Travel Butlers African Safari Blog.

We have been so busy recently that we have not updated our April photo competition with the photos we have been sent for a couple of weeks.

No need to panic!  None of the pictures have been lost, and all the ones we have received to date have been uploaded this afternoon. 

We should also highlight the fact that we have changed the prize for this competition from wine to Amazon web sites.  One of the winners of our last competition was an American lady, and unfortunately in proved  impossible to deliver the wine to her and this has causes us to re-think the suitability of wine as a prize.  The advantage of Amazon vouchers is that they can be delivered anywhere and in (pretty much) any currency, and with a wide range of items available this give winners a great deal of flexability in terms of choosing their own prize.

During November 2008 an agreement between Kapama and the neighbouring Gwalagwala lodge was concluded whereby Kapama would acquire the property and business of Gwalagwala.

Kapama will take ownership of the property and business on 1 December 2008, and the fence between Kapama and Gwalagwala which stretches for 3.5 km on Kapama’s southern boundary will be removed and the Gwalagwala property will be incorporated into Kapama Private Game Reserve.

Gwalagwala is a tented camp similar to Buffalo Camp with 6 tents with en suite bath rooms and one large luxury tent with a bath, double basin and outside shower. The camp is positioned along the Klaserie River, a permanent river which provides water to the many game species within the Kapama Reserve. The Klaserie River and immediate surrounding vegetation provides the ideal habitat for leopard, hippo and crocodile on the reserve.

From the 1st of December Kapama will include two daily game drives in open vehicles on Kapama Game Reserve and this will be included in the rate.

Want to experience the bush from the comfort of your living room? iafrica.com is reporting that National Geographic Wild Channel is broadcating twice-daily game drives this week ‘live’ from Singita Lebombo in the Kruger National Park, to 166 countries worldwide.

The programme, called ‘Caught on Safari: Live’, is presented by safari legend John Varty and Andy Coetzee, and will feature morning and afternoon game drives that are being broadcast ‘live’ until Saturday 15 November. The drives will take place from 6am-8am, and again from 5pm-7pm daily.

The programme will be hosted by UK wildlife presenter Michaela Strachan and will be broadcast on National Geographic Wild, as well as online at www.natgeotv.com. Game rangers and wildlife trackers from Singita, along with veterinarians and ecologists, will also share insight into Africa’s conservation issues, as well as specific initiatives taking place in the Kruger National Park.

The ‘virtual safari’ will cover the length and breadth of the 15 000 hectare Singita Kruger National Park concession, situated along South Africa’s border with Mozambique on the far eastern reaches of the Kruger National Park.

Today is the fifth anniversary of Travel Butlers’ first client booking

We have come a long way since that warm and sunny spring day in Cape Town  - our first client booked a few nights at Tsitsikamma Lodge on the Garden Route, and since then we have helped many thousands of people plan their safaris, honeymoons, and family holidays to Southern Africa. 

We have also literally come a long way, moving the company from  South Africa back to the UK in 2004. So whilst we celebrated our first booking in a beach-front bar in Camps Bay, we will be toasting our fifth anniversary in a cosy pub in Weybridge (just outside London).  At least it is not raining at the moment…although it probably won’t be long before the next downpour!

Many thanks to all the people who have made this such a successful and enjoyable period for us, especially the many wonderful guests we have helped plan honeymoons, African safari holidays and other special trips for; our friends in the trade in South Africa, Namibia, and the surrounding countries; and of course the excellent people who have worked so hard with us over the years: Susan, Anneli, Bryony, and Alys.

Here’s to the next 25 years!

Tracey & Paul Campbell.

Camp Jabulani in Hoedspruit has won the ‘Leading Eco-Retreat’ category at the Amarula Best Retreats in Africa Awards 2008, the prestigious travel awards that celebrate and reward the rich diversity of retreats throughout Africa and assist in promoting the continent as a prime destination for first class world travel. The category recognises the retreat that has done the most to embrace and apply ecological and conservation principles, either to its practical running or to enhance the experience of the guests.

Camp Jabulani is a perfect translation of the African bush, reduced to a classic and elegant environment fit for royalty, but warm enough to make the most “down to earth” feel at home.

With a philosophy to conserve nature while educating guests and locals to its importance, the entire Jabulani camp is built around conservation and ecological principles with a harmonious and pleasing balance between “designer” and “authentic”. Originally established to save and sustain a troupe of elephants, it now enables guests one-on-one interactions with one of the most magical creatures in the world.

Each entry, some from as far as Mauritius and Kenya, went through a rigorous judging process in their entered category of choice. A panel of well-established and respected judges from tourism, food and design backgrounds were inspired by the level of entrants at extensive judging sessions in Cape Town and Johannesburg.

Runners up in the ‘Best Eco-Retreat’ category were Borana Lodge, in the Samangua Valley, Kenya and Grootbos, in Gansbaai, which received Silver and Bronze awards respectively.

This week has seen the South African Rand fall close to record 5-year lows against the British pound (GBP), the US Dollar, and the Euro.  

This is great news for holiday makers as this makes accommodation and safaris across the region cheaper at a time when many people are looking to save money where they can, and as South Africa is just entering it’s long summer months there has rarely been a better time to book a holiday of a lifetime in Africa.

Our special offers and budget safari lodges highlight some of the special deals currently on offer.

During their recent visit to the Waterberg area of South Africa, Tracey & Paul Campbell were delighted to stay at Hanglip Mountain Lodge in the Entabeni Safari Conservancy. 

Entabeni is a 22,000 hectare reserve located less than three hours north of Johannesburg, and there is a wide range of accommodation on offer including luxury ensuite tents, family units, and 5* luxury lodges.  This is a malaria-free area, and this along with excellent game viewing and additional activities including horseback safaris, quadbiking and lake cruises will make this area very popular with families, couples, and honeymooners alike.

We are delighted to now be able to include more information on the increasingly popular Welgevonden Reserve which is located just three hours north of Durban in the Malaria Free Wtaerberg area of South Africa.

Tracey & Paul have recently returned from this region and were very impressed by the beautiful reserve, excellent game viewing, and the standard of the lodges in the region…we are sure you will love it too! 

Personal highlights for Tracey & Paul were the stay at Clifftop Lodge (which is immaculate) and a wonderful sighting of a lioness with her two young cubs….magical!

The Shamwari Game Reserve will be featured in a series on the Animal Planet channel called “Shamwari: A Wild Life” which starts on September 15th in the UK.  

A full schedule for the UK, Europe and Africa is available on the competition page, along with a clip of the programme.

To celebrate this series Shamwari are running a competition with a prize of three nights at the reserve to be taken next year.
See a clip of the programme and enter the competition.

We have just been passed details of a very good deal at Amakhosi Safari Lodge which runs to the end of August.

Guests booking now to stay between now and the end of next month will get to enjoy this lovely reserve for three nights for the price of two. All game drives, bush walks, meals and local beverages are included, and you can read more about this offer here.