RAS KUTANI

Ras Kutani: Latest News

• Game Report - Jongomero Camp

  Please click 'Read More' to download the latest Jongomero Game Report.

• Jongomero Community Annual Update

  Please click 'read more' for the Jongomero annual community newsletter.

• Cheetah Trio - Jongomero Camp

  (Click on image to scroll through images)  The Cheetah, with a maximum velocity of 117 Km/h is the fastest creature on earth and designed purely for one thing - Speed!!!  One of the ulimate specialists on Earth the uncommon Cheetah requires rather specific habitats to dwell in so that it can attain these incredible speeds in order to catch its prey and is therefore no where very common.  It has gone down an evolutionary road slowly getting faster faster until it has attained its present state and it possesses some very unique adaptations to help it along the way.  An incredibly flexible backbone helps it to stretch out therefore taking massive strides and then allows the stride to fold in completely so that the rear legs can way overtake the fore.  A small head and poorly built jaw relative to other cats reduces overall weight allowing it to go that little bit faster.  It has a very long dorso-ventrally flattened tail which acts like a counter balance or rudder to help distribute the weight evenly when cornering and of course there are its claws.  All cats have the ability to retract their claws but not so the Cheetah, like a dog its claws are stocky and blunt as well as non retractile, a necessity for grip just like footballs studs again to aid in cornering at great speeds.  The net result is the ultimate killing speed machine.  Due to the smaller jaw, the prey is also is relatively smaller than other cats and the Ruaha mainstay for this animal will be the luckless Impala.  To see these animals anywhere is a real treat so imagine our surprise when we saw a coalition of 3 of these graceful animals in an open area not far from camp.  The Jongomero area is characterised by thicker bush then other parts of the park, areas generally avoided by this animal.  however we do have a few beautiful open areas scattered through the Jongomero region and we hope that these three cats will take up residence here and become permanaent additions to the Jongomero game viewing repertoire.  We will keep you updated of any more sightings!!!!

• Fire and First Aid Training - Selous Safari Company

  (Click on Image to scroll through images: Some of the Jongomero Team enjoying their fire training).
  One of the biggest threats to all camp life is fire.  In the dry seasons bush fires rage through most of our African Parks, these can be deliberate management done by the park authorities but deep in the dry season they are usually started accidentally or by bush meat or honey poachers.  A few of our camps have had close shaves with these bush fires on several occasions.  All of our camp staff in all three camps have just undergone an intensive fire fighting course to gain in depth knowledge of fire and its prevention to add to the experience they already have from previous fire encounters.  A first aid course for all staff members was also conducted over this period so now all employees are qualified first aid responders as well as proficient fire fighters and are adept at professionally handling any fire or medical situation with confidence.

• Village Life - Ras Kutani

  Get an inside glimpse into the lives of the people in the local village. We offer guests an opportunity to visit the clinic and school, where we assist in donations of various forms of educational and medical supplies. With the cement rings for the well manufactured, soon clean potable water will be available along the road leading to the village from the beach.

  Lush and green, the rains have recently started falling, and we hope that with more to follow, a rich harvest will be the result of many hours of tending and maintaining crops in clay rich fields.

  Always happy faces, eager to be a part of the action, the kids especially are intrigued by the camera; these photos are a small snippit of daily life, enjoy!

• The Dogs Of War Have Returned - Jongomero

  (Click on Image to scroll through images).  After a pleasant Buffalo sighting of over 100 beasts the car moved on.  Just after crossing a small ridge a pride of 6 Lions were seen and they were taking more than a passing interest at the herd of Buffalo we had just left.  The Nyakapembe pride!!  This pride consists of 6 Lions, one of them a 3 month old cub, they were lean, hungry and carried an air of menace today.  Staking a claim near one of our permanent springs living is easy as they pick off the hapless prey as they are forced to quench their thirst at the spring, at this time of year one of the only water sources in the area.  Normally this pride is fat bellied and fast asleep dozing in the shade of a sausage tree.  Not today, a quick glance at the pride revealed that a kill was immanent.  The pride charged the Buffalo who were sent crashing into the thcik bush of a drainage line for protection.  The kill would now be obscured from the vehicle so Modest the guide drove up and down the drainage line trying to get a peek at the carnage that was happening within.  Using only sounds to try and dictate to his guests what was happening without a view they heard the bellowing of a Buffalo which had obviously been grabbed, the sudden appearance of a Lion with a mouthful of blood confirmed his suspicions.  However the battle was far from won, the bellowing of the wounded Buffalo casued the return of the rest of the herd who came thundering through the undergrowth to rescue their fallen comrade.  The Lions were now severly outnumbered and aborted the hunt, the Buffalo, although wounded will live to fight another day.  The Lions rtetreated to the open where the vehicle could now view them again and they were blessed with a wonderful sighting of the little cub.  Little did everyone know this day was about to get so much better.  The vehicle was pointed at the Lions and all attention was focused on them but Modest caught a glimpse of movement from his side mirror.  In his relaxed laid back manner he simply said 'You guys are lucky! Have a look behind!'  On turning round the guests could see the return of our Wild Dog pack who have had an increase in numbers and are now upto 28 animals!!  This was the first glimpse of these wonderful rare Icons of Africa so far this season.  Fairly common to be seen in the rains however in the dry season they dissapear from our area and have just decided to return.  The Dogs all trotted down to the spring edge for a cool refreshing drink and one or two even had a little wallow in the mud.  Relaxed and unperturbed by the vehicle we had a wonderful sigthing of these Dogs but we were not the only ones watching.  The Lions also were showing an interest in the Dogs and since no top carnivore like Lions will tolerate any other predator on their land they launched a full scale attack on the dogs.  Chaos ensued, the 28 Dogs panicked and scattered back to the safety of the thick bush.  Lions are much faster than Dogs over a short distance but the Dogs could see them coming and had a good head start and no animal can match the Dog for stamina.  Dogs and Lions mingled together accompanied by a cacophony of Cat growls and Dog barks and the whole mass of animals scattered into the thick bush away from the vehicle and as quick as the sighting started, it immediately ended.  There was not much to say after that, the Guests knew they had just seen a sighting of a lifetime and headed back to camp elated after another day in the African wilderness.  It does not get any better than that!!! Many thanks to Patrick Clementson for use of his pictures.

• A dream of a drive - Jongomero

  (Click on above image to scroll through different images)  I was slacking!!  My guests were on the last drive of a 3 night stay and some iconic creatures were still missing.  The pressure mounted!!  I had come up short on Lion and Buffalo, of course the Leopard was missing too but this is never a certainty, Lion and Buffalo however were a must.  The guests were already informed to hang on and brace themselves, we had distance to cover and no time to dawdle.  A fast long drive to the Nyakapembe springs yielded a pride of Lions and the first glimpse had them in the lovely afternoon light leaving the spring after a refreshing drink.  We followed them to their resting place where they joined a big male and a tiny 2 month old cub, 8 in total.  The cub was new to us and had never been seen before.  After leaving the Lions our best chance for Buffalo was quite a way away and we set off to find them before we lost the light.  On the way we came across at least 200 Elephants who were making their way to the Ruaha River to also quench their thirst.  We sat with these mighty beasts for a while and they offered tremendous viewing but time was short and we had to push on, i felt the sweat running down my neck, i was running out of time for the Buffalo.  On we went and not ten minutes of driving later on of the guests lunged forward and said with a certain amount of urgency that there was a Leopard in the tree we just passed.  He seemed in visible distress by the knowledge he had and I could tell immediately that it was so, this was not a Leopard shaped branch or other object fooling his eye, he would have bet his life on it.  We reversed 10 meters and there she was, a delightful female Leopard perched in the branch of an Acacia by the river.  She let us all get a shot or two off with the cameras then she scarpered out the tree never to be seen, thanks for the spot Barry!!!  Now I was relaxed, even with the abscence of Buffalo it had already been an extraordinary drive and I gave up on the Buffalo to find a nice sundowner spot, to loose Buffalo but to gain a Leopard I was happy.  As we neard a river bank with a lovely view, before us was a herd of Buffalo that must have numbered 600 beasts.  They then galloped across the road right in front of us and stampeded into the thick bush.  It took at least 15 minutes for the multitude of animals to complete the road crossing.  There was not much to say really, we even had time to squeeze in the sundowner before heading back to camp elated on what Ruaha had just provided for us.  What a great day in Africa!!!!!!

  Molly

• Bech Bar is Open

  Kharuna, the beach attendant at Ras Kutani serves drinks to guests on the beach by ordering from the main bar at Ras Kutani. Kalimani, the head barman at Ras Kutani suggested that we rebuild a dhow shaped beach bar incorporated into the beach hut sctructure to allow Kharuna to serve drinks direct from the beach.

  The beach bar idea was hatched, and with the help of Maudy the local carpenter and Michael, a wood 'fundi' from our head office in Dar es Salaam, work began in earnest three weeks ago to complete the project.

  With salvaged dhow wood, the bar was completed, and we officially opened the bar by hosting a cocktail reception down at the beach on Saturday the 10th September. The guests gathered, gaggled and glugged back the cocktails on offer before the BBQ dinner we host every Saturday evening.

  So whilst Kharuna can continue his efforts in providing a selection of cold and refreshing beverages to guests on the beach throughout the day, Kalimani knows that when cocktails receptions are hosted during the week, no tables need to be setup... there is a bar counter and an impressive structure awaiting his cocktail making skills.

• Ruaha's Elusive Cheetahs - Jongomero

  (Click on Image to scroll through images)  No where common in this park, or on this continent for that matter, however occasional glimpses of these animals are seen in the Eastern Side of the Park.  In the Jongomero area these creatures are like gold dust!!  Imagine our surprise when a coallition of 5 females were spotted not 5 km from our camp.  The odd Cheetah does pass throught the Jongomero area but they will not settle here, the habitat is not right for these creatures and when they are seen once or twice a year they tend to be very shy and skittish, not used to the prescence of vehicles.  These 5 lovely ladies could not have cared less about our game viewers and offered over an hour of wonderful viewing as they rested, played and even attempted a half hearted kill.  They were so relaxed we even had time to take more guests to see them in the afternoon!!  We hope with fingers crossed that these 5 may settle in our area but this could be wishful thinking!!  We will keep you posted though.  Many thanks to Rebecca Harris and Astrid Koenig for providing the pictures.

• Ultimate Camouflage, Leopards - Jongomero

  Contrary to popular belief, Leopards are not rare and are without doubt the most common large cat in Africa.  From deserts and mountains to rainforests and the outskirts of cities and everyewhere in between Leopards roam secretly.  You would think with so many around that they would be frequent sightings seen on every drive but this is not the case.  Although the tracks are seen on an almost daily basis the creature itself is extremely elusive.  With camouflage nearing perfection, a solitary nocturnal lifestyle, with a bad temper to boot and a need to constantly be hidden a sight of these wondeful cats is infrequent at best.  I often sat that you drive past 2 everygame drive without noticing but they sure notice you!!  Secretive at best a good Leopard sighting is often just a spotted blur dashing away from the vehicle, the only time you will see a Leopard is when the 'allow' you to see them.  Due to the extreme wilderness of the Ruaha they are even more shy then normal however once in a blue moon you can happen upon a Leopard in a very relaxed state and unperturbed by the car giving those guests a wonderful opportunity to study and observe them closely.  We had one of these sightings just the other day when 'Mama Kali' was found on drive with her cub in an old termite mound next to a large Baobab tree.  The cub was only glimpsed for a second or two before retreating to the safety of the mound, not to be seen again but the mother lay out in the sun and allowed us to view her for well over an hour.  For a guide like myself a sighting like this can make your month, not just your day and we cant wait until we next get a chance to see this wondeful relaxed feline.

• 30th August 2011 - Drive of the SeasonAs the dry season takes its grip the game has started to concentrate around the lakes and river system in large numbers, the predators following in their wake. The sightings have been really good but on this morning they were spectacular! Within twenty minutes of leaving camp a troop of baboons was spotted in the canopy of several trees, all were staring intently towards a bush. They started barking loudly and suddenly a young female leopard ran from the bush and was descended upon by the enraged baboons. Several big males pinned her to the ground, she managed to escape only for them to catch and attack her again. Unable to fight back, she played dead and in the instant that the baboons drew back, she fled off into the bush leaving her attackers behind. The drive continued and the list of species seen grew with warthogs and piglets to a beautiful male water buck, elephants with a tiny calf and then two prides totalling 20 lions. Then our local pack of five wild dogs was found in an open area; the request from the guests before leaving that morning was "leopard and wild dogs please!" They had been joking, knowing how hard it can be to see either, let alone both...
• Wonderful Skies - Jongomero

  With the dry season in full swing, now is the time of bush fires.  The time for managed burning by the park authorities has gone, now it is too dry to start intentional bush fires.  However many fires can be caused by accident in several ways: An early morning dew drop clinging to the surface of an old elephant turd can concentrate the suns energy like a magnifying glass and set the turd alight.  Some fires can also be caused by honey gatherers, using fire to smoke bees out of their hives to gain access to the precious honey inside.  A poorly put out fire when hit by wind can then reignite and cause a bush fire.  However fire has always been a part of Africa, the bush is pretty well adapted to it and the land recovers well soon after.  At this times of year the skies can be full of smoke from these fires causing the most vivid sunsets and creating wonderful photographic opportunities in the late afternoon light, especially when an accomodating Giraffe walks across the scene and poses for you as this one is doing.

• Ras Kutani - Community Update

  With the season at Ras Kutani in full swing, time was taken to deliver some generous donations from one of our guests to the clinic and school at Gomvu village, where many of our staff hail from. The nurses were extremely happy with the supplies they received, and the children eager to use their new books and pencils that were donated.

  
  The final stop was to the well which Ras Kutani is digging to provide another water source for the local communities. The team have been working tirelessly, and as can be seen in the pictures, dug some 16 metres so far, where signs of water are promising. Labour intensive, the well has taken some three weeks to dig, and Deus and his team believe that another 5 metres will be sufficient for water to be found. That's a hole 21 metres deep!

  
  'Well' done to Deus and his dedicated team.

  
  We have plans to construct a manual pipe and pump system where water can be drawn through a feeder tap and this will benefit the communities that surround Ras Kutani and provide much needed water for the families that co-exist in the villages. Plans are also underway to donate a microscope to the clinic at Gomvu village, as well as sourcing sufficient malaria test kits to make it easier for diagnosis for those seeking accurate medical treatment.

   

• The Great Ruaha Trickle - Jongomero

  At the moment the great Ruaha river is not worthy of its name.  Deep in the dry season now, its waters have dropped and slowed resembling more of a stream than a mighty river.  A month from now the flow will stop completely.  Thankfull there are many permanant pools which last the dry season keeping our Hippos and Crocodiles happy and maintaning a population of fish.  However our water bird and wader numbers seem to increase at this time.  This sounds contradicting but makes sense when you think that the less water there is, the smaller a refuge the fish and frogs have to hide or escape.  Fishing and finding food is easier at this time as all the river fish and amphibians are confined in a much smaller area and are now more concentrated.  The waders and water birds swarm in to reap the benefits.  Some of the greatest aggregations of birds will be found when the river finally stops.  The water looses its oxygen and many of the fish simply sufforcate, die and float belly up to the surface providing an easy opportunistic meal.  At this time literally thousands of pelicans can be seen gathering to scour the water for the hapless catfish.  Not quite at that stage at the moment but the bird numbers are steadily increasing.  Here a lovely Yellow-Billed Stork tries its luck along the rivers edge providing wonderful photographic opportunities.

• Its a Lions Life - Jongomero

  A new pride has moved into the jongomero area since the start of the season.  Consisting of 2 females and two half grown cubs, they were first spotted on one of the first walks, wild and nervous, not used to human contact the slunk away into the bushes not to be seen again for a while.  Just because we could not see them due to their extreme skittishness they certainly advertised their presence in the camp as they have been coming through the camp most nights roaring loudly.  Remeber a pride of Lions does not include the big males, they are different from the females and possess much larger territories which may encompass the territories of two, three or even four 'prides' of females.  The new pride in our area does not belong!! This land belongs to the Jongomero pride, a well established group in the area consisting of 5 females and 2 young males, they will not take kindly to the new group moving in.  When a new pride initially tries to establish itself in a new area, they start of small and set up a base of operations, as time passes the will patrol further away from their base trying to annex land into their new territory however all Ruaha's land is currently owned so the new land will come at the expense of another prides land, in this case, the Jongomero pride.  A conflict is inevitable and sooner or later the two groups will meet and battle will ensue.  unbeknownst to the newcomers, the Jongomero pride has far superior numbers and will probably win a conflict resulting in the newcomers having to withdraw their land claims and move to a different area.  This type of politics does not concern the big males who rule the area, new females are always welcome and Maximus (Pictured above) has already been seen mating with one of the newcomers and here was spotted on a fresh Buffalo kill also with them.  With a full belly he sauntered to the rivers edge to relax, have a drink and enjoy some sunshine.

• Ruaha's Saviors, The Elephants - Jongomero

  Surely no creature (apart from man) has a bigger impact on the world it lives in than the Elephant.  The managers of the bush, these magnificent creatures have the ability to change entire landscapes and if not confined in a small area, they change it for the better.  This is especially so in Ruaha and especially in regards to water.  As of about 10 years ago the main Ruaha River began to dry up due to too much irrigation for rice farms further upstream.  First it would dry up just for a week or two but now the river is dry for up to 4-5 months.  The Park would already have suffered greatly and been in severe crisis if it was not for our massive population of Elephants keeping everything else alive.  Elephants have an incredibly acute sense of smell and they can locate where water is closer to the surface of the sand rivers and are one of the very few animals with the ability to dig down to reach it.  You cannot just dig anywhere in a sand river, along the most of it the water will be too far down to reach but perhaps where there is an underlying band of hard rock it will be forced to pool closer to the surface and Elephants can find these spots or wells with amazing accuracy.  With a heavy front foot they rock it forwards and backwards kicking out sand until they reach the water below.  If they need to go deeper still they can even suck up sand with their trunk and then blow it out to get access to the precious water.  They then spend about an hour each day drinking from the wells as the picture above shows, then when their thirst is sated they move off allowing a multitude of Ruaha's other creatures to come and quench their thirst too.  Elephants literally are keeping Ruaha Alive and currently now in the dry season we can see this wonderful phenomenon daily and is one of the highlights of our drives.

• Devils in disguise - Hippos - Jongomero

  Probably Africa's most misinterpreted creature.  The ponderous Hippopotamus.  Often portrayed as big friendly cuddly beasts occasionally sporting a little ballet dress or tutu spinning around with agile graceful movements and bringing joy to all.  Sorry to shatter the fantasy but this could not be further from the truth.  This animal holds the much coveted title of Africa's biggest killing mammal, the much feared Lions, Elephants and Buffalo etc do not even come close to the awesome destructive power of this animal.  Big, mean, fast and humorless the hippo wreaks havoc among many rural village dwellers dependant on rivers and lakes for water across Africa.  The Hippo is a pure killing machine and has many traits extremely well developed for dispatching an unlucky human.  First of all its enourmous size, a large bull hippo can weigh 4 tonnes which considering it only eats salad is a feat in itself and this weight simply bumping into you is going to do some severe damage.  Second its speed, a Hippo at full charge can attain 11 meters per second, this is astonishing when you take into account that the quickest human on planet Earth, Usain Bolt can only do about 10 meters per second on a good day.  This speed combined with its weight already is force to be reckoned with but it goes further still when you look at the beast's teeth.  The Hippo possesses canines upto 2 feet long in the lower jaw and are kept razor sharp by grinding against the teeth above creating what are in fact 2 sabres in its mouth and they weild a wonderful ability to use them.  Finally the gape of the Hippo is the largest of any other land dweller.  Its mouth can open to 5 feet wide as the photo above portrays and this mouth can bite a large Crocodile in half.  All in all an animal not to be trifled with and its warnings should be heeded at all times.  A Hippo with his mouth wide open is not yawning or tired, on the contrary he is warning or demonstrating, showing all the size of his massive teeth instructing you to back down.  Luckily Hippos do not often come out of the water to attack, the water is their place of safety, all the Hippo problems in Africa occur when we meet them out of the water very early on a morning as they make their way back to the rivers after a nights grazing.  Never come between a Hippo and the water, and if you avoid the rivers edges at this time all Hippo situations can be avoided.

• Butterflies - Jongomero

  Safari is not purely about the big five or the larger game even though this is what does make safari famous.  However everything has its place in nature and plays an integral part of the overal functioning of ecosystems, from termites to elephants.  Jongomero prides itself on educating its guests about all of natures creatures, even the little ones which can be just as beautiful and often infinately more absorbing.  Ruaha is a Lepidopterist's paradise and anyone with an interest in butterflies can be rewarded at any time of year in any area.  Butterflies are everywhere!!  Of course the rainy season is ideal when hundreds of species can be seen flitting from flower to flower but even the dry season can provide numerous butterflies.  A good method to view these stunning beauties is to sit close to a fresh elephant turd and wait to see who comes to visit.  This delightful Common Orange Tip was photographed using this method, butterflies will frequent moist elephant turds in the dry season to suck up moisture!!!

• Ruaha's Buffalo - Jongomero

  The Ruaha National Park is drying up fast.  The main Ruaha River is now little more than a stream but thakfully its waters still flow along a small ribbon of green paradise bisecting the park.  The water table is dropping forcing the elephants to dig deeper and deeper into the sand rivers to get access to water.  Animals are beginning to congregate in huge numbers near the water sources, most notably the Buffalo.  After the first rains the Buffalo is one animal we can guarantee will dissapear and neither hide nor hair will be seen of a single beast until the land begins to dry and parch during the onset of the harsh dry season.  This time is now.  The Buffalo are gathering into massive numbers and several herds of over 200 animals can be seen daily with a record maximum so far this season of 1000 head.  Due to the absence of Wildebeeste in the Park the Lions have stepped up their game and specialise in bringing the big dangerous Buffalo down causing these herds to be permanantly cautious and wary and are easily sent stampeding away across a sand river due to an approaching game viewer as seen above.

• Selous Safari Camp

  The good rains made finding the big cats more difficult during the first few weeks of season but a pride of ten, with small cubs, has been entertaining the guests for the past few days. The wild dogs have been seen fairly regularly but there has been a change in our local pack; the beta pair has gone off on their own and the alphas joined by two young females. Sadly it does not look like the alpha female is going to be producing pups this season, or she may have had them early and lost them in the heavy rains... Will keep you 'posted' with developments!

• 15-6-11, Total Lunar Eclipse - Jongomero.

  (Click on Image to scroll through more images).   Partial lunar eclipses are relatively common affairs however to view to total lunar eclipse is quite a rare occurence so all guests waited with bated breath for the wonderful astronomical spectacle which we knew was coming on the 15th of June.  A lunar eclipse is where the shadow of the Earth is thrown like a blanket across the moons face veiling it in darkness producing a dull orange glow providing spectacular moon viewing even with a simple pair of binoculars.  As said they are a rare occurence, the last total eclipse to been seen from Earth was relatively recent on the 21st of December 2010 and luckily we have another coming up again relatively soon on the 15th of December later this year.  However for the one after that we shall have to wait until the 15th of April 2014.  The first signs of shodow touched the moons face at around 9:30 PM and reached its peak at 11:55Pm, where the moons face was completely covered and several guests stayed up with binoculars and cameras etc for the entire duration.  As it was a full moon there was a lot of light around, one did not even need a torch to find their way around however as the Earths shadow slowly engulfed more of the moon we were thrown into pitch darkness no doubt confusing a lot of Ruahas wild inhabitants for a while.  The stars then emerged with magnificent brightness and the eclipse could be seen vividly against the backdrop of that mighty constellation Scorpius.  It was certainly a night to remember and we look forward to the next one on December the 12th this year, unfortunately this one will not be able to be seen from Africa as it will occur during the daytime, for those keen astronomers, perhaps a trip to Canada over that date should be planned!!

  All the best and happy stargazing

  Jongomero Camp

• Ras Kutani Turtles

  This afternoon saw some 25 new sprogs make the journey down the beach into the warm Indian Ocean.
  
  Ras Kutani, in conjunction with SeaSense facilitates mainly Green and Hawksbill turtle hatchings throughout the year on the Swahili Coast, although June through to August is when the nests are plentiful and the chances of witnessing these events more likely.
  
  Ras Kutani ensure the transported eggs, from natural nesting sites along its coast, are protected from natural predation, and assist the researchers in releasing and educating guests about the serious threat human encroachment has had on these living dinosaurs.
  
  More nests are due to hatch in the months ahead, so be sure to check out the blog or come and stay at Ras Kutani to take part in the experience first hand.
  
   

• Jongomero's Guides

  From Left to Right : Gadmel Kimaro, Modestus Mdemu, Anthony Jacob, Molly

   

  As we welcome the new season at Jongomero we also welcome a couple of new faces to the guiding team all with many years experience of inspiring guests all over Tanzania.  Unfortunately we have had to say bye bye to the 'sharp eyed' Priscus who has moved on to develop his career in the Northern Parks of Tanzania, we wish him all the best and good luck.  Our Head guide and the mainstay of the Jongomero guiding department Gadmel Kimaro, more affectionately known as Kim is still of course with us and at the top of his game still.  Molly, one of the camp managers as usual will still be conducting all the camps walking safaris through the Ruaha.
   
  Gadmel Kimaro (Head Guide)
  At 44 years of age and by far most of his life spent in the bush Kimaro is an old hand and the main experience of our guiding team.  Having worked for 12 years for the Selous Safari Company, 6 of those years in Jongomero, Kimaro knows the ins and outs of the Ruaha and all its secret nooks and crannies like no one else.  Born and raised in the Kilimanjaro region Kimaro fell in love with the bush from a very young age after being inspired by his close Uncle who was involved with the hunting industry.  In his past he has worked for the likes of great companies such as Ker & Downey before joining us in the South of Tanzania.  He has a passion for conservation and educating his guests abouut the wondeful natural resources that his country has to offer.  He truly loves nature and the bush which comes across strongly on his drives as he still giggles at the diminutive Dik-Dik's as they dash away in panic into the undergrowth no doubt which he seen every day of his life for years.  He also has a passion for birds and enjoys taking our numerous visiting birdwatchers out 'Twitching'.
   
  Modestus Mdemu
  Modest worked with us in Jongomero for 2 years from 2005 - 2007.  He then left us as he still felt he was young and needed more experience so went on to further his studies.  He has now returned home and is continuing to delight his guests with his amazing knowledge and good sense of humour and picked up right where he left off with a lot more experience to boot.  Still young at the age of 30, Modest goes from strenght to strength and it is only a matter of time before he is one of Tanzanias best guides.  He grew up in a way that most people could only dream of, actually inside the Ruaha National Park so this amazing wilderness has always been his home!!  His father has worked for the Parks Board for many years so Modest has grown up with the wild beasts as he was educated in the little school at the Park Headquarters.  In growing up his passion and curiosity enabled him to teach himself until he left us the first time to get certified training in the West of Tanzania and returned fully qualified.  He has a love of Botany and cutural folklore and can astound with his numerous stories of medicinal uses of trees and tribal customs.
   
  Anthony Jacob
  Another new face to Jongomero.  Anton is new to the South of Tanzania but has accumulated a wealth of experience in the more commercial parks of the North.  He joined us from a desire to work in the more unknown wilder parks such as Ruaha and get away from the hustle and bustle of the North.  Anton is 44 years old and was born in Mbeya in the South of Tanzania but moved very young and grew up right next to the Serengeti.  The great Wildebeeste migration used to pass through his village on a yearly basis and this is what inspired him to become a guide and develop his love for nature.  Anxious to get into the tourism industry he took whatever job he could and settled for a job as a room steward in the famous Ngorongoro Crater Lodge but he knew it would not be for long.  With his foot in the door in 1998 he got an opportunity to train as a guide and his guiding career began.  He was sent for 3 months to South Africa in their well known Phinda reserve to further his training and returned a fully qualified guide and returned to work at the Crater Lodge.  Anton is very passionate about nature and his specialist subject is the large mammals of Africa.
  
  Andrew Molinaro (Molly)
  Andrew grew up in Nairobi, Kenya and started guiding from a young age immediately after school.  He then felt a need to obtain a degree so left for Cardiff, U.K to pursue his Bsc in Zoology.  On his return to Africa he continued with his university for 18 month doing a behavioural study on the Banded Mongoose in Kenya’s famous Masai Mara where he met the legendary Brian Nicholson (ex elephant control officer and later warden of the Selous Game reserve).  It was Brian who really developed Andrews taste for the bush and mentored him for 2 years.  Andrew then went to South Africa for 2 years to study the art of tracking and obtain firearm qualifications so that he could conduct walking Safaris back home in East Africa.  After qualifying he headed straight to Tanzania and made plans to try and work in the mighty Selous Game Reserve which was Brians home for 40 years.  He joined with the Selous Safari camp conducting all the walking safaris and flycamps in the area for 3 years and for the last 4 years he has been one of the managers of the Jongomero camp in the Ruaha National Park. 
  
   

• Game Report Jongomero Camp - December 2010

  The heat of the day was kicking in and the few animals that were spotted were taking on more of a wilted appearance and were slowly making their way to what little shade there was at this time of the dry season. Parched and bone dry the only cover available was along the banks of the dry river beds where there were scatterings of evergreen shrub offering refuge.

• Mid Season Game Report Selous - October 2010

  Jambo !
  We returned to camp in the middle of May to find that the rains had been good during the closed season and the level of
  the lake was as high as has been seen for several years. The bush was green and grasses tall and while this is obviously
  a very healthy sign, we were all a little concerned about how easy it would be to relocate our prides of lions, pack of
  dogs and even the general game with visibility so greatly reduced. We had no need to worry…

• Selous end of season game report - April 2010

  2009/2010 has proved to be an excellent season for game viewing in the Selous. We finished as we started with all of the main attractions being seen in the final two days.
  Rain fell throughout November and December but the first rain to affect the water levels in the area came in early January with a violent storm during the night of the 5th. Until then, the lake edge was almost in line with the two dead palms that stand by the jetty in South Camp. Within a week the level had risen to such a point that the jetties in both camps had had to be moved over 100 metres up, making for a much shorter walk for our guests going boating.

• Game Report Selous Safari Camp - October 2009

  In the mornings we awake to subtle shades of pink as the sun rises and in the evenings the sunsets streak the skies with red and orange , the annual controlled burning of the bush committed by the game department provides us with these picturesque scenes. Controlled or prescribed burning, also known as hazard reduction burning or Swailing is a technique sometimes used in land management and farming.

• Game Report Jongomero Camp - July 2009

  After the disappointing rains Jongomero opened up to what is looking like a very dry season indeed. Some big
  thunderstorms and heavy rain was had but they were infrequent and sporadic, not the massive deluges we are accustomed to at that time of year. All the Ruaha inhabitants will be looking at a tough year ahead and only the strong and resourceful will manage to scrape through the impending drought well enough to have enough energy to engage in breeding activities and pass their superior genes on to the next generation. As usual the famous adage “survival of the fittest” (incidentally a phrase not coined by the famous Charles Darwin) holds true. Drought is common place in Africa and is to be expected and we usually find ourselves in such situations every 8-10 years.

• Game report Selous - June 2009

  The winter flowering Sennas are already in full bloom giving a splash of yellow to the drying environment.
  At night time the leaf litter provides much food for the imagination as the many different nocturnal animals
  make their way around in the early hours of the cooling mornings. The seasonal changes come quickly here
  in the Selous, just as the level of the river seems to fill up over night, it drains away leaving us only a few
  reminders of how it was in full flow.

• Game Report Jongomero Camp - March 2009

  As the season drew to a close there was a lot of speculation over when the Great Ruaha river was going to start flowing again. This has been one of the longer years on record where the river has stayed dry and normally by this time of year it should be a raging torrent. The Great Ruaha River is the entire parks major water system and without it the park itself would no longer exist.