Boat safaris are a must when you visit
the Selous Game Reserve in Tanzania. There are other places in
the world where you can experience something similar, but I personally feel
that the size and diversity offered by the Rufiji River lends itself
to the greatest water safari in any park in Africa.
When the Rufiji River passes through the Selous,
it is about 150km away from the end of its journey – the Indian Ocean. The
altitude has dropped by this point, and the river lies at roughly 50m above sea
level. This slows its down on its course and, as a result, the waterways
are able to spread out into wide areas, creating lakes and channels to explore.
Selous Impala Camp is
situated on the main body of the Rufiji River in the Selous, close to Lake
Siwandu, which is where you can find Bird Island. This little idyll is
where some of the river’s noisiest and most beautiful inhabitants choose to
roost in large numbers.
Hippos are often seen on the
shores of this river, but they can also be spotted in the water during the
hottest times of day and when they have been startled. Able to hold their
breath for four minutes, they are believed to not swim but rather walk along
the bottom of the river. As a result, they are usually found by sandbanks,
either towards the edge or in the middle of the river, near to a deep
underwater pathway.
The river is teeming with life.
Fish are plentiful, which means that a vast number of crocodiles and birds
are able to rely on this source of food to survive.
Bee-eaters burrow their way into
the sandbanks along the river and create nests, but you have to wonder how they
remember which one is theirs. Maybe they don’t and this is nature’s way of
making sure that all chicks are fed evenly by the members of the group.
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