| August Newsletter | [August, 2010] |
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Book Early For Christmas
Sorry to mention Christmas when we've just got used to some warm summer weather! But don't leave it too late to book your Christmas holiday to Africa. Now is the ideal time to do it, with reasonably priced flight seats and excellent accommodation still available. It's a great time to see the Serengeti migration, excellent value for money in Botswana, the Cape winelands will be bathed in glorious sunshine...we're full of bright ideas for that perfect Christmas break. |
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John Coppinger has been in the South Luangwa valley longer than most. Walks and game drives with him are always enthralling, though his favourite experience is to take you up in his microlight to show you how the bush looks to a swooping fish eagle. You can be chatting with him about it over lunch at his Tafika camp deep in the Zambian bush just 18 hours after your "big bird" has left Heathrow. Now until late October is prime time in John's neck of the woods and he still has room for you this season if you can make it. |
Affordable Paradise
A change in the law means that visitors to the Seychelles can pay for restaurant meals, wine, excursions and other services in local Seychelles rupees - the same as the locals. Previously tourists had to pay mainly in Euros, making a holiday to Seychelles an expensive undertaking. The Seychelles has some of the world's most exclusive beach hideaways with a price tag to match. Yet you can also base yourselves in charming owner run guest houses and hotels like Les Villa D'or, Bliss Hill and Le Relax where you can explore these beautiful romantic islands at a fraction of the cost. Air Seychelles overnight service from Heathrow means there's time to dip your toes in the Indian Ocean from a powder sand beach well before lunchtime next day. Contact Laura to find out more. | |
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Read top guide Paul Grobler's latest insight into the life of one of the smaller inhabitants of the bush. This time he's found a 'business' of dwarf mongooses which have made their home in an old termite mound near Chiawa camp. If you'd like to go walking with Paul in the Lower Zambezi, contact John. Read his latest article: The Dwarf Mongoose |
A Little Piece of Africa
Saturday 6 November 2010
Come and meet Africa Exclusive and some of our favourite safari guides at the Royal Geographical Society in London on Saturday 6 November. This year we celebrate our 20th anniversary so it will be a really special day full of fun, interest and ideas for more amazing Africa Exclusive safaris. Get the date in your diary!
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If you would like to create a link exchange partnership with our website please contact Rebecca |
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In our August newsletter we've selected genuinely remote places that you can reach the morning after your overnight flight from London. So you're in London at 7 pm and deep in the savannah plains with an expert guide by lunchtime the next day! These places may be accessible by small plane yet they are also very well kept secrets, guaranteeing that all important sense of "having it to yourselves". Africa's vast unspoilt wilderness seems so far, yet can be tantalizingly close if you'll give us a call...
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The Vast Selous
Deep in southern Tanzania there's a place of mighty rivers, lakes, towering hills, forests and savannah plains. Where tens of thousands of elephant follow ancient migratory paths. This is the Selous, where you can simply disappear into Africa's largest protected wildlife area. The lifeblood of Selous is the Great Rufiji river which runs straight past Sand Rivers lodge. Drift across the river and lakes by boat at sunset watching eland, giraffe, greater kudu and elephant refreshing from the heat of the day. Lion prides and packs of wild dog thrive in this vast unpopulated wilderness. Follow them by open vehicle as they hunt their plains game prey.
A couple of hours game drive takes you up into the breezy hills to Beho Beho. This is a haven of style and tranquillity where you can enjoy an eagle's eye view of the reserve. One of Beho Beho's specialities is to take you on an afternoon walking safari to a remote corner of the reserve where a little fly camp is set up. Spend the night feeling you're the only people on the continent; the sounds of Africa all around you and a million stars above. The ideal time to visit Selous is the long dry season from June to November when massive herds of plains game gather near the Rufiji River and Lake Tagalala. Although Selous is seldom visited it is only 50 minutes by small plane from Dar es Salaam. To enjoy the best of Selous we recommend a six day safari split between Sand Rivers and Beho Beho. Contact Laura now to discuss your safari. |
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We reckon Beks Ndlovu and his team of expert guides operate the best walking safaris in Botswana. They set up a comfortable mobile camp, then over three or four days you explore it together in depth on foot. In essence, you become a fellow inhabitant of the bush for a few days! You might spend a morning shadowing a group of elephant from a respectful distance, pausing frequently to watch birds, baboons, butterflies, buffalo and others that cross your path. Late afternoon finds you by a river watching bushbuck, giraffe and zebra coming down to drink as a flock of herons wheels overhead before coming in to land. The idea is to appreciate this little corner of Africa in detail, so you don't walk more than a few miles a day - yet every step is packed with interest. Linyanti walking safaris operate from May to early October and combine perfectly with a few days in the watery Okavango Delta. Take immediate steps to book this by contacting Paul. |
Settle in at Saruni Samburu
Evening - you fight your way to Heathrow. Lunchtime - you are being watched by curious giraffe as you enjoy a sumptuous picnic beside the Ewaso Nyiro river in Samburuland. You'll stay at Saruni Samburu - eight spacious shady suites perched on the Kalama mountains with your own private 95,000 hectare safari paradise. The setting is big volcanic hills, golden savannah plains and a ribbon of verdant green lining the river. Grevy's zebra, leopard, lion and breeding elephant herds thrive here with 350 species of birds and a host of other creatures. One morning be sure to just stay in camp and watch the rising sun illuminate the rolling grassland and distant Samburu hills in an array of colour. Breathe deep and savour the privilege of your place in this timeless landscape. The best time to visit is, frankly, anytime. Even in the so called 'rainy season', refreshing rains are sparse and the bush bursts with new life and colour. Contact Ross to plan your escape to magnificent remote Kenya. |
Madagascar Musings by David Epstein
Anyone who has often visited Africa, or who has African friends, will know about 'Africa Time'. It's not that things always happen later than they're supposed to, although that can happen. It's more a question of attitude. Time doesn't really matter; you can target a time for an activity, but if you don't hit the target, it's not of much consequence and nothing to worry about. As Douglas Adams wrote in 'The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy,' "Time is an illusion: lunchtime doubly so!" You don't go to Madagascar for luxury, (although it does exist), but you do go for charm. It doesn't hurt that with the French influence, the cuisine is super. They do great things with rum too. In many hotels, you'll see large glass jars with fruit gently steeping in liquid. Your only problem will be choosing how many you're going to sample while still remaining upright.
There are flora, fauna and fabulous scenery too. Lemurs, of course, have got to be seen, as this is the only place on earth where they live in the wild. Having no predators, they're as friendly as the other inhabitants.
Go there before all the rest of the world finds it. You have nothing to lose but your tension.
David and Sue Epstein have enjoyed countless holidays with Africa Exclusive over 20 years. Read more from David on our blog. |
Our holidays are all uniquely designed, excellent value for money and organised to perfection. Contact us now on:
Tel - 01604 628979
USA - 1-866 871 3829
Best Wishes,
John Burdett and Warwick Hoffman |
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WEBSITE FEATURES - FOCUS ON AWARD WINNING LODGES
The Good Safari Guide Awards 2010
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Best Safari Property in Africa
Elsa's Kopje, Kenya
Elsa's Kopje is the only permanent lodge in the remote Meru National Park, and is so named because it is on the site of George Adamson's first camp. The lodge is set on a hilltop with panoramic views and comprises eight stone and thatch cottages.
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Best New Safari Property in Africa
Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge, Rwanda
Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge is situated in an undulating area of 11 hectares on the edge of the Parc National des Volcans in the north west of Rwanda. The rain forests of the five Virunga Volcanoes are the last refuge of the magnificent mountain gorilla.
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Best Safari Property in Southern Africa
Singita Boulders Lodge, South Africa
Singita Boulders Lodge is situated in the game rich Sabi Sands Reserve in the Mpumalanga Province, overlooking the Sand River and bordering the Kruger National Park in South Africa. The word Singita means 'miracle' in the local Shangaan language.
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