Dry Season Trip to Selous Game Reserve – Day One

The trip we had been waiting for has finally arrived! The start of the biodiversity baseline survey of the Mkuju Uranium Mine project area in Selous Game Reserve, south-central Tanzania. The Biodiversity Survey Team, comprising myself (flora, vertebrate fauna), Duncan McKenzie (vertebrate fauna), Peter Hawkes and Jonathan Fisher (invertebrates), met up with Alan Cochrane from Epoch Resources and Doug McCullough (wetland specialist) at O.R. Thambo International Airport. A mix-up with Doug meant we were seriously running late and we just managed to make the flight to Dar-es-Salaam. We arrived after dark and we treated to our first experience (for some) of the noisy, insane chaos that is Dar traffic. The drive to our hotel was a blur of lights, noise and strange smells. Cold beers were followed by a hearty meal, leaving us ready for a good night sleep.