Yellow Fever Forest... the first German settlers here dubbed the forest thusly, due to two entirely unconnected reasons. First: the trees are Yellow Acacia, and have a strange appearance, the bark of the tree appearing to have been painted yellow.
Second: the Germans began suffering from Yellow Fever. We know now that Yellow Fever is transmitted primarily by mosquitos, but I guess back then it was an easy assumption to make. Salvatory assured us the trees were safe ;-)
As we entered the forest Salvatory stopped the Patrol and turned to smile at us. We smiled back, not comprehending... He gestured out of the window to our right, and Phillipa and I hopped up to view out of the roof.
It took us a little while. We heard the ripping and tearing of the trees, but our foolish urban eyes missed the elephant in front of us for a good while... We started to excitedly jabber about of first elephant spotting when Salvatory pointed out the two others in plain sight.
Three male elephants, maybe 20 meters away. We had no idea how much closer we would get, and I had no idea just how much they would amaze and terrify me ;-)
We stood in complete awe watching the elephants eat. A gentle munching sound reached us as they pulled at the trees with their trunks, the branches occasionally snapping and punctuating the air with a loud crack. It was remarkably peaceful even so and Phillipa and shared huge grins with each other.
Then the peace was broken by the jungle equivalent of the urban hoodie. 40 baboons swaggered up to use from the road ahead, chittering, screaming and chasing each other. They put me in mind of a gang of chavs, oblivious to any and all others. Bold as brass they trooped past the elephants, paying them scant regard.
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| Ok, so some were cute |
Salvatory explained that elephants live for around 60 years and it is around 35 years before a male is strong enough to leave the herd. They can be forced out or leave early than this - as early as 16 in some cases, but these younger males cannot compete with all the 35 year olds who are also looking for mates... As we watched, the elephants grabbed some of the bright red Serengeti dust and hurled it over their bodies - back, shoulders, head, sides... Apparently, this serves as both a sunblock and an insect repellent - hell of a lot cheaper and no doubt more effective than the creams, lotions and sprays we packed, used and then regretted wasting money on. Phillipa can get bitten by mosquitoes just thinking about a holiday and many times I saw her eyeing up the dust thoughtfully...
We headed off along the rutted pathway away from the elephants, Salvatory having to deviate from the road from time to time to avoid the trees that had been pulled down in search of fresh food. The smell of the forest was distinct, but not cloying. It smelt...fresh. I was about to remark on this when we saw a Vevet Monkey on a branch to our right. I have to mention this guy because of his amazing balls - quite a standard looking monkey until he saunters away, or, as would often be the case, open his legs for you, and give you a good glimpse of his bright blue bollocks :-)
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| Lol! |
I had a need to 'see Africa' (Salvatory's phrase for piddling in the bush) and luckily there was a rest stop on the edge of the forest. We were already headed in that direction, and on route passed:
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| Kingfisher |
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| Hyena crossing the stream |
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| Kori Bustard |
We drove into a clearing with a small two room building in the centre. The ladies and gents! Salvatory stopped the Patrol, had a 360 degree look around and then let us out, warning us that the animals are not kept away from here and to keep our eyes open. Phillipa and I both stepped out, stretched, and marvelled at being out of the jeep and in the forest, where we had seen elephants and hyenas just moments before.
Ablutions finished, I chatted with Salvatory by the Patrol. He explained which animals were making the grunts and whistles we could hear - his knowledge was breathtaking, his passion obvious.
Phillipa strolled back and exclaimed that the toilets were cleaner then many in the UK - she wasn't wrong. The crater is exceptionally well looked after, and you can tell from all of the guides, rangers and caretakers that they love their work, the animals and the evident enjoyment visible on the faces of tourists.
We headed away from the rest stop, out of the forest and back onto the crater floor. Salvatory was hunting for something, but wouldn't tell us what. Phillipa and I spent the next half an hour or so gazing out of the window, spotting Zebras, Wildebeest and Warthogs going about their day; munching grass, grooming or lazily watching us roll by. I walked to the back of the truck and grabbed a few cans of chilled pop.
The Patrol stayed comfortable, even when bumping over the ruts in the dirt roadways. You need a special permit to drive off these - it keeps the damage done by vehicles to a minimum, which is a very good thing - from a distance you can see what look like great cicatrices stretching across the caldera floor - stopping the proliferation of this is an important part of the rangers work.
Lost in a daze, Phillipa and I both jumped when Salvatory stopped the Patrol suddenly. He grabbed the binoculars and peered through the windscreen. He turned with a smile and passed the glasses to Phillipa. Without a word he pointed and Phillipa and I, intrigued, hopped up to peer out of the roof, she with her bino's, me with my camera.
It was the only point at which the Canon 75-250mm EFS zoom lens was just not enough. I had gone for stabilization over pure length of zoom - a teleconverter would have been a good addition, as would having plumped for a 300mm lens, but there has to be a limit to buying stuff when I know full well the chances of me carrying on and using it again is very rare indeed...
Anyway...
We then saw... an endangered black rhino...
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