In MIKUMI and SELOUS, Southern Tanzania (June 2024) (page 3 of 5)

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We follow the same direction as the other vehicles—after all, it’s the way to camp for us... And we emerge into a clearing to a sight we could’ve done without in SELOUS...

About ten vehicles are circling a thicket, surrounding the poor lioness inside. They’re packed with “one-day safari-goers” coming from Zanzibar!!!

“Lake Manze Camp” is at most 1 km away... I really didn’t expect to see this here. The camp owner even came to check, just as shocked as we were!!

The lioness pulls herself out of the thicket to find some peace:





She hasn’t eaten in a while and is moving very slowly... Maybe she’s sick?!





We never saw her again—and worse, we didn’t spot any other lions during our entire stay!! That’s never happened to us in our previous trips here...

We return to the camp’s peacefulness for lunch, shared with a group of impalas calmly grazing just 60 meters from the dining area. 🙂 🙂



It’s very common at Lake Manze Camp. All kinds of animals pass through—from the smallest to the largest, from the friendliest to the most dangerous.

During our first stay here in 2018, we had two lions 50 meters in front of our tent early one morning. Another time, a leopard during dinner... and so on. A few days before we arrived, a pack of African wild dogs chasing an impala ran right through the camp in front of the restaurant!!!

To be continued...

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I’m taking advantage of the previous photo taken from the camp’s dining room to give you a presentation of "Lake Manze Camp": It belongs to the Essential Destination group, which also owns "M'Donia Old River Camp" in Ruaha.



The track leading to the camp ends in front of the main building, which serves as a bar, lounge, and dining room.



From left to right: the bar with its small souvenir shop, and the lounge. The entire right half is the restaurant. This is also where a multitude of power outlets of all types are available for recharging batteries, razors, etc. There’s also a dispenser with fresh drinking water, hot water for making tea or coffee at will, biscuits, and a particularly friendly, smiling, and attentive staff member. When you arrive at the camp, each guest is given an aluminum water bottle, which they can refill with drinking water as much as they want. (No plastic bottles are used here)



View of the lake from the other end of the lounge:



It’s here, between the palm trees and the building, that every evening (unless it’s raining) a large single table is set for all the current guests. The managers also have their evening meal with their guests.



The keyword here is "Conviviality". Shaun, the manager, does everything possible to encourage interaction between the different guests, beyond everyone’s language barriers.

That’s also why there’s no Wi-Fi available for guests (except in cases of force majeure, when Wi-Fi is provided in an office in the technical area: kitchen, workshops, etc.).

It’s the camp’s defining feature, which can be disconcerting (and sometimes unpopular) for some people. Honestly, I fully support this principle and the kind of atmosphere it creates, allowing you to disconnect from the outside world and better enjoy your stay and the surrounding nature.

Shaun, the manager, explained that when the camp first opened, Wi-Fi was available in this building. At dinner, no one talked—everyone was glued to their smartphones... a well-known phenomenon.

But here, we chatted, as best we could, with all the other passing guests. Everyone who knew a few words of French came to see us spontaneously. The atmosphere was completely different from what we experienced at "Vuma Hills Camp".

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Here’s one of the two-person tents with its own en-suite bathroom at the back, complete with shower, sinks, and toilets (just like home):



There’s solar-heated hot water (though it takes a while to arrive...) No electricity in the tents: there are lamps with candles and rechargeable, portable individual lamps that also work as flashlights. This time, a nice new addition: a floor-standing fan powered by 12V or 24V.

I have to say, the tents are kept spotlessly clean every day. I think Millie, the manager’s wife, keeps an eye on that.

We always felt at ease, and even though the comfort is minimal, we didn’t need anything more!! (to each their own tastes and expectations, of course)

As in all camps, no movement to or from the tents happens without being accompanied by a Maasai guard, who’s always present along the shared access path. I think there are about a dozen tents, including one (larger and very secluded) for newlyweds...

At Lake Manze Camp, the vehicles are Land Rovers: nothing to report.





Like in other camps in the Selous, if you wish, you can have breakfast (and/or lunch) in the wild. There are picnic areas in the Selous, but some camps also have permission (paid for by the camp) from the authorities to serve these meals in the middle of nature.

I have to admit, it’s one of the GREAT pleasures of safaris from this camp: those who’ve seen the film will think, like us, of Out of Africa.... 🙂





We always make a point of insisting that the driver and guide join us at the table for these moments.

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I’m picking up where I left off on the safari. After lunch at the camp (nice and cool under the thatched roof), and a well-deserved little nap, we’re back on the road...

This guy eats everything he finds: - Warthog in its signature pose.

And for those who love giraffes: a beautiful, long encounter.









(I didn’t quite figure out what went wrong with my photos this morning, but the light was harsh, and I couldn’t quite handle the issue... Sorry!)

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And on the way back to camp ...

- A Palm-nut Vulture (It's mainly a vegetarian that occasionally also eats insects, small mammals, or snakes)



- A Hadada Ibis

It’s accompanied by a juvenile that would like its parent to keep feeding it ... ???

Final encounter of the day, - A Spotted Hyena





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What happened that evening really left its mark on our stay...

After night (a pitch-black one) fell, we got ready for dinner and stepped out under the terrace awning. Using the beam of our flashlight, we signaled to the Maasai guard to let him know we were ready. We carefully zipped up the tent.

While waiting for him to arrive and check the surrounding area, I swept the edges of our tent with my flashlight... And suddenly, in the light, I spotted a large, black snake heading straight toward us... When it was about three-quarters of a meter away, it reared up—no doubt about it, it was a Cobra. We were paralyzed!!! Not knowing what to do, I kept the light beam fixed on its head. It lowered itself, came onto the terrace, and passed within two meters of us. It tried (unsuccessfully) to get into the tent, then started moving along it toward the shower area (where it could have gotten in without any problem).

Meanwhile, the guard arrived, understood the situation, and... intervened.... In hindsight, I think the flashlight blinded it, which saved us from serious trouble.... 🤪

That moment was the biggest scare of our lives.

After that, every time we returned to the tent—day or night—I inspected every corner (though I’m not sure what I would’ve done if I’d actually found a snake inside).

This snake was probably—though not definitely—a Mozambique Cobra. It was our second close encounter with a snake, after the one at Vuma Hills Camp.

And it wasn’t the last we’d see of snakes..... ???!!! Check out the photos near the end of the story in a few days.

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After all that excitement, we managed to get some sleep and were really happy to set off exploring SELOUS again...



For those who love it, a true African wonder...

- The Little Bee-eater.



Admire the incredibly elaborate facial markings...



And two for the price of one!



Mid-grooming session...



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Confirmation: it’s indeed a Little Bee-eater!

Another Palm-nut Vulture (or Vulturine Fish Eagle).



I don’t need to introduce this one anymore... (no, it’s not a bee-eater)





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Hi Alain

What luck with those amazing encounters (aside from the cobra ;))! The landscapes and all those animals are magical, just like your photos. It’s truly great publicity for Tanzania.

Thanks for sharing this with us—I can’t wait for the next snake!

Hi everyone,

Thanks, Alain, for that detailed description of Lake Manze Camp... I’d already followed your June 2024 adventures in a travel journal you posted some time ago on another site. Still amazed by those snake encounters—after 15 years of safaris, we’ve never seen any that close, luckily!

Great idea for that manager to block Wi-Fi in the dining area if he wants guests to actually talk to each other. Usually, it’s the opposite—little to no Wi-Fi in the tents, but you can connect in the common areas...

For water, we’ve gotten into the habit of bringing our own water bottles over the past few years (and Ben now has a small thermos for his morning tea). The guide has a large 20-liter bottle up front with a small electric pump so we can easily refill our bottles. No more small plastic bottles like we used to bring in the early years.

Compared to the camps we usually visit, we’d rank this one as luxurious (even if the facilities are still rustic). I checked the rates, and they seem really high... Are there more affordable accommodations in this park, or are these the usual prices for this area?

Have a great weekend!

Hi Sylvie (we always run into the same people 😎) ...and Alain

I checked the rates and they seem really high..... are there more affordable accommodations in this park, or is this the usual pricing in this area?

I’m also interested in the answer because after our trip to northern Tanzania, I’d considered a circuit through the southern parks (ideally combined with Mafia for whale sharks) ...but I couldn’t find anything within my budget (plus, transfers between Selous and Ruaha can apparently only be done by plane). This was back in 2017, and I think prices have only gone up since then 😕.

Hi Muriel, hi Sylvie, hi Pascale,

Thanks for stopping by and for your comments on this travel journal.

Yes, southern Tanzania is expensive, but in my opinion, the cost-to-pleasure ratio is still... VERY worthwhile. Though I know it’s a very subjective notion. If you’re okay with it, I suggest we tackle the topic at the end of my journal. For info, our local provider (for the 4th time) was ASANTERRA, based in Dar es Salaam and run by a Belgian.

I just realized that, apparently, I’m only allowed 300 images in my travel journal. New to the forum, I hadn’t paid attention to that rule. Oh well, I’ll tighten up the summary of the next 8 days in SELOUS. I’ll focus on the most memorable encounters and the most interesting photos... or the least bad ones.

Greetings to you both.

Puma2A

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Various encounters with Crescent Cobes in SELOUS. You can clearly see the characteristic crescent shape with the tail in the middle in the first photo!!

A female and her young...





And a handsome male:





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This elephant really made us smile: it’s carrying a palm nut like it’s about to play bocce with its buddies on the beach... 😉



This one got a little aggressive with the 4x4 (another elephant in full excitement... check out the "fifth leg").



Eventually, it spent a long time scratching its head from every angle, not forgetting behind its ears, on this tree. 😮



A Saddlebill Stork: notice the red, heart-shaped bald patch on its chest!!



This one also needs some "scratches"...



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When we arrived at Selous, our guides asked us which animals we’d like to see—no guarantees, just to help focus their search and information gathering.

We answered: -1- That we’d happily accept whatever Nature chose to show us! -2- That we really love "Painted Dogs" (African wild dogs) and Leopards. -3- That I’ve never managed to get a photo of a Lesser Kudu (Lesser Kudu)!!

Their immediate response about the Lesser Kudu: there aren’t any in Selous...!!

For the leopards, our driver and guide searched extensively, especially in an area known to be frequented by these big cats. No luck, but they *were* there—we spotted tracks of an adult with a cub on a sandy trail.

For "my" Painted Dogs (which we hadn’t seen during our two previous trips...), we (and they) got daily updates on their whereabouts from guides at other lodges and day-safari drivers we crossed paths with.

Each time, the sighting location was far away—at least a 2-hour drive. We tried and spent a lot of time and effort chasing these leads, but the packs are incredibly mobile, covering vast distances in a single day.

Even an hour before our return flight, we were still checking out a zone reported that same morning near the airstrip.

So, no African wild dogs this time. Two couples (around our age) of British photographers staying at Lake Manze Camp shared the same strong desire to see them. No luck for them either...!!

Africa is unpredictable (especially on safaris, but not just there)... you have to accept it as it is!!

Next October, in Kenya, we’ll be on the same quest for the same species....

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For fans of "Painted Dogs",

Since we didn’t get to show you any African wild dogs during our June 2024 trip, here are the "track journals" from our two stays in Ruaha and Selous, where we *did* encounter African wild dogs (the only times for us!):

In 2018: http://www.image-nature.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=162&t=64394

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

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To be continued

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Back to Selous and the "Lake Manze Camp" at dinner time with two small mammals emblematic of the camp: (not snakes ... !!)

The first one can be found in pretty much all camps (the dining areas) where they come to scavenge from the tables. You can also hear them at night....

- The Galago (with a bushy tail).



Here too, it comes to help itself, usually to the small rolls, but here the staff hang a small bowl of fruit pieces on the wall for it. The "hitch" for me is that I know nothing about night photography—I don’t have a flash ??? But nothing ventured, nothing gained. So I decide that my wife will light the animal with a flashlight (just 3/4 of a second for each photo so as not to hurt its eyes), and I choose a very high ISO setting and an approximate exposure correction to keep the nighttime ambiance... AND...



Photos taken on two different evenings to avoid disturbing the animal too much.





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When it’s not raining during dinner, the table is set outside the building, in front of the lounge. At both ends of the table, two piles of wood burn to keep away uninvited guests... Kerosene lamps and candles "light up" the table.

Guests are served individually. (I totally forgot to take a picture of this table under the stars!!)

And inevitably, at some point, coming from the nearby thick Doum palm tree...

One or more genets (likely common genet, not sure)—there’s a mother and her young.





The mother: Always keeping her distance and keeping watch...







These photos were taken over two evenings (same method using a monopod to try and avoid camera shake... from the "old" guy...!!)

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Even though I’m still a bit disappointed, with my dream of capturing images of the "Lesser Kudu," it’s always a real pleasure to meet ... The majestic "Greater Kudu," here an adult male ...



A young adolescent with intermediate horns.





Another day, under an overcast sky, a young male with budding horns (my favorites)



And a young female.



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There’s a second one that would love a lift...





As you can see, we had very different days in terms of light. Over the last two days, we also experienced two violent downpours and thunderstorms, forcing us to rush back to camp. In case of rain, with this type of open vehicle, large ponchos are provided to protect ourselves and our camera gear. Very effective...

For my part, (despite the ban on disposable plastic bags), I always keep a large garbage bag hidden at the bottom of our camera bags to quickly wrap up each camera bag in an emergency!! Of course, I keep it with me after use and bring it back home...

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We see at least one of these every day. Usually, we hear its distinctive cries first:

- The Pygargue vocifère.





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To be continued.