Breakfast in Katavi; Nights in Paradise; Days with the Relatives.

Before the sun was too high in the sky, we stopped for breakfast on the banks of the Katuma, in Katavi National Park, with hippo and crocs scattered decoratively along the shoreline. As we munched our bacon & egg sandwiches, a monitor lizard came along on the far side and started to dig in the sand. It took him a while, as he had to keep stopping to scan for danger - hungry eagles on high, angry female crocodiles below and even more perils courtesy of his immagination - but finally, he came up with a whitish crocodile egg in his mouth. He proceeded to manipulate it carefully, puncturing the shell. (Reptile eggs are not hard like a bird's, more a papery consistency). He then gently squeezed out the contents into his mouth so as not to waste a drop of the valuable protein fix, then finished up by swallowing the shell as well for a well-rounded meal. After that had gurgled down, he came back for more........and more.....and more - 6 times in fact!

We estimated that each egg was about the size of 2 to 3 hen's eggs, so he ate the equivalent of about 18 eggs, shells and all... Not a bad meal for a 4-foot reptile weighing about 20 pounds! And we had just one fried egg and a couple of rashers of bacon in our sandwhiches.

That evening we watched a fight between 2 male hippos, a real clash of the titans. The result was never really in doubt, as one animal was clearly bigger and heavier, with longer tusks, but it was nevertheless an awe-inspiring sight. A short way on, we came across a bull that had lost such a fight, with a deep, slashing wound across his rear thigh; the skin and muscle yawning open. Hippo sweat contains an antibiotic - a useful adaptation or wounds like this would often prove fatal.

Early next morning, we set off for Paradise, for a night’s fly camping. Absolutely incredible, the best I have ever had, I think. We had a pod of hippos right by us - honking, splashing, yawning, dozing - and there was game dotted all over the plain, including a herd of buffalo a thousand strong. On our evening walk, we stood stock still as a herd of waterbuck passed by us, oblivious to our presence as long as there was no movement or sound. They finally picked up our scent us as they pass downwind, whipping round to stare at us before taking flight.

My night’s sleep was punctuated, at regular intervals, by the roars of fighting hippo bulls and distant lion. Honestly, who do I sue?

Mahale was amazing, as ever. The chimps were making almost daily visits to camp to gorge on False Waterberry fruits on a tree by the kitchen. Talk about lazy chimping... In the forest, we got to see babies playing, endlessly climbing vines and branches, trying to dislodge each other. I’m King of the… what? Swing? A female with an infant approached one of the big males, grinning and calling in fear and submission. He reached out a lordly hand to reassure her and they settled down to a long grooming session. All around us in the forest, chimps were calling back and forth (I’m here, where are you? OI! STOP BULLYING MY BABY!! Nice figs these – here, try one..).

We had fabulous kayaking on the smooth, crystal-clear lake this morning, in the golden light of dawn, with hippos honking way off. Can it get any better than this? Well, just maybe - but not often.