Sal & I first went on safari to Tanzania in 2014 and re-visited in 2016, combined with time in Kenya. She sadly passed away in 2021, but I have continued our passion for the bush, traveling alone in the summer months of 2023 and 2024.
In 2025 I set my sights on returning to Tanzania, but much later in the year.
I arrived in Dar on 23rd November and started in the Selous with 4 nights at Siwandu in the Nyerere NP; then moved west to the Ruaha, where I started at Jongomero and then went on to Ikuka followed by Kichaka Zumbua, the walking camp owned & run by the (in)famous “Moly’.
I arrived in Dar on 23rd November and started in the Selous with 4 nights at Siwandu in the Nyerere NP; then moved west to the Ruaha, where I started at Jongomero and then went on to Ikuka followed by Kichaka Zumbua, the walking camp owned & run by the (in)famous “Moly’.
There was plenty of water in the Selous, but it was an entirely different story in the Ruaha. The ‘short/early rains’ hadn’t arrived in November, filling the rivers and greening the bush - and were only a faint ‘hope on the horizon’ when I left for home on 10th December; the clouds were only starting to gather - and rain was still a fair number of days away.
There was not a single river with ‘running water’ in the Selous areas I visited - just bone dry sand river beds with the occasional pool - and deep holes excavated by the Park Rangers so that animals could reach the sub-surface water. Elephants can dig for water, but many animals can’t - and those who need water every day - for example Buffalo - seemed bound to lose weaker brethren - at Kichaka there was a resident buffalo herd of more than 250 animals. Daytime temperatures were in the 90’s.
As always, I entrusted my wellbeing to Aardvark Safaris and, as always, Francis Naumann and his colleagues did me proud - which was a good thing, as KLM, with whom all my long haul flights were booked, only managed to have me on board for the short hop from LHR to Schipol. Every other flight was changed, repeatedly, throughout my time in Bots until finally I was re-routed home on Ethiopia Airways via Addis Ababa !!
Any regrets. Yes, one: in spite of having three silver Aardvarks on my mantelpiece, I have still never seen a real one………but as they are nocturnal and sleep underground for 20 hours in every 24 I shouldn’t really be disappointed!