ULTIMATE
AFRICA SAFARIS
Ultimate Africa travel and wildlife news archive May 1998 South African Tourism Development Helps Poor, May 3 1998 KwaZulu Natal's ambitious transfrontier tourism development project with Swaziland and Mozambique has already begun making a real impact on rural residents in South Africa's impoverished north Coast region. Although designed primarily to boost tourism development and investment in areas straddling South Africa's international borders with Swaziland and Mozambique, the Lubombo Spatial Development Initiative (SDI) has to date funded infrastructure projects worth US $19 million. These include the construction of 140 small hospitals, clinics, and schools and 26 business training initiatives for rural residents. The SDI has already completed a significant portion of its key US $37,000 "tourism road" between Richard's Bay and Ponto do Oura in Mozambique. The road is targeted primarily at bringing tourists to underdeveloped areas such as Kosi Bay, Lake Sibayi and Sudwana Bay. Zimbabwean Wildlife Artist Rated in World's Top Five, May 3 1998 Larry Norton, a Zimbabwean wildlife artist, has been ranked among the top five wildlife artists in the world, an acknowledgment some artists can only dream about. One does not have to be a renowned art critic to see the raw talent in Larry Norton's work. It is obvious to anyone who appreciates beautiful things. The animals seem to have a life of their own, and as one Harare gallery owner said of Norton's work: "Larry captures the mood of the animals and brings them to life with the stroke of his paint brush." Rainbow Tourism Group Purchases Six Zimbabwean Lodges, May 10 1998 Rainbow Tourism Group (RTG) has finally acquired six Touch The Wild lodges in Masvingo, Hwange, Matopos and Victoria Falls. The six lodges are Sable Valley Lodge, Sikumi Tree Lodge, Kanondo Lodge, and Khatshana Lodge, all in Hwange; Matobo Hill Lodge near Bulawayo, and Lodge at the Ancient City near Great Zimbabwe. Touch The Wild was previously owned by a partnership involving Zimbabwe Sun and three businessmen including Hwange member of parliament Allan Elliot. South African Airways In-Flight Improvements Coming, May 10 1998 Coming in-flight improvements aboard South African Airways include increased seat pitches for business and economy class and full horizontal recline seats in first class. High-tech completely interactive personal televisions will be installed in all 3 classes of service. The airline will also add gaming, fax and telephone facilities. Tanzanian Tourist Arrivals Grow, May 17 1998 Tanzania cashed in on political unrest in neighboring Kenya last year by attracting tens of thousands of tourists and boosting earnings by millions of dollars, Tanzanian officials said last Thursday. Between 370,000 and 380,000 thousand foreign tourists visited Tanzania in 1997 - a jump of close to 15% from 326,000 the year before. They contributed over US $400 million in foreign exchange earnings and accounted for 7% of Gross Domestic Product. Tanzania's biggest draw remains the northern circuit, boasting snow-capped Mount Kilimanjaro - Africa's highest peak, and the world-famous wildlife reserves of Serengeti National Park and the nearby Ngorongoro Crater Conservation Area. Zanzibar also proved highly popular. New Direct Flight between US and east Africa, May 17 1998 Ethiopian Airlines has added Washington DC to its route network and with it has started a whole new era for US / east African travel. As of 4 June 1998, Americans will no longer have to go via Europe to travel between the USA and east Africa. Ethiopian Airlines will offer a twice weekly service to Washington DC, its first destination in the Americas. Flights will be every Thursday and Saturday from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to Washington DC and leave the same day to return to Addis Ababa. 20 White Rhinos Survived Congo's War, May 17 1998 At least 20 northern white rhinos, the world's most endangered large mammal, survived Congo's rebellion and poaching, and four have been born since the fighting stopped, wildlife experts said. "This is great news, much better than we had expected," said Kes Hillman Smith, the World Wildlife Fund's research coordinator for northeastern Congo's Garamba National Park. Garamba has the last known wild population of northern white rhinos. The northern white rhinoceros is a rare subspecies of white rhinos, of which there are about 7,600 in the world, nearly all of them in South Africa. Fighters and poachers drove guards and researchers out of the park in late 1996, leaving its abundant wildlife more vulnerable to attack. Many animals were killed for their meat. Although the rebellion ended May 17, 1997, researchers had not been able to conduct an aerial survey of Garamba's 1,900 square miles until last week, Smith said from her base in Nairobi. A total of 24 white rhinos, including seven adult females, were spotted from the air, she said. Four had born since August. Zimbabwe's Tourism Growing, May 17 1998 Zimbabwe's fast-growing tourism sector is expected to earn about US.$300 million this year, an increase of US $100 million from last year, chief executive of Zimbabwe Tourism Authority Joe Chigwedere said last Tuesday. Chigwedere attributed this development to growing recognition of Zimbabwe as the premier tourist destination in the southern African region. "Zimbabwe is recognized as a destination with more to offer than other places in the region," he told the Zimbabwe News Agency. Zimbabwe's Eastern Highlands "Heaven" for Backpackers, May 17 1998 Heaven Mountain Lodge, in Zimbabwe's eastern highlands, is fast becoming the most popular backpackers' spot in the region. It is located about 200 meters from Chimanimani village. "People flock to the lodge because we provide good food and decent toilets and showers, after they have gone up on the mountain to sleep in the caves, or have taken part in bush walks and the popular Haroni expedition-a wild river-run," said Radford. Victoria Falls Safari Lodge Rated in Top 10, May 17 1998 Victoria Falls Safari Lodge has been voted one of the world's "Top 25 Resorts of the Rich and Famous", according to OK! Magazine (UK); one of world's "Top 10 Best Kept Secrets", Tatlers magazine (UK); and is listed in the Annual Travel Guide to "The 101 Best Hotels in World". Zimbabwe's Leopard Rock Upgrades, May 17 1998 The Presidential Suite of Zimbabwe's Leopard Rock Hotel located in the eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe has recently been refurbished affording uninterrupted mountain views from its private terrace. It is available at a cost of US$190 per day. Leopard Rock's Championship standard golf course, with mountain views from almost every hole, is considered one of the finest in Africa. Other sporting facilities include tennis and squash courts, a bowling green and a modern gym. A popular base from which to explore the surrounding countryside, Leopard Rock is easily accessed by air charter to nearby Mutare followed by a 30-minute road transfer to the hotel or by direct road transfer from Harare. New Lodge to Open on Zambian Side of Victoria Falls, May 17 1998 The developers of Zimbabwe's Victoria Falls Safari Lodge Resort have decided to invest further by opening a lodge across the border in Zambia. Songwe Point, situated some five kilometres downstream from the Victoria Falls overlooking the Zambezi Gorge, is due to open this month. The lodge will provide exclusive accommodation for 16 people in eight thatched huts with a central boma. "Complementing our other products, all of which have a truly ethnic feel, Songwe Point is a purpose constructed village offering visitors a unique opportunity to explore Zambia's rich cultural history in an unspoilt village environment." said resort developer, Dave Glynn. The nearby Mukuni Village is believed to be about 700 years old. It is here that guests can tour the Royal Graveyard, see Chief Mukuni's Lampasa Palace and visit the place where Dr. Livingstone first met the local tribes. Residents of the village will benefit from a Community Development Trust which has been established to benefit the local school, community health and infrastructural developments. Botswana's Famous Lloyd's Camp Changes Hands, May 17 1998 Desert & Delta Safaris have recently concluded negotiations to acquire a majority interest in Lloyds Camp in the Savuti Channel area of Botswana's Chobe National Park. South Africa Bets on Gambling, May 17 1998 Within the next three to five years, six huge casino developments will bring a level of leisure products to South Africa's central Gauteng province on a scale never before seen. Five out of the six multi-million dollar developments will be within a 25 kilometer radius of Johannesburg, with the US $123 million Emfuleni Safari Resort located at Vanderbijlpark on the Vaal River some 90km south of the city. The largest project is Global Resorts SA's US $132 million Caesar's Gauteng, at the World Trade Center close to Johannesburg International Airport. Kenya's Replaces Head of Wildlife Services, May 24 1998 Conservationist and head of the Kenya Wildlife Service, David Western has parted company with the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) after the government decided not to renew his contract, a KWS official said. But Western told a news conference he believed he was a victim of his outspokenness against poaching and land-grabbing in national parks. "It only recently became obvious to me that I had lost the government's support,'' he told a news conference. "I cannot help but think that in part this stems from my refusal to go along with annexations'' of parts of national parks. Many of Kenya's game parks border land used by traditional herders and pressure on grazing space is high. Western is the second high-profile white Kenyan to fall foul of the government over its wildlife policy in four years. In 1994 he replaced internationally renowned paleontologist Richard Leakey, a former close friend of Kenyan President Daniel arap Moi but now a vociferous parliamentary opponent. KWS said Western had been temporarily replaced by Peter Kabebea, a senior civil servant from the ministry of natural resources. Robert Shaw, a local economist who is also an East Africa Wildlife Society official, said the government needed to swiftly appoint a credible, permanent successor. KWS has suffered heavy revenue losses in recent months after a slump in tourism. Violence at the coast last year and heavy rains linked to the El Nino weather phenomenon that battered Kenya from October to January have played a huge part in cutting tourist numbers, which has heavily undermined KWS income base. The KWS is in charge of millions of acres of some of Africa's richest game parks, including the world famous Masai Mara, Tsavo and Amboseli reserves. Zanzibar's Controversial Tourism Project Gets Go-Ahead, May 24 1998 The Zanzibari government has finally awarded the whole of its Nungwi peninsula to a British firm which plans a controversial US $4 billion tourism development project. The company's plans to invest $4 billion in an offshore facility, a harbor for cruise ships, an airport, several five-star hotels, a mosque, a university and numerous other facilities. Nairobi Hit by Floods, May 31 1998 Thousands of people were displaced and property was extensively damaged after a five-hour downpour hit Kenya's capital city Nairobi this past week. The storm cut power at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, disrupting incoming and outgoing flights and forcing rerouting to neighboring countries. Meteorologists attribute the abnormally heavy rains in Kenya in recent months to the El Nino weather phenomenon. Botswana Rolls Back Fences for Wildlife, May 31 1998 Botswana confirmed this past week that it will begin a major rollback and realignment of cattle fences that will allow some of Africa's largest free-ranging wildlife herds to regain access to seasonal feeding grounds and water holes. The move affects more than 62 miles of fence in northern Botswana between the Okavango Delta and the Caprivi strip in Namibia. More than 18 miles of fence along the Caprivi border will be removed outright, allowing wildlife greater access to the Kwando River. Other fence realignments are under consideration pending environmental impact studies and community planning. The government erected the fences in 1995 in an attempt to contain an outbreak of cattle lung disease. Herds of antelope, zebra, and other mammals were seen struggling as they tried to reach seasonal food and water blocked by the fences. "This move marks the first time that the government of Botswana has committed to large-scale fence removal and realignment based solely on wildlife and community considerations," said Dr. Karen Ross, director of Conservation International's Okavango Delta Program. The world's largest inland delta, the Okavango region of Botswana contains one of the richest arrays of animal and plant life in Africa, provides critical habitat and food resources for wildlife and is home to several communities. Return to Weekly Update Archive |
