Tanzania's wildernesses like no other
By Sankha and Chandrani
Tahadhari Ukigonga mnyama aina ya Twiga utalipia kiasi cha $15,000.
No, this is not a typo! It is a cautionary road sign in Swahili on Highway A-7 in Tanzania. When our guide Ramadan started explaining it to us, I started jotting down his words. Suddenly, our Land Cruiser (modified for the safari) slowed down and stopped in the middle of the highway, as Ramadan whispered: “zebra crossing”! I thought that by the time the pedestrians finished crossing the road, I would finish my writing. But my wife shouted out: “Look, look” and there I could see a zeal of zebras crossing the A-7. From SUVs to giant 18-wheeled trailers, every single vehicle had to come to a dead stop right in the middle of the highway as the gentle giants – a group of elephants -- also decided to take to the ‘zebra crossing’. So that was the reason for those warning signs in Swahili, saying that if your car hit a wild animal like a twiga (giraffe), you would be fined $15,000. If an accident killed a punda milia (zebra) the fine would be $12,000 or for a chui (leopard), it would be $3,500; for a tembo (elephant) it would be $15,000 ... and so on.
On our African sojourn this time, we travelled to the giant national parks on the southern circuit of Tanzania. The parks we visited were Mikumi, Ruaha and Selous in Southern Tanzania. These parks are enormous, but the spectacular diversity in terms of landscape and wildlife gave each landmark its distinct characteristics.
We started our safari from Dar es Salaam, with a very personal touch from the wife of Ahmad Khan, MD of Wilderness Safari, who had prepared a delicious breakfast for us and even tucked in some packed lunch for our six-hour drive to Selous. A wilderness area is bigger than some European countries like Switzerland and lies on the banks of Rufiji River -- the largest water system in East Africa. At around 55,000 sqkm, the Selous Game Reserve is Africa’s largest and a world heritage site. It is three times larger than the famous Serengeti National Park. With its associated wetlands, lakes and swamps, it is one of the most versatile ecosystems in entire East Africa. Only 10 per cent of the reserve is used for game viewing and yet you can still enjoy the most untouched and unspoilt stretch of wilderness on your own without ever bumping on to another safari vehicle during the course of an entire day.
On our African sojourn this time, we travelled to the giant national parks on the southern circuit of Tanzania. The parks we visited were Mikumi, Ruaha and Selous in Southern Tanzania. These parks are enormous, but the spectacular diversity in terms of landscape and wildlife gave each landmark its distinct characteristics.
We started our safari from Dar es Salaam, with a very personal touch from the wife of Ahmad Khan, MD of Wilderness Safari, who had prepared a delicious breakfast for us and even tucked in some packed lunch for our six-hour drive to Selous. A wilderness area is bigger than some European countries like Switzerland and lies on the banks of Rufiji River -- the largest water system in East Africa. At around 55,000 sqkm, the Selous Game Reserve is Africa’s largest and a world heritage site. It is three times larger than the famous Serengeti National Park. With its associated wetlands, lakes and swamps, it is one of the most versatile ecosystems in entire East Africa. Only 10 per cent of the reserve is used for game viewing and yet you can still enjoy the most untouched and unspoilt stretch of wilderness on your own without ever bumping on to another safari vehicle during the course of an entire day.
Apart from the usual game drive, the best part of the trip was the boat ride on Rufiji River or on some of the inland lakes. It’s quite an experience when a 1,500kg hippo suddenly pops up from the water just a few metres away from your boat or when you catch a glimpse of a resting crocodile suddenly jumping into the water, when it notices your presence close to the river bank. And if you are lucky enough, you can experience a surreal atmosphere on an evening cruise on Rufiji River, with the setting sun playing hide-and-seek from behind pitch-black African rain clouds.
The next park on our itinerary was Mikumi National Park.
Spread over 3,000 square km, it is the fourth largest national park in Tanzania and is dissected by the Tanzania-Zambia highway over a stretch of 50km. There is just no need for a separate game drive as you can experience plenty of wildlife on either side of that 50km stretch of the highway, while travelling on a public bus, truck or private car. It was on this very highway that we had witnessed a herd of elephants crossing the road.
The Mikumi National Park is slightly under-rated because of its easy access from the highway. Mikumi, in fact, is the place in Tanzania for easy sightings of the eland -- the world’s largest antelope. Its open Savannah grasslands will remind you of the famous Serengeti. You can either stay inside the park or just outside, along the highway -- like the Angalia Tented Camp (where we were put up) or at the famous Tan-Swiss Lodge.
Our last stop was the Ruaha National Park, named after the great Ruaha River, which is the lifeline of this wilderness. Ruaha is one of Tanzania’s best-kept secrets in terms of game viewing, spiced up by the fascinating landscape dotted with baobab trees. Moreover, it is a rich repository of many different varieties of animals that are not easily seen in other parts of the country, like wild dogs and several rare species of antelopes.
The Mikumi National Park is slightly under-rated because of its easy access from the highway. Mikumi, in fact, is the place in Tanzania for easy sightings of the eland -- the world’s largest antelope. Its open Savannah grasslands will remind you of the famous Serengeti. You can either stay inside the park or just outside, along the highway -- like the Angalia Tented Camp (where we were put up) or at the famous Tan-Swiss Lodge.
Our last stop was the Ruaha National Park, named after the great Ruaha River, which is the lifeline of this wilderness. Ruaha is one of Tanzania’s best-kept secrets in terms of game viewing, spiced up by the fascinating landscape dotted with baobab trees. Moreover, it is a rich repository of many different varieties of animals that are not easily seen in other parts of the country, like wild dogs and several rare species of antelopes.
Apart from the largest concentration of elephants, Ruaha is home to lions, buffalos and antelopes. During the dry days of the peak season, you can see elephants digging the sandy river bed using their front feet and trunks to create holes to obtain water from. They are the ones who know best about any likely source of water in the dry, sandy river bed. Other smaller animals like baboons, zebras and even pride of lions follow the elephants and wait for them to dig a hole for it to serve as ready-made watering hole! The water ponds in Great Ruaha River are also important habitats for hippopotamus, fish and crocodiles.
Ruaha gave us a much more authentic and raw feeling of being in close proximity to wildlife than any of the other parks on our tour. And on one occasion, we were woken up by the loud roar of a lion early one morning at the famous Ruaha River Lodge. Later, at the breakfast table, we came to know that the passage next to our tent happened to be the favourite route for one particular lion pride.
One evening, after a long day’s game drive, we decided to take a break at the coffee shop of our lodge, situated on the top of a rocky hill with a spectacular view of the Ruaha River and its surroundings. As the waiter came to take the order, sporting a big smile, I noticed a scar on his face and asked him about it. Much to my surprise, Pelade told me that it was courtesy a lion! Yes, he was a lion-attack survivor. Then he told us the dreadful story of how he was once grabbed by a lion and how he shouted for dear life, though no one could hear him as his head was entirely inside the lion’s mouth! He frantically started punching the insides of the lion’s mouth, even as some of his colleagues came to his rescue by making a loud noise to distract the lion, which ultimately freed him. A severely injured Pelade battled for his life in hospital for several days and finally managed to emerge a winner. After such a close shave, he said he no longer feared lions.
As a souvenir, I asked my wife to take a picture of mine with the braveheart.
This is wild Africa and it will always amaze you with a twist in every turn.
END. Published in Gulf News
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