The Selous & Ruaha, a privately guided safari
In October 2019, I was lucky enough to go on a safari adventure with a wonderful bunch of people from Estonia. I didn’t know much about the country, but I quickly learnt that it's beautiful, dense in wildlife and home to only a million people (that’s 95% less than the population of New York)!
I had the pleasure of embarking on this safari tour with some hilarious, terribly interesting and all-round classy folks. Estonians don't like to take the last biscuit, so as an Englishman with similar fears, we got on straight away.
The Safari Experience
Kevin Kirsch did some fabulous safari photography on his way around, we’re so grateful to him for sharing them here. I will use them to describe our journey.
The Selous safari camp was incredible, some rain had passed so the air smelt wonderful and the sky was that brilliant blue you only get after a storm.
We stayed at the luxury safari camp, Kiba Point. This incredible, private camp is adjacent to Sand Rivers and is ideal for groups. Kevin posed with our game drive vehicles before we did some exciting off-roading and mud driving. It was exhilarating, but nothing our seasoned guides couldn't handle!
A group of elephants welcomed us during our search for the big five in Ruaha. We got close to a female elephant as she came to check on us before her family group wandered across the road.
It didn't take long to see more of the incredible African wildlife. We pulled into a leopard sighting, it was one of the charismatic young males that can be seen quite frequently at the Mwagusi River. The (not so) little guy seemed to love the attention, he didn't disappoint as he showed off a variety of poses in different trees!
A few clouds started forming and despite my conviction that it wouldn't rain, the much wiser Estonians thought otherwise. Of course, it rained and our safari guides made sure I ate my words.
On the plus side, the next day was stunning. We woke up to a perfect sunrise, clear skies and an unexpected twist to our luxury safari tour - a hot air balloon safari as a surprise birthday gift!
We stopped at the Ruaha River after the surprise balloon tour. It was here that we saw another one of the big five - sitting majestically on the Ruaha riverbank was a pride of male lions and their newborn cubs, it was breathtaking!
I'm so grateful to have gone on this fantastic safari tour. My thanks to the Estonians for being such good company, Kiba, Ikuka and everyone who looked after us along the way. Let's do it again soon!
Start your Safari Adventure
Does a luxury safari tour sound like your perfect vacation? Get in touch with Kusini Safaris for tailormade trips, luxury safari accommodation and the option indulge in privately guided tours. At Kusini Safaris we ensure that your safari vacation is the adventure of a lifetime!