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Impressions of Ruaha National Park

By Judith Rosink, Asilia Sales Manager, East Africa.

Judith recently had a whirlwind tour of the Asilia camps in Tanzania, and here she shares her impressions of a day at Kwihala Camp in Ruaha National Park with us.

This was going to be my first time to visit this National Park — I had read a lot about it and had been told that it would be very remote and completely different to the parks in the so-called Northern Circuit of Tanzania. We were only three passengers in the plane; a Dutch lady with her daughter were my travel companions and coincidentally, they too, were going to spend a few nights at Kwihala Camp. Upon our arrival at Msembe, we were warmly welcomed by our guide who offered us cold drinks while he arranged our park fees. The drive from the airstrip to the camp was 17 km, and since we had been delayed by an hour we had to go straight to camp. The landscape on the way was stunning- changing every five minutes from open plains to areas full of wild date palms, to beautiful woodlands.

When we arrived, Michelle the relief manager was awaiting us with a snack platter lunch, and while the two other ladies prepared themselves for their afternoon game drive I took some time to investigate the camp.

At around 19h30 we were all invited to have a drink at the “bush television” fireplace, where the most delicious snacks were offered. Pietro the guide insisted for the whole group to have dinner below the stars, so a large dining table was set up outside. Dinner was served by candlelight, and the meal was absolutely mouthwatering!

Afterwards I went to my tent for a good night’s sleep – I did not close the curtains because I really enjoy experiencing bush life and woke up to every single sound I heard to see what was surrounding me. Something small was scratching my canvas almost the whole night. I could not see what it was, but I suspected it would be a gecko. The next morning I had to wake up very early to go on a game drive with Pietro and the two other Dutch guests. After only ten minutes of driving, (it was still dark and we were using a flashlight), something large came out of the woodland – it was a very relaxed mature leopard who was obviously on his way to hunt. We tried to follow him but after 30 minutes we lost his tracks. It was too dark to take pictures but the memory will always remain with me.

We continued on our way, and witnessed the most amazing sunrise. Half an hour later we saw a group of young male lions courting a lioness. Unfortunately our game watch was brutally disturbed by some other tourists being noisy so we had to leave. It was our luck that after ten minutes we spotted another male lion, and he was not alone – in fact he was very much in love, courting a lioness! We followed them, as when they are mating, the act will usually occur every few minutes, and go on for days.

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Afterwards, both of them were drinking water at a waterhole when the lioness decided to walk away. Suddenly we heard the roaring of another male lion close by. The first male did not hesitate a second and started running towards the sound. We followed, and found the two males fighting. Being in the same territory, these two males would have known each other, most possibly being members of the same coalition. In such a case, the two lions would have established a hierarchy of dominance long before, and the fight was merely to reassert this claim, and wouldn’t result in serious injury on either side. Had the battle been for territory, the outcome would have been far more violent, possibly even fatal.

The first male won the battle, and then he continued his courtship of the lioness.

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Since we had left camp without breakfast, Pietro found us a beautiful spot close to a riverbank, with elephants walking around us. We had a late breakfast laid out on the bonnet before we continued on our game drive. Lorenzo (one of the other guides) called to report that a leopard had been spotted on a rock, and we set off on our next mission. It took us an hour to reach it but sadly, by that time the battery in my camera had died!

At 4pm we left again for a game drive and came across a herd of elephants in what appeared to be a dry riverbed. By using a combination of extraordinary sensory perception and experience passed down over generations, these animals have learned to perceive where water lies beneath the surface of the sand. At a point where it is shallowest, they dig a perfect hole, scooping out sand with their trunks until they can access the cool water below.

From where we sat, we could even hear the sound of the water slurping into their trunks, which made for a spectacular sighting!

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This phenomenon is not unique to Ruaha’s elephants, as it has been seen in many dry areas of the continent; but it is a testament to the incredible intelligence and adaptive abilities of these animals.

Continuing on our way, there was another surprise was waiting for us. Two male giraffes were measuring up who was the strongest, showing off by slapping their tall necks against each other. This is a dominance display where the combatants pound each other using the full force of their necks: with a combination of considerable weight and momentum, their heads and horns become sledgehammers, and it happens that giraffes knock each other out, and in rare instances are killed from these blows.

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Moving on, we tracked a pride of 14 lions feasting on a giraffe. In Ruaha, the lions are known for their large pride numbers, and this forces them to take on bigger, more dangerous prey: a giraffe is a considerable prize, and would provide enough sustenance to last them at least a few days.

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We then returned to camp for another delicious candlelit dinner below the stars, and later as I lay in bed I thought how incredible it was for me to have experienced so many exciting encounters in just one day!

The following morning it was time for me to pack and get ready for my journey back to Arusha, completely blown away by this incredible place – I will definitely return, that’s for sure!

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