Safaris in South Africa

November 18, 2009 at 11:39 am · Filed under Uncategorized ·Tagged , , , , , , , , ,

One cannot visit Africa without experiencing the incredible experience of a Safari.

South Africa has dedicated over three million hectares of its total landmass to the conservation of its natural heritage. This ‘world in one country’ has a stupendous variety of habitats and wildlife.

The main areas for a Safari are situated in the Kruger National Park , Eastern Cape and Kwa Zulu Natal.

The Kruger National Park in South Africa is one of the oldest and largest reserves in Africa. The park boasts a tremendous variety of game and birdlife in its numerous habitats. The Kruger National Park hosts the Big Five, and offers a wide variety of accommodation – Self Catering through South Africa National Parks or Private Game Lodges in the Greater Kruger Area. Private Game Lodges offer luxury accommodation, with Game Drives in open Safari vehicles with experienced rangers. The Kruger National Park is easily accessible from both Johannesburg and Cape Town, with flights to either Hoedspruit or Kruger Mpumulanga Airports near the Kruger. When travelling from Johannesburg, one could also enjoy the option of entering the Kruger by road, via the famous panoramic route.

Featured Fly in Safari – Kruger National Park

The Eastern Cape – The Eastern Cape national parks and game reserves are home to a wealth of wildlife including the rare mountain zebra. There are various hiking trails that traverse the valleys and cliffs of the mountainous regions of the Eastern Cape with breathtaking views.

The Eastern Cape also has some of the finest displays of prehistoric art in the form of rock paintings. The magnificent shimmering Eastern Cape coastline, the wild coast offers splendid opportunities for fishing, swimming and sunbathing. Canoeing, rubber ducking and windsurfing are a few of the many water sport attractions while surfers, in search of the perfect wave, frequent the internationally known surfing spots.

The cities, known for their friendliness, are ideal for family holidays – beaches, restaurants, theatres, cinemas, museums and summer entertainment programmes are sure winners to make the holiday-maker’s stay an enjoyable one. Alternating between sweeping sand, river mouths, rocks and covers, the coastline is a paradise for water sports enthusiasts. Among them, surfers ride the perfect waves, anglers reel in king-size catches, and board sailors revel in the challenge of the wind. Sunshine all year round, fine leisure resorts and splendid facilities ensure that the great outdoors is always in style. The Eastern Cape offers unequalled game viewing in conditions suited to the traveller. A mere one hours flight from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth, or the perfect end to a Garden Route tour – these game reserves offer a memory of a lifetime.

A wide choice of Private Game Reserves and lodges are also available in the area, offering superior quality accommodation and Game drives in open landrovers with rangers.

The Eastern Cape provice of South Africa is strikingly varied in its scenic beauty. The landscape of the Eastern Cape ranges from pristine forest to arid desert, from looming sandstone cliffs to unspoilt emerald green coastline. This paradise The Eastern Cape is a tourist destination.

Kwa Zulu Natal – whilst exploring this area rich in historical battlefields, and balmy beaches – enjoy of the many Private Game Reserves hosting the Big Five. Easy access from either Durban or Richards Bay – enjoy the National Parks accommodation or your more luxurious options of the Private Game Reserves such a Phinda.

FEATURED TOURS – These are example itineraries for each area, and have been enjoyed by our clients. All Featured tours can be tailormade to suit your individual requirements.

Source: South Africa Safaris

 

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Tarangire National Park Accommodation

November 4, 2009 at 9:50 am · Filed under Uncategorized ·Tagged , , , , , , ,

Day after day of cloudless skies. The fierce sun sucks the moisture from the landscape, baking the earth a dusty red, the withered grass as brittle as straw. The Tarangire River has shrivelled to a shadow of its wet season self. But it is choked with wildlife. Thirsty nomads have wandered hundreds of parched kilometres knowing that here, always, there is water. Herds of up to 300 elephants scratch the dry river bed for underground streams, while migratory wildebeest, zebra, buffalo, impala, gazelle, hartebeest and eland crowd the shrinking lagoons. It’s the greatest concentration of wildlife outside the Serengeti ecosystem – a smorgasbord for predators – and the one place in Tanzania where dry-country antelope such as the stately fringe-eared oryx and peculiar long-necked gerenuk are regularly observed.

Tanzania’s oldest and most popular national park, the Serengeti is famed for its annual migration, when some six million hooves pound the open plains, as more than 200,000 zebra and 300,000 Thomson’s gazelle join the wildebeest’s trek for fresh grazing. Yet even when the migration is quiet, the Serengeti offers arguably the most scintillating game-viewing in Africa: great herds of buffalo, smaller groups of elephant and giraffe, and thousands upon thousands of eland, topi, kongoni, impala and Grant’s gazelle.

During the rainy season, the seasonal visitors scatter over a 20,000 sq km (12,500 sq miles) range until they exhaust the green plains and the river calls once more. But Tarangire’s mobs of elephant are easily encountered, wet or dry. The swamps, tinged green year round, are the focus for 550 bird varieties, the most breeding species in one habitat anywhere in the world.

But there is more to Serengeti than large mammals. Gaudy agama lizards and rock hyraxes scuffle around the surfaces of the park’s isolated granite koppies. A full 100 varieties of dung beetle have been recorded, as have 500-plus bird species, ranging from the outsized ostrich and bizarre secretary bird of the open grassland, to the black eagles that soar effortlessly above the Lobo Hills.

On drier ground you find the Kori bustard, the heaviest flying bird; the stocking-thighed ostrich, the world’s largest bird; and small parties of ground hornbills blustering like turkeys. More ardent bird-lovers might keep an eye open for screeching flocks of the dazzlingly colourful yellow-collared lovebird, and the somewhat drabber rufous-tailed weaver and ashy starling – all endemic to the dry savannah of north-central Tanzania.

Disused termite mounds are often frequented by colonies of the endearing dwarf mongoose, and pairs of red-and-yellow barbet, which draw attention to themselves by their loud, clockwork-like duetting. Tarangire’s pythons climb trees, as do its lions and leopards, lounging in the branches where the fruit of the sausage tree disguises the twitch of a tail.

About Tarangire National Park

Size: 2,600 sq km (1,005 sq miles).
Location: 118 km (75 miles) southwest of Arusha.

Getting there

Easy drive from Arusha or Lake Manyara following a surfaced road to within 7km (four miles) of the main entrance gate; can continue on to Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti. Charter flights from Arusha and the Serengeti.

What to do

Guided walking safaris. Day trips to Maasai and Barabaig villages, as well as to the hundreds of ancient rock paintings in the vicinity of Kolo on the Dodoma Road.

When to go

Year round but dry season (June – September) for sheer numbers of animals.

Source: Tanzania Accommodation

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Zimbabwe Tourist Information

October 26, 2009 at 10:51 am · Filed under Uncategorized ·Tagged

Zimbabwe has two main “hubs”, namley Harare & Victoria Falls. There are daily flights into both destinations from Johannesburg. Most of the country’s tourist areas are easily reachable from these hubs, however there are a few that will require domestic air travel. Domestic air travel takes on two forms. The first is Air Zimbabwe scheduled flights, however these are not always ideal in terms of connecting flights but do work most of the time. The second option is charter flights. Charters allow for more flexibility and can also prevent overnighting in unwanted stops due to bad scheduled connecting flight times. Charter allows us to sell a product that works, but please remember that charter is always more expensive than scheduled flights and is also subject to a minimum of two passengers.

Zimbabwe has a well maintained road system that connects all the major areas of the country. Most of our transfers are done by road, however certain lodges cannot be accessed by road, due to location, and in those cases we make use of air transfers directly to the lodges.

Location:

Southern Africa. Zimbabwe is landlocked and bordered by South Africa in the south, Mozambique in the east, Zambia in the north, Botswana and Namibia in the west.

Area: 390 759 sq kms (150 873 sq miles) Capital: Harare (central north east)

Language: English, Shona and Ndebele

Time: GMT +2

Tourist attractions:

The Victoria Falls (world heritage site)
Lake Kariba (Matusadona National Park)
Hwange National Park
Mana Pools National Park (world heritage site)
Matobo Hills National Park
Eastern Highland

Business centres: Harare & Bulawayo

Health:

Most of the tourist areas in Zimbabwe are endemic malaria areas. Please consult your doctor or pharmacist.

Visas:

All Commonwealth passport holders – except Australia and New Zealand do not require Visas. Most other passport holders can obtain a visa on arrival on payment of US$ 30. There are a few nationalities that require a visa prior to entry so please ensure that you check with the Zimbabwe consulate in your country

The different areas of Zimbabwe have different “best times” to visit. This is also dependent on what your preferences are.

Vic Falls:

The Falls are best viewed between February and June, when the Zambezi is in full flow. This is however the worst time for white water rafting, which is a major attraction in Vic Falls. The best season for rafting is when the water levels are low. This is usually August to December. The Falls are still spectacular during this period, but not in full flow.

Hwange, Mana Pools & all game lodges:

Travel to Hwange is centred on game viewing. This is best in the dry season as the inland water supply is low so it is easier to track the animals to main water sources. The bush is also thinner than it would be in the wet season, which makes it easier to spot animals. The winter (dryer) months are cold in the early morning and late afternoon, so please ensure that warm clothing is taken for game activities.

Eastern Highlands:

This area is mountainous and very lush and therefore the focus is on the outdoors. Keep this in mind when visiting this area as the summer months tend to bring rain. Winter in the mountains can be a bit cold so please ensure that the correct clothing is taken along.

Kariba / Matusadona:

This region is renowned for getting extremely hot and humid around the months of October and November. If visiting this area in that period, please try to stay out of the midday sun and be sure to take a wide brimmed hat.

Source: Tourist Information

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Self Drive Information

September 7, 2009 at 11:43 am · Filed under Uncategorized ·Tagged , , , ,

Self drive itineraries are arranged to encompass every detail – with world-class comprehensive documentation ensuring total peace of mind during a getaway with a difference.

An ever increasing number of travellers are shying away from organised and guided holidays and prefer to explore a destination at their own pace depending on their interests. On the African continent, this type of holiday is generally not possible, bar for the seasoned adventure traveller. South Africa is one of few exceptions on this continent and offers itself as an ideal, user friendly self drive destination of unexpected variety.

South Africa has an excellent network of tarred roads allowing easy travel to any area visited. Road signs are frequent and easily followed, petrol is widely available and relatively well priced, cellular networks cover most of the country and communication is easy and affordable. Generally distances travelled are substantial, especially by European standards, however traffic density is relatively low and in conjunction with the excellent road network, travel times are reasonable. Kindly note that South Africa and its neighbouring countries have left-hand side traffic.

We have included approximate travel times on the some of the itineraries which give an indication of the travel time directly from point a to b and does not include stop-off touring time. One of the concerns often raised is the safety aspect of self drive holidays, the traveller can be assured that any areas of tourism value are safe. A general attitude of care and the acceptance that one is in a third world country, will allow for a trouble free holiday.

We differentiate our self drive tours with the following benefits:

  • 24 hour, 7 day a week Manager on Duty
  • A country-wide infrastructure
  • Our years of experience has resulted in innovative routings combining the highlights of South Africa as well as lesser-known attractions
  • World-class self drive documentation
  • Our grading system, where an indication of the class of tour is given
  • Free cellular phone rental when pre-booked

Silver Class Tours

Comfortable accommodation, facilities and services with excellent value for money. The car hire category used is a Group B 1600cc vehicle with power steering, manual transmission, air-conditioning, radio and tape.

Gold Class Tours

Above average to very good quality accommodation, facilities and services. The car hire category used is a Group D 1600cc vehicle with power steering, automatic transmission, air-conditioning, radio and tape.

Platinum Class Tours

Superior accommodation, facilities and exceptional personalised services, these properties will exceed all expectations. The car hire category used is a Group G 1800cc vehicle with power steering, air-bag, automatic transmission, air-conditioning, radio and tape.

The itineraries provided in this section gives one an idea of the potential routes available with suggested accommodation offerings. Within such a diverse country offering so many special interest opportunities and as we place huge emphasis on creating lifetime experiences, self drive tours can be tailor made to meet specific time constraints, budgets and individual client preferences.

All Self Drive programms listed are well travelled and enjoyed by previous clients. Please note that all itineraries may be tailormade to suit your individual requirements and interests.

Accommodation are suggestions only, and once again, may be replaced with alternatives perhaps more suited to your travel requirements.

VEHICLE HIRE CATEGORIES

Group B: Manual Transmission / Airconditioning / Radio / Tape / Powersteering / 1400 or 1600
Nissan Almera or similar

Group C: Automatic Transmission / Airconditioning / Radio / Tape / Powersteering / 1600
Nissan Almera or similar

Group D: Automatic 2 Litre / Airconditioning / Powersteering / Radio / Tape
Toyota Camry / Mazda 6 or similar

Group G: Mercedes Benz C 180 or BMW 318i : Automatic / Airconditioning / Powersteering / CD Player

For larger groups of travellers we would suggest the Mercedes Vito 7 Seater or similar.

COSTS

As each travellers has their own specific requirements – whether it be vehicle hire / accommodation or number of days available for travel – we prefer to quote on each request.

You are assured of a reply to your enquiry within 24 hours from request.

The following information is applicable to all featured self drive itineraries:

Recommended Clothing

During the warmer months (January – April and September – December) light casual clothing is sufficient during the day and a rain jacket for the occasional rainfall.

From April – September, warm clothing, jackets for evening game drives and smart casual wear for the evenings is recommended.

Health Requirements

No inoculations are required but an anti-malaria precaution is highly recommended.

Special Requests

Should you have any special requests i.e. dietary or other requirements, please advise us at time of booking.

Included

Accommodation and meals as indicated in the itinerary; car rental as per category booked, inclusive of supercover, personal accident insurance and unlimited mileage; meet and greet on arrival; tourism levy on accommodation; documentation pack and unlimited access to the African Welcome Safaris back-up team.

Excluded

Accommodation and meals not specified in the itinerary; fuel deposits and additional driver/younger driver/one way drop off surcharges; fuel; oil; scheduled flights and airport departure taxes; entrance or conservation fees; gratuities; laundry; drinks; extras and items of a personal nature. Recommended or mentioned excursions are not included unless specified.

Source: South African Safaris

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