This paper is our way to describe you what happens in Ruaha National Park after your visit. It can happen the story we describe is part of your safari memories or it can happen we will tell you about new situations and facts correlated with the change of the seasons.
But, Mdonya Old River Camp news letters of 2009 couldn’t begin without a special summary of 2008: so we asked our Guides and Drivers to tell us the story of their best guiding moments in 2008.
Here are their stories of what they called “my unforgettable day”:
Moses: my best sighting of 2008: 22nd of November.
It was early morning, around 6:30, I was with Mark and Andrea and we were driving to the Ranger Post where we were going to have a walking safari, but on the way something got my attention. We had to stop and have a better look with the binoculars: a Honey Badger was fighting with a Jackal!! They were quarrelling over a baby impala carcass and while one was pulling the carcass from one side, the other one was doing the same on the opposite side. Bites and roars were making it an epic battle.
What a fantastic action sighting! We were not only lucky to see a Honey Badger, so difficult to see, but we saw him also in his famous aggressive attitude. I was happy that Mark could take good pictures of the event.
If you want to know who the winner of the fight was, just wait for the next time…
Giovanni: How can I forget that instant?
It was a clear morning of august 2008. I was guiding a walk along the Great Ruaha River, we were five of us. The river already offered us good sightings of crocodiles and hippos. We were just enjoying the river system when on the other side of a big pool we spotted a beautiful leopard: it was drinking and for a few seconds it seemed that time stood still. Nobody could breathe anymore. Unfortunately it was just a moment: it smelled, heard and saw us, and a fraction of a second later it was gone.
Vincent: an exciting afternoon!
We learn how to respect the privacy of the animal during an afternoon game drive; in August 2008. I was guiding two guests to explore the surrounding area of the Camp, planning to take a final drink at the sundowner view point. But as usual game sighting breaks plans. This time there were a male lion and a female mating at the Mdonya River Falls. We didn’t stay long. As soon as we tried to approach them both of them showed us their unhappiness, we could count all teeth and appreciate the vocalizations of different growls and hisses a lion can produce. We turned the car and we left them to their privacy and it was some minutes before our hearts started to beat normally again.
Rowland: the last present of 2008.
We spent one of the last days of 2008 with a cheetah! It was on the 30th of December and only 20 minutes from Mdonya Old River Camp. I was driving George and Ann while I heard the communication sound of a cheetah very close to the Camp. Few minutes later we were there following the elegant walking of this beautiful male when the trot became a stalk, and the stalk became… the fastest running on land! His target was a baby impala and we didn’t have any doubt he got it when we saw him eating. It started to rain at that moment creating an atmospheric moment….
