Travel Butlers African Safari Blog.

Tipping in a private safari lodge is one of those grey areas that always catches people out, and can send even the calmest person into a complete panic.

Your time on safari will probably be the most expensive part of your trip. Once there, however, you will forget all about the cost, as you luxuriate in your wonderful accommodation, eat more food than you ever thought possible, forget all about the problems at work as you relax by the pool in the African sunshine inbetween game drives, and experience wildlife encounters that you could never have imagined seeing, or that you only thought you would ever see on The Discovery Programme.

Your last night comes, and you reluctantly return from your last evening game drive to a (yet again) perfectly turned down bed … and then you spot the envelopes, thoughtfully left there by the turn-down staff, with ‘that’ word emblazoned across the front … ‘GRATUITIES’ …. Help !!

You don’t want to ask your fellow guests what they are leaving, because it is just ‘not the done thing’ and tipping is a personal matter; you feel too embarrassed to walk into Reception and ask someone there … so what to do ??

Some lodges will put a ‘guideline’ in their brochure, which we honestly think are sometimes a bit OTT in their expectations, so our general ‘rule of thumb’ is as follows :

Your Ranger - by the end of your stay at the safari lodge, he or she will probably be your new ‘best friend’. And of course you want to thank them profusely for having shown you the best ever lion / leopard / elephant / rhino sightings in the entire history of mankind.

However, there is no need to go overboard and give them the equivalent of a month’s salary (even if you CAN afford it) as this could set a level of expectation that future guests just could not match.

What we normally recommend is think about it in terms of what would your ranger really appreciate, and that could be something like the money to cover a really good meal out for 2, with a nice bottle of wine, so that he / she can treat themselves (and their boy / girlfriend !) on their valuable time off.

Your Tracker – he will have proved himself to be invaluable, as he will no doubt have spotted things that the normal human could never hope to see – a chameleon on the lowest branch of a tree on the way back to the lodge at night, or a leopard hiding behind a rock – again, tipping too much would not be appropriate.

We would therefore recommend tipping something equivalent to giving him a good night out in a local bar, where he can buy himself and friends a few round of drinks !

Cleaning Staff - if they have kept your room spotless, then a tip is certainly a nice gesture – but maybe just the equivalent of a couple of drinks.

We do hope this helps – but please note this is just a personal opinion, and we are not for one minute promoting the partaking of alcohol beverages … but we have found, having been on a lot of safaris, that this rule of thumb works pretty well and it is a relatively easy way of estimating a tip amount that should not offend anyone.

If you are thinking of arranging a family holiday to South Africa, and including a couple of days at a safari lodge, you will be amazed at the number of lodges that do cater specifically for children - and by this, we mean not only just offering to put extra beds in the room for them to sleep on !

A growing number of safari lodges now offer children programmes for their younger guests. These obviously vary from lodge to lodge, but in general the majority of the programmes will include ‘bush bumbles’ - a shortened version of the adults game drive, plus the vehicle will not get as close to the larger animals of the African bush (such as elephants, lions, buffalo and rhino); short bush walks in search of insects and animal spoor (what child wouldn’t just LOVE the opportunity to be able to pick up some zebra dung !!), and story-telling about ‘Why the Elephant has a Trunk’ , ‘Why the Zebra has a Stripy Coat’ and ‘Why the Warthog is so Ugly’. Some lodges will offer kiddies bush picnics or special ‘themed’ meal times, some will even invite the children into the kitchen where the chef will help them bake cookies.

And all this goes on while the parents either enjoy their own game drives or just relax around the pool !

You can see a selection of lodges that Travel Butlers work with who offer such programmes by clicking HERE.

Even if you want to go to a lodge that doesn’t offer a bespoke children’s programme, there will always be babysitters on hand to look after the really young children during game drives. In general, all the lodges right across South Africa will not allow children younger than 5 to go on the long adult game drives (but the age restriction does vary from lodge to lodge so you do need to check with us before booking).

If you really do want to share the safari experience with your little ones, you can ask the lodge if you can hire a Land Rover for a day, and the ranger will only take you and your family out on your own game drives.

This will be an extra cost over and above the rate that you would normally pay, and whilst the lodge will do everything they can to accommodate this, they all do state that they cannot guarantee this service - purely for the reason that each lodge will normally have just one ’spare’ Land Rover - and if one of the vehicles that is due to take out the other guests breaks down, then the spare vehicle has to be used !

Finally, for most families, the family-friendly lodges in the malaria-free regions, such as the Eastern Cape, the Waterberg and Madikwe, will offer the most appeal, as this will mean that the kiddies will not have to take malaria tablets before, during and after the safari part of the trip !

South Africa is ready to welcome the world in June 2010 as it prepares to host a World Cup like no other, and this will provide an ideal opportunity for many fans to combine sport with a trip to a truly world class travel destination.

Of course (whisper it quietly)…not everyone likes football! Given the huge number of teams, fans, and media that will invade South Africa next June/July, careful planning is required to make sure that anyone thinking of visiting the country in 2010 gets the most out of their trip regardless of whether they are travelling to follow the World Cup or not.

Love Football - Visiting South Africa during the World Cup
Stunning scenery, long sandy beaches, vibrant city life, and excellent game viewing are making South Africa one of the fastest growing holiday destinations in the world. Steeped in history and culture, there are outstanding attractions in every part of this vast country, and these can easily be included to fit in around the games … from whale watching and wine tasting around Cape Town, to tracking lions in Kruger or scuba diving near Durban…this will be a World Cup to remember!

The recent British & Irish Lions Rugby tour of South Africa saw a 40% increase in visitors from the home nations to South Africa. Given the immense popularity of football and the number of nations taking part in the World Cup, fans that are planning on going out to follow their team are strongly advised to plan their trip and book accommodation as early as possible to avoid disappointment, especially as flights are now available.

To help fans research and plan their trip, we have prepared a comprehensive guide to the tournament including travel information, host city guides, what do do between games and more - click here to read more : World Cup Travel Guide.

Hate Football - Avoid The Crowds And Save Money By Avoiding The World Cup
For anyone not interested in following the World Cup, the best advice would definitely be to avoid travelling there during the tournament!

The World Cup will run from 11 June to 11 July 2010, and it is expected that the whole region will be extremely busy with teams, fans, and the media from 1 June until 15 July.

For non-fans, visiting outside of this period will not only give them a greater choice of hotels and safari lodges, but it will also mean they can take advantage of the numerous special offers that we are offering during this period (such as “Stay for 3 nights and only pay for 2″, or free accommodation in Cape Town when you book a safari at selected lodges) that will not be available during the World Cup period.

Of course, even some football fans might prefer to watch the tournament on TV and travel to SA at another time!

Whenever you decide to go to South Africa, we can help you research, plan and book a dream holiday to this exciting country. As well as the World Cup Guide, our comprehensive website includes travel guides to the major highlights of the region, details of hundreds of hotels, safari lodges and specials offers, and suggested itineraries for your trip.

AIRLINK has confirmed that it will operate a new route from Kruger to Livingstone (for Victoria Falls) from August 17.

Airlink’s service will operate directly from Kruger Mpumalanga / Nelspruit (airport code MQP) to Livingstone in Zambia (airport code LVI) initially on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, with the intention to grow frequency corresponding with demand.

This will avoid the current need for Kruger travellers to stay overnight or connect in Johannesburg prior to flying to Livingstone. The opportunity is then for travellers to enjoy a game drive and breakfast at their bush lodge before travelling to Livingstone and enjoying, on the same day, an evening sunset cruise on the Zambezi. For people travelling from Livingstone to Kruger, they can enjoy a walk to the Falls in the morning, then breakfast and mid-morning activities before travelling to Kruger to enjoy dinner and the first night in the bush.

Flights will depart Nelspruit Kruger at 11.55 am, arriving in Livingstone at 1.50 pm. The return flight will depart Livingstone at 2.20 pm, arriving in Nelspruit Kruger at 4.45 pm.

Travel + Leisure Magazine USA has just completed its 2009 Worlds Best Service Awards, asking its readers to nominate destinations around the globe that “really deliver”.

The results were published in the magazine’s June edition, and Sabi Sabi is honoured to have been voted as 7th best hotel overall in the world, the only South African establishment in the World’s Top Ten category. Sabi Sabi’s Earth Lodge has also made the 2009 Conde Nast Traveller Gold List for Best in Ambience and Design.

In its 30 years of existence, Sabi Sabi has become renowned for succesfully balancing luxury and world class safaris, with genuine African warmth and hospitality - inviting guests to enjoy a personalised home in the bush experience. The caring management and staff play an integral part in the overall Sabi Sabi experience, offering superb service that complements the 5-Star accommodation, exciting Big 5 open Land Rover safaris and superb cuisine.

Marketing director, Jacques Smit attributes this international recognition to several factors: “People form the heart of our business. The majority of our team hail from nearby villages and they have an inherent connection with the reserve. They bring a special brand of African hospitality to our lodges that make guests feel instantly at home”.

Ask Sabi Sabi’s returning guests why they come back again and again, and the answer will be, “for the unforgettable experience made all the more memorable by the warmth and hospitality of the staff.” How true !

Keen to see leopards in the wild?   This video (appropriately enough taken at Leopard Hills) is a good example of why the Sabi Sands Reserve in the Greater Kruger Park is probably the best place anywhere to see leopard. 

Londolozi Private Game Reserve, situated in the exclusive Sabi Sand Game Reserve which adjoins the Kruger National Park, has a series of exciting guest activities lined up for the winter months at no extra cost.

These include breakfasts and bushveld picnics – including whisky porridge at dawn; winter wine tasting and campfire story telling; leopard tracking; astrology and geology lectures; yoga massage and all-night bush sleep-outs.

For many people who decide to drive themselves to their safari lodge (rather than arrange a transfer or fly directly to the reserve), the thrill of arriving at a game reserve for the first time is immense. However, unless their tour operator has briefed them thoroughly (something that we at Travel Butlers ALWAYS do !), some people won’t realise that once they enter the reserve gates, they then may have anything up to a 30 – 45 minute drive through the reserve in their own car to reach the lodge.

There really is nothing to worry about, however, but here are a few useful tips.

Firstly, make sure you know whether there is an entrance fee to enter the reserve. Most operators will not include this in the rate they have charged you, so just double check with them if in doubt. The entrance fee is normally payable in cash, so make sure you have enough on you.

Secondly, in 99% of the reserves, you will not need a 4WD vehicle to enable you to drive through the reserve. Although the roads won’t be tarred, the main roads that you will be following to get to the lodge will be well kept, and are easy to drive on. If the roads do require a 4WD, your tour operator should advise you accordingly.

Thirdly, don’t worry about getting lost …. The reserves generally have signposts to the individual lodges for you to follow.
Fourthly, allow enough time from leaving the gate to reaching the lodge. You obviously will need to stick to the speed limit (normally around 40 km/h), but you must also allow extra time just in case you meet some wildlife on the way – for example, you may have to wait 10 minutes while a herd of zebra cross the road in front of you ! Under NO circumstances should you drive off-road to get past any wildlife – instead, if you do encounter anything, slow down and maintain a good distance and wait until they have moved off in their own time.

And finally, and most importantly, do NOT get out of your car until you reach the lodge. The lodge will most likely have been notified that you have arrived at the gate, so they will be waiting for you. If you get into any problems, they will send someone out to search for you !

For a lot of visitors to South Africa, a very popular safari destination is to spend a couple of nights in one of the lodges of the Eastern Cape, as this can easily be combined with a visit to Cape Town and a trip along the Garden Route - and the area is also malaria-free, which especially for families is an important consideration

But which lodge or reserve do you select? There are so many to choose from – Shamwari, Kwandwe, Pumba, Amakhala, Lalibela, Kariega … so what are the main differences ?

This may, I hope, shed some light for potential visitors to this area !

The reserves of the Eastern Cape range in size – anything from 5,000 hectares to 25,000 hectares. They are all privately owned, which means that the rangers have the freedom to drive off-road if there is a particular sighting that they want their guests to get close to – a pride of lions snoozing under a tree, for example !

The reserves all operate independently from each other, and each therefore have their own wildlife stock - the larger reserves such as Shamwari and Kwandwe can obviously sustain more wildlife in terms of actual physical numbers, and can also sustain species such as wild dog, who need an incredibly large home territory to hunt over - but the privilege of this is reflected in the rates.

The smaller reserves such as Amakhala, Lalibela, Pumba and Kariega, which tend to be around the 5,000 - 8,000 hectare size, do have to limit the number of predators - for example, a small reserve can only sustain a few lion, or else they would find their entire buffalo population is wiped out very quickly by hungry lions !

If Shamwari or Kwandwe fall within your budget, then in all honesty a 2 or 3 night safari in one of these lodges would give you a more rounded safari experience by dint purely of the size. 

Staying in either of these reserves means you will generally not see the road / reserve perimeter fence line at all during your stay, whereas in the smaller reserves you may well come across the fence line during a game drive - especially in Amakhala, as the lions are kept in a separate 1,000 hectares on one side of the road, so to get between this and the main part of the reserve you do cross under the main N2 road via an underpass - which can detract from the overall feeling of being totally immersed in your bush / safari experience.

However, to be forewarned is to be prepared - we had some wonderful sightings when we stayed at Amakhala, which included a cheetah mum and 3 cubs on an impala kill just a few meters from the N2 – which more than compensated for the highway encounter !

Kariega is also a ’split’ reserve, with the lions and elephants being kept separate in one part of the reserve, but you don’t go near the N2 at all - however you do cross over a minor road between the 2 parts of the reserve.

Whichever lodge you choose, you will still come away with memories of a wildlife encounter that will last a lifetime.

Stay for 3 nights for the price of 2 at Shumbalala Game Lodge in the Thornybush Game Reserve. Dawn and dusk safaris in open Land Rovers, bushveld walks, all meals, teas, coffees and snacks, and sundowner drinks on game drives are included.

This exclusive 5* lodge is set under shady African trees lining the seasonal Monwana river in the Thornybush Game Reserve, which comprises of 14,500 hectares of fenced prime game viewing territory, and is home to the Big 5 as well as a variety of other African wildlife.

Accommodation is in 4 luxury suites. All the suites have overhead fans, air-conditioning, open fireplaces, and designer ‘picture window’ bathroom suites that includes an additional outside shower for the more adventurous and a private viewing deck.

The main lodge area has game viewing decks and swimming pools, as well as 2 lounges, a curio shop and a library in which to relax between game drives.

This offer is valid for travel between 1 March 2009 and 31 July 2009.