After a short, 70-minute flight from Dar es Salaam, you’ll land at the Kilombero Airport on the outskirts of Nyerere National Park. On arrival, a guide and vehicle from Roho ya Selous Camp will be on hand to welcome you to the park.
There’s time for cup of coffee and a snack before embarking on the 3h30m drive through the park to the Camp, stopping for interesting game viewing along the way. Arriving at camp, there’s a chance to settle into your new surroundings before sitting down to lunch under the trees on the riverbank.
In the early afternoon, a briefing will be held to talk through the collaring process, explain the necessary safety procedures and answer any questions the group may have. If this is an elephant collaring expedition, some members of the party will join the helicopter to search for herds of elephant and suitable collaring candidates. The rest of the group will head out on a game drive to explore the surrounding area and place camera traps to leave in operation for the duration of their stay. A lion collaring expedition will also do an afternoon game drive and the placement of camera traps, however there will only be one collaring expedition in camp at a time. After bush sundowners, return to camp to enjoy drinks around the fireside while dinner is prepared on the same open fire. The veterinarian team will join for dinner to chat through further details of their work, share some stories and further explain the processes that will follow over the coming days.
Depending on the success of the elephant scouting party from the day before, this morning will either be another scouting mission, or a potential collaring opportunity. The helicopter will again be used with the opportunity for 2 guests to join, while the rest of the party will head in the same direction by vehicle. A lion collaring expedition will depart early to find a suitable location from which to start the process of trying to attract lions towards the vehicle. Drinks and snacks will be taken in the vehicles, as there is no way to accurately predict how this morning will unfold.
Depending on the time of the return to camp, there may be an afternoon activity or perhaps a siesta will be in order. Dinner is again a communal fireside affair as the camp team prepare the meal over the fire to be eaten under the African stars.
If a collar was successfully installed on Day 2, then this morning will be a process of tracking the collared animal to test the accuracy of the equipment and monitor its condition in case of any negative anaesthetic side effects. Return to camp for lunch and the opportunity to relax, before embarking on an afternoon game, walking safari or boating safari.
If collaring was unsuccessful on Day 2, this morning will be a repeat of Day 2 in an effort to successfully install a collar.
This morning is again spent tracking and observing the collared specimen, plotting its movement and monitoring health. After lunch in camp, embark on a game drive or walking safari to the location of the camera traps installed on Day 1 to collect the data. The GPS coordinates of their location will be logged, in order to provide accurate location information alongside the digital time stamp relating to the images collected. There’s a chance to look through the images back in camp, before reconvening at the campfire for a final dinner and a short presentation about what has been achieved and the next steps going forward.
Depending on the time of your departure flight, a morning boating or walking safari may be possible. Otherwise, it’s breakfast in camp before transferring back to Kilombero Airport for your onward travel.
