Have you heard about the new Hideaways experience that’s on the horizon? Zambezi Truth will launch in August in Victoria Falls on the banks of the Zambezi River. This romantic experience is a completely new offering in Vic Falls, and is perfect for travellers who are looking for that something extra to add to their…
During the 21st-25th October 2018, 60 luxury African travel exhibitors, along with 60 high-end luxury travel designers from across North America, will be descending on Sundance. For 4 days, this pop up event will consist of carefully curated business meetings, powerful bonding experiences as well as learning, discussing and sharing information about the majestic African continent.…
Ethiopia’s state-owned airlines will resume flights to Eritrea’s capital Asmara next week, a state-affiliated news agency reported on Monday, hours after the neighbours and longtime foes declared their “state of war” over. Fana television reported the news on its Twitter feed. The restoration of diplomatic ties and trade links was agreed on Monday after a…
We are thrilled to announce the opening of Robin Pope Safaris’ Kuthengo Camp in Liwonde National Park, Malawi. Meaning “the wild” or “the bush” Kuthengo is located among fever trees on a large open plain along the spectacular Shire River. The camp boasts four spacious en-suite safari tents, each featuring an outdoor shower, bathtub, basin…
The Rwanda Development Board (RDB) has launched the annual Kwita Izina Festival, which will culminate in September with the naming of 23 gorillas born over the last year. This is the 14th annual Kwita Izina Festival and, under this year’s theme of ‘Conservation in Life’, organisers aim to highlight the need for conservation, particularly of the…
South African Tourism, Travel LAB South Africa, Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency, Nelson Mandela Museums and Mqhekezwein Great Place in the Eastern Cape are proud to launch the upcoming “Heroes Walk 2018” in honor of Nelson Mandela. The walk is comprised of a 10 km (blue), 20km (yellow), 40 km (green) routes aimed at…
Nosy Saba is located near Nosy Be Island, North West Madagascar. A very wonderful and luxurious destination. Ideal for Incentives, weddings, private parties, honey moon or just a private family. Choices of accommodations and gastronomic meals are available. Despite the distance with the main island, activities like Trampoline, Snorkeling, Knee board, fishing, Canoe and Trekking…
Elewana Collection is continuously working with the communities in the areas we operate, striving to improve the standards of living for those who reside nearby through our charitable arm, Land & Life Foundation. Recently, we received a donation from Birgit Reimann and Constantine Panoussi of SKÅL International Monaco, which was allocated towards a new project…
On Monday the Portfolio Committee on Tourism in Parliament welcomed the development. The Makhonjwa Mountains, known as the Barberton Greenstone Belt in Mpumalanga, have been declared as South Africa’s 10th World Heritage Site. On Monday the Portfolio Committee on Tourism in Parliament “welcomed” the development. Chairperson of the Committee Lusizo Sharon Makhubele-Mashele said: “The Committee…
Camp Jabulani is proud to have once again, entered the TripAdvisor “Hall of Fame”, for 5 consecutive of years of receiving the “Certificate of Excellence”, as reviewed by our valued guests. Thank you to every guest who has taken the time to write a review about your stay with us.
Virunga – Africa’s oldest national park – is home to over half the global population of mountain gorillas The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo has decided to open up parts of two protected national parks, home to endangered species such as mountain gorillas, to oil drilling. The proposals to allow oil exploration in Virunga and Salonga were met with fierce opposition from environmental activists,…
Elewana Serengeti Migration Camp will have some refurbishment done over the coming months; all the tents are to have new hyrax proof flysheets. As cute as these little creatures are, they enjoy the shelter provided by the gap between tent and flysheet; we’d like to persuade them to take their rest elsewhere. Elewana Collection has…
Join us as we celebrate the year that would have marked Nelson Mandela’s 100th birthday with our ‘Memories of Mandela’ offer. This remarkable offer includes luxurious accommodation, a copy of Dare Not Linger: The Presidential Years, the long-awaited second volume of Nelson Mandela’s memoirs, a three-course meal inspired by Mandela’s favourite dishes, two-hour story-telling walk with a Footsteps…
Cape Town Ziplines, an SA Forest Adventures initiative, reopened on Monday, July 2. The zipline is 2.3km long and located in Silvermist Estate on the Hout Bay Road. The zipline tour, one of the longest and highest in Africa, begins with a 4×4 trail up the mountain, offering guests views of Table Mountain, the Constantia…
We are thrilled to announce that Sacha Craig will be representing Saruni, the collection of lodges & camps in Kenya, alongside Lewa Wilderness from July 2018. This is an exciting collaboration which we hope will build a stronger relationship between Saruni and Lewa Wilderness, both proud, family-run safari operations. Saruni was created in 2003 and today owns and runs four properties throughout Kenya:…
Hideaways’ lodge Elephant’s Eye, Hwange is located on a borderless concession adjoining Hwange National Park and although guests are able to enjoy game drives on the concession and in the park, when guests enter Hwange National Park they currently need to momentarily leave the concession and spend a portion of their journey to the park…
Jenman African Safaris has a new tour that is part of their exclusive new product range, Jenman Select. The Best of Hwange Safari is the perfect opportunity to discover the richness of Hwange National Park, one of Africa’s best-kept secrets. The park is home to one of the highest concentrations of game in the world and is particularly…
For the past 12 months, African Bush Camps has added a new word to our vocabulary, Iktsuarpok (n): When visitors are due to arrive, a fidgety feeling sprouts up. We might keep glancing out of the window, or pause mid-sentence, thinking we’ve heard the sound of a car. It’s been a year of Iktsuapok for us, and finally, we…
Ethiopian Airlines, the Largest Aviation Group in Africa and SKYTRAX certified Four Star Global Airline, is proud to announce that it has taken delivery of the largest B737 MAX fleet in the Continent on July 2, 2018. The B737 MAX 8 features the new Boeing sky interior, highlighted by modern sculpted sidewalls and window reveals,…
Tristar Air, a new passenger airline, has joined a growing number of budget airlines taking to the Kenyan skies. Donald Kigali Band, Head of Sales and Marketing at Tristar Air, told Tourism Update that the new airline is a product of a joint venture between three other airlines in Kenya, namely BushAir, Rudufu and BuffAir. Each airline…
Renowned primatologist and anthropologist, Dr Jane Goodall, believes that chimpanzees provide Uganda the opportunity to unlock tourism fortunes in a way not imagined before, adding that chimpanzee tourism could earn the country as much in tourism revenue as gorilla trekking. The last study done in Uganda (2002) revealed that there were 5 000 chimpanzees in the country,…
Elewana Sand River, Masai Mara, ideally located on the banks of the beautiful Sand River in a remote corner of the Reserve, is being refurbished in order to enrich the high standard of comfort that guests experience at one of the Masai Mara’s premier camps. The main area of Elewana Sand River Masai Mara will…
The 6th of June 2018 marked a very special date in Sera, Northern Kenya as the Sera Conservancy Community welcomed the return of the much-loved rhino calf, ‘Loijupu’. Loijupu was found by Sera Rangers 16 months ago in the 54,000 hectares-large, community-owned rhino sanctuary, having been abandoned by his mother ‘Nairenyu’ on account of her…
U.S. Under Secretary of Commerce Gilbert Kaplan led a large delegation of U.S. businesses and officials from across the U.S. government on a visit to Ethiopian Airlines. Under Secretary Kaplan met with Ethiopian Airlines CEO Tewolde Gebremariam, to discuss potential ways for U.S. companies to partner with Ethiopian Airlines to achieve even greater growth, including…
The Jenman African Safaris 2019 brochure has been released earlier than ever before to give clients ample time to prepare for the 2019 travel and sales season. In 2019, Jenman African Safaris will celebrate turning 21 and find that as good a reason as any to update their look with a refreshing, new, sophisticated style.…
11 June 2018 – Belmond unveils its new-look Belmond Savute Elephant Lodge in the Chobe National Park, following a full redesign. Belmond Savute Elephant Lodge, one of Belmond’s three safari experiences in the heart of Botswana, reopens this June as a Timeless Explorers Lodge, connecting its guests to nature. Surrounded by abundant flora and fauna,…
CornerSun Destination Marketing is once again recruiting buyers for Zimbabwe’s annual Sanganai Tourism Expo to take place in Zimbabwe 6-8 September. In addition to the annual tourism expo, hosted buyers will participate in a small group FAM for North American buyers which will provide an overview of the entire country including Harare, the medieval city…
Seychelles has been complemented by the region for its standard of ferry services being offered between its main islands. The one hour run between Mahe and Praslin islands, as well as the fifteen minutes service between Praslin and La Digue, are seen as a model in standard and service. Both Inter Island Boats and the…
21 June 2018 marks #WorldGiraffeDay, making it the perfect time to share the latest Reticulated Giraffe Conservation program update with you. Over the past 20 years, we’ve seen a 70% decline in the reticulated giraffe population, with only 9000 now left worldwide. To help address this, our partners began a collaborative giraffe conservation initiative in May…
On the 1st of July 2018, Lanzerac Hotel & Spa will reopen after a year-long regeneration journey that has seen the Hotel being restored to its former grandeur following a devastating fire in 2017. Like the fynbos endemic to the Cape, which rejuvenates by fire every few years, this iconic landmark is now blooming with enhanced…
Tsavo National Park in Kenya is set to develop a new tourist attraction: the park will package its World War One battlefield as a cultural heritage sight for tourists. The package will include a visit to Mwashoti Hill, the location of a British fort and cemeteries for both British and German soldiers. Other sites will…
Ethiopian Airlines, the largest Aviation Group in Africa and SKYTRAX certified Four Star Global Airline, has finalized preparations to launch new flight services (4x per week) to Barcelona, Spain as of July 1, 2018, deploying the ultra-modern B787–800 Dreamliner. Barcelona, the capital and largest city of Catalonia and the second most populous municipality of Spain,…
It was our honour and a privilege to host Virginia McKenna recently at Elewana Elsa’s Kopje Meru. On our final evening we had the opportunity to sit with her, as the candles flickered in the lounge, we listened to her tales of Meru, filming Born Free and her life’s work with The Born Free Foundation.…
Former US president Barack Obama is set to visit Kenya next month. According to the Nelson Mandela Foundation and the Obama Foundation, the former president will be in the country on July 16 before he heads to South Africa where he will deliver the 16th Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture in Johannesburg. He is expected to…
In a poll titled “Travel World Cup”, which was posted by British newspaper The Telegraph, comparing World Cup groups as travel destinations, Egypt came as the voters’ most popular travel destination within group A, surprisingly taking over Russia and Uruguay and less surprisingly taking over Saudi Arabia. Telegraph Travel posted a tweet on 14 June…
Last month, a team of biologists, logistical crew, researchers and plant experts were led on their first expedition to Mount Lico in Mozambique by Dr Julian Bayliss, from Oxford Brookes University in the UK, where an undisturbed tropical rainforest was discovered in the heart of a volcano. Bayliss was looking at satellite imagery from Google Earth…
The Uganda government has earmarked a staggering Shs 32bn for the tourism sector which is expected to attract at least 4 million tourists per year by the year 2020. Finance Minister Matia Kasaija said the tourism sector today earns USD 1.4 billion compared to USD 498.3 Million in 2008. “By 2020, tourism is targeted to…
A surprise announcement by Ethiopia’s prime minister to mend relations with neighbouring Eritrea is highlighting the rapid pace of his government’s agenda just eleven weeks since he was sworn in. Abiy Ahmed of the ruling EPRDF coalition is offering to cede control of the northern border town of Badme and other disputed regions to Eritrea and abide fully…
Various countries have updated their travel advisories for Mozambique, advising travellers to exercise a high degree of caution when travelling in Cabo Delgado Province, or ideally, avoid all travel in the area. The US Embassy issued a security alert for the district headquarters of Palma, situated in Cabo Delgado Province, advising American citizens to consider…
RwandAir, has been granted a licence to start direct flight services to the United States (New York) and China (Guangzhou). While details are still being finalised, the arrival airport in New York will be either JFK or Newark, and the flights are likely to start towards the end of the year. Thembela Dladla, Country Manager…
Newly designed Belmond Savute Elephant Lodge has launched! Timeless Explorers Lodge in the heart of wild Africa 11 June 2018 -This summer, Belmond unveils its new-look Belmond Savute Elephant Lodge in the Chobe National Park, following a full redesign. Belmond Savute Elephant Lodge, one of Belmond’s three safari experiences in the heart of Botswana, reopens…
It is critical to work with communities that are sharing land and resources with the wildlife that we want to protect. To better understand the ways that people are interacting with and perceiving leopards, in June 2017 a collaborative partnership between San Diego Zoo Global and Loisaba Conservancy was set up to conduct social and…
28 African penguin chicks have been rescued following recent stormy weather that caused flooding of some of the nests on Dyer Island, a 20-hectare nature reserve situated 8.5km from Kleinbaai harbour in Gansbaai, Western Cape. The chicks, which are not yet waterproof and would therefore die from exposure if not rescued, were admitted to the…
Ethiopian Airlines Group, the largest Aviation Holding Company in Africa, is pleased to announce it will link Chicago and Africa for the first time today with its inaugural flight from O’Hare International Airport to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital. The flight will be operated together with Star Alliance partner United Airlines and is scheduled to expediently connect flyers from…
Day 1 Arrive Kigali and Travel to Ruhengeri You will be met by Golden Rwanda Safaris Ltd driver guide at the Kigali International airport and stop for lunch then after drive to Musanze if time allows you you will visit two twin Lakes Burera and Ruhondo. Their deep blue waters ringed by steep hills and…
A recent survey documented 604 mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei), the largest number of mountain gorillas ever recorded in the transboundary Virunga Massif, one the two remaining areas where this critically endangered great ape is still found. When combined with the published figure of 400 mountain gorillas from Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda, as of…
A new museum is set to open in Uganda, showcasing the country’s volatile history, in a bid to attract more tourists to the East African nation. The museum will display Uganda’s history, including its pre-colonial and colonial past. Furthermore, it will exhibit the violent reign of Idi Amin, former President of Uganda, reports BBC. Stephen Asiimwe, CEO…
Volcanoes Safaris is thrilled to announce the launch of a permanent village for one of the oldest surviving indigenous people in the Central African Forest, the Mount Gahinga Batwa Community. The building of the village broke ground in Fall 2017. With their own village, the Batwa Community of Mount Gahinga will no longer have to…
When it comes to an Indian Ocean escape, it’s time to look beyond traditional stalwarts The Seychelles, Mauritius and the Maldives and consider rising star Mozambique. Here’s why now is the time to visit… The marine life is second-to-none Mozambique boasts some of the finest marine life in the Indian Ocean. Its coral…
For every year, Sainte Marie Island which located in the East of Madagascar has become the home of the Whale Festival. Considered as the beautiful world sanctuary of the humpback whale, it is at the heart of a high potential economic zone composed of Vanilla Islands (Comoros-Mauritius-Réunion-Seychelles-Mayotte-Maldives-Madagascar). The festival is an initiative of the CETAMADA…