Selous GR: New Year's in the South

The focus of Selous is the Rufiji River

The decision to visit Selous with the rains in December was made on the way back from the Serengeti as we had only 3 days after Christmas to decide where to go for the New Year's Eve long weekend. Selous is expensive and very difficult in the wet and the game would be off the river this time of the year.  But...

Serengeti NP: Christmas in the rain

Storm clouds gather over the Serengeti plains at Simba Kopjes

Another Christmas and another plan is hatched to spend Christmas under the stars in the best park in the world. The last time we were here in the Serengeti was to check out the Mara crossing and there is no way anything would top that. We were or course following the herds once again, and like the previous year, the rains were chaotic and the herds we running out of synch. 

The Mara Crossing

Northern Serengeti, Tanzania, August 2014.


Herds gather on the far side of the Mara River in Northern Serengeti

The annual Wildebeest migration in the Serengeti is one of nature’s greatest spectacles and it’s most intense moment is surely the Mara River crossing. While we have witnessed the migration on the plains in the Southern calving grounds 3 years in a row, the Mara Crossing remained the first prize.

Sri Lanka - July 2014

Fighting elephants

We headed to Sri Lanka for a couple of weeks in July, to see friends and family. This time we didn't do the trip around the country like the previous year, spending quite a bit of time in Colombo, but we did take some time out to go check out the ancient city of Polonnaruwa, the 2nd capital of Sri Lanka.  We also checked one of the National parks nearby, called Minneriya, which is home to some nice herds of elephants.  This post is just a few photos of the elephants and birds we saw in the area.

Mikumi NP: The lions of the village

After missing our planned trip over Easter thanks to malaria, we were itching to get out to the bush again, so we decided to make use of the May day holiday and make it a long weekend.  Since it would only be 4 days, the only real viable option would be Mikumi. 

Mikumi NP: Mikumi, mud & malaria

Road block

A long weekend, and a quick trip to Mikumi.  We'd started to get cabin fever with the lack of long weekends, not having been to the bush since January.  So we were quite happy that there were a few coming up in April to get our fix of the bush.

Mikumi NP - 1st trip of the new year

Three days after returning from a 9 day camping trip to the Serengeti over Christmas, we were packing up again for Mikumi over the New Years Eve long weekend. Although we were ready to camp, the combination of 7 days camping the week before and the Mikumi camp site, which can get crowded and have dysfunctional toilets, we were hoping to get in to our favorite rest house.

Serengeti Christmas - Day 7 Mkomazi NP

Baglafecht weaver in Karatu

After a good evening meal and just as good a sleep, I woke up a lot earlier than Dru and spent the early morning birding while he slept.  The birding wasn’t bad but it was really the people that were more entertaining.  

Serengeti Christmas - Day 6 A final surprise

Cheetah and cubs

Because we had come into the Serengeti only after lunch, we knew that we would have plenty of time to have a morning game drive before heading out to the gate.  We decided to use the time to take the long way round to the gate, more or less the same way we had come in.  That way we got a nice game drive, and also avoided most of the badly corrugated road from Seronera to Naabi Hill.  

Serengeti Christmas - Day 5 Spending time with lions

The pride on the Serengeti plains

Our last full day in the Serengeti, and we were determined to find the lions from the previous day.  Stopping only to get a few shots of the Serengeti sunrise, we headed straight to where we’d seen the lions the previous evening.  Of course, they had disappeared, so we slowly started driving in each direction to try and pick up their tracks.  We did eventually find spoor, but they weren’t nearby.