Safari

A Bantu myth from sub-saharan Africa tells of the tree where man was born; a great baobab sentinel of the savannah.  Their creation story isn't so far from what fossil evidence and genetics tell us about our origins.  The African wilderness is infused with legend, history and meaning, and to set foot in it is to step back into geologic time, into our deep past.  The power of the landscape travels through your boots and reverberates with your DNA itself.

The plan was to camp for three nights in the Selous Game Reserve.  We hoped to spend that time exploring the park in our new truck and the river in a hired boat in search of tigerfish.  

The park is the largest in Africa and is the size of Switzerland.  Being a game reserve as opposed to a national park, we did not have to stick to the single road evident on the 'map'.  We bushwhacked for 75km and laid a trail of breadcrumbs using a GPS, which was absolutely necessary if we wanted to get back to our tents by dark.

The Selous is the epicenter of elephant poaching in Africa.  Estimates are the 40,000 elephants have been slaughtered in this park alone in just the past 10 years.  Corruption, a lack of man-power, unfathomable poverty and a thriving Asian demand for ivory has brought poaching to levels approaching the highest levels ever recorded.

Our time there was incredible.  Driving yourself through a wilderness as wild as that has you constantly on edge.  You and your partners are all that you have to rely on if things get hairy, but a healthy respect for the animals, the terrain and an understanding of the limitations of your vehicle will keep you safe.

For redundancy and in case of getting stuck, we took two capable trucks along.  A 1995 FZJ-80 Land Cruiser that we just purchased, and our friends capable and trail-proven Toyota Surf.  We had 40 liters of extra gas, 10 gallons of water, tow ropes, jacks, shovels, rad seal, every fluid the car might need and rolls of duct tape.  We were ready.

Nice Crocs on the lake shores

A whole lot going on in this photograph.

Elephant Skull - seed of the cyclops myth. 

 The Tree Where Man Was Born

 Little Bee Eater

 White-fronted Bee Eater

 Pied Kingfisher, doing what it does best

Grey-headed Kingfisher 

Braids of the Rufiji 

Twiga

 We spotted some wheeling vultures in the sky not too far from our current positions.  We decided to spend 30 minutes to try and locate the kill they were indicating.  Somehow, the forest opened up and we found the dead Impala.  There was no sign of the killer, only 20+ vultures of 3 species that were busy feasting.

A fresh kill

Yellow-billed Stork 

Stacy's first time driving the Land Cruiser had her tasked with navigating a dry streambed and deep tire ruts to sidle up next to a fan palm harboring 6 juvenile male lions in its shade at mid-day.  They showed no interest in us, and we were able to photograph them through open windows at a distance of 5 meters.

Siesta 

 They could not be bothered

 Savannah

 Hippos watch as we scoot past

 We fit the cruisers through a narrow opening in the foliage to reveal an iconic African scene; Yellow-billed Storks stalked the shoreline of a shallow lake with Open-billed Storks in their shadows as Spoonbills swept the coast for a meal.  A family of Warthogs with 6 piglets cross the path in front of us as hippos settled into the swamp, hiding and supporting their bulk as Cattle Egrets perched atop their backs.  In the middle distance, a family of perhaps a dozen African Elephant moved from right to left, led by an old matriarch towards the setting sun.  In their number was a newborn, whose skin seemed ill-fitting, like a pair a grey trousers a few sizes too large.

We approached cautiously but got to within 40ft of two small females that had stopped to feed on some palms.  Their trunks moved as nimbly as fingers as the stripped the fronds of greenery.

The Matriarch and her family 

Playful female 

We passed by the lions again on our way back to the lodge.  Our vehicles flushed a herd of Lichtenstein's Hartbeast as we approached, visibly disappointing the lions as they watched their departures attentively.  We watched them for some moments as Fork-tailed Drongos and Imperial Woodpeckers flitted in the trees above our heads.

Headed back to camp 

The voice of Africa 

 FZJ-80 Land Cruiser, living up to its legendary reputation

Back to camp to prepare for a morning of tigerfishing

New Digs - Africa

Three years on a tiny Caribbean island left my girlfriend and I satisfied with our experiences there.  We were able to travel throughout the region, make some lifelong friends, have more than our fair share of adventure and catch some incredible fish.  One of the best things about it was having Mark and Adam down to take advantage of the salty opportunities.  All one needs to do is look back into the history of this blog before the autumn of 2009 to see how we've evolved and stepped up our game since.  However, as the world is huge and our island was small, it was time to move on.

When it's time to raise the stakes and search for new employment opportunities, one of the first things I consider is the fishing.  The caribbean was a no brainer.  This new place, while not offering the frequency of fishing that the ocean for a front yard did, it does offer extremely unique and high quality opportunities.

About a week ago, my girlfriend and I moved to Dar es Salaam, a city on the east coast of Tanzania, bordering the Indian Ocean.  It's at the same latitude as the Seychelles and only a short and cheap flight away from there (!!!!).  Giant Trevally are on the menu someday in the future, I swear it.

Tigerfish inhabit the inland rivers.  Unfortunately, those ecosystems also harbor quite a few animals that could kill or eat a person, which will put a damper on our DIY fishing.

The massive lakes of Tanganyika, Malawi and Victoria are home to a few hundred species of cichlids, more than a few of which are carnivorous.  Also, the infamous Nile Perch prowls those waters.

On top of all of that, Tanzania has cornered the market on safari.  With a higher percentage of land given over to reserves and parks than any other country, we won't lack for adventure.  Earlier today we returned from our first taste of the Africa savannah, a trip to Mikumi National Park.

There is something incredible about driving from your apartment for a few hours, not going through any fences or enclosures, and pulling up alongside elephants, giraffes, hippos, crocs and lions.  The new camera got a serious workout.

Africa's #1 killer.  We observed two hippos fighting for control of a small pool.  They ran through the pool while underwater, pushing a 2ft bow wave infront of their submerged bodies.  They're an incredibly impressive animal.

Nothing will sharpen your eyesight more than taking up birding.  It teaches you how to look.  I owe more than a few bonefish to this new hobby.

 Long-tailed Fiscal

 White-backed Vulture

Lilac-breasted Roller 

Little Bee-eater 

Just before sunset, three lioness were chased through tall grass by a vanguard of huge bull cape buffalo.  The lions were stalking the young, but the giant animals would have none of it.  We returned the next morning to the same spot and woke the three lions, one newly limping from the encounter with the angry herd from the night before.  This lion stared me down from 15ft away.

First rule of safari - Don't get out of your vehicle near the tall grass.  Lions are harder to see than bonefish in their respective environments.

 The first of many African sunsets.  

This River Is Wild is about to get a bit more Wild.  I'll be based here for at least the next two years while Mark holds it down along the Eastern US and Adam catches every carp swimming.