Jetsettersblog

The Africa Adventure Company is offering six new active trips for 2013, including walking safaris, family adventures and packages combining cultural experiences with wildlife encounters.

The 15-day Diamond Skies Safari to South Africa showcases the diversity of South Africa, including private game reserves, archeological explorations, visiting with meerkats at Tswalu, and star gazing.

The new 12-day Luxury Adventurer Flying Safari to Kenya is for thrill seekers.

The itinerary includes fishing trips, horseback excursions and camel rides. Sala’s Camp, where the trip is based, is a good location from which to witness the migration from July to October.

The program may include cultural interactions with both the Samburu and Maasai people.

The 16-day Savannah Grasses Safari traverses three countries: South Africa, Botswana, and Zimbabwe, with an itinerary designed to showcase the diversity of the three countries.

The itinerary includes walking with elephants in Hwange, game viewing activities in Botswana’s Okavango Delta, a visit to Victoria Falls, and sightseeing in Cape Town.

The 12-day Private Safari to the Best of Tanzania includes walking safaris at Oliver’s Camp in Tarangire and Sayari in the northern Serengeti. Stays will include a luxury tree camp and lodge, and deluxe semi-permanent tented camps well-suited for witnessing the Great Migration.

The Family Adventure to Zimbabwe offers activities in three areas, including Victoria Falls with the Upper Zambezi, Hwange National Park and the cultural site of Matobo Hills.

The trip includes day and night game drives, walking safaris, game viewing by boat, and cave explorations to see ancient bushman art.

The 12-day Wings over Namibia flying safari provides an aerial view of Namibia, flying lodge to lodge on charter flights.

The package also includes travel by foot, mountain bike, and 4×4 vehicles and game drives in search of area wildlife, such as springbok, ostrich, and desert-adapted elephant.

The Africa Adventure Company offers more than 75 safari trips to more than 14 African countries. http://www.africa-adventure.com/ 

African Travel is offering a new Small Group Journey called Great Zimbabwe Adventure that showcases Zimbabwe, sometimes known as the land of Great Houses of Stone. The so-called Houses of Stone are considered to be close to 1,000 years old and extend in a 100-mile radius.

The program also includes a safari in search of the Big Five in Hwange National Park, and cultural encounters with Zimbabwean natives in historic towns and villages. Bookings made through Feb. 28 receive a $600 discount per person. The 11-day program is priced from $3,995 per person. The itinerary includes the ancient ruins of the Medieval Trading Center of Great Zimbabwe; the plains of Nyanga and Mount Nyangani, Zimbabwe’s highest mountain; Victoria Falls, the world’s largest falling curtain of water; and game drives in wildlife-rich Hwange National Park. Groups are limited in size to 12 guests.

Great Zimbabwe Adventure – 11 Days

Fantastic Value! Save $600 Per Person On Select Departures!
Book now thru February 28, 2013!
www.africantravelinc.com/cp-tours/great-zimbabwe-adventure/

From ancient archaeological sites and extensive wildlife sanctuaries to
magnificent Victoria Falls, this NEW SMALL GROUP JOURNEY beautifully
showcases Zimbabwe, the extraordinary land of the “Great Houses of Stone.” In the
company of likeminded travelers, look out for the Big Five as you safari in untamed
Hwange National Park and become immersed in warm hospitality as you explore
historic towns and villages.

Journey at a Glance
1 Night Crowne Plaza, Harare
2 Nights Troutbeck Hotel, Nyanga
1 Night Lodge at the Ancient City, Great Zimbabwe
2 Nights Holiday Inn Bulawayo, Matopos
2 Nights Davison’s Camp, Hwange National Park
2 Nights The Kingdom Hotel, Victoria Falls

Meals
10 breakfasts, 3 lunches, 9 dinners

Land Arrangements for 2013
Special prices are per person and available on listed departure dates.

Departure Dates: 2/3, 6/9, 8/18, 9/1
Share Twin/Double: $3,995
Single Supplement: N/A

Addt’l Departures throughout the year:
Share Twin/Double: $4,595
Single Supplement: $795

Terms & Conditions
* Standard African Travel terms and conditions apply. Prices are per person, land
only and are non-inclusive of airfare. Not combinable with other offers. All pricing
and accommodations are subject to availability. Must be booked by Feb. 28, 2013.

www.africantravelinc.com/cp-tours/great-zimbabwe-adventure/

General Tours World Traveler is offering a discount of $1,000 on all trips booked and paid for in full by Dec. 28.

The discount applies to all of the company’s 80-plus programs in its Small Group Journeys, Private Tours and Small Ship Cruises.

The company is offering 22 Journeys to China, Japan, Southeast Asia and India priced from $1,499 per person after the discount.

The programs run from seven to 16 days in duration. Twelve trips are offered to Europe and Morocco of seven- to 13-day duration and priced from $2,499 per person after the discount.

There are 21 European River Cruises in the selection, which are offered in partnership with AmaWaterways.

The trips range from eight to 22 days in length. Trips are offered on the Rhine, Danube, Rhône, Seine, Douro and Volga Rivers.

With the discount they are priced from $1,599. Twenty trips are offered to Latin America and Antarctica, from five to 15 days in length and priced from $1,799 per person after the discount.

General Tours offers eight trips to Southern and East Africa, including packages for Botswana and Zimbabwe as well as Kenya, Tanzania and South Africa.

They range from nine to 14 days long and are priced from $4,499 per person after the discount.

Goway Travel is offering savings as much as 50 percent in lodges in five different countries in Africa.

The company has also waived single supplements and children sharing rooms with adults get an additional 50 percent off the adult price.

“What makes this so special is that guests can design their own unique itinerary through a range of the best camps in Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa, and the value is exceptional.” said Moira Smith, general manager of Goway AfricaExperts.

Lodges include safari camps of Botswana and Namibia such as Vumbura Plains, Chitabe, Damaraland, Little Kulala, DumaTau Camp, Toka Leya and Rocktail Beach Camp.

Internal air rates are reduced by 50 percent.

The special is valid during the Southern Africa Summer, Nov. 10 to March 20, 2013.

African Travel released its 2013 brochure with a new design and a series of new programs for Africa.

The company is also introducing Small Group Journeys with a maximum group size of 12 and set departures to popular safari destinations in Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

“African Travel’s 2013 brochure continues from the rebranding done last year using the new logo and product positioning to demonstrate our new tag line, ‘We Know Africa.’

The new look, feel and content of the brochure is based upon extensive research carried out with both consumers and agents to determine what is expected of a tour operator’s brochure dedicated to promoting safaris to Africa,” said Jim Holden, president of African Travel. “The new brochure includes sample itineraries to use for planning tailor-made safaris and reintroduces small group journeys for those travelers who prefer to travel in the company of other travelers rather than on their own.”

African Travel is also introducing a new family itinerary for 2013. “Africa is a perfect destination for families to reconnect and spend time together, while enjoying the thrill of a wildlife safari, encountering animals up-close at conservation centers, and getting to know the culture and traditions of local children and families,” said Holden.

“It’s an enriching experience for the whole family and a great way to celebrate such life milestones as anniversaries, birthdays and graduations.” Read Jetsetters Magazine feature stories about African Travel in South Africa.

As Africa Travel prepares to launch its brand new brochure, two new exciting destinations appear.

They consist of Republic of the Congo and Zimbabwe, both delivering unique African experiences. From walking amongst the endangered lowland gorillas in the Odzala-Kokoua National Park the Congo to strolling amongst the big five in Zimbabwe’ safari plains.

Republic of the Congo (Brazzaville) remains an undiscovered, almost unknown and yet teeming with natural wonders, this is home to the world’s second largest expanse of tropical rainforest.

Here in the heart of the Congo Basin are unsurpassed wildlife experiences, be it the Western Lowland Gorillas, the greatest density of chimpanzees, amazing birdlife or the local pygmy population – and very few tourists, travellers, visitors.It is an unseen and unknown area of Africa.

Zimbabwe, a landlocked country often described as the most beautiful in all of Southern Africa.

Bordered in the northwest by the great Zambezi and in the southwest by the Limpopo, it is home to the awesome majesty of Victoria Falls, to swathes of wild savannah and to the magical wilderness of Mana Pools National Park. The Matusadona National Park and Lake Kariba offer a water wilderness while the Matobos National Park is where to go to see 20,000 year old San paintings and for bird-watchers it is as near to heaven as is possible, as it is home to one third of the world’s species of eagle. Nature’s largesse also knows no bounds when it comes to the Hwange National Park, for here some 30,000 elephant are free to roam.

Republic of Congo and Zimbabwe are available through Africa Travel www.africatravel.co.uk  020 7843 3500

Safari enthusiasts wanting to discover one of Africa’s most remote and beautiful regions should head to southern Tanzania with The Selous Safari Company. This luxury safari specialist has just announced its best ever specials for next year, offering huge savings and free nights to those who book longer stays and multi-camp itineraries in 2013/14. What’s more, they continue to offer low season rates during high season dates next summer.

Providing an unrivalled safari and beach experience, The Selous Safari Company comprises Jongomero, located 70 km away from its nearest camp in the relatively undiscovered Ruaha National Park. Offering unique and private game viewing experiences, this boutique camp is situated in woodland next to a seasonal sand river and offers eight luxury, tented suites, a swimming pool and first-class cuisine, as well as the only qualified guide to carry out game walks in the park.

Further east, the Selous Safari Camp is located on the shores of Lake Nzerakera in the heart of the Selous Game Reserve and provides a host of alternative safari activities from overnight walking safaris to boat safaris and game walks. Watch families of elephant congregate at the lake to drink, or take to the open water and get as close as you dare to wallowing hippos and sly crocodiles, which snake through the water and sunbathe on the muddy banks and small islands.

While the peaceful beach retreat of Ras Kutani offers the complete antithesis to a hot and dusty safari. It nestles in lush tropical forest, between a white sandy beach and coastal lagoon, just waiting to be explored. This exotic hideaway is home to a plethora of unique wildlife, from numerous bird and monkey species, to whales, dolphins and turtles – and even the elusive leopard!

Packages include:

ENJOY LOW SEASON RATES DURING HIGH SEASON DATES NEXT SUMMER
Expert Africa (www.expertafrica.com  / 020 8232 9777) is offering those travelling in high season dates low season rates, with a seven-night safari and beach adventure from £3, 004 per person (saving £645 per person). Valid for selected departures in 2013, the itinerary includes four nights on safari at the Selous Safari Camp, plus a further three nights at Ras Kutani on a full-board basis. Also included are flights from Heathrow with British Airways, internal transfers, game viewing drives in open sided 4×4 vehicles, walking safaris and boat safaris, as well as concession and park entrance fees, taxes and surcharges.

STAY NINE NIGHTS OR MORE FOR EXTRA SAVINGS AND A FREE NIGHT
Rainbow Tours (www.rainbowtours.co.uk  / 020 7666 1250) is offering 10 nights for the price of nine on this longer safari and beach adventure, from £3,870 per person (saving £1,000 per person). Valid for selected departures in 2013, the itinerary includes three nights on safari at Jongomero, three nights at the Selous Safari Camp, plus a further four nights at Ras Kutani on a full-board basis. Also included are flights from Heathrow with British Airways, internal transfers, game viewing drives in open sided 4×4 vehicles, walking safaris and boat safaris at Selous Safari Camp, as well as concession and park entrance fees, taxes and surcharges.

Experiencing The Dark Continent One Bucket List Entry At A Time…

Africa is so diverse and offers so many different environments, countries & experiences that you could return year on year to complete your bucket list. From swimming with whale sharks to climbing Mt Kilimanjaro TripAfrica has put together a top-ten of African bucket list experiences.

Swimming With Whale Sharks
Swimming with the biggest fish in the ocean is humbling, frightening, stunning, magical and unforgettable. With whale shark sightings year round, the Mozambique is arguably one of the best places on earth to dive into this experience. Snorkelling & diving trips are readily available from both the mainland and more remote islands. A 7 night stay at Guludo Beach Lodge, Mozambique is from £2,720 per person.

Walking With Giants
The opportunity to walk amongst and interact with elephants is incredible. Doing so in the very heart of the Okavango Delta with three simply huge pachyderms is totally unforgettable. This is not a gimmicky ride atop an elephant, but a real chance to become a member of the herd, if just for a brief afternoon. Simply magical. A 6 night stay at Stanely’s Camp & Chobe Chilwero, Botswana & including the Elephant Experience is from £3,432 per person.

Mastering The Mighty Zambezi
The Zambezi River is steeped in both local folklore, colonial history and more recent tales of adventure and adrenalin. The ultimate adrenalin activity here has to be rafting the some 25 rapids, many of which are the highest grade commercially raftable. A 9 day multi-day rafting trip exploring beyond the main rapids and including a helicopter flight out of the gorge is from £2,695 per person.

Witnessing The Great Migration
One of the worlds most famous and biggest migrations happens throughout Eastern Africa all year round. From December to March in Southern Serengeti, June to July in Northern Serengeti, both Tanzania and from August to October in the Maasai Mara, Kenya there is opportunity a plenty to become part of this amazing animal movement. A 5 day safari into the Maasai Mara staying in a private house with exclusive use of a vehicle is from £2,253 per person

Spending A Magical Hour With Our Cousins
Visiting Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in Uganda or the Virunga Mountains, Rwanda should be at the very top of everyone’s bucket list. Trekking through the forest in the early light, being awarded, after many hours of slog, with a habituated group of gorilla is beyond incredible. Spending an hour with gorilla is a dream come true for many. A 6 day safari in Rwanda and including one gorilla permit is from £3,103 per person

Reaching The Summit Of Kilimanjaro
Climbing Mt Kilimanjaro is tough, rough and thoroughly exhilarating. In a time of experiential travel people are expecting more from their trips, more challenge, more adrenalin, more exhilaration, just more. Giving more height to a trip by including a Kilimanjaro climb is one way to satiate this desire. Be it a charity excursion or a personal escapade a Kili climb has to top the list. A 7 day Kilimanjaro climb taking in the Machame route is from £2,223 per person.

Treading in Livingstones Footsteps
Visiting one of the worlds ‘Natural Wonders’ is amazing and surely a bucket list number. Standing at the very top of the Victoria Falls, the mighty Zambezi gushing past just a few metres from you, with your toes hugging the very lip of this particular Natural Wonder has to be up there as a moment of a lifetime!. A 5 night stay in Livingstone, Zambia at the River Club and including a trip to Livingstone Island is from £3,350 per person

Riding Wild With The Big 5
Getting in the saddle doesn’t have to be for the experienced rider only and experiencing game viewing from horseback is a wonderful experience. Riding out and sleeping out in the bush, under a blanket of stars with only your horses. A 6 day riding safari in private ‘big 5’ reserves in South Africa is from £2,650 per person.

Flying High Over The Serengeti
The Serengeti National Park is almost certainly one of Africa’s most famous wildlife hotspots. A balloon safari over the Serengeti followed by a champagne breakfast has to be one of the most romantic and memorable starts to any day. A 6 day stay in Lemala Luxury Tented Camps included two nights fly camping and a balloon flight over the Serengeti is from £4,252 per person.

Chilling With Chimpanzees
Trekking with chimpanzees, our closest relative, is loud, brash & hectic and not to be missed. Chimpanzee troups move quickly and noisily through the forest. At Greystoke Mahale, where the forest meets the crystal clear waters of Lake Tanganiyka an experience that mixes Tarzan with Robinson Crusoe is to be found. An 8 day safari combining Chada Katavi with Greystoke Mahale and including chimpanzee trekking permits is from £4,685 per person.

*All trips are based on two people sharing throughout and include return economy flights from London Heathrow.

For additional information & images please contact Becx – safari@tripafricatravel.com

Wilderness Safaris is thrilled to announce the opening of its much-loved DumaTau Camp on an exquisite new site on the banks of the Linyanti River. One of Wilderness’ most popular camps for over 15 years, DumaTau Camp has been given a new lease of life and has been completely rebuilt a little further upstream from its original location, offering the ultimate safari experience along the river and in the bush.

Although “DumaTau” means ‘roar of the lion’, this is a place where the elephant is king. Here the peaceful setting on the Linyanti River affords unparalleled interaction with majestic wild elephant and hippo in their riverine habitat. Here, the river and its sweeping views and swerving waterways are dramatic, yet comfortable, exciting yet reminiscent of the sensitive explorer aesthetic and ethos. Species such as the critically endangered wild dog, lion, leopard, cheetah and spotted hyaena are also often spotted within the camps surrounding areas.

The Classic Camp is compiled of ten tented units (8 twin and two family) which are raised off the ground to overlook the Osprey Lagoon. The architecture focuses on a dramatic sense of space combined with human scale in tents manufactured of tensile fabrics with gum pole uprights, angled out-rigger arms encasing sheer, greige (not dyed or bleached) mesh walls and rope and leather detailing, allowing a transparency that blurs the exterior landscape and the interior volumes. Foliage penetrates the structures and in turn creates pockets of privacy, aided by the elegance of level changes in the floor plan and a wraparound clear-storey window providing dramatic, sweeping views of the river.

Importantly, in line with the Wilderness 4Cs professional responsibility ethos, DumaTau Camp operates completely on solar energy, for hot water, lighting and other energy needs, and is built of FSC-standard timber. In addition, the camp has water-wise waste removal and uses green and thermal insulating materials.

DumaTau Camp’s location between two elephant corridors offers an exclusive river and land experience to returning and new guests, in a completely sustainable manner.

Rates start from US$683 per person per night, including accommodation, all meals, twice daily scheduled camp activities, park fees, all local drinks and laundry – excludes premium imported brands and champagne.

www.wilderness-safaris.com

· Wilderness Safaris is a conservation organisation and ecotourism company that specialises in memorable wildlife experiences in some of the most remote and pristine areas in southern Africa. In this way it offers its guests private access to three million hectares of southern Africa’s finest wildlife reserves, while remaining fiercely committed to protecting our planet’s precious natural and cultural resources.
· Wilderness Safaris operates camps and safaris in some of southern Africa’s best wildlife and wilderness reserves across seven different countries – Botswana, Namibia, Malawi, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe and the Seychelles.
· Recognising that conservation is as much about people as about the environment, the company has pursued important goals through its Children in the Wilderness programme, as well as through the Wilderness Safaris Wildlife Trust, which have helped change the face of nature-based tourism in southern Africa.
· Wilderness Safaris firmly believes that its single most important achievement to date is to have built a sustainable business model that does not compromise environmental principles and which provides jobs, training, skills, careers, adjusted horizons, hope and a realistic alternative to less sustainable development.