Day 8: Walk from Maneaters to Maji ya Chumvi

This morning started with a treat. As we drove back to Tsavo Bridge on the Mombasa Road to start our walk, we came across a pack of wild dog. There were 10 of them, very dark in colour, super alert, out on a hunt. The team on had 2 sitings last year, so we were very lucky:

[limited network, can't upload video, sorry. See our Insta account] 

We walked up and over a pass, with enclosed woodland and then down through a hemmed-in valley, Tsavo River on one side and a rock wall on the other, feeling like explorers! 
And then we came across an old lone elephant, he was different from others. Frisky and inquisitive. He would not leave us and we had to skirt through dead ground by the river bank. Even after we left him he carried on after us for a while. Our scouts were admirable in instructing us what to do and where to go, all in silence, tensions high.

And then a buffalo, completely hidden in a bush, not 10m from us. We all jumped, but he had more of a fright and departed pdq in the correct direction!

After that, things calmed down, and we had a wonderful morning's walk along the river, cutting some corners through the thorny scrub. We had a wonderful lunch followed by an hour's feet up before 2 more hours walk to our next camp. The camp team can take down and put up the camp like a military operation in what seems like no time at all! We forded the river twice today. 
This part of Tsavo was active in the First World War, as the front against German East Africa. The British put in a road along the route we took today and you can still see remnants of it. We even found an insulating ceramic from the accompanying telegraph. To say that being posted here was harsh, is an understatement. More people died from malaria, dysentery and wild animals than by the bullets of their enemies. 
African wood hoopoe, Africa hawk Eagle, blue cheeked bee eaters, grey headed kingfisher and orange bellied parrot were among the birds that we saw today. 

Walking is much better than when we started as we are all feeling much fitter! We are also well drilled: filling water and cleaning shoes for tomorrow immediately we arrive at camp.

4 days walking to go.

Our route today is here

Comments

  1. Seb McKinlayFebruary 2, 2022 at 8:11 AM

    I am loving these daily update and the videos on IG. Thank for putting them together at the end of a hot day of walking. Keep the surprises coming!

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownFebruary 2, 2022 at 11:38 AM

    This is awesome, keep it up Tom and Jade!

    ReplyDelete

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