A brand new safari season has arrived and we are thrilled to announce our bush camps Siwandu and Jongomero are open. After the long rains in Tanzania, the bush looks spectacularly lush and green. Our lakes and rivers are filled to the brim, the wildlife are all looking well-fed, healthy and ready for a photo opportunity.
Every year during the long rainy season from mid-March to the end of May we close our camps during what we at Selous Safari Company fondly refer to as ‘kulinda’. We use this Swahili word because it sums up so beautifully what happens at our camps during this time. ‘Kulinda’ means to ‘protect’ or to ‘guard’.
During kulinda members of our team remain on site and become the guardians of our camps. We utilize this important time to refresh and maintain our camp infrastructure. We slap on fresh paint, polish our decks, spring-clean and unpack our tents.
In addition to getting our camps ready for the season, Jongomero camp in the Ruaha National Park will welcome additional soft upgrades to its interior spaces in the coming months. We are excited to reveal more details about these refurbishments with you in due course. Also keep an eye out for news about our new family unit, a brand new exclusive two tent camp perfect for families and small group of friends. Construction will take place this year and we will let you know as soon as bookings open up.
During these past few weeks Jongomero and Siwandu became a buzzing hive of activity. There was much to do as we restocked our pantries, serviced safari vehicles and made sure that everything is spick-and-span.
On Fanjove Island things are looking a bit different this year, we will not reopen as per usual. On the flipside things are about to become a whole lot more exciting on our tiny, barefoot secluded island, as we get ready to embark on a complete rebuild of the island. Our talented team of architects are working hard behind the scenes to finalise plans for the redevelopment.
We are aiming to reopen and launch the brand new Fanjove Island by October 2022. Until then, we look forward to updating you on our progress along this exciting journey. Keep in mind the redevelopment requires a mammoth amount of planning and organising, with the transportation of all building materials to the island by boat. Not an easy task, but we are confident the upgrades will make for an all round better Fanjove Island experience for many years to come.
On a sad note, we say goodbye to our general manager, Ricus Delport. Ricus has been our captain, at the helm of managing Selous Safari Company for the past five years. Ricus has made an incredible contribution towards the well-being of the company, the personal advancement of our staff, plus community projects and has steered the SSC team during the global pandemic. He will be greatly missed by all and we wish him all the very best in his next endeavours.
On a positive note, we look forward to welcoming our new general manager to the team. She brings with her a wealth of experience in the industry and we can’t wait to introduce her to you.
Things are still uncertain as the world continues to navigate through a global pandemic, but we are excited about the positive changes to be implemented this season! We thank you for your support during this time and we look forward to welcoming you back to Jongomero and Siwandu for this season and; to our brand new Fanjove Island from October next year.
If you have any questions about travelling to Tanzania this season, please feel free to contact our knowledgeable reservations team at reservations@selous.com. Karibu sana Tanzania!
