The welcome
The Siwandu airstrip is almost an hour from the lodge so the 40-minute flight from the capital, Dar-es-Salaam, is usually followed by a leisurely game drive to camp where a traditional welcome of singing and dancing, cool drinks and face flannels awaits. Bags are whisked away to your room while the manager meets, greets and orientates.
The neighbourhood
The Selous (the size of Switzerland) is one of Tanzania’s least-visited, but most rewarding game reserves, located in the south of this vast country with few other safari lodges in the area. Roho Ya Selous (Heart of the Selous) is in a remote location on a small kopje (hill) overlooking the Rufiji River, near lakes Manze and Nzarakera. There are excellent numbers of giraffe (in particular), big cats, hippo, zebra, antelope and wild dog while the birdlife (fish eagles a speciality) is spectacular and the elephant population (which has historically been badly poached) is recovering.
The scene
The camp has a wilderness feel with both the dining and communal areas set on stone platforms with stretched canvas roofs and open sides with spectacular views down to the river through rolling tropical woodland. Solar power is used with a back-up generator.
During the peak dry season (June to November), the wildlife viewing is at its best especially along the river, but temperatures and humidity are high year-round due to the location of the Selous on a coastal plateau. While the wildlife is more spread out during the wet season (November to March), the bush is more lush (in particular February and March) and much more beautiful than in the dry season.
The room
Spacious and elegant, the eight-tented suites are spaced far apart among the trees for privacy, with crazy paving stone floors and bamboo-covered back walls. The feeling of space is accentuated by the open sides screened only with fine mesh netting giving superlative all-round views. Fixtures and fittings are all in light, natural tones with wooden furniture. The "Evening Breeze" air-conditioning system is quiet and designed to cool inside the mosquito net, and it certainly gives us a comfortable night's sleep. An electric fan is also provided. There is an en-suite bathroom with both indoor and outdoor showers. Animals (hippos, lions, you name it) can often be heard going to and from the water during the night.
The service
Camp staff are always on hand, but some don’t speak good English and an eagerness to please can be undermined by over-complicating simple tasks. Out in the bush, however, the guides are very knowledgeable and able to adapt to varying levels of knowledge and experience among their guests. Activities include a walking safari and a boat trip with fishing, although our stay was not long enough to try the latter.
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Read more:
Hotel Insider: Oyster Bay, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania
Hotel Insider: Legendary Lodge, Arusha
Island stories: digging Zanzibar's Arabian past
Hotel Insider: The Residence Zanzibar
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The food
Breakfast – usually taken after the early-morning game drive – is a mix of cereals, fruits and yoghurts, plus a cooked breakfast to order with coffee, tea and toast. Lunch is full of hot and cold meats with accompanying salads. Dinner is usually taken around a communal table in alternative outside locations near the camp, with a buffet of a high standard on offer.
Loved
The sundowners overlooking the lake.
Hated
Some luxury establishments tend to treat their guests as if they are unable to carry anything or stand up unaided. This is a particularly bad example of well-meant, but unwanted, over-attention.
The verdict
Great new camp in a genuine off-the-beaten-track wilderness area.
The bottom line
Rooms at Roho Ya Seleous (www.asiliaafrica.com) start from US$700 (Dh2,571) per person per night.
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The winners
Fiction
- ‘Amreekiya’ by Lena Mahmoud
- ‘As Good As True’ by Cheryl Reid
The Evelyn Shakir Non-Fiction Award
- ‘Syrian and Lebanese Patricios in Sao Paulo’ by Oswaldo Truzzi; translated by Ramon J Stern
- ‘The Sound of Listening’ by Philip Metres
The George Ellenbogen Poetry Award
- ‘Footnotes in the Order of Disappearance’ by Fady Joudah
Children/Young Adult
- ‘I’ve Loved You Since Forever’ by Hoda Kotb
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MATCH INFO
Europa League semi-final, second leg
Atletico Madrid (1) v Arsenal (1)
Where: Wanda Metropolitano
When: Thursday, May 3
Live: On BeIN Sports HD
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%3Cp%3ECompany%3A%20Zywa%3Cbr%3EStarted%3A%202021%3Cbr%3EFounders%3A%20Nuha%20Hashem%20and%20Alok%20Kumar%3Cbr%3EBased%3A%20UAE%3Cbr%3EIndustry%3A%20FinTech%3Cbr%3EFunding%20size%3A%20%243m%3Cbr%3ECompany%20valuation%3A%20%2430m%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Abu Dhabi Grand Slam Jiu-Jitsu World Tour Calendar 2018/19
July 29: OTA Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan
Sep 22-23: LA Convention Centre in Los Angeles, US
Nov 16-18: Carioca Arena Centre in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Feb 7-9: Mubadala Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE
Mar 9-10: Copper Box Arena in London, UK
Things Heard & Seen
Directed by: Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini
Starring: Amanda Seyfried, James Norton
2/5
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
Punchy appearance
Roars of support buoyed Mr Johnson in an extremely confident and combative appearance
The specs: 2018 Renault Koleos
Price, base: From Dh77,900
Engine: 2.5L, in-line four-cylinder
Transmission: Continuously variable transmission
Power: 170hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 233Nm @ 4,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.3L / 100km
Checks continue
A High Court judge issued an interim order on Friday suspending a decision by Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots to direct a stop to Brexit agri-food checks at Northern Ireland ports.
Mr Justice Colton said he was making the temporary direction until a judicial review of the minister's unilateral action this week to order a halt to port checks that are required under the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Civil servants have yet to implement the instruction, pending legal clarity on their obligations, and checks are continuing.
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Friday (UAE kick-off times)
Borussia Dortmund v Paderborn (11.30pm)
Saturday
Bayer Leverkusen v SC Freiburg (6.30pm)
Werder Bremen v Schalke (6.30pm)
Union Berlin v Borussia Monchengladbach (6.30pm)
Eintracht Frankfurt v Wolfsburg (6.30pm)
Fortuna Dusseldof v Bayern Munich (6.30pm)
RB Leipzig v Cologne (9.30pm)
Sunday
Augsburg v Hertha Berlin (6.30pm)
Hoffenheim v Mainz (9pm)
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup – Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
