This month the rain has toned down slightly which meant beautifully sunny and hot days.
Some of the roads which have been impassable have become traversable again and allowed forays into spectacular areas. Due to the fantastic combination of rainfall and sunshine one can almost hear the grass grow! The resultant growth spurred on by these conditions is frightening. Where not a month ago there was grass, barely and inch tall, interspersed with bare patches of soil, now is a carpet of luxuriant swathes at places 3 feet in height!
Conjure up an image of what paradise must look like. Now take that image and using a mental version of Adobe Photoshop, double the colour saturation levels and what you are looking at should closely resemble Ruaha.
If you do not believe me, please come and visit in order to believe the unbelievable…

Despite the opulent vegetation, game-viewing has remained amazing!
As all the lower areas are wet and muddy, the herds of elephant are focussing all their time on the sandy crests covered in broadleaved woodland. With our camp located on such a crest, we have had visits from these giants on a regular basis. Apart from "pruning" some of the trees in camp, they only leave spoor/footprints as evidence of their passing. There are also quite a few bulls which are in "musth", the male equivalent of being in oestrous which is manifested through temporal-gland secretions and constant urine dribbling. In this condition the males will be very confrontational and cruising for a bruising. We had an encounter with such a brute one afternoon along the Ruaha River. The best behaviour in a situation like that, especially if he is at close proximity, is to remain completely quiet and stationary, irrespective of his ranting and raving. This way, he is in control of the encounter and has no reason to get aggressive with you. If however you start the vehicle, engine revving and attempting to escape, he will have a motive to "silence" the irritation…

So many wild flowers have sprung up during the past month, reds (Gladiolus), blues (Cleome), oranges and soft hues of yellow (Senna) everywhere. In fact there are so many jewels to appreciate when out on safari, that we are reminded of kids in a candy-store…

A massive herd of eland has made their residence on one of the open grass plains and seeing up to one hundred of the largest antelopes en-mass is awe-inspiring, especially when contrasted with the smallest in Ruaha, the diminutive Kirk's Dik-Dik.

Lions again, have been very present. With various prides concentrated in a rather small area due to the abundance of prey, we have had a feast with sightings, from mating pairs to a single lioness being scrutinised by two giraffe bulls at close quarters. Walking up to the mess one early morning I noticed the spoor/tracks of a whole pride which stealthily drifted through camp during the cover of darkness which made me wonder how often they do that without us noticing…..
Please stay tuned for more gripping updates, soon…..