Big blue

Another day of showing our visitors sites and introducing them to partners with whom we collaborate. We had interesting discussions with the government about species reintroductions and relationships with communities who live on the border of protected areas. Some ideas they shared could be interpreted as a little wacky but it’s our job to use our experience to help inform and advise and hope some of it will stick.

Onward we journeyed to the west of Tanzania’s Ruvuma Region as after too much driving we all wanted to get out of the vehicles and exert ourselves physically. An impressive young guide called Shadrack was on hand to show us an area of boulder-filled forest with good views. The steep path he had prepared is best described as treacherous and ankle-breaking, and our visitors found the going tough. An old black mamba snakeskin on the path didn’t help. However we reached a rocky viewpoint over the blue waters of Lake Nyasa, which stretched into the distance. To the south we saw the dramatic escarpment that fringes the Mozambican part of Lake Niassa (as it is known there) and to the west the very faintest traces of mountains in Malawian territory.