Honour Way News
Where has January gone? I just cannot believe how time is flying by but then again I must be having fun as they say.
And so we get stuck into 2009 with the positive news that Tour Operators on the whole seem to be doing ok and are getting the business through. I get the feeling that clients are just taking their time to book and really holding out for those special offers. Fingers crossed this year does come right for us all.
My clients and I are planning various educational trips to Zambia, Botswana, Uganda and the Madikwe in SA throughout the year in May and October. Do contact me for information and to register your interest.
Botswana
Shinde and Kanana will both re-open on the 1st March 2009. We will be pleasantly surprising all our guests at Kanana with a fantastic new look by upgrading all the tents making them more luxurious and bringing them into line with the 5 star quality expected from all Ker & Downey properties. The client tents will be totally rebuilt from scratch resulting in larger and a more spacious feel. Plus a new swimming pool will be installed.
Okuti News
The uniquely designed luxurious lodge called Okuti lies on the banks of the Maunachira River in the game rich Moremi Game reserve and this month offered our guests uninterrupted game viewing as it is low season and there are hardly any other vehicles in the park. The pride of lions was out and about and could be seen most days contrasting against the green of the newly sprung grasses. (see attached photo).
www.kerdowneybotswana.com
South Africa
Amazing sightings in the Madikwe
Firstly there were 2 large territorial male lions that came into very close encounters with our guests into their game vehicles. The lions were very relaxed, and walked past the vehicles roaring. For the guests involved it was one of the more surreal moments of their life to have male lions roaring in a territorial manner only meters from the position. It was also early morning, and the sun was just starting to shine golden which intensified the black manes of the two Kalahari boys.
The second sighting was just after breakfast when we heard a call that wild dogs were outside the front of the lodge. We all hopped onto vehicles which were still parked in the ready position, and headed out to see what they were up to. It turned out to be a pack of around 19 wild dogs, and they were swiftly on the hunt. We were only watching for 4 minutes and trying to keep up with their zigzag hunting strategy when they made their first kill. In no time at all they had almost finished that animal when another unfortunate impala ran onto the scene. In a flash the wild dogs had pulled down a second impala only meters from our vehicle, giving the guests a front seat view of a full action packed wild dog kill.
www.madikwe.com
Zambia
Jason and Kellie are in Australia and Kelley has just given birth to their new addition to the Mott Bush Clan – a little baby boy.
“Little Jake Kai Mott was born at 9:20pm on Wednesday night. It was all very quick and within 20mins. after arriving to the hospital Jake was born. Kelley did a fantastic job (we won’t talk about my driving) and recovered extremely well and fast. She only spend 18 hours in the hospital and came home yesterday. Our family of four is now complete.
Jake is doing well, sleeping a lot and feeding like a lion.
With love,
Jason, Kelley, Keira and Jake”
NEW for 2009 - Family Suite
The brand new two bedroom Family Suite is due for completion on the 1st April, just in time for the 2009 safari season, not to mention Easter! The new Family Suite will consist of two bedrooms; both with en-suite including bath tubs, twin showers and basins; large plunge pool; bar and dining table; huge open plan living area with leather lounges and day bed. It will be the closest suite to the Zambezi River with a beautiful teak deck sweeping across the entire front of the suite, offering amazing panoramic views. We are currently working on a “kiddies” adventure and educational program, which will be finalised over the next few weeks. Please take the time to review the children’s rates on the rate sheet (attached).
Please contact Jason for specials which he is running this year.
Jason@sausagetreecamp.com
www.sausagetreecamp.com
Welcome Michelle - My lovely replacement at Tongabezi Lodge
Michelle Kuwani is available to answer any agent queries from reservations to terms & condition requests. She will send out info on rates, manuals, T&C, LIVI info, specials etc, guide site inspections, play manager for night duties, update our client database, send feedback to agents, host guests when she can get away from emails, follow up agents, just throw any problem or query her way. Her email is michelle@tongabezi.com.
Michelle has now entered her fourth month at Tongabezi and is settling into her new role very well. She credits her incredible learning curve to the “tremendous patience” that all the staff has with her. In fact her warm personality and huge smile makes it only a pleasure to interact with her. She has been spreading her wings a bit and hosted dinner on a number of evenings to get a really good idea as to what our guests need and how they experience our hospitality. Alongside her new role at Tongabezi, she is also studying for a correspondence course on tourism courtesy of the Tongabezi staff advancement programme.
Behind closed doors, the Tongabezi working environment is famous for hilarious moments and in-house pranks between the staff are mandatory – Michelle is a fast learner and she has been picking up a couple of extra local languages to maximize her self-defense! In her own words “I can safely say I have found a little corner at Tongabezi where I have fitted perfectly.”
Other news…
We have recently had our share of rain – not everyone’s idea of perfect holiday weather! However in Zambia clouds have a multi-coloured lining as our dawns and sunsets have been spectacularly beautiful. Our guests have been trying to outdo each other photographing every new extravaganza.
Tongabezi is making an effort to take the bull by the horns and be as self sufficient and eco friendly as possible. Our vegetable garden which supplies our kitchen is being upgraded to help us produce on a larger scale which our guests will appreciate as they will have the joy of fresh vegetables daily! An advanced irrigation system has also been implemented in the garden to ensure no water is wasted.
Our three wild dogs seem to be considering permanent Zambian citizenship! We are trying hard to track down pictures but they are being very cunning – Rudy Boribon our General Manager had a great sighting on the way to work early one morning – and avoiding the paparazzi. ZAWA is also very happy with the progress of our three new rhino. Implanted with tracking devices they are being closely monitored and there are high hopes that they will settle in and decide to go the family way.
www.tongabezi.com
Uganda
The Uganda Safari Company and Wildplaces are one and the same company. The Uganda Safari Company deals with all ground handling for Uganda and Wildplaces comprises Emin Pasha Hotel, Clouds, Semliki and Apoka.
Daniela Scotti from Hartley’s Safaris in SA accompanied me on our trip to Uganda and wrote a lovely feedback report which I would like to share with you.
“Uganda must be one of the most beautiful places in Africa and what really remained impressed in my mind is the richness of the land - the fruitful lush rainforest, the ever-green bush and the space, stillness and expanse of the savannah. A true green garden of eden - a place where you truly 'feel' the earth.
I thought Emin Pasha, Mihingo Lodge, Clouds, Semliki and Apoka were the perfect combination of lodges to experience this diversity - Emin Pasha's lovely colonial style, art covered walls and tranquil setting was a lovely contrast to the bustling streets of Kampala and the good food and Friday night local entertainment in the gardens created a wonderful atmosphere.
Mihingo is a wonderful stopover on the way to Clouds and I think a longer stay would be well worth it - it's completely 'out of the ordinary' the setting is ideal and beautiful - set on the rocks with incredible 360 degree view from the resort and looking out over the watering hole we were treated to sights of buffalo herds and other animals coming to drink without even having to move from the resort.
Quite a bit of time was spent driving between the lodges and I found it a wonderful way to take in the scenery and get a feel of the country, the villages and the local people. I found the people we met along the way open, friendly, relaxed and smiling and our drivers/guides Kideka and Katembo were friendly, fun, professional and a wealth of knowledge and made the drives pleasurable and interesting - the vehicles were spacious and comfortable and the picnic, lunch and snack stops were perfectly timed.
Clouds Mountain Gorilla Lodge and the gorilla trekking was one of the highlights for me, one of my dreams has always been to see the gorillas in the wild and I wasn't disappointed ! In considering the gorilla adventure I didn't place much emphasis on, or have any expectation of the pre-trek accommodations and was completely impressed to discover Clouds to be the perfect luxurious accompaniment to this adventure ! The stone built lodge in the clouds is different and as beautiful as the location itself - the food was extravagant and the staff extremely open friendly and welcoming. The minimalist, natural coloured interior of the lodge combined with the fireplaces and bright colourful art on the walls in the lounge and large rooms create an overall smart, comfortable, warm and homely effect and the views and glows of the volcanoes from the main balcony are unbeatable.
The provision of lunch, gators and gloves for the trek, and drinks, snacks and laundry of clothes and shoes after the trek was extremely welcome, not to mention the huge soft beds ! One of the most memorable and moving moments was the interaction with the children at the orphanage close by; it was insightful and I appreciate Gary's foresight and the way the community is included, incorporated and empowered by the operation of the lodge.
The gorilla trek was slightly more arduous than expected but it actually added to the experience and the reward and enables me to tell clients exactly what is involved and what to expect. Thank goodness for the trackers and especially the porters who were friendly and extremely helpful and patient when it came to our shortcomings! Their assistance was invaluable and their presence added to the adventure !! I thoroughly enjoyed the walk through the community areas and then being surrounded by rainforest life gave a true perspective, feeling the beauty and energy of the land. We found all the gorillas in a little clearing in the forest and managed to get close, clear views and wonderful pictures. It was a priviledge to be able to observe these gentle rare creatures and their very physical and affectionate interaction with each other and I have wonderful touching memories of the experience.
Semliki Lodge offered a more rustic but soft and very comfortable bush experience and the lodge's natural materials and lovely decorated canvas tent accommodations gave me a sense of being in direct touch with the wilderness surrounding me. The food was heartily 'homemade' and absolutely fantastic the staff again very gentle, efficient and friendly and the morning coffees and treats wonderful.
I enjoyed the star filled skies, fireflies and the diversity of the bush in the area, the game drives, and plentiful game and appreciate the visible dedication to and effect of wildlife preservation of the area. The combination of peacefulness at the lodge, relaxation by the lovely pool and the excitement of the choice of activities is perfect.
Another highlight for me was Apoka Safari Lodge. The flight to Kidepo offered an introductory wide angle view of the area which puts the remoteness into perspective adds another aspect of diversity and was just a taste of what was to come. From the sky it seemed a little oasis almost invisible against the natural landscape. The spaciousness, luxury, comfort and airiness of the rooms ensured that I could simply remain comfortably in my room for days if I had wanted to - enjoying the expanse of landscape from the balcony, the game from my doorstep and the expanse of sky from my outdoor bath which was exquisitely prepared on request every evening after the game drive.
I loved the distance of the rooms from each other and the dining area and their circular arrangement offering unobstructed endless views, peacefulness, space and stillness reflecting the very essence of the area. The dining area also embraces these characteristics and even from the fresh rock swimming pool I felt immersed in the wild. From everywhere the vastness and beauty of the surroundings touched me. The guides, game drives and sunsets were just as spectacular and I have wonderful memories of lions in sausage trees, a male lion marking his territory, herds of buffalo, elephant and giraffe and a fun day out and through tsetse flies to reach lovely Kidepo Valley with its pink ostriches, riverbeds and oddly shaped trees.
Again the effort of conservation and empowerment is evident and we enjoyed an interesting informative visit to a local village nearby where possible community projects are being explored. I do feel that even though its a bit further away Apoka is a more than worthwhile addition to a Ugandan itinerary if clients have the time and the budget, or can even be an experience on its own.
Besides the superb location, I can honestly say this was one of the most well organised trips I have ever had the pleasure of experiencing. The efficiency of the program, drivers, guides, staff, lodges and Uganda Safari Company was flawless and I won't hesitate to recommend this experience to all our clients.
Honour, as a marketing representative and tour leader you were really knowledgeable, professional and fun. You gave us the freedom to explore but your recommendations were spot on and you made it a wonderful journey for all of us.
Thank you for the wonderful experience of Uganda
www.safariuganda.com
www.wildplacesafrica.com
Fact of the Day – Animal groupings
January newsletter answer – A band of gorillas! Well done and thank you to those who sent in their answers.
Next month - What do we call a group of hippopotami (or hippopotamuses)?
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