Paradise found?

Searching for Taita Falcons in Niassa Special Reserve

- ANDREW JENKINS

Stretched across the far northern reaches of Mozambique lies one of Africa's biggest but best-kept secrets: the Niassa Special Reserve (NSR). Framed by the Ruvuma River and the vastness of southern Tanzania to the north, and truncated in the south by burgeoning tracts of rural development, it covers over 42 000 square kilometres (more than twice the size of the Kruger National Park in South Africa) and makes up more than 30 per cent of Mozambique's protected land. It's a dream destination for those with an appetite for African exploration, but as we discovered to our considerable discomfort, it's a very difficult location to get to.

Late on a steamy night in mid-November 2021, five smelly South Africans, one smoky (and smelly) Zimbabwean, and all our gear for an eight-day survey, literally fell out of a single 4x4 taxi at Mbatamila, the management nerve-center of the NSR. Unfortunately, much of our drive in from Lichinga's commercial airport, situated 10 hours to the west, was completed after sunset and in a hurry. So our first direct impressions of the reserve were that it was dark, hot, dusty, and a very, very long way from anywhere. However, once camp logistics manager Alberto and his staff had welcomed us and got us fed and set up in the camp's rustic but comfortable accommodation, a rather deflated but not defeated team retired to bed.

At first light the next morning everything changed. We woke to the sound of a Taita Falcon fledgling screaming for food from its parents. After swiftly exiting our various sleeping quarters, we quickly located the youngster where it sat in the mouth of an apparently made-to-fit pothole, clearly visible in the sheer face of the inselberg that looms over the camp. That's when we all realised that we were exactly where we wanted to be!