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2008 Africa Travel News and Tips Archivetips May 9, 2008 - Kilimanjaro Snow Gone by 2020 The snow atop the world's tallest freestanding mountain, Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, is projected to disappear by the year 2020. Already 82% has disappeared since 1912 with one third melting in the past 12 years. May 9, 2008 - Victoria Falls Rafting Stopped White Water rafting at Victoria Falls has been stopped due to high water. This seasonal closure is caused by helicopter evacuation / safety points being submerged as opposed to dangerous water conditions (in fact rafting during high water is more placid). We expect rafting to restart late June this year. May 9, 2008 - New Hot Air Balloon Option in Tanzania Grumeti River Camp is now offering low level hot air balloon excursions just west of the Serengeti. The morning flights offer incredible views of stunning east African landscapes and spectacular wildlife. At the right time of year lucky guests may witness the wildebeest migration crossing the Grumeti River below! The flight ends with sparkling wine and a full English breakfast served near the landing site. The cost is US$500 per person. May 9, 2008 - Tanzanian Resort One of World's Best The Palms, a small boutique resort on the island of Zanzibar in east Africa, was selected by Conde Nast Traveler as one of the Top 30 island beaches in the world and recommended as the place to stay. In addition the Palms was recently featured in American Town and Country magazine, Woman magazine, Elle, Architectural Digest, and Cosmopolitan! If that was not enough Zanzibar Island and the Palms in particular, was chosen as the #1 island destination of the world by the BBC Holiday Show. May 9, 2008 - New Baby Elephant at Abu Camp Ultimate Africa welcomes Lorato (meaning love in Setswana) into the world! The elephant calf was born at Abu Camp in Bostwana’s Okavango Delta! Lorato is the fourth baby elephant to be born at the camp, where Randall Moore pioneered the first elephant back safari operation in Africa 18 years ago. Lorato has been feeding and sleeping well, and within a few days of her birth, joined the herd in their walks to the mud bath. Kitimetse, her mother, joined the Abu herd as a baby when rescued from a mud bank in the Okavango after she had been attacked by a crocodile and presumably abandoned by her wild herd. Lorato is her first born. Moore says "Apart from the privilege of being able to witness the arrival of one of these magnificent animals, it is another indication that the elephants at Abu are happy, healthy and without stress of any kind." Ultimate Africa staff congratulate Randall Moore and Abu Camp for all they have done with regards to elephant conservation in Africa. All of travel consultants have visited Abu Camp (many several times) and highly recommend it! May 9, 2008 - Flight Cancellations and Rule 240 Have you ever had your flight delayed or cancelled due to weather when the weather is fine and other airlines, flying between the same cities, continued to fly? Could it be that the reason for the cancelled flights was a convenient untruth? Simply - yes. In the above situation a smart traveler will would request the gate agent to invoke Rule 240. Rule 240 states that in the event of any flight delay or cancellation caused by anything other than weather, the airline would fly the passenger on the next available flight - not their next available flight, which might not leave for another 24 hours. Rule 240 was created by the old Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) before the days of airline deregulation. And the rule clearly stated what an airline's responsibilities were to passengers in the event of a flight cancellation or delay. Rule 240 mandates that an airline facing a delayed or canceled flight had to transfer you to another carrier if 1) the second carrier could get you to your destination more quickly than the original line and 2) it had available seats. In pre-deregulation days, all the big U.S. airlines adhered to this practice (In the days of regulation, the U.S. government required all airlines to submit details about what they would and would not do in a wide range of circumstances. Those tariffs, in effect, constituted the contract between airlines and travelers. And in an interesting semantic approach, the tariff paragraphs were described as "rules." ). In its day, Rule 240 was perhaps the most pro-passenger rule ever enacted to protect air travelers. And then, when the CAB was deregulated out of existence in 1978, the rule survived the transition. Flight delayed or canceled? An airline counter or gate agent could easily invoke Rule 240 to endorse your ticket over to another carrier. In colloquial airline usage, the rule soon became a verb, as in ... "Hey, could you '240' me?" Airlines would ... and did just that. Of course, in today's deregulated environment, when airlines no longer have to post tariffs, the argument can be made that Rule 240 therefore no longer exists. Officially, that's true, but in practice a majority of airlines still honor the old rules, 240 among them. The newer carriers — those that do not have interline agreements with the major legacy airlines, like JetBlue, Southwest and Air Tran, never had Rule 240 to deal with, and thus don't, as a matter of company policy, endorse tickets over to other carriers (although JetBlue has been known to outright buy tickets on other carriers to accommodate some of its passengers). In the past few years, just about every cash-strapped airline has amended its "contract of carriage" to try to change the definition of Rule 240. Still, in practice, airlines continue to reluctantly use it every day. They reluctantly use it because of financial realities — to endorse a ticket over to another carrier also means the airline loses that revenue. It's really an issue of semantics and interpretation. Rule 240 does exist. On the official level, this is what airlines now say they will do in the event of a delay or cancellation: United Airlines changed its language to say that in the event of a delay or cancellation, it would still fly you on a competitor, but not necessarily in the same class of service as on your original United flight. Delta still has a Rule 240 in its contract of carriage, but conveniently omits the section in which it used to say it would fly you on another carrier in the event of a "flight irregularity." American only promises to get you out on one of its own flights. Alaska and Northwest airlines have stayed with most of the original paragraph 240 language. The bottom line is that while no one airline is legally mandated to follow Rule 240, many of them do. The key is that you have to ask, not demand, and in many cases, you'll be accommodated. May 9, 2008 - New Ultra-Luxury Zanzibar Resort Sol Kerzner's One and Only Resorts will partner in the development and management of a new 150 room luxury resort on a 75 hectare site at Muyuni Beach in Zanzibar. The resort is scheduled to open in 2009. May 9, 2008 - Concerts in Cape Town Michael Buble at the Kirstensbosch Botanical Gardens...Celine Dion at the Vergelegen Wine Estate...Elton John in Cape Town...these are just a few of the top musical performers to recently concert in and around Cape Town, South Africa. Ultimate Africa guests staying at the Cape Grace Hotel can contact the concierge for pre-purchased tickets. For a perfect evening take along a gourmet Cape Grace picnic basket complete with incredible snacks, blanket, crockery and cutlery. May 9, 2008 - Johannesburg to Kilimanjaro in One Day South African Airways has a daily codeshare flight with Air Tanzania that allows traveler to get from South Africa's Johannesburg Airport to Tanzania's Kilimanjaro Airport in one day (and vice versa). The flight leaves from Kilimanjaro at 8:00 AM (making a night in Arusha before the flight necessary for most travelers) to Johannesburg arriving 1:10 PM, and departs from Johannesburg at 1:50 PM to Kilimanjaro arriving 8:55 PM (making an overnight in Arusha necessary). Although the flight seems wonderful Ultimate Africa consultants do not recommend it. The flight is often cancelled and we have had business class passengers downgraded - experiences we do our best to steer our clients away from. May 9, 2008 - North Island World's Most Brilliant North Island, in the Seychelles, has been named Tatler’s Most Consistently Brilliant Hotel 2008 at the Tatler Travel Guide Awards. Tatler magazine describes North Island as “a mesmerizing place, a Midsummer Day’s Dream, a magical kingdom fit for a shipwrecked Oberon and Titania. You can’t take your eyes off North Island. It opened five years ago and yet still nothing has come close to touching its trailblazing approach.” The Tatler Travel Awards aim to celebrate “the hotels that are individuals, the ones that go beyond the call of duty, that are true to their roots, that are passionate about the countries they're in and inspire that passion in others.” May 9, 2008 - Delta to Launch Direct Flight USA to East Africa Beginning June 2008 Americans will be able to fly to east Africa without having to pass through Europe. Delta Airlines will fly four times weekly to and from New York's JFK Airport and Kenya's Jomo Kenyatta Airport in Nairobi with only stopover being Senegal's capital of Dakar. The services begin on June 3, 2008. The airline will operate Boeing 767-300ER aircraft with 214 seats in a 2 class configuration - economy and BusinessElite, Delta's award winning business class service. This routing will save American travelers both time and money. Ultimate Africa would like to remind travelers that the US State Department warning for Kenya is still in place (for terrorism, serious crime against tourists, and political instability) and this warning invalidates some travel insurance coverages (as an example if a terror attack occurred in Kenya causing a traveler to cancel their plans they would not be covered). For this reason and taking into consideration other quality concerns, Ultimate Africa does not entertain bookings to Kenya. This route is one of several new routes between Africa and New York planned by the Delta for 2008. Others include Lagos, Cape Town (via Dakar) and Cairo. In December 2006, Delta launched a nonstop service between Johannesburg and Atlanta in the US (also via Dakar). May 9, 2008 - Zambia Bush and Beach! Many Ultimate Africa clients want to combine the bush safari with a beach experience. and there are a number of ways to do this from Zambia. There is Lake Malawi – easily reached by regular light air transfers direct South Luangwa. Travelers wanting to experience the beautiful east coast of Africa can fly aboard Zambian Airways four times a week from Lusaka to Dar es Salaam where there are easy connections to Zanzibar and northern Mozambique. Alternatively there are daily flights to Johannesburg where travelers can overnight and then fly onto southern Mozambique. To plan your dream trip Africa call our Seattle office toll free 1 800 461 0682 and speak to an Ultimate Africa travel consultant today! May 9, 2008 - Sunscreens Explained Sunscreens are chemical agents that help prevent the sun's ultraviolet (UV) radiation from reaching the skin. Two types of ultraviolet radiation, UVA and UVB, damage the skin and increase your risk of skin cancer. UVB is the chief culprit behind sunburn, while UVA rays, which penetrate the skin more deeply, are associated with wrinkling, leathering, sagging, and other effects of photoaging. They also exacerbate the carcinogenic effects of UVB rays, and increasingly are being seen as a cause of skin cancer on their own. Sunscreens vary in their ability to protect against UVA and UVB. Most sunscreens, with an SPF of 15 or higher, do an excellent job of protecting against UVB. SPF - or Sun Protection Factor - is a measure of a sunscreen's ability to prevent UVB from damaging the skin. Here's how it works: If it takes 20 minutes for your unprotected skin to start turning red, using an SPF 15 sunscreen theoretically prevents reddening 15 times longer — about five hours. Another way to look at it is in terms of percentages: SPF 15 blocks approximately 93 percent of all incoming UVB rays. SPF 30 blocks 97 percent; and SPF 50 blocks 99 percent. They may seem like negligible differences, but if you are light-sensitive, or have a history of skin cancer, those extra percentages make a difference. No sunscreen can block all UV rays. No sunscreen, regardless of strength, should be expected to stay effective longer than two hours without reapplication. Second, "reddening" of the skin is a reaction to UVB rays alone and tells you little about what UVA damage you may be getting. Plenty of damage can be done without the red flag of sunburn being raised. Experts typically recommend a broad-spectrum sunscreen offering protection against both UVA and UVB rays. Many of the sunscreens available in the US today combine several different active chemical sunscreen ingredients in order to provide this protection. Most include PABA derivatives, salicylates, and / or cinnamates (octylmethoxycinnamate and cinoxate) for UVB absorption; benzophenones (such as oxybenzone and sulisobenzone) for shorter-wavelength UVA protection; and avobenzone (Parsol 1789), ecamsule (Mexoryl), titanium dioxide, and zinc oxide for the remaining UVA spectrum. To ensure protection one person should use around one half to one quarter of an 8 oz. Bottle per day in the sun. Sunscreens should be applied 30 minutes before sun exposure to allow the ingredients to fully bind to the skin. Reapplication of sunscreen is just as important as putting it on in the first place, so reapply the same amount every two hours. Sunscreens should be reapplied immediately after swimming, toweling off, or sweating a great deal. Remember, you should not rely on sunscreen alone to protect your skin against UV rays. Avoiding sun exposure between 10AM and 4PM when UV rays are at their strongest wearing sunglasses, protective clothing and a wide brimmed hat are important ways to protect yourself too. May 8, 2008 - Cape Town Hosts Food and Wine Show The South African Good Food and Wine Show will take place at the Cape Town International Convention Center from May 15 to May 18, 2008. This annual event showcases South Africa's incredible food and wine offerings and combines well with other southern African experiences such as wildlife viewing and Victoria Falls. May 8, 2008 - Cape Grace Hotel Receives Facelift South Africa's Cape Grace Hotel will be undergoing a "refashioning" over the next several weeks. In addition to the new interior décor, the exterior of the hotel will be painted as well. Painting will begin on Monday, 19 May and a temporary framework will be erected on a small portion of the building. The structure will not cover the entire building – only 25% of the hotel will be painted at one time. The Cape Grace has assured us that all Ultimate Africa guests visiting during the painting period will be allocated rooms away from the temporary framework. This structure may be visible from the exterior but it will not affect the views from the rooms or the use of room balconies. Rooftop rooms will not be affected at all by the structure. For new bookings made for the time during which painting is taking place, we will be able to confirm the exact location of a guest’s room in relation to the temporary framework. May 4, 2008 - Fire Destroys Portion of Botswana Camp Chitabe Lediba Camp, situated in Botswana's famed Okavango Delta, experienced a fire the night of April 30. Only the main lounge/dining area was affected. No one was hurt and all rooms remain completely intact. The camp was closed for three days while the site was cleared. It reopened today with the curio shop / office having been converted into the new main dining area / lounge / bar / coffee station. This is a 10 x 5 meter thatched building has electricity, ceiling fans and plug points. It has also been furnished with furniture from Chitabe Main Camp: dining table and chairs, couch, ottomans, carpet and outside umbrellas In making the best of the situation the camp is hosting private dinners on guest's decks and offering full day picnics out to the Gomoti Channel -perfect winter functions. Ultimate Africa guests booked to stay at Chitabe Lediba will be notified. April 29, 2008 - Nationwide Airlines Cancels All Flights South Africa's Nationwide Airlines has cancelled all of its flights due to critical cash-flow problems. A source confirmed the airline has already gone into liquidation (although the liquidator would not confirm or deny this) after the sale of the airline fell through. AGE, the investment company that was to have bought Nationwide, withdrew its bid on Saturday, April 26. AGE ceo, Reggie Naidoo, said that the bid was withdrawn as the deal was no longer “viable”. Ultimate Africa clients, previously booked aboard Nationwide Airlines, have been booked on alternate flights and will be provided with updated travel information. January 26, 2008 - All Travelers Must Purchase Zambia Entry Visas With effect from January 26, 2008 all visitors to Zambia will have to pay the full visa fee (the visa waiver program for travelers overnighting in Zambia has been scrapped). ALL visitors are required to purchase a tourist visa. Visaa may be purchased on arrival by land or air. Single entry visas, payable in CASH, are US $135 per person for American passport holders. January 26, 2008 - Tanzania Entry and Yellow Fever We have just been notified by the Government of Tanzania that ''Health Surveillance Desks" which were removed in 2001, will now be reinstated in all border posts, ports, and international airports. As Tanzania is among countries which are at risk of being infected with yellow fever, health officials have been instructed to deal with the control and prevention of yellow fever for international travelers coming from infected countries. Yellow Fever Endemic zones in Africa include Senegal, Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Cote D'Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Nigeria, Mali, Niger, Chad, Central African Republic, Togo, Benin, Sao Tome and Principe, Cameroon, Gabon, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, United Republic of Tanzania, Angola, Zambia, Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, Ethiopia, Somali, Sudan and Equatorial Guinea. Yellow Fever Endemic zones in the Americas include Panama, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana and Bolivia. All visitors arriving from the above infected countries will require a yellow fever vaccination. Visitors arriving from other areas transiting in yellow fever endemic countries by connecting flights to Tanzania within the arrival airport and without checking out of the airport will not be required to produce a yellow fever vaccination certificate. For personal health protection, however, all clients including those arriving directly into Tanzania from non-yellow fever areas, for example Europe or the USA, may need to vaccinate against yellow fever, although it is not mandatory. |
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