African Safari Update: July 2022

From the Editor's Desk

Where can you find the best deal on a safari for the Fall?  South Africa, for sure.  With the South African Rand hovering around 17 to the US Dollar, there is no safari destination (other than Namibia) where your dollar goes quite as far as in South Africa.   Plus there’s no better month to be in South Africa than October.  A famous South African poet from the previous century - C. Louis Leipoldt - called October South Africa’s ‘prettiest, prettiest’ month, when ‘... the days are so bright, the nights are so green. So blue the skies with no clouds to be seen’. And yes it’s decidedly better in the original Afrikaans.  

In the poem Leipoldt also mentions the flower-filled Karoo, a vast semi-arid area which stretches out hundreds of miles into the interior, starting just beyond Cape Town. Indeed, the months of September, October and November are some of the best in South Africa’s mother city. The cold, wet winter season is over. Spring is in the air. And there are flowers everywhere. To be sure, that - wasn’t Leipoldt. 

There’s more. Game viewing in South Africa’s greater Kruger Park area, its Eastern Cape Province, northern Cape Kalahari and in Madikwe in the northwest is at its very best late in the dry season from August through September and October. Compared with safari destinations further to the north, the daytime high temperatures in much of South Africa remain at least manageable through October and November, and temperatures drop significantly at night. 

So what can you actually buy with a fistful of dollars in South Africa?  Let’s say you’re the one picking up the tab at 34 South,  a popular dockside restaurant in Knysna on the Garden Route.   Just 210 Rand for an entree of fresh kingklip, a delectable South African fish dish, with a house salad and your choice of two sides.  That would be just over US$12.  Fancy a glass of tasty South African sauvignon blanc to go with that?  It will set you back an additional $3 or so.  A good bottle of wine?  Around $12.  Red, white or rose.  Prefer steak over seafood?  No problem.  At the nearby Dry Dock restaurant you can order a generous portion of aged beef filet (with two sides) for just under $20. 

Of course the favorable exchange rate extends into accommodation, local flights, guiding services, everything that goes into putting together a safari.    The exceptionally good exchange rate advantage may not last for long, so if you can travel in the Fall to lock in the rates, have a look at the suggested itinerary below.

South Africa Safari

Travelers paying in US Dollars can realize significant cost savings on South Africa trips for the next several months or so.   Consider this mostly inclusive 10-night South Africa  safari with 3 nights in the Pafuri region of the Northern Kruger Park, 3 nights in Cape Town and 3 nights in Kwandwe Private Game Reserve in the Eastern Cape.  At just over $5,100 per person sharing, not including  commercial flights, I think it is a fantastic deal.  Several of our team members have stayed at these properties and can attest to the quality of the experience.    

The trip starts in the remote Makuleke region in far northern Kruger Park where you can take in the breathtaking scenery while spotting buffalo, elephant, hyena and more.  From there, fly south to Cape Town to enjoy the vibrant city’s iconic sights. From September through October and into November, vegetated areas in and around the city like Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens turn into a veritable paradise of flowering plants, shrubs and trees.  Simply spectacular! Continue to Kwandwe Private Game Reserve in the Eastern Cape where you will  explore the diverse landscape by vehicle or on foot in search of elephants, lions, buffalo, and the elusive black rhino. 

Here is the link to the detailed itinerary:  SOUTH AFRICA TRIP

Of course, all of South Africa and Namibia (whose currency is linked to the Rand 1=1) are essentially ‘on sale’ while the exchange rate remains at current levels.  So if you have something else in mind for either South Africa or Namibia, let us know and we’d be happy to provide you with our recommendations.

Fish Eagle Safaris Now Offering India Trips

A fortuitous set of circumstances led to Fish Eagle Safaris linking up with Amit Sankhala, the owner of Encounters Asia.  Amit and his team are exceptional in every way and they hit all the high points for us:  owner-operated, boutique style, tailormade specialists with impeccable conservation credentials.  Amit also has an intriguing family history with his grandfather having started Project Tiger, convincing then Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to protect the remaining tigers and their habitat.  You can learn more by watching the Tigerland documentary which is about Kailash Sankhala.  Here is the video:

We will be gaining some first-hand experience of several Indian parks and areas ourselves, in January 2023. In the interim, Amit has put together a couple of  itineraries for us:

‘Wildlife of Central India’, a pretty comprehensive program  covering some of the best parks of Central India, giving you an opportunity to see tigers, leopards, wild dogs, sloth bears, and more.  

‘Culture and Wildlife’, a good comprehensive program of India, covering the Golden Triangle with the Taj Mahal, and then going to Varanasi which is an experience in itself. It will cover two of the famous parks in Central India. 

If you are intrigued by the idea of traveling to India - maybe for the first time - please call or email for more information and for detailed itineraries for these trips, as well as for the impressive ‘Snow Leopard’ itinerary.  The general trips in India are moderately priced compared with African safaris, and offer good  value for money.

Join Bert & Kathy on Safari in Namibia in November 2023

Bert & Kathy’s annual ‘Great African Adventure’ is on the books for early November 2023!  Our November 2022 trip to Kenya is sold out, but we do have space for a few people for next year.  It will be an epic road trip exploring essentially all facets of this intriguing country.

For first-time visitors to Namibia the trip will deliver one highlight after another, from good game-viewing in Etosha and the Hoanib area, to the desolate yet hauntingly beautiful landscapes of Damaraland and the Skeleton Coast, interaction with the fascinating semi-Nomadic Himba people, an astonishing variety of dunes, craggy hills and vast open plains, a quaint seaside town, friendly people and photo opportunities galore. 

Namibia is primarily a ‘desert and dune’ destination, yet it does not lack for much in the way of wildlife.  The country is in the top five for the size of its  zebra population.  Dozens and sometimes hundreds of them are often seen in mixed herds at water holes, creating an amazing wildlife spectacle.   Here’s what a recent visitor had to say about just one day in the Etosha area:  “Wall to wall wildlife at Etosha and Ongava, at one point over 400 mixed plains game visible in a 360 degree arc. Followed by breeding herds of elephant, rhinos, lion cubs play-chasing, lions in camp and a leopard nearby”.  We never fail to be impressed by the number of rhinos we see in Namibia on every trip, with a sighting of seven black rhinos at a water hole one night near Etosha firmly ensconced in our ‘hall of fame’ wildlife experiences.  

We will also see many colorful and interesting bird species, a significant number of them being found only in Namibia.  Our Ultimate Namibia guides are amongst the best in the country. Both of them are Namibians, with their own special insight and experience, which they use to add tremendous value for the guests.  

Here is a link to the online itinerary with pricing:  Namibia with Fish Eagle Safaris

Safari Snippets

Those new Hwange rhinos

Remember the white rhinos which we mentioned in our June newsletter, the ones that our friends from Imvelo Safaris relocated to Hwange?  We are happy to report that the two rhinos (Thuza and Kusasa) made a successful translocation into the Imvelo Ngamo Wildlife Sanctuary.  Guests staying at Imvelo’s Bomani or Camelthorn tented camps can make an impactful contribution by visiting the sanctuary, at an additional cost of $180 per person.  A percentage will go straight to the local community to use as they wish, such as for sustaining projects like the Ngamo health clinic. The other percentage goes towards maintaining the sanctuary, protecting the rhino and growing the project.  The ‘stay 4 nights/pay for 3 nights’ offer at Camelthorn is still in place through November this year. 

A project of this size is a costly undertaking and any contributions - no matter their size - will be put to good use.  Among the most pressing needs are operational equipment to better help the Cobra team protect the rhinos, cable fencing material, a ranger base for expansion, a  borehole for water for the rhinos and for the scouts' base, a radio base station and handhelds - and many others.  For information on how you may be able to help, please go to this site: Community Rhino Conservation Initiative

Flights to Cape Town, South Africa

From November this year, it will be much easier for visitors from North America to reach Cape Town direct from the USA, as both Delta Air Lines and United Airlines obtained approval for launching their desired services to South Africa’s premier tourist city.  

Delta will be operating a nonstop flight three times a week between Atlanta and Cape Town starting on or around Nov. 17, using the airline’s flagship Airbus A350-900.  United will be running a nonstop flight three times a week between its hub at Washington Dulles International Airport and Cape Town, also starting on or around Nov. 17; the flight will use a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.

2022 High and shoulder season special offers

We still have some special long-stay and other offers in place for the remainder of the high season of 2022, through October this year, and an amazing deal combining Victoria Falls, Chobe and the Okavango Delta in top quality camps for November and the first two weeks in December.  Our Southern African and Tanzania partners have a few pockets of unsold rooms which they are willing to let go at reduced rates, in the way of long-stay offers.  Please call or email for details.