A night to remember on the Grumeti River

What an incredible experience we had, as a training exercise, sleeping wild on the Grumeti River! 

We made our way slowly across the open plains until we began to wind our way down to the Grumeti. Such an abundance of wildlife, many birds calling on the river and stunning trees and flowers close to the water’s edge. We admired the beautiful white flowers from the creeping wild apricot climber lining the riverine trees and shrubs. The fruits of this creeper are edible and we searched the banks of the river to try to find some that had been missed by the baboons…

After finding a great sandy beach to set up camp, we proceeded to get ready for the night. Such an amazing opportunity to be at one with Nature, sleeping out in the open and to hear the sounds of the night all around us. This truly was a magical experience for myself and the other trainee guides. We managed to make fire with our own bare hands and a couple of pieces of wood, can you believe! We felt proud and very privileged to be where we were that evening. 

Imagine you decide to have a night just like this at the river bank, setting the tents, preparing the fire whilst the sun sets, walking barefoot in the sand. Sitting by the fire as darkness falls around you, listening to the sounds of the night. 

Guide training exercise involving a fly camp on the Grumeti River.

It really was an unforgettable experience as we encouraged the fire using sticks and elephant dung, prepared our food and told stories. Early in the morning there was no need for an alarm clock as the bird calls woke us right away and we began looking around for tracks of animals that might have visited during the night. 

Bush Story by Gracious Jumbe