The plane leaves early from Arusha airport on its long flight round Western Tanzania.
After Tabora ,the brown patchwork of maize fields gives way to the silver and sepia of the miombo woodland in the dry season. We fly over unbroken woodland for most of the hour-long flight.
Katavi is dry but there is still water in the Katuma river, small fetid pools full of hippo. To call it water is over-egging it somewhat. In reality it is a slightly diluted solution of hippo dung, pungent when you get down wind. Eau de Hippeau? Anyone?
The crocs are already somnambulant in their caves in the riverbank or under shady bushes. They won’t get active again till it rains in November.
In the afternoon a group of giraffes standing stiffly to attention, all staring the same way. A scan with binos reveals a sedately walking lioness who wanders to a shady spot - and there is the rest of the pride, several cubs and a big male, a lovely family portrait. The cubs are hungry, latching onto any nipple that presents itself, but it seems the females are out of milk. Sharp teeth and urgent sucking are too much and she pushes them away with a snarl and a grimace.
Off to Paradise, where the palm fronds clatter in the stiff breeze. In front of us, an idyllic pastoral scene. Herds of buffalo and impala graze peacefully alongside warthog, reedbuck and hippo. A fish eagle flies past and a great cloud of water birds lifts and settles again once the danger has past The hippos sigh gustily in the spring nearby
To the Katuma again where a bull elephant in full musth is right by the road. He ignores us but gives himself an elaborate dust shower in the road. He turns to glare at a truck that appears round the corner and then ambles away into the woodland.
***
In Ruaha, the Mwagusi River attracts a steady stream of thirsty customers. It is largely dry at this time of year but the elephant are adept at digging water holes and siphoning the filtered water up with their trunks. When they are done, baboons, impala and wart hog take advantage of these shallow wells.
In pearly morning light baboon barking alerts us. We drive to the Mwagusi. the baboons are in a large tamarind tree, barking hysterically. We are about to change position when a leopard comes into sight, dragging a freshly killed baboon. This provokes a new volley of barks. She drags her prey across the sand river and disappears into a dense combretum thicket.
Later that morning, we pick up fresh leopard spoor in a wooded gully. Moments later, there she is – a pretty young female sprawled on a low baobab branch. She blinks sleepy green eyes at us but does not move.
News comes in that 2 lionesses from the Mwagusi pride are stalking a giraffe. We arrive to find a stalemate. The bull giraffe is standing firm, staring at the two lionesses, who are not trying anything on. The giraffe is bleeding from a wound on his hind leg. Presumably, the lion will wait till he turns his back before making a move? In the end the giraffe wanders off unmolested but there is a significant pool of congealed blood on the grass
Down to the Mwagusi again, where a herd of elephant is slowly coming back to life after snoozing through the heat of the day. A large female makes her way to a favourite rock and proceeds to scratch herself - first her flanks then under her chin and finally an intensely pleasurable work out on her bottom.
There is a flash of crimson overhead as a turaco flies into the canopy of a nearby fig.
What an intense pleasure there is to be had in these tableaux of everyday bush life – so ordinary, so very special.
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