MAFIA ISLAND LODGE

News from the lodge with a marine garden.

Beach bar
We are glad to announce that our new beach bar is up and running providing drinks, food and beach bed service. You can simply relax and sunbathe or enjoy a volleyball match for the active’ ones or take it slow with a boccia ball game. After what ever activities you have done you can choose among some light snacks to pizza or some delicious fish, meat and vegetable dishes from our a la carte menu.
Cousine varies from Italian to international and swahili.
We also had a yoga teacher last month teaching us how best to start the day!

Massage center
Take advantage of Wanda great experience in the art of the Swedish massage, the relax and release muscular tension and stimulate blood circulation and toxins release. Pleasure and health combine at promotional rates.

Combining decoration and recycling. Instead of throwing away our glass bottles we have been instead utilizing them to decorate our beach bar as well as preparing mosaic “homemade Taraso” to give the clean and glittering effect and make our rooms even prettier.

Iris, Giuliano and all Mafia Island Lodge Team

FANJOVE PRIVATE ISLAND

News from a natural wonder.

It has been a great month this November for diving. Most of the dives were amazing, thanks to Sharks sightings: ranging from Grey Sharks, Black Tip Sharks and White Tip Reef Sharks. And our water such crystal clear visibility over 30 meters! Which helped us to see Green Turtles very frequently, at least two or one every dive and sometimes even floating on the surface while we were on the boat. Though, there has been few times and trip we could also see sharks in murky waters which is their ideal hunting condition. Very special indeed!

Snorkeling also was very nice, many of the snorkeling loving guests loved it! Especially the Night snorkeling. People feel nervous when talking about it but once they are floating they feel how nice and cool it is: it is about seeing creatures and actions that you never see during the day. This time we saw octopus spreading its tentacles out and digging the muscles in the sea weeds, drugging them outside its home and feed. And the crocodile fish, a very intelligent fish seen mostly in its hunting position.

Sightings of mammals like dolphins this month were also a special wonder, because of their number every time we got to see them: they were not less than 200 every time! In the pod are babies with mamas, females and males socializing, some busy feeding and swimming and eventually spinning like there is nothing more joyful in life.

Again, this has been a very special month for all the living creatures we have encountered, a good sign that the efforts in conservation are giving results!

Thank you All

Hassan, Hakim and all Fanjove Team.

LAKE MANZE CAMP

News from Selous Game Reserve

Visiting the bush on your once in a lifetime honeymoon has certain expectations that you as a couple of newly weds have preset for yourselves. Seeing the wild dogs in their natural environment around camp is a tick off the bucket list. Lying on your bed in the tent discussing the days activities are what honeymooners do. Hearing a thump sound outside your tent and upon investigation you see a lion kill with Impala – PRICELESS !Some bucket lists are just not that long. What a fantastic experience for our guests Fredrik and Vanessa Berntsson.

Lion activity in the area has been prolific as the different prides are on the move. The lionesses with the four new ones have been spotted on a couple of occasions playing in the thickets. Video courtesy of our honeymooners Mr and Mrs Berntsson.
watch video I
watch video II

A leopard kill in camp – unbelievable. When the bush babies warn you something is happening. It probably is. Our camera trap caught the Genet and Hyena visiting the kill early the next morning.

Plentiful animals around the lake have produced some awesome videos courtesy of our guide Alfred Mzigula using his phone focused through his binoculars. An amazing technique. Right place at the right time. Even the baboons getting in on the feasting.
Watch the video but be warned that the content might be sensitive to some

We have had our first couple of storms around the area and the hope is that the dead grass will start greening up to enable all the grass eaters to get some sustenance.

Safe travels.

By Shaun, Milinda and all Manze Team.

MDONYA OLD RIVER CAMP

News from the wild side

October: heat, dust and dreams.
During the past month dark clouds have been building up during the afternoons bringing with them a promise of rain but have yet to deliver anything more than a light sprinkle. The ominous clouds have made the landscapes look even more dramatic than usual, with the flowering baobab trees marking the foreground.

The quest to find water has continued for the animals as they find water from the holes dug by the elephants in the sand rivers and in shallow pools along the Great Ruaha River. The amount of surface water available is still more than this time last year due to the heavy rains we had in January and February, however this time last year the rains had started and the new grass had already started to grow.

The most excitement we had in camp this month though was when a badly wounded leopard dragged herself in to car park area and was being harassed by the baboons. Seeing that she was badly wounded we called with wildlife vet who came but sadly her wounds were too severe and she was put to sleep.

On a happier note elephants have been in camp more frequently this month, many giraffe have been around camp with 17 giraffe counted all together one afternoon and one of the resident herds of zebra have had a new foal.
Thank you to our guest Myrna Krueger for sharing her video of lions chasing buffalo/buffalo chasing lions.
Watch the video

By Rebecca, Andrea and all Mdonya Team.