In MIKUMI and SELOUS, Southern Tanzania (June 2024) (page 2 of 5)

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In the surrounding trees ...

A Grey-headed kingfisher.



By the pond, Spotted thick-knees are nesting:





Throughout our stay, we didn’t see many flowers, but here in Mikumi, on three occasions, this one: - Erythrocephalum (if I’m not mistaken)



Later in the day, a pair of lions looking exhausted... Neither of them moved or even opened an eye...



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And then... one of the most beautiful encounters of the entire safari (Mikumi + Selous)...

From really far away, the driver spots and points out: 2 leopards and prey in a lone tree... A mother and her cub.... As we approach, the mother climbs down from the tree and runs off to distract us and protect her little one.



It all happened very quickly because the cub climbed up and hid in the high branches...





The last glimpse of its little face. We didn’t push it to preserve its peace.



The driver searched the area, but the mother had hidden well.

Long after, I still wonder how the driver managed to spot those leopards in that foliage. (I know it’s often the long tail hanging down that gives away the cat’s presence!!)

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You’ve probably noticed—I’m following the chronology of encounters, almost hour by hour. It’s easier for me that way, but it also better shows those who’ve never been on (or couldn’t go on) a safari the diversity and unpredictability of the encounters. One thing this account can’t convey is that sometimes several monotonous hours pass between two sightings...!!

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The leopard remains my favorite animal in Africa (though I’ve never seen a cub or a young one 🏴‍☠️).

Hi Muriel,

Thanks for stopping by again! My wife and I also have the leopard at the top of our "wish list" for wildlife encounters. But Africa is unpredictable...!!!

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That afternoon in Mikumi turned out to be full of interesting scenes.

We came across the two lionesses with their four cubs (well, the driver spotted them) again, the ones we’d seen the day before. Unfortunately, the light was really harsh at that moment. There was too much contrast between the shaded areas and the sunny spots—sorry, you can’t choose the conditions, so you just have to make do!

It was time for the cubs’ big grooming session by their mom. Her sister was sleeping a little farther away....





The four cubs were *very* rowdy, and their mom had to show *a lot* of patience...







We could tell the mom’s patience was wearing thin...



And sure enough, a short growl—perfectly understood by the cubs—rang out, calming the four little troublemakers down!



After their mom left, the cubs quickly went back to playing... and roughhousing.



Off to the side, the sister/aunt...



And the mom, hoping for a little rest...



🙂 🙂

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Thanks Alain for this travel journal—it’s definitely of interest to me! My wife and I are planning an 8-night trip to Southern Tanzania in February 2026 (4 nights in Selous and 4 nights in Ruaha). We’re currently reviewing 5 proposals from 4 different agencies.

Great photos and narrative. To be continued! Loïc Lolodetoul

Hello,

Thanks for your comment. 🙂

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The Ruaha and Selous reserves are my two favorites in the south.

Watch out, in February the streams can't be forded. You absolutely must cross via the only bridge over the Ruaha River. So, choosing the right lodge in Ruaha is crucial for a safari/trip without wasting too much time.

Soon, I’ll cover the Selous part of this trip, but probably not right away.

If you’d like to get an idea of what we saw in Ruaha and Selous during previous trips, I can recommend two travel journals from 2020 and 2022 on another forum (no registration required):

Lots of pages and photos (nothing fancy...), from two different times of the year.

https://spottingaviation.forumactif.com/t14678-safari-photo-in-southern-tanzania-february-2020

https://spottingaviation.forumactif.com/t15265-photo-safari-in-southern-tanzania-nov-dec-2022

For the agency we chose, I can let you know in a PM.

Best regards,

Puma2a

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Hi Alain,

There you go—I’ve caught up on my backlog, and like Muriel, when you love Africa, you just have to follow along...

I love watching the little lion cubs play-fighting; they’re just like kids, really! 😊

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Hello Isabelle, and thank you for stopping by this travel journal and leaving a little message. If I read correctly, Tanzania isn’t on your safari list yet… what a shame! Maybe I can tempt you?

Best regards,

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After spending 3 nights at "Vuma Hills Camp", we cross the entrance gate to the northern part of the MIKUMI reserve for the last time. By midday, we’ll be taking a flight to SELOUS.

(I know that "Selous" has been renamed "Julius Nyerere National Park", but the first two times I visited this reserve, it was still Selous…. Plus, I once had the chance to pay my respects at the grave of Captain SELOUS in this reserve. So for me, this reserve will always be SELOUS!)

The morning encounters of this half-day:















And then, this fleeting glimpse of a small bushbuck…



So shy that it didn’t give me time to capture its profile. (During our previous stay in Mikumi, we saw them more often. But this time… a unique encounter… 🤪)



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I’m wrapping up this trip/safari in MIKUMI with some "birdies"—as Blesl (and his partner) would say—shoutout to them!

A Crowned Lapwing.



Black-casqued Hornbill (male in the first two images)



Black-casqued Hornbill (Female, unless I’m mistaken...)





Unfortunately, it’s severely backlit :/ ... A Slate-coloured Boubou.



We don’t remember ever seeing one of these on any of our past safaris...?! A Bare-faced Go-away-bird.



And honestly, I’m so happy I managed to capture the following scene step by step!! My Pal R.L.B. at the "McDonald’s of the bush"...







For lunch today, we’ll be having a lunch box prepared by Vuma Hills Camp, enjoyed in the "airport" ruins of Mikumi’s airstrip (a plane ended its landing against the building a few months ago). Then boarding a Cessna Caravan bound for SELOUS.

- So, what to say about this stay in MIKUMI?

Actually, I chose Mikumi (instead of Ruaha, like previous times) to switch things up a bit, trying to save some money... And mainly because I’d read somewhere—I don’t remember where—that you could spot Roan Antelopes and African Wild Dogs there... with a lot of luck!!

In 3 days, we didn’t get that lucky, but we still saw some amazing things, accompanied by a really friendly guide and driver.

And then, we forgot about personal troubles and, most importantly, forgot about the world’s violence—in France and even in our region... And that does a LOT of good!!!

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After a smooth 45-minute to 1-hour flight, we’ll be landing on the bush airstrip at Mtemere, the gateway of the same name leading into the vast Selous reserve.

Not long ago, every lodge or camp in Selous had its own airstrip, just 15 minutes from the camp. That era is over... Only the Mtemere airstrip has been kept by the Tanzanian authorities. Some of the bush airstrips had ground that wasn’t hard enough, and some were flood-prone, which obviously raised safety concerns.

After landing at Mtemere, we’ll have a little over 2 hours of overland travel to reach our next camp: "Lake Manze Camp," a place we LOVE!!

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Hello everyone,

This is our fifth trip to the southern Tanzania reserves, and each time the SELOUS Reserve has been part of our itinerary.

After staying at the "Rufiji River lodge" (too close to the reserve entrance and the airstrip for my taste), then in 2022 at the "Impala Camp" (not bad), we’re returning for the third time to "Lake Manze Camp".

We fell in love with this camp at first sight back in 2018. Compared to the two other camps mentioned above, it’s more rustic but much better integrated into the preserved nature. Rustic, but we sleep very well there (with quality bedding) and eat EXTREMELY well (with a notable trend toward very tasty and well-prepared vegetarian dishes).

But what truly defines this camp is the general atmosphere created and maintained by the managers: Shaun and Millie, a particularly friendly, passionate, and charismatic South African couple.

It’s a camp where an "Out of Africa" vibe reigns...!!! (Rest assured, I’m not pretending to be Robert Redford, but our first safari—in Kenya 39 years ago—was decided after leaving the cinema where we’d seen that famous film).

I’ll share more about the camp and its unique features later.

For now, its emblem and totem is a magnificent baobab located a few hundred meters from the central part of the camp.



After leaving the main track that crosses Selous, the last 8/10 kilometers of the access road to the camp were particularly "rough" and "jarring" for my old arthritic vertebrae...!! The entire region experienced torrential rains in May 2024, with floods that affected the camp, which only reopened to the public three weeks ago. (These floods and a tornado caused significant damage and... many casualties across East Africa). Some of the flooded tracks will be very rough to traverse...

When we arrive at the camp, it’s late, and we won’t be going on a safari this afternoon. We settle quietly into our assigned tent and take some time to rest.



I’ll try to tell you a bit more about SELOUS and its features (around Lake Manze Camp).

The Lake MANZE is right there, about 200 meters in front of our tent:



The lake is connected to the RUFIJI River by a long natural channel. Here, you can do classic safaris by car or on foot (book in advance with a supplement), AND, like in many Selous lodges, boat safaris...



During safari outings, we’re often near the water.

Otherwise, it’s forest—sometimes a bit dense, often sparse.

- June 13, 2024, early morning, departure for our first morning safari.



I was particularly happy about this encounter... Just impalas, you might say!!! Yes, but a group of very young males, with their little horns still straight: they’re my favorites (and I hadn’t had the chance to photograph them in Mikumi)...





Of course, in this semi-aquatic environment, we encounter quite a few fishermen and thus African fish eagles:



But not all the birds in Selous are fishermen: A Southern ground hornbill.



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I’m relieved to see that my "buddy" the R.L.B. is still around... 🙂 😉



Sometimes, we even spotted them as a couple.



For giraffe lovers, Selous is paradise... And there were quite a few young ones too...





During our last trip to SELOUS, we only saw "4" wildebeest in 5 days.... ??? This time, things were back to normal with plenty of big herds around.







A Egyptian Goose, perched high up...



A Yellow-billed Stork fishing:



And here too, lots of Crowned Lapwings:



I forgot to mention that we’re staying 8 nights at "Lake Manze Camp". (Actually, in 2024, the agency Essential Destination—the group that owns this camp, among others—offered an extra day/night for every 3 nights booked. The reserve entry fee wasn’t included in the deal. So we booked 6 days and got to stay 8.)

To be continued, if you're interested!

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One of the "peculiarities" of the SELOUS reserve is that you see a lot of palm trees, not just along the riverbanks.

In the image below, right in the middle, the tallest one with a single straight trunk is a Palmier Borassus. All around, the palm trees shaped like a bush, with multiple trunks growing from the same base, are Palmiers Doum.



As mentioned earlier, at Lake Manze camp—like in all the camps or lodges bordering Lake Manze or the Rufiji River—you can go on a boat safari, usually in the middle of the afternoon.

The camps have wide, flat-bottomed boats or small catamaran-like vessels with very little draft, two or three rows of seats, and of course, a motor. This time, the driver also acted as the guide. We were with a couple from Austria who were spending just one night at the lodge and discovering the world of safaris for the first time. There’s still room—you can hop on!

Crocodiles are everywhere and always impressive... If the boat slows down as it passes them, they often plunge into the water!





This one is also impressive, but it often runs away... not always! This guy was pretty bold and confident.



For this Yellow-billed Stork, an astonishing fishing technique: it sweeps the water with its beak open, from left to right, hoping a fish will "swim" right in...



An Intermediate Egret.



As the sun sets on the horizon, the landscape takes on warm hues.



The driver keeps an eye on the hippos and watches them carefully:





For me, this is going to be a highlight of the trip—I’ve dreamed for a long time of this kind of encounter: a cliff full of Bee-eater nests at the end of the day, when they come back to sleep... - White-fronted Bee-eaters.



To be continued if you like Bee-eaters...

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Thanks so much, Alain, for this amazing report! And I’m blown away by your knowledge of wildlife! I’m learning so many new names thanks to you (though I’ll probably never remember them all—there are just too many 😅). Have a great evening! Christelle

To be continued if you love bee-eaters...

I really love bee-eaters—I think they’re even more beautiful than long-tailed rollers ;)

I’m learning so many new names thanks to you (though I’ll never remember them all—there are way too many! 😅)

Hello, fellow traveler from Landes (I’m from Mont-de-Marsan...) Thanks for taking the time to read my story.

After seven trips/safaris—just in Tanzania—you eventually get to know the most common names. When we come across an unknown bird (or mammal), my wife jots down the English name from the guidebook, and we look up the French equivalent later online (Oiseaux.net). Nothing complicated. At the start of our safaris, 39 years ago in Kenya, like all first-time safari-goers, I think, we didn’t pay much attention to birds, but it grew on us over time. They really make up half the joy of discovery. On the other hand, we’re (much) less fond of snakes... though you’ll see more about that later in the story!!!

Greetings from Landes. ...

I really love bee-eaters, I think they’re even more beautiful than long-tailed rollers 😉

Hi Muriel, Thanks for your loyalty to this story, There are several types of Rollers that you can find in Selous, but this time we only saw my "buddy".... I call him that because I’m not exactly "quick" at taking photos, and the L.T.R. is pretty tolerant and patient. He gives me time to react.... Later in the story, there’ll be other types of Bee-eaters, including a rarer one... 🙂

Best regards. ...

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We passed this cliff with White-fronted Bee-eaters twice. (On the way there and on the way back, I asked again to stop) You’ll notice a difference in shade due to the half-hour between the two passes, at the end of the day.





At night, the adults gather on a branch—or here, a root—to sleep. This was the image I’d been dreaming of...!!



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Sleeping in the tent at "Lake Manze Camp" wasn’t always easy...!! 😕 The bedding was very comfortable, and the tent was well-ventilated to let out the heat. But the neighbors were sometimes noisy—even though the tents were far enough apart to respect guests’ privacy. It was the "locals" that kept us up at night???

During a previous stay, we’d had an Hippopotamus grazing right by the tent every night. This time, it was Elephants passing by on their way to the lake to drink or splash around. One night, there must’ve been about twenty of them... including babies.

At sunrise, 30–50 meters in front of the tent:



Early morning safari by the lake.



- Grey Heron.

- Hamerkop.



- Saddle-billed Stork.





- A colony of Egyptian Geese. (Unless I’m mistaken, with a few reservations...)



... ... P.S.

After zooming in and analyzing the image above more closely, it seems:

- There are indeed two adult Egyptian Geese on the left, but all the little ones on the right appear to be White-faced Whistling Ducks, and behind the two geese, those are probably the Whistling Duck parents of the whole "brood." (Just my non-expert opinion in ornithology...)

Maybe Blesl, if he stops by, can share his thoughts on this analysis....

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Along the clear bays in SELOUS .... 😉



Even backlit (sorry, no other option) it’s an amazing scene ... 😎

A Goliath heron that loves fresh fish!







But yes, it swallowed it whole!!!



And what do you think it did next?? It went right back to hunting for more fish. 😐 😕

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For a while, we leave the water’s edge...



Then, a couple of Elephants: A male in "great shape" and his companion... for the moment!



I told you: "in great shape"!!





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The indifferent female...



While the male comes close to the vehicle... without even glancing at us!?!?



...the couple calmly walks away. 😐

😎



"Hey, you're here!!"



We're on our way back, close to camp. We haven't seen any other vehicles all morning, when suddenly several pass by at an "unreasonable" speed, all heading in the same direction. The driver gets a call...

What's going on??

To be continued... ...