Experience The Unforgettable With Sima Safari in Africa!

Let the hot spring relax you:)

There are different tour companies in Tanzania that offers to tour you to different locations. Personally I wanted one where I wasn’t just another profitable partner but rather something personalized and curated to meet my specific needs. I was so glad to have found Sima Safari and truly satisfied. (please contact them to experience the magical moment my friends, my husband and I had on different occasions)

So while I’m originally from Tanzania I have never had a tent experience in the middle of the jungle...and all I wanted for this trip was just to experience a true luxurious tent life surrounded by different sounds of animals rather than the usual crickets or frogs hehehehe! So my friends and I decided to do a game drive!

My Journey to Selous Game Reserve!

We started to drive from Dar es Salaam to Selous at 6am since our 5am plan was cut short by the heavy rain that was pouring like it’s about to shut down the city (and that didn’t stop our determined adventurous self!)

The road is a bit bumpy for some extent as we roughed through the muddy road and soon arrived at our hotel ( Well there was us getting lost a little hahaha). Selous Game reserve covers a total area of 50,000 km² and has additional buffer zones and It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982 due to its wildlife diversity and undisturbed nature.

It was cloudy drizzling afternoon when we arrived and our first trip was a boat trip :) We soon encountered our first wildlife sighting—we came upon a large family of hippos enjoying the cool river waters, with their distinctive laughs echoing throughout the area. Our tour guide told us that hippos some few facts about them:

• Hippos are most active at night, when they forage for food. They are herbivores, and eat mostly grass – and boy do they eat grass! In just one night, they can guzzle down up to 35kg of their favourite grub!

• They are considered the second largest land animal on Earth (first place goes to the elephant!). Males measure around 3.5m long and 1.5m tall, and can weigh up 3,200kg. That’s as much as three small cars!

Hippo feeding by the river!

While there are no guarantees of what you will see when you go on safari one thing I know for sure is that it is that adrenaline inside you that wants to go and explore the jungle.

We set off the next day(early morning) with my friends excited too excited....Sima Safari they had prepared for us unforgettable experience for this day. Mind you after sleeping in those luxurious tents(they included everything you need for a comfortable stay running water, flush toilet, shower to mention but a few) even the sound of lions at night was more than a lullaby:)

A view of the tent from outside :)

Wildlife is abundant in the Selous, thousands if not millions of grazing animals such as wildebeest, impala, giraffe, water bucks, can be found everywhere grazing and running from one side to another, with predator animals such as lions not too far behind.

Hoping ready for a game drive with my bffs squad goals

But lets take a pic before the crocodiles jump 2 meters to bite us :)

Giraffe enjoying lunch :D

My husband on the other hand describes his experience with Sima Safari as very magical, having to witness a lion in-front of him. "Immediately after sighting the king of the jungles, our driver turned off the vehicle into silence mode. From a distance was a lion feeding on its capture of the day buffalo and the other were lounging in the shade and the subtle sounds of our cameras was corresponding to that of lions. That quiet, combined with the magnificent sight of the lions up close, was a stunning encounter of my whole life. I am breathless every time I remember this day"

When that meat is delicious :D yummy!

We chilling :)

Our day ended with a touch of the hot spring in the Selous. After all the drive and getting stuck and encouraging our driver we finally dived in the hot spring....and indeed it is hot :) formed by water heated by volcanic activity miles underground, the hot springs offer a relaxing swim in thermal waters surrounded by the vast plains of the Tanzania biggest game reserve. The hot springs are surrounded by thriving lush green vegetation, with trees every where giving the whole area shade and a layer of undergrowth making parts not on the prepared path impassable.

On the way back we passed at the grave of Frederic Courtney Selous, a naturalist, explorer, hunter and soldier, who was killed in 1917, during World War One near the Beho Beho Hills.

My smile says it all :))

My advice to anyone doing a safari for the first time is to go with an open heart and mind and get ready to be surprised. A special thanks to the Sima Safari team for making sure our trip was unforgettable and at the same time educational. You can check their facebook page to read more reviews from different people as well as follow their instagram page for updates on their offer and much more!