ULTIMATE AFRICA SAFARIS
Ultimate Africa travel and wildlife news archive November 2003 Tourism to Earn More than
Farming in Namibia’s tourism
sector is growing so fast that it is on course to become the country's third biggest
income-earner, surpassing agriculture. Releasing its tourism
statistics for 2002 the Namibian Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET) was upbeat
about the growing sector - with more than 900,000 foreigners visiting the country during
the year. This represents a 13%
increase in tourist numbers over 2001 and, although figures for 2003 are still to be
collated, preliminary indications are that the number will rise again. Nature, landscape and
wildlife adventures top the list of reasons for visiting Important New South Africa Entry Requirements, November 23 2003 Please note that with immediate effect, anyone travelling to South Africa must have two consecutive blank pages in their passport which lie side by side when the passport is open (i.e. a left and a right hand page). Passports must also be valid for at least six months. Passengers travelling to South Africa with passports which do not comply with these requirements, will either be stopped from boarding the aircraft or risk deportation on arrival in South Africa. In addition, a parent travelling with children, WITHOUT the other parent, will need a letter of consent from the absent parent. The letter of consent must be certified by the police. Wilderness Safaris November Update, November 30 2003 Ultimate Africa staff have just returned from a 32 day inspection trip in southern Africa. Here is the latest news and updates from Wilderness Safaris, one of our favorite southern Africa tour operators: In February 2004, Wilderness Safaris is organizing a 700km charity bicycle ride from Johannesburg to Durban, South Africa. The proceeds of this ride will go to the Children in the Wilderness program they run. The program enables Wilderness to host groups of up to 24 rural children in safari camps for a week at a time, free of charge, with the aim of giving them an incredible and uplifting wildlife and environmental experience. Too few rural children in Africa are voluntarily entering the conservation and wildlife world once they leave school because they have little or no interest in wildlife. Many of the people who do work in wildlife / conservation have drifted into the profession as "it is a job" that pays a salary and as a result there is no real passion for the profession in many conservation officials. The Children in the Wilderness program has as one of its aims to change this by stimulating rural children to become interested in wildlife and conservation. Wilderness has seen real success in the program over the past few years. But the program is costly to operate as Wilderness has to close their camps to guests and open them to the kids - and then pay for all their costs. The bike ride (which will take place over 4 days with approximately 60 riders) should raise around US $150,000 through sponsorships. In Botswana 2003 has been the best wildlife viewing year in memory. The combination of a) lower water levels (that helped concentrate the game), b) lower hunting quotas throughout the country (and no lion hunting anywhere at all) combined with c) Wilderness's own "no hunting" policy has meant that guests have enjoyed the best game viewing that we can ever remember. Just about each and every camp has had great game viewing all year. At Mombo we have never seen so many different species and concentrations of animals anywhere in one place - ever. There were huge herds of zebra, elephant, buffalo - and all the plains game at every point on the compass. Leopards were everywhere as were lions. We just missed out on cheetah for some reason (as there are plenty around) and wild dog. The game experiences at Mombo were truly amazing. In addition at Mombo a whole lot of new white and black rhino that have just been released into the wild. The first black rhino, 4 of them, have now been released and an additional 10 female white rhino are running wild. In total, 32 white rhinos have been released at Mombo as well as 4 black rhinos over the past two years. It's been a huge success story for all and a wonderful conservation initiative. Wilderness's guide training program in Botswana is really starting to bear fruit - and this year we have had the most positive feedback on our local guides ever. Wilderness cloned the Zimbabwe guide training system and imported it into Botswana about three years ago and we have seen the standards appreciate remarkably over this period. Namibia too has had an outstanding year. Serra Cafema, Palmwag Rhino and Little Ongava have added a dimension of quality and privacy that was often lacking throughout much of the country. For 2004 Sossusvlei Wilderness Camp will have enlarged decks out front of each bedroom where guests can sleep under the stars if they so wish. We have just been told that there is a new park fee coming into effect on the January 1, 2004. This will cost 80 Rand per entry into the Sossusvlei and Etosha. Generally guests who stay at Sossusvlei and Ongava enter the parks only on one day - so there will be an 80 Rand surcharge. If guests stay three nights they will generally enter the park on two days and they will be charged an extra 160 Rand In the Seychelles Wilderness is enormously proud of what has been achieved under very trying circumstances. In the Seychelles there is at least a two to three month waiting time from the moment you order an item, till it arrives on the island. There have to be few places on this planet that are this difficult to run an operation. The guest reviews that we are now getting are out of this world. Many guests have said that there is nowhere more beautiful than North Island. We have had many guests already rebook their second holidays on the island. Wilderness is moving to an all-inclusive tariff including scuba diving courses and all scuba dives, activities, wines, beers and drinks and an arrival massage. The only exclusions are expensive wines on the "reserve wine" list, spa treatments and full PADI dive courses. The de-ratting and alien species eradication program took place some months back. It was an extraordinarily complex and expensive exercise. But this has resulted in a totally rat / cat free island. We are now already seeing an increase in the number of birds on the island, directly as a result of this program. In South Africa Wilderness Safaris has made large strides in developing their new South African properties in several truly breathtaking areas. The northern part of Kruger Park (in the Pafuri / Makuleke area), Mkambati (in the Eastern Cape along the "Wild Coast") and their very special site on the coast at Plettenberg Bay are truly mouth-watering and so different from anything that is currently available in South Africa. They are aiming at opening their Kruger and Mkambati lodges and camps somewhere in the middle to late part of 2004 - and Plettenberg Bay will probably open in 2005. Their northern Kruger property (The Makuleke / Pafuri area) is so different in scenery, vegetation and wildlife from any of the existing reserves and lodges in and around Kruger. The trees in the Pafuri / Makuleke are up to 50% taller than an average baobab! One feels as though one is walking in Mana Pools or somewhere in central Africa when one walks along the banks of the Luvuvhu River in the Pafuri. Activities will include day and night wildlife viewing drives both on and off road, walks and even mountain biking - all within Kruger. In Zimbabwe things are just the same as they have been for the past 3 years. The living conditions for the average Zimbabwean have continued dropping. The food situation in the country (especially the rural areas) is not good and in many areas people are starving. There are fuel shortages and there is no foreign currency. In many areas, the local people have had to resort to poaching to survive and keep their families alive. The economic and political situation is a mess. There are however, four shining areas in the quagmire and these areas are Victoria Falls, the south-eastern sector of Hwange, Matusadona and Mana Pools National Parks. People often ask us why Wilderness Safaris are keeping their properties in Zimbabwe going. Sure it would be easy to just to quit but the ramifications of quitting are just too awful to contemplate - for the wildlife and for our staff. If we had to move out of Hwange in particular, poaching would escalate and the animals would be decimated very quickly for the cooking pot. There are only 27 waterholes that are functioning throughout the whole of Hwange and Wilderness are maintaining and running 22 of them, entirely at their cost. So this is where the wildlife is and why Wilderness guests are witnessing incredible game concentrations around Makalolo and Linkwasha. Wilderness are also doing a lot of the vet work in the areas and maintaining the wildlife status quo through anti-poaching efforts in collaboration with the Parks' authorities. Without these efforts Hwange could potentially collapse. Wilderness are currently supporting seven rural schools around Makalolo and Linkwasha's eastern boundary and between Wilderness and contributions from guests they are supplying cash and goods to these schools that works out to about 3 times the schools annual budget. Without this support these schools would not be able to provide a decent education to the kids. All in all when one weighs up the wildlife, the staff (and their families' livelihoods) and the schools, Wilderness has no option but to keep on going in Zimbabwe - hoping that change happens quickly. On the positive side of things, the wildlife experience has been superb all year and Zimbabwe still offers one of the best wildlife experiences anywhere in Africa - and at great value too. Wilderness hosted the travel editor of the New York Times (unbeknown to Wilderness) on a safari earlier this year. She traveled as a full paying guest and wrote the most incredible article on southern Africa that was the front page on their travel supplement. She painted a glowing picture of her Mana Pools / Chikwenya experience. The reason I mention all of this is that people are traveling to Zimbabwe and they are getting an excellent wildlife experience, despite the negative publicity in the newspapers. Lastly Wilderness Safaris has been recently recognized internationally by a number of prestigious organizations and publications. North Island: The Sunday Times in the UK voted this as the best resort in the world for style! In fact they stated that: "North Island has set a towering new standard in the art of barefoot style, and has leapt to the top of the world's honeymoon hot list". Jack's Camp: The Sunday Times readers voted this camp as having the best service in the world and said: "The staff are experts at making you feel like an individual in a very special environment" Rocktail Bay: Harpers and Queen in the UK voted Rocktail Bay as the joint best dive experience in the world The River Club was voted as one of the 20 best hotels' in the world by Fodors and was also voted by Harper's and Queen as one of the World "Most Luxurious" Action Spots. Wilderness Safaris was voted as the best eco-tourism company in the world by ASTA - the American Society of Travel Agents And to top everything off -.Wilderness Safaris is enormously proud to have received the World Legacy Award for the World's Number One Wildlife Travel Company from Conservation International and National Geographic. Wilderness Safaris take over Jack's Camp and San Camp, November 30 2003 Wilderness Safaris is now handling the management, marketing and reservation side of things for Jack's and San Camps in Botswana. At Jack's Camp guests can spend time exploring the Kalahari and Makgadikgadi National Park. San Camp is located on a grass covered bay that overlooks the endless white salt sea of the extinct Makgadikgadi super lake, directly adjoining the National Park. San Camp and Jack's Camps are the only permanent camps that offer a chance to investigate and understand the Kalahari. This desert experience focuses on species such as gemsbok, brown hyena and springbok. In addition, guests can enjoy learning more about the geology, archaeology and anthropology of the Kalahari and Makgadikgadi. Many of the guides at both camps are fully qualified zoologists/geologists, often working on PhD research. The Makgadikgadi is one of the most important wetland sites remaining in Africa. It is a relic of one of the world's largest lakes which dried up thousands of years ago as a result of the continued shifting of the earth's crust. In the wet season, the pans fill with water which attracts huge flocks of flamingos and other wading birds. The area is also the only place in Southern Africa where one is often able to see migration herds of tens of thousands of wildebeest and zebra, followed by predators. Although the migrations do occur in other areas of Botswana, the tree cover prohibits a view of the magnitude that you are able to see at Jack's Camp because of the exposed nature of the surrounding grassland. When the pans are dry, four wheeler quad bikes are used to explore remote archaeological sites, some, such as fossil beds of extinct giant zebra and hippo, never before documented. The style of these luxury tented camps reflect an authentic, classic safari - but each has its own very special and individual stamp. Each camp offers an experience in itself and one which most adventurous and sophisticated guests will appreciate and enjoy. Baines' Camp to open in 2004, November 30 2003 Opening in mid 2004 Baines' Camp will accommodate guests in five luxurious suites, set on elevated platforms in the tree line overlooking a permanent Delta lagoon in Botswana. Fully mobile star beds, a first in the Okavango Delta, will offer guests the option of slumber under star laden skies. During the day custom-made hammocks will invite relaxation in the shade. A host of activities will be on offer ensuring guests opportunities to explore all aspects of this pristine wilderness area. Situated on a private concession bordering the Moremi Reserve, the area is superb for viewing all animal and bird species. Guests may enjoy guided walks, mokoro and boat excursions, and day night wildlife viewing drives. Unique and educational elephant walks and exhilarating balloon safaris offered at Stanley's Camp will be available to guests at Baines' Camp. Robin Pope's Weekly Safari Update, November 30 2003 Robin and Jo Pope run several very successful safari camps in Zambia. Here is their weekly update: A few days ago I was walking back from the bar just after dark and saw a hippo in the lagoon in front of the dining room. It was not moving and Adam who was with me thought it might be dead. Kate and Daudi hastily arrived for further inspection and the men started to discuss how they would remove it - involving winches, ropes and hooks. Obviously disturbed by the ideas being expressed the hippo lifted its head and put an end to the recovery mission - thankfully. Yesterday a tiny baby vervet monkey fell out of a tree just opposite the office. The poor thing looked quite bewildered, looking up at us with it big head and huge eyes. The mother remained in the tree bobbing up and down, trying to frighten us off. We retreated to allow the mother to come down and collect the baby. She shot down the tree, raced across the ground and without missing a step scooped up her offspring with one hand and headed off to safety. Definitely the sight of the week was again at Nkwali camp. Looking out of my office window - yes daydreaming again - I saw a huge flock of birds flying along the river. Rushing out to find a group of over 500 (we estimate - although guesses varied from 300 to 1000!) Abdim's storks - or as Keyala and Daudi call them Abdomen storks. They were accompanied by 2 white storks who stood out in contrast in the middle of the group. These migratory birds first appeared about 3 weeks ago in the Nsefu sector. They stayed opposite the camp for a hour or so before flying off again which produced an amazing noise as they flew overhead. Nkwali has been a great spot this week for viewing game. In addition to the birds, we have had guests being treated to both lions and hyenas on the opposite bank during breakfasts and as I write a huge male elephant is parading along the river. We often have giraffe coming to join us for sundowners and it is fascinating to watch them drinking from the river. The other day we also had the spectacle of 3 puku trying to decide whether or not it was safe to cross from one sandbank to another. There were several hungry looking crocodiles around and the first 2 bravely went for it, taking enormous leaps as they shot across. The 3rd puku was not so sure of the sense of it and after much deliberation decide to stay put. Meanwhile game viewing proper has been fabulous too. 4 pels fishing owls were seen by Jacob - he certainly is doing well on his count of these amazing birds. Later on the same walk they came across a pride of 5 lions. They then heard long tailed starlings making a racket and went to investigate. Walking in cautiously Jacob came face to face with a 3 meter long python. Stay well and have a great week - Kim Air Tanzania to Resume Flights, November 30 2003 Air Tanzania will from next month resume daily flights between Harare, Zimbabwe and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania after two and half years of inactivity. Air Tanzania withdrew flights on April 2001 sighting financial constraints and unbearable competition. Company operations director, Mr. John Mashava, said the airline would operate on a joint venture basis with the South African Airways (SAA), which recently acquired a 49% stake in Air Tanzania. "Fresh breath has been breathed into the Air Tanzania through the acquisition of a significant stake by SAA," said Mr. Mashava. The move is also aimed at enhancing tourism between Harare and Dar es Salaam as visitors from either country will have an opportunity to explore tourist attractions in the respective countries.Zimbabwe has some of the world's best tourist destinations including the seventh wonder of the world, the mighty Victoria Falls, and unique wildlife, while Tanzania has majestic attractions such as the Mount Kilimanjaro, Zanzibar and the Serengeti. The number of airlines showing interest in increasing connections with Zimbabwe has been on the rise. Less than three months ago, Kenyan Airways launched two flights linking Harare with Bangkok and Hong Kong via Nairobi. Kenyan Cruise Tourism Hits a Snag, November 30 2003 Kenya has not been included in the 2004 World Cruise Ship calendar itinerary, according to Kenyan Tourist Board (KTB) chairman Raymond Matiba. Matiba said American security concerns had knocked Kenya out of the calendar. He said a travel advisory issued by the US government against travel to Kenya is yet to be lifted and hence there will be no major cruise liner calling at the port of Mombasa next year. East Africa Pleads with UK, US to Lift Travel Warnings, November 30 2003 East African defense ministers have asked the US and British governments to relax travel restrictions to East African countries, saying the travel ban has grossly affected economic activities in the region. The US, Britain and Australia recently issued travel advisories to their citizens warning them of potential terrorist attacks, especially in Kenya. Return to Weekly Update Archive |
