Well, better late than never, I guess … I have just 3 more ‘roving reports’ to write and blog about from my trip to the Masai Mara in Kenya all those weeks ago (well, March, so not that long ago I guess).

The 2nd camp I stayed at in the Mara was Elephant Pepper Camp. Run by a really personable Scottish guy called Calum (whose sister I found out lives in my home town of Weybridge, talk about small world) and his Kenyan wife Sophie, you are welcomed warmly and given a drink while you get your traditional ‘camp briefing’.

The camp feels very spacious even though it is one of the smaller camps in the Mara, with just 7 tents. There is an open dining room / mess tent, with one long table where you all sit together at mealtimes, creating a ‘homely’ atmosphere; a separate lounge tent with a very well stocked bar cupboard; and that is about it ! No permanent structures like a gym or a swimming pool, as the camp gets dismantled every year to preserve the eco-system for a few months.

My tent was extremely comfortable – a verandah outside with a table and chairs, and a hammock strung up between 2 trees, and as I laid there contemplating all the hard work I was doing (this was an exhausting business trip …. ), all I could hear was the sound of the birds and absolutely nothing else.

Inside the tent, I had a large double bed, and an en-suite bathroom with a bucket shower, which gets filled up morning and night with hot water, so you do have to be a bit conservative with the hot water ! There is a separate ‘flap’ in the side of the bathroom where they also put through a jug of hot water so you can wash your face. The toilet was eco-friendly, not the most attractive of cysterns I will admit, but very functional and totally in keeping with the whole ‘eco-friendliness’ of the camp in general.

Foodwise, extremely good. Buffet style lunch, plated dinner, and we were all surprised by a bush breakfast in the morning.

The camp is on a private conservancy, so for the game drives on this area, you can go off road but when you go into the Masai Mara Reserve itself, you do have to remain on the road networks. The game viewing was excellent – lion, elephant, giraffe, wildebeest, zebra, other antelope, and even rock dassies (so cute). My guide was Stanley, who has I think been with Elephant Pepper for years and years – he was what I would class as the strong silent type – not greatly chatty but he did still know his stuff about the wildlife.

I left the camp wishing I could stay longer, which is always a good sign. Although I was only there one night, I felt that I had been there for much longer. A testament, I think, to how welcome and at ease you are made to feel.

Lion Sands River Lodge, in the southern portion of the 65,000 hectare Sabi Sand Game Reserve, is situated on a private area of prime game-viewing land. The lodge is built on the banks of the Sabie River, facing due East so that it catches the sun as it rises over the Kruger National Park.

The game viewing is truly superb, with lion and leopard sightings a speciality, as well as buffalo, elephant, rhino, antelope, giraffe, cheetah, zebra and many other species of both animal and birds.

Guests are accommodated in 20 luxurious thatched chalets, each with an en-suite bathroom with outdoor and inside showers, and a private wooden viewing deck with a view of the river. The bedroom area is air-conditioned with an over-head fan. All rooms have mini bars and telephone access.

We are delighted to offer the following FANTASTIC rates for anyone wanting to stay here from 1st October until the end of the year, in a Luxury Room :

1st October 2011 until 22nd December 2011 – you pay only R4415 per person per night.

23rd December 2011 until 3rd January 2012 – even over this High Season, you will pay only R4,905 per person per night. MINIMUM 3 NIGHT BOOKING REQUIRED.

Rates are fully inclusive of 2 daily game drives in open Land Rovers, 3 meals daily, game drive refreshments, tea / coffee, and Skukuza airport transfers. Subject to weather conditions, the rate also includes bush breakfasts and bush dinners, bush walks, full moon walks, wildlife lectures, safari lunches, hippopotamus river tour and astronomy.

For more details and to ask us to check availability now and make a booking for you, call or email us today.

Tanzania is synonymous with the Great Migration, and with careful planning, it is possible for visitors to be at the right time at the right place to witness this amazing annual wildlife event.

Each year, literally hundreds and hundreds of thousands of wildebeest, zebra and gazelles trek across the vast Serengeti plains towards Kenya’s Masai Mara, in search of new grazing grass. It is estimated that just over 2 million animals in total make this migration from one country to another and back again – a round journey of just under 2,000 miles.

The great migration has now reached the Kirawira Plains and Kirawira Luxury Tented Camp still has some rooms available for early June.

So if you have always wanted to see the ‘Greatest Show on Earth’, give us a call or email us today !

If it is, then don’t worry, take advantage of one or more of these Stay for 3 Nights, Only Pay for 2 at the following Hollow Hotels properties, valid from 1st June until the end of September :

Hippo Hollow Country Estate or Perry’s Bridge Hollow, both in Hazyview – perfect either to explore the Kruger Park from or as a place to stay before / after a safari here

Knysna Hollow Country Estate – great for a stay along the beautiful Garden Route (not valid however during the famous Knysna Oyster Festival at the beginning of July)

Cape Town Hollow or Hollow in the Square – and we really don’t need to sell the highlights or a reason to stay in Cape Town !!

The Yellow Fever vaccination recommendations for Africa have been revised by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Following this revision, the South African Department of Health has issued a statement regarding the requirements for travel between South Africa and Zambia.

All passengers travelling from Zambia to South Africa, and vice versa, will now require proof of Yellow Fever vaccination. This was not a requirement before.

In-transit passengers will also require proof of vaccination.

At last !! Now it is possible to fly directly from Cape Town to Livingstone and Victoria Falls !

Zambezi Airlines have just announced their new direct flights – the planned schedule (due to be launched at the end of June) will be as follows :

From 30 Jun 11 until 31 Dec 12, flights will depart on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday from Cape Town at 8 am, arriving into Livingstone at 11.10 am – so you can then spend the rest of the afternoon at the Falls !

On the way back, the flights depart Livingstone on a Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday at 2 pm, arriving back into Cape Town at 5.10 pm – so just in time for a sundowner !

Congratulations to Summerwood, in Swellendam, for winning the category “Guest House Style Large” at the annual AA Travel Guides American Express Accommodation Awards event, held recently in Durban.

This unique mansion, originally built in 1904, was designed by an Italian architect and has been lovingly restored and furnished to make your stay here extremely comfortable and enjoyable. If you are looking for peace and quiet, then Summerwood is the place to come. The 9 bedrooms are all individually and tastefully decorated.

Tsavo National Park, which covers nearly 22,000 km2, is the largest National Park in Kenya, in fact, it is one of the largest in the world. As Tsavo is so close to Mombasa (less than 100 km), it is an ideal destination for anyone wanting to combine the thrill of a safari with some relaxing beach time.

For travel in October, we can offer a 2 night safari here plus 5 nights at a hotel in Mombasa, excluding international flights, for less than £780 per person.

7 Night Holiday Package

Contact one of our consultants today to ask us to send you a quote !

Whale watching is one of the major attractions of the Western Cape. Humpbacks and Bryde’s whales are mostly spotted offshore from boats, but by far the most commonly sighted species, either from land or from boat, is the Southern Right whale.

These majestic giants migrate to the South African waters from the Antarctic Ocean to calf from June, and begin the long journey back again at the end of November or beginning of December.

For families thinking of coming to South Africa from now until the end of September, and who want to see these wonderful creatures first hand, why not take advantage of this special offer that we are currently running at Milkwood Lodge in Hermanus :

Children stay Free

For anyone who wants to do something a little different, and really be able to tell people back home that they had a close encounter with a lion, check out the new ‘Walk with Lions’ programme that has recently been launched on the Zorgfontein Eco and Wildlife Reserve at Great Brak River, just outside Mossel Bay on the Garden Route.

Up to 8 visitors at a time get the chance to walk with 3 young cubs and their mothers, for about 90 minutes in a strictly controlled environment (which also means no petting of the animals). The walks take place twice a day, and anyone can go on the walks as long as they are older than 10 years and over 1.5 meters tall.

The cubs all come from different litters, and are currently 6 months old. The mothers were rescued from potential hunting programmes, and have been raised by hand by the reserve’s owner, Mariné Neethling.