Today is our last morning in Selous as we fly to Zanzibar this afternoon. We are up early to say goodbye to Millie and Shaun then set off on our game drive with Ally, Kalisti and our bush breakfast.
This morning we see some crocodiles out of the water, a palm nut vulture on an impala carcass, an impala with one horn (presumably he lost the other in a fight) and of course some birds. Ally also spots 3 hyaena under a bush but they quickly run off.
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| Crocodile out of the water |
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| Palm Nut Vultue on an Impala carcass |
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| Palm Nut Vulture |
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| Impala with one horn |
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| Brown Snake Eagle |
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| White Browed Coucal |
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| Long Tailed Shrike |
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| Hyaena about to run away |
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| This was the largest number of fire lilies we saw. |
It is now breakfast time, and today we eat in the bush, under a tree. When we had finished we gave Kalisti and Ally their tips and thanked them for a great safari. We had really enjoyed our time with them. After we had finished eating it was time for a selfie or 2!
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| Breakfast time |
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| Pete, Kalisti, Me and Ally |
Shortly after leaving our breakfast spot, Ally spots a group of lions under a bush. It's a mum, older daughter and younger daughter and son. When we first arrive they are all just sleeping but after a while one of the daughters decides to go for a little walk and her mum and sister follow, leaving her brother still sleeping.
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| Lions sleeping (3 are in the bush) |
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| A change of position |
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| One daughter emerges from the bush... |
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| ...then sits for a bit |
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| .....and then wander off |
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Then the next daughter emerges and follows and so does the mum
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The 3 females don't walk that far but settle in a ditch where there is some water.
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| 2 are actually in the ditch |
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| And one is under a bush |
About 5 minutes later the young male wakes and goes in search of the rest of his family. He can't see them so we watch him sniffing the ground trying to follow their scent. He starts off quite well but then veers off in the wrong direction. Eventually he realises he can't find them, so he starts calling them. Initially none of the females answer him but when his cries get louder and more frequent the mother answers and we see him run towards the ditch where he finds them all.
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| The young male, walking off in search of his family |
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| Trying to follow their scent |
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| Calling out to his family |
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| Running to find them, once he hears his mum calling |
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| Reunited |
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| Lying down in the ditch |
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| Licking each other |
By the time we leave, the lions are virtually hidden in the ditch, so from a distance no-one, including some nearby giraffe, would know they were there.
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| The 4 lions - now hardly visible |
It is now time for us to leave and drive to Siwandu airstrip. We spot some birds and a bat on the way. Near the airstrip we stop and pick up a ranger (with his gun) who comes with us to the airstrip. We are the only ones waiting for the plane, that is apart from Kalisti who is travelling with us as he is now going home for 10 days holiday.
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| Bat |
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| Crested Barbet |
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| Green Wood Hoopoe |
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| The ranger |
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| Our view from the airstrip |
Our plane arrives about 20 minutes late. We say goodbye to Ally and board the plane with Kalistsi. It's a smooth flight and we land in Dar about 45 minutes later. Here we say goodbye to Kalisti and board our next plane for the 20 minute flight to Zanzibar.
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| Selous from the air |
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| Dar from the air |
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| Zanzibar |
We land in Zanzibar, show our yellow fever certificates, clear immigration and security and after a short wait are met by our taxi driver who takes to Pongwe Beach Hotel, our home for the next 5 days.
This is a great place to relax. It is not 5* but is delightfully simple and very well run. The staff are lovely, the food is great and the beach is fantastic. We really did very little. We enjoyed the beach, swam in the sea read our books, ate and drank ......and I never put on a pair of shoes for the entire 5 days - not even flip flops - Bliss!!
Here are a few photos to give you a feel of the place.
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| Cocktails and snacks in the bar - a nightly ritual |
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| The view from my sunbed |
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| The hotel sunbeds - you can just spot Pete |
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| The beach |
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The view from our terrace
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| The bar |
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| Bush Babies sometimes appear in the evening |
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| Our room was on the right |
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| Massai patrol the beach |
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| Going for a swim |
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| Me in the infinity pool |
So this was a fantastic trip for us and very different from our usual trips to Tanzania. We had a brilliant time and returned home via Doha to Heathrow, very relaxed and just in time for Christmas.
Really enjoyed this! I will be doing pretty much the same itinerary the first 2 weeks in November this year except for Selous as I was tgere last year also with Shaun and Millie. Stayed also at Pongwe and will again in November. Your pictures are awesome.
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