our way back to the camp, we meet a herd of elephants on the road. They sneak into the villages at night and steal the fruit from the mango trees. The villagers near the game reserve must bring their vegetables in from the city because the elephants raid their gardens. It seems to be an uneasy relationship with the villagers. The elephants take their time moving off the road and we try to get some pictures of these night time marauders.

Back at the camp our cook has prepared a hot meal for us that we enjoy before heading to bed early. So far so good. Safari is amazing the day has been a great break away from the city.