Me in the wilderness of Selati
After a month in Tuli, we were very excited to continue our training in a different area. We spent a month in Selati and as mentioned before, this time was dominated by studying and exams.
Therefore I don’t have too many pictures from this time, but you can still find some impressions below.
Selati is a very nice camp and situated right at the Selati river. The tents are small but you normally don’t spend too much time in them anyway. I like the small tents because there is no space for spiders and other little things to hide - so you always know what’s inside the tent :)
The Selati river right next to the camp
Our tents in Selati, facing the river
We continued our walks and drives in Selati and we saw lions on our very first walk! This was an awesome experience and to think that there is nothing between you and wild lions still gives me goosebumps.
Edith taking a photo of the lion, that shows you how close we got to them
The lioness looking back at us
Between activities we would normally study. However, even while studying we sometimes got sightings. Nyalas come by quite often and feel very comfortable around us and at some point even elephants came by to say “hello”.
The nyalas visiting us while we were studying
A big elephant walking through camp
Another highlight in Selati was to see a leopard when coming back from a drive. These beautiful cats are always a very special sighting. We saw this one just a few meters away from our camp. So it makes you think what walks around your tents at night while you sleep :). You can sometimes see tracks in the morning, but the night itself is a very different life. When going back to my tent, when it was dark already, I nearly stepped on a snake and got a big fright. Moments like these are the occasional reminders that we are out here in the wild and that we need to be careful at all times.
Leopard at night, close to camp
In Selati, we did not spend as much time on koppies as in Tuli, but on one day we went to the cycad reserve and enjoyed an awesome view. The other days where filled with exams and assessment drives. My drive went well and that’s the reason why I will always keep Selati in good memories as it is the place where I became a field guide.
Gonçalo and Benjamin enjoying the view