Travel Butlers African Safari Blog.

For anyone planning their South African holiday in advance, it is so refreshing to have just heard that the Amakhala Game Reserve have announced that they are HOLDING their current 2010 rates throughout 2011.

They are also going to continue to offer the excellent Special Offer deal of Stay for 4 Nights, Pay for 3 during January, February, March and April 2011, and during the low season months of May, June, July, August and September 2011 they are offering a Stay for 3 nights, Only Pay for 2 deal.

All in all - a winner all round for anyone wanting to experience exciting game drives in search of the Big 5 in a malaria-free environment !

Call us now to make your booking …. why wait any longer !!

Book 3 nights at Lion Sands River Lodge in the Sabi Sand Reserve and receive 2 nights FREE in Cape Town, either in a Standard Room at the Cape Cadogan, or a Luxury Apartment at More Quarters Apartments !

Both the properties in Cape Town are conveniently located just off fashionable Kloof Street, with some of Cape Towns’ finest restaurants just a leisurely stroll away.

Valid for travel between 1 April 2010 and 30 September 2010 (excluding travel over the World Cup period, between 1st June 2010 and 18th July 2010) AND between 1 December 2010 and 31 January 2011 (excluding travel over the Christmas and New Year period between 20th December 2010 and 7th January 2011). This offer cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer.

Book 3 nights at the exclusive 5* Lion Sands Ivory Lodge in the world-famous Sabi Sand Reserve and receive 2 nights FREE in a Luxury Room in the Cape Cadogan, in the heart of the ‘Mother City’, Cape Town.

Lion Sands Ivory Lodge, in the southern portion of the 65,000 hectare Sabi Sand Game Reserve, is built on the banks of the Sabie River. Game viewing in search of Africa’s Big 5 - lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo - are conducted in open Land Rovers every morning and afternoon. The 6 ultra luxurious suites all have en-suite bathrooms with outdoor and inside showers, a courtyard, lounge with fireplace, wooden viewing deck, patio and private plunge pool.

Cape Cadogan is conveniently located just off the fashionable Kloof Street, with some of Cape Towns’ finest restaurants just a leisurely stroll away.

Valid for travel between 1 April 2010 and 30 September 2010 (excluding travel over the World Cup period, between 1st June 2010 and 18th July 2010) AND between 1 December 2010 and 31 January 2011 (excluding travel over the Christmas and New Year period between 20th December 2010 and 7th January 2011). This offer cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer.

Sibuya Tented Camp, situated in the malaria-free Eastern Cape, is a 3,000 hectare ’sanctuary’ to an abundance of diverse wildlife from elephants to otters, and almost everything in between, including the other 4 members of the Big 5 - so lion, leopard, buffalo and rhino.

River Camp is ideal for families, as the children can be accommodated on fold-out sofa beds in the suites, and there is also a special 'entertainment tent' just for younger guests.

Rates from Travel Butlers for a stay in this camp start from just R2,130 per adult per night up until the end of August, and then increase on the 1st September to R2,420 per adult sharing. Single rooms attract a 50 supplement, and children under 3 stay free of charge, and up to 12 years pay half rate.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to get REALLY close up and personal with the wildlife of the African bush ? Did you avidly follow the adventures of Emma in Vet Safari on the BBC, and wish you could trade places with her for a day?

Well, now you can !

Travel Butlers are proud to be able to offer their customers a rare, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, in conjunction with Brothers Safaris / African Vet Safaris, to follow trained vets and wildlife researchers as they go out on their daily duties in the private reserves in the Eastern Cape area.

On many of the private game reserves, it is vital to regularly monitor and check the health of the wildlife, especially the larger animals such as lion, elephant, rhino and leopard. And there are other checks that need to be routinely carried out too - female lions may, for example, need to be given a form of contraception to control the population, or for research purposes leopards and cheetahs may need to be fitted with transmitter implants or radio collars so that their whereabouts can be tracked and followed.

In order for these procedures to be safely carried out (and this is in terms of both the welfare of the animal AND the person carrying out the procedure!), the animals will need to be sedated first - after all, would you want to try to fit a male leopard with a tracking device while he is wide awake and fully alert?! This is termed as ‘immobilising’ the animal, and it is not harmful at all. The animal is simply darted with a tranquiliser, which will temporarily knock them out while the safari vets then do whatever needs to be done.

Once the animal is tranquilised, participating guests are invited to move as close as they would like to watch what the safari vet in action - and depending on the animal and the actual procedure being carried out, guests may even be offered the opportunity to assist - under strict supervision, of course ! Either way, it is a truly unique way to get unbelievably close to the magnificent creatures of the African bush - and the experience is not one that many people can say they have had !

Guests may also, on request, fly in the helicopter with the safari vet if a helicopter is required to dart the animals.

Guests will be able to join the safari vets over a consecutive 4 day period, which also gives ample time to enjoy the general game viewing in the reserve. In general, the number of guests is limited to a maximum of 7, but if you have a larger or smaller group, or you particularly want to focus your experience on a particular animal, trips can be tailormade on request.

The cost of this 4 day unforgettable experience, including your accommodation and most meals, starts from R19,000 per person, and part of this cost goes not only towards the cost of the procedure, but also to the wildlife / conservation body, so guests are directly contributing towards the conservation and successful management of the wildlife.

In fact, the Lion Immobilisation Safari, which is scheduled to run between the 9th and 12th April 2010, has not yet been filled - the safari is guaranteed to run, and thus we are offering a last minute special - contact us for an updated itinerary or to discuss costs ASAP.

If you have longer to spare, there is also the opportunity to go ‘behind the scenes’ with a team of wildlife field researchers and scientists to study a particular animal. This gives guests on this trip an amazing opportunity to gain an incredibly rare insight into the behaviour patterns of animals in their natural environment. These trips are generally about 8 to 9 days in duration, as they consist of a whole series of activities, including visiting rehabilitation centres and animal sanctuaries, learning about wildlife management, tracking wildlife through the bush and monitoring their activities, watching (and participating in too) various routine vetinerary procedures - and maybe even tracking collared animals from the air. The research may also not be limited to just one reserve, again giving a really varied experience - not to mention some great all-round game viewing too!

All activites are option, and guests can choose to be as hands on or hands off as they prefer.

Again, contact us for costs today !

Guests at AmaKhosi Safari Lodge, about 3 hours from Durban, are used to their rangers taking them off road during exciting game drives in search of Africa’s Big 5 … but recently some guests got a slightly closer encounter than maybe they had bargained for !

An everso slightly curious elephant decided to investigate the Land Rover that the guests were sitting in. He came so close, it would have been possible to actually reach out and touch this gentle giant of the bush.

Ranger Philip Khumalo, however, showed why it is important for all rangers to be fully qualified and comfortable in their surroundings. He instructed his tracker to get into the vehicle, and then told all guests to remain extremely quiet and very still, and eventually the elephant, having satisfied his curiousity about this ’strange metal thing’, wandered away.

Generally, when out on game drives, although the rangers will approach wildlife so that guests can enjoy an unbelievably close encounter, they do like to keep a respectful distance from the animals, in order not to spook or scare them - but if these animals decide to come closer on their own accord, then the ranger has to be prepared for all eventualities. A good and experienced ranger will always ensure that he has parked his vehicle at a sighting with an ‘easy exit route’ - so that he can move away if he feels that it is safe to do so without scaring or frightening the animal greatly. Guests safety always comes first.

I think it is fair to say that these guests probably didn’t need the zoom feature on their camera in this sighting !!

Stay 4 nights for the price of 3 at either Hlosi Game Lodge or Bukela Game Lodge, both situated less than an hours drive from Port Elizabeth.

Both lodges offer exciting malaria-free Big 5 game drives in search of Africa’s wildlife, in specially modified, open air 4WD Land Rovers designed to accommodate 8 guests. Because the land is privately owned, your ranger can take you off the beaten track and get you unbelievably close to the animals in their natural habitat.

This offer is valid for travel up to the end of April 2010.

For anyone looking to go on safari in March or April this year, this superb offer gives visitors to South Africa the opportunity to experience a fantastic 3 day safari in the Amakhala Game Reserve in South Africa’s Eastern Cape for the cost of only 2 nights.

The Amakhala Game Reserve began in 1999 as a joint conservation venture and today its independently owned lodges offer malaria-free safaris less than an hour drive from Port Elizabeth.

Go on game drives in an open Land Rover in search of wildlife including rhino, elephant, cheetah, buffalo, giraffe, black wildebeest, zebra, and over 16 antelope species, or take a night drive with cheese and wine sundowners before searching for elusive nocturnal animals; relax on a slow river cruise down the Bushman’s River; or take a guided walk with one of the qualified rangers.

Choose from 4 lodges - Bush Lodge, Leeuwenbosch, Safari Lodge or Woodbury Lodge.

Bateleur Charters have just announced that they are offering a brand new service for safari goers to the Sabi Sands Game Reserve. This new service will be launched on 1st May.

They will fly daily from the Johannesburg O.R. Tambo to the Sabi Sands Reserve, departing Johannesburg at about 11.15 am and landing in Sabi about 75 minutes later. Return flights depart Sabi Sands at about 1 pm.

Guests arriving at Johannesburg O.R Tambo will need to make their way to the Bateleur Air Charter Kiosk in the International Terminal building, where they will be met by a staff member and taken to the Bateleur Air Charter private VIP lounge, which serves tea, coffee and other refreshments. There is also a free luggage storage service here, so that guests can store any excess luggage to be collected upon their return.

There is a fantastic opening special rate of just R3,200 return or R1,600 one way fully inclusive of ALL airport taxes and VAT for the month of May 2010 only. From 08 June 2010 the rate increases to R4,500 return or R2,250 one way, again fully inclusive of ALL airport taxes and VAT. This rate will be applicable for the remainder of 2010 subject to possible slight fuel increases.

OK, so hands up … these photos WERE taken in the UK … but wouldn’t you just love to see a leopard like this in its own habitat ?

The world-famous private game reserves and safari lodges near the Greater Kruger Park offer possibly the best Big 5 game viewing opportunities to be found anywhere, with lion and leopard tracking a particular speciality.

These lodges are either located within one of a handful of concessions in Kruger itself, or in one of the neighbouring private game reserves (such as Sabi Sand, Timbavati, Balule, Klaserie, and Manyeleti) on the western side of the Park, or in one of the nearby fenced reserves such as Thornybush and Kapama.

The land is privately owned, so the game viewing vehicles are not restricted to the road network and it is therefore possible for the experienced guides to follow the wildlife through the bush and to get extremely close to the animals.

Oh, yes … back to the photos … these photos were taken by a photography student at the Santago Rare Leopard Project in Hertfordshire , England. The brave little mouse apparentely appeared just after the keeper had dropped in the meat for the leopard.

Seemingly totally unaware of the huge leopard, the mouse scampered right up to the meat and started eating away.

The leopard, Sheena, stood and looked on in amazement at such boldness. After a few minutes, she tried to gently push the mouse away with her nose, but the mouse refused to budge, and stayed munching until he was full.

Simply amazing !!