Hippo Heaven
Serena Reid-Scott, Destination Expert.
Sylvanos, our guide, at Chada in Katavi National Park, collected us for our early morning drive at sunrise. We soon discovered that he has the most unbelievable eyes and seemed to see the most camouflaged of birds- a skill which we were all in awe of.
He showed us the crocodile caves, where at least ten to fifteen of them were enjoying the sun and heat- some very big, sitting on top of other smaller ones, you could only see the snout!
The most impressive sight of all was hundreds of hippo, all squeezed together, wallowing in the mud. Sylvanos explained that there is very little water left as the rains have not arrived yet so all the hippos have congregated in one of the last mud/water pools.
We were so close we could smell every pound of flesh and see every scar on their skin. They were just under us and not one of them paid us the slightest bit of attention. Young and old, fighting for space with some very aggressive displays from the adults. It was truly magnificent to see, smell and hear all these hippos together.
