After arriving at 2am we breezed through immigration - as after our last experience we wisely bought them in the UK before leaving - it took less than 3 days for the High Commission to turn them around - much more efficient! Our luggage was an early arriver, but this was all really to no avail as our flight from the domestic terminal didn't leave until 7am - no one from Auric air was there to collect us - but then the domestic terminal was shut! So we had a couple of coffees, bought some banana chips and watched the bustle of the airport diminish on a seat by the taxi dispatcher. I snoozed then eventually at 5.30 am we took a taxi to the domestic terminal and booked in for our flight just after 6am. Another coffee then we were off, if a tad tired, with Auric Air. Six passengers were dropped off at Iringa and we were the only ones for the last 15 minute hop to Ruaha, which set off once the pilot had found someone sensible to give the gun he had, for the local police, to!
On arrival at Ruaha we were met by a much slimmer and clean shaven Moli.
We soon understood why he was slimmer - the winter rains had flooded out their camp and it meant that he and Noelle had had to build a new camp, this time on top of a hill. The stress and energy required had clearly taken its toll but in many ways it was a positive as he looked fit and healthy - the clean shaven bit however didn't last and when we left he had 9 day stubble and was much more recognisable!
We set off to the lodge, having a safari as we went and stopping for lunch on a river bank enroute - lovely freshly cooked kebabs on a portable stove.
We saw the two iconic endemic Ruaha species - the ashy starling and the Ruaha red billed hornbill - which Sue, an artist friend of theirs, had identified thereby out birding the birders, she had noticed it had a black eye surround - not present in other red billed hornbills. The avid birders had no doubt become blasé because of the birds prevalence and never properly observed them and realised they were looking at a different species.
We also saw impala, zebra, waterbuck, eland, bushbuck and elephants looking particularly idyllic in a flowery glade ( today's photo) - although it was drying up flowers were still out, fruits hung on branches and butterflies flitted through the flowers or sat on the moist patches drinking water.
When we arrived at Kichaka we were welcomed by Noelle and the team and reminisced about when we had been at Jongomero ( where they were managers) - I found a Tanzania photo and realised it was October 2011.
They remembered us - and we knew it was real because they reminded me that on our last walk I had lost my sunglasses.......they found them 18 months later hanging on a branch! Amazing - they subsequently told guests who lost things that they might turn up - and quoted this story!
We chatted about people we jointly knew - Mark & Chloe, the managers at Sand Rivers when we last visited - now with 2 children and about to open a lodge in Ruaha, and Alex Walker who we stayed with in March.
The location of their new camp and the views from it were fantastic over the Great Ruaha River; the tent was top notch complete with lovely furniture that they had had constructed on site from old dhow wood by a team of carpenters from Zanzibar - proving all things happen for a reason and as traumatic as the flood was the result was a real step change for their business.