Wild Tanzania DAY BY DAY ITINERARY safari in style DAY 1 TRAVEL DAY INTERNATIONAL FLIGHT DAY 2 Coastal Bush Flight Departs Dar es Salaam bush airport @ 8:30 am Arrive Selous bush strip @ 9:15 am Selous Game Reserve in southern Tanzania is one of the largest game reserves in the world at 55,000 sq kms (21,100 sq miles) of protected land. This vast area represents five percent of the land mass of Tanzania. It is the same size as Maine. The reserve is drained by three mighty African rivers, the Rufiji, Kilombera, and Great Ruaha as they flow to the Indian Ocean. You ll see the rivers snake across the horizon as you fly in over the reserve. Beho Beho will meet you at the bush strip (Beho Beho International Airport) and bring you into camp. Get yourself checked in to your banda. If you have time you ll enjoy relaxing and watching the view out of the front of your cottage. There are always elephant and hippo wandering in the gorge below your banda. Frederick Courtney Selous The Reserve is named after Frederick Courtney Selous, a British conservationist and explorer. He was a friend of Theodore Roosevelt, accompanying him on his famous African safari. As a young boy raised in Victorian England, Selous seemed to know he would become an African explorer, advising his headmaster that he was sleeping on the floor of his dormitory room because he needed to harden himself for his life in Africa. He read avidly about Dr. David Livingstone s adventures in Africa. At lunch you ll meet guides Walter Jubber, Heribert Mardai, Onno de Rover, Godlisten Ishingo, and Salum Mpamba, as well as Karin Kruger. Karin is in charge of the kitchen and all the great food you will be served at Beho Beho. While you are at lunch make sure you locate the water hole. (More on that later!) Walter runs the show so he will counsel with you each evening about your activity schedule for the following day. You ll be able to craft your safari to your particular interests. The sun sets pretty close to 6 pm each evening. (You re close to the equator.) You ll be walked by one of the guides from your banda back to the main camp area for drinks and dinner. Lest you think the wildlife viewing is over, think again. There are visitors to the water hole pretty much every evening. Lunch, afternoon tea, sundowners, dinner and overnight at Beho Beho. After years of exploring and hunting on the African continent he joined the British Army during World War I. As a captain in the Royal Fusilers he fought a bush war in the Selous against the German colonial Schutztrupper. In January, 1917, on the banks of the Rufiji, he was shot in the head by a German sniper and killed instantly. He was buried in the Selous, a place he loved. WILD TANZANIA 888.658.7102 1
DAY 3 Days at Beho Beho start early as this is the best time to see the tremendous array of both big and small game that inhabits this area of the Selous. Beho Beho was the first camp to be established in the Selous and consequently was placed in one of the game rich areas of the reserve. There is a diversity of habitats with plains, riverine forests, savannah, lakes, and scrub bush. That means a wide diversity of species and some of the best game viewing in the reserve. The richness of wildlife is explained by the dry miombo woodland that covers large portions of this part of the reserve. The leaves shed by the moimbo form a surprisingly complex food chain creating an ideal habitat for large mammals. There are an estimated 750,000 mammals in the reserve, including the world s largest populations of elephant, crocodile, buffalo, hippo, and wild dog. Antelopes abound with sizeable populations of impala, bushbuck. waterbuck, sable, eland, Lichtenstein s hartebeest, and greater kudu. You ll see two species of wildebeest, both the black bearded gnu and the southern, Nyasa wildebeest. Plus lots of zebra and giraffe. You may spot bush babies, spotted genet, and mongoose at night. Lions, in large prides, are often seen. Leopards, despite their considerable population, are more elusive. Cheetah and hyena are occasionally seen, but the real highlight is wild dogs. Wild dogs are the rarest of Africa s predators, and they have found one of their last refuges in Selous. Some research suggests that there are at least 800 wild dogs in Selous, three times the concentration of anywhere else in Africa. Each day at Beho Beho you ll have the opportunity to choose from a number of activities. There is Land Cruiser wildlife viewing, walking safaris, and boating safaris on nearby Lake Tagalala. Plus wildlife mentoring from some of the best guides in Tanzania. You can also visit the World War I battlefield where Selous fought the German soldiers with the British fusiliers. He was shot dead by a German sniper beneath Sugar Mountain. Enjoy your afternoon in the bush. Make sure you take some time to look up and view the great star show that unfolds once darkness sets in. The southern constellations are brilliant and the Milky Way luminous. Breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, sundowners, dinner, and overnight at Beho Beho. WILD TANZANIA 888.658.7102 2
DAY 4 Visit Lake Tagalala for an unforgettable day. You ll be wildlife viewing on the way to the lake. You ll board a game viewing boat with swivel seats and a sun shade to meander around the shores with binoculars and camera at the ready. Lake Tagalala has the highest concentration of crocodiles in Africa with huge pods of hippos bobbing up for breadth and sinking silently under the water. They are far from silent when they feel that their private space is being invaded and their loud calls echo across the lake. Enjoy an alfresco breakfast before visiting the Hot Springs for a refreshing and rejuvenating dip in the mineral rich waters before returning to camp in the early afternoon. Black rhino in the reserve have been poached almost to extinction. Its population has dropped dramatically from an estimated 3,000 in the early 1980 s to fewer than 150 today. The few remaining Selous rhino remain hidden in the dense thickets and are rarely seen. Conservation efforts have increased the population. If you enjoy birding you will enjoy your time at Beho Beho. Beho Beho s bird count is now at 244 species. Beho Beho has been owned by the Bailey family for over 40 years. It is their home in the bush. They visit several times each year and leave the camp to guests for the rest of the year. The camp reflects their taste for comfort and style, their delight in superlative guiding, and their attention to detail. Breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, sundowners, dinner, and overnight at Beho Beho. WILD TANZANIA 888.658.7102 3
DAY 5 Track the wild dog pack while you are on safari. There were 21 at last count. Wild dogs need to roam vast areas and here in Selous they have boundless woodlands and savannahs in which to roam. Wild dogs hunt in packs and they pursue their prey in a long open chase. Nearly 80% of all hunts end in a kill. Lions, the top predator, have a kill rate of only 30%. Members of a pack vocalize to coordinate their movements. Dogs make an unusual chirping or squeaking sound, similar to a bird. The Selous was declared a World Heritage Site by the UN in 1982, but the number of visitors is still fewer than 5,000 a year and this lack of mass tourism ensures that those who do visit the Selous enjoy a true wilderness experience. This is really the bush. Don t expect to tick off species as you might do in Ngorongoro Crater. Wildlife viewing in Selous requires patience; it is what gives it its charm. It is different and simply stunning. Only the northern section of Selous is developed for tourism, but even this area is huge and wild. Teddy Roosevelt s account of his 1909 safari in Selous, led by Frederick Courtney Selous, is recorded in his book, African Game Trails. The reserve is named after Selous. He was a big game hunter and early conservationist. He was killed in the Selous while fighting for the British in the First World War. Selous is buried close to Beho Beho. Breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, sundowners, dinner, and overnight at Beho Beho. WILD TANZANIA 888.658.7102 4
DAY 6 THE OYSTER BAY DAR ES SALAAM DAY ROOM Breakfast at Beho Beho. Beho Beho will be a place you want to return to. Morning bush flight Depart Selous bush strip @ 9:45 am Arrive Dar es Salaam bust strip @ 10:20 am Pick up at the Dar bush airport by a driver from Oyster Bay Hotel. He ll transport you to Oyster Bay in time for lunch on the verandah. Oyster Bay is on the Indian Ocean coast in the ambassadorial district of Dar. This contemporary small boutique hotel is relaxing and comfortable. There is a small swimming pool and time for swimming. You ll have time for some shopping at the Oyster Bay shopping centre, which is just next door, and time to shower and pack for your evening flight. After dinner we ll get you to the international airport for your international flight home. DAY 7 INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL INTERNATIONAL FLIG HT WILD TANZANIA TANZANIA EXPLORER 888.658.7102 888.658 12 5
A D D ITIONAL SAFARI INFORMAT I O N INCLUDED IN YOUR SAFARI Full board accommodations in all lodges and tented camps All meals Unlimited game drives in private 4x4 safari Land Cruisers All park and entrance fees Experienced and professional safari naturalist guides Natural Learning program Enrollment with Flying Doctors Evacuation Service All in-country transportation Laundry available Alcohol and beverages included Beverages in your 4x4 safari vehicle Bottled water available at all times Extensive pre-departure briefing and materials including health information, reading list and map Schedule as you wish January through mid-april, June through October, and December. EXCLUDED FROM YOUR SAFARI Gratuities 2016 CUSTOM DEPARTURE DATES Schedule as you wish any month of the year. 2016 CUSTOM DEPARTURE DATES 6 persons $6,299 USD per person 4 persons $6,299 USD per person 2 persons $6,299 USD per person Single Supplement $149 USD *Pricing based on regular season pricing. Call us about holiday season pricing. Arrivals and departures out of Dar es Salaam International Airport. Prices do not include international air travel. We plan your wildlife adventures in areas where wildlife habitats are known to exist for the season and time you are traveling. Still, animals in the areas you are viewing are not in a zoo. They run freely, and we cannot always anticipate their movements. Also, Deeper Africa uses best efforts to provide the lodging set out in this itinerary, but occasionally there are circumstances that occur in East Africa that require lodging substitutions. We reserve the right to make comparable lodging substitutions whenever necessary. WILD TANZANIA 888.658.7102 6