Zambia: Chongwe Safaris Kasaka River Lodge | Чонгве Сафари Касака Лодж

#ChongweSafaris #LowerZambezi #KasakaRiverLodge #ЧонгвеСафариКасакаЛодж

CHONGWE SAFARIS
Kasaka River Lodge - Lower Zambezi

Kasaka River Lodge came into the Chongwe Safaris fold in 2010. Ably managed by Mwaka and Dotti and offering our signature friendly service and great guiding, Kasaka was a popular camp for those looking for great value with all the activities the Lower Zambezi is famous for.

As this season comes to an end, so too does a chapter in the Chongwe-Kasaka story, with the decision to close old Kasaka’s doors to the public. Our Kasaka offering will be assumed by our other Chongwe Camps in anticipation of redeveloping the beautiful Kasaka site with its vista over the Zambezi. After our last guests leave in January 2017 we will begin the development and will share more of our plans in due course.

For now, we are looking forward to a busy Christmas and New Year period and would love to welcome your guests to share in our final waltz of the old Kasaka.

We are offering any stay between now and closing the rate of $315 per person per night + Park Fees on a full board and activity basis.

The Kasaka team thanks you for your support and looks forward to hosting you for a world class safari experience at Chongwe Camp for the 2017 season.

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Aerial photo/video service & other inquiries contact: info@traveltonamibia.com

Zambia: Proflight's new scheduled flights

#Lusaka #LiuwaPlainNationalPark #Kalabo #Kafue #NormanCarrSafaris

NEW SCHEDULED FLIGHTS
Liuwa Plain

Proflight Zambia have just announced that they will be adding the route LUSAKA – KALABO to their scheduled flights in 2017. This ensures easy connection between all 3 of our Zambian destinations.

Kalabo can be booked on the same international ticket with Emirates, SAA, Ethiopian, Kenyan Airways and RwandaAir through the GDS.  Remember if you do this, you'll get the best fare and your guests will be looked after or fast tracked in the event of delays.

This is fabulous news for Norman Carr Safaris’ operations in Liuwa Plain National Park; Kalabo is the Airstrip we use for guests and the flights will run to coincide with our NEW camp opening in April.

°    Group fare on request
°    Proflight will use a Caravan for this flight
°    Max capacity is 8 passengers each way
°    Possibility of a drop off or pick up at Chunga in Kafue

Flights will run as per schedule below and are bookable NOW:

Wed and Sat – Lusaka to Kalabo   0815 / 1045
Wed and Sat – Kalabo to Lusaka   1105 / 1335

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Botswana: requirements when travelling with minors

Requirements when travelling to Botswana with minors

The below information is extremely important for all families travelling to and from Botswana.

The Botswana Government has introduced similar requirements for children travelling in and out of the country as previously implemented by South Africa. Please ensure that all families travelling are fully aware of this at the time of booking so that they do not have any difficulties while travelling into Footsteps in Africa loves children the country.

As of the 1st October 2016 ALL minors travelling through any of the countries border posts are required to produce the following:
-    Valid passport
-    Certified copies of unabridged birth certificate
-    In the event that one parent is not present, the missing parent’s affidavit consenting to such travel.
However, an affidavit will not be required if the fathers name does not appear on the child’s birth certificate.

The statement released by the Botswana Government:

REQUIREMENTS FOR MINORS TRAVELLING THROUGH ALL BOTSWANA PORTS OF ENTRY

The Ministry of Nationality, Immigration and Gender Affairs informs the general public that it has imposed requirements for minors (children under 18) travelling through the country’s ports of entry. Effective from the 1st October 2016 minors travelling through the country’s borders will be required to produce certified copies of unabridged birth certificates in addition to their valid passports. In the event that one parent is not travelling with the child, the other parent’s affidavit consenting to such travel should be availed. However, an affidavit will not be required if the father’s name does not appear on the child’s birth certificate. The development, which is aimed at managing the movement of children across the country’s borders, has an ultimate goal of tackling human trafficking which is a global challenge. Botswana, like other countries is affected by this problem and as such has enacted the United Nations Anti-Human Trafficking Protocol; which calls upon governments to come up with deliberate measures aimed at combating human trafficking.

For more information contact the Director of Immigration and Citizenship at
+267 3611301 / +267 71327608

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South Africa: warning to Garden Route backpackers establishments

Warning Do not Reserve rooms or allow onto your property

(They travel with a couple called Terese and Carl)

Good day all

Please forward this email to all the other backpackers along the Garden Route.

Monzir and Ahmed volunteered at 33 South Backpackers for approximately 6 weeks and mentioned that they worked at Wilderness Backpackers (However we have come to discover that they worked at Wilderness Beach House Backpackers) and Long Street backpackers when they arrived. They did not however mention the terms on which they left Wilderness Beach House and it has only been made knowledge to us that they did not leave on good terms such as they did not leave on good terms on our side.

They left in somewhat of a rush a day ago and we are starting to discover that a number of items have gone missing. As we were handling that and taking stock of all that is now gone, we were called by Wilderness Backpackers this morning outlining that they arrived there last night and mentioned that they are volunteers from 33 South, which is false. They are not our volunteers anymore and as such they are using our name falsely and should pay for their own accommodation.

These two seemed like good people when they arrived and we welcomed them with warm arms and made them part of the family but their true nature started unraveling. They are not team players and are arrogant and entitled.

If you require more information please do not hesitate to contact either myself or Natasha. Please forward this email to the other Garden Route backpackers.

Warm regards
Maletuka

Fairy knowe Backpackers

Nedbank Namibia and manager Janine Camm: overwhelmingly incompetent service

#NedbankNamibia #NedbankEqualsIncompetence #JanineCamm

Nedbank's service was never anything near to satisfactory. It hit new lows recently. Manager Janine Camm totally ignores requests for assistance sent to her, two and three weeks ago. No reaction was received from her whatsoever. Other recipients have been passing ball around asking each other to respond with no tangible results showing level of incompetence at Nedbank Namibia.

Namibia: Rhino poaching levels are on sharp rise | Носороги Намибия

#RhinoPoachingNamibia #EtoshaNamibia #RomeoMuyunda #НосорогиНамибия

Rhino poaching levels are on sharp rise in Namibia

WINDHOEK Namibia (Xinhua) -- Unprecedented levels of poaching were recorded this month in Namibia as seven poached rhino carcasses were discovered in Etosha National park, bringing the number of rhinos poached this year to 47.

The Ministry of Environment and tourism announced the figure on Wednesday. The latest figure means the improvement the country saw last year is short-lived, when 8 rhinos were poached in 2015, down from 24 in 2014.

In the north-eastern region of Namibia, 91 elephants were poached in 2015 compared to 78 in 2014. It is reported to date that 69 elephants have been poached in 2016 mainly in the Zambezi and the Kavango regions.

The Government of Namibia has been very proactive and has aggressively tackled poaching through the Ministry of Environment and Tourism. However, the current situation indicates more needs to be done.

According to Romeo Muyunda, Chief Public Relations Officer at the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, wildlife trafficking is becoming a million dollar criminal enterprise that has expanded to more than just conservation concern.

He added that the involvement of organized crime in poaching and wildlife trafficking promotes corruption, threatens peace and destabilizes economies and communities that depend on wildlife for their livelihoods.

Earlier this year the Minister of Environment and Tourism launched the Game Utilization Policy in Protected Areas and on State land. This policy was launched to promote management of natural resources for the enhancement of ecosystem conservation and socio-economic development.

It is further expected to create improved communication skills and enhance mutual understanding between park management authorities, neighbors and resident communities, to meet the country’s national and international commitments to biodiversity conservation, while taking into account the rights and development needs of the people.

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New Matrice 600 Pro from DJI

DJI is proud to present the Matrice 600 Pro (M600 Pro), a heavy-lifter airframe based on the M600 with further improved flight performance and increased payload capacity. Native compatibility with all Zenmuse cameras and gimbals and full integration with third party software and hardware makes the M600 Pro ideal for professional aerial photography and industrial applications.
 
A3 Pro Flight Controller, Superlative Performance.
Complete Integration, Ultra Convenient
Charge Six Batteries Simultaneously
Aerial Imaging Solution
Extended Flight Time and Transmission Range
Professional HD Transmission

Avoid SKL Botswana - terrible service!

#SKLBotswana #AvoidSKL #BadServiceSKL #RudeConnieMbulawa #AwfulSKL

 

SKL Camps Botswana - bad service

 

Reservation service at SKL Camps is terrible. Constant overcharging due to endless recalculation of Rand:Pula exchange rates, extra fees charged for payment by credit card. Nobody responds to questions about amounts charged. Tax invoices supplied are incorrect and no explanation is given. Manageress Connie Mbulawa is plainly rude in her correspondence and can not care less about SKL's service. Replies and confirmations take ages. However SKL enjoys a monopoly on Savuti, Khwai and Linyanti camp sites reservations so there is no need to bother about service.

More opinions about SKL Savuti:

Beautiful place, campsite staff terrible

This campsite used to be a stunning place to visit, but it is ruined now since they have stuck a luxury lodge in the camp site. They have put their huge generator right in the middle of the camp site, in the ablutions, which you hear running all day into the evening. No more peace and tranquility. On one occasion, when there were no guests, the lodge staff had a noisy party into the early hours of the morning! We arrived back to the camp one eveing, 5 minutes BEFORE the 6pm curfue, only to be met by a most aggressive guard ready for a fight. He insisted it was in fact 3 minutes past, and immediately tore into us and promptly fined us all. We will never go back there again...


Lovely area, TERRIBLE staff!

The campsite itself is ok although very sandy and dusty but if you got here your 4x4 will be fine. The ablutions are fairly good and reasonably clean with limited solar hot water. Each site has a tap with running water and a fireplace but little else. There is limited shade so it gets very hot in the summer months with little chance to escape the heat. The game viewing in the area is very good and it is worth constantly communicating with other travelers to see which animals are in the area. One couple kindly led us to a spectacular lion sighting which we would otherwise have missed.

Sadly though the staff, especially around the reception area, are so rude, unfriendly and unhelpful that they almost ruined the entire experience. In my opinion they are a disgrace to Botswana as they are supposed to represent the country to foreigners at one of the more popular destinations in an important industry. There were not interested in giving advice about where to game view or what recent sightings there had been. There is a sightings board which they didn't update during the 4 days that we were there - the staff lazed around doing nothing most of the day and even polite conversation seemed to be asking too much! Sad but true.

So if you have somewhere better to go, avoid Savuti Campsite. If it is on your route and you need to go then enjoy the animals, chat to other travelers and don't expect any help or support from the staff.
Room Tip: Ask for a campsite with some shade - if the staff will even bother to listen....!

Totally overpriced for very basic camp

Finally we arrived a the campand were pretty happy as it's a hard sandy road to get there.
Luckily they had a campsite left for a family like us. But when tllling the price for a night i thought thee lady is kidding!
What is the reason that europeans have to pay4times more for a campsite then SA people?
So better drive on and visit campsites right after the gates and pay less for better facilities, service and even views.

Expensive and far from nature

We booked a campsite on Savuti for one night, because it was in our way from Moremi to Kasane.
As it is the only place to sleep in between those 2 cities, I believe the camp management settles some high prices cause they know that people have no other option but to sleep there.
We were 3, and for each person, we had to pay 50$, so basically, 150$ to put your tent in a dirty sand. The facilities are ok (hot shower, toilets, fireplace ...) but the campsites give the impression of being far from the nature (close to the gate, there's a bottle shop ...). We loved Xakanaka in Moremi way more !
It is often fully booked in advance. We were there in low touristic season (June), so we managed to book there 2 days before, from Maun, but it was the last campsite available.
We didn't see many animals in Savuti (we saw more in Chobe next to Kasane) ; but an elephant arrived in our campsite during the night while we were having a barbecue, so it was actually the only "good surprise" from this night.
Too bad it is the only possible accomodation in this area.

A RIP OFF

We spent one night a the Savuti Campsite inside the Chobe National Park which is run by SKL. They also run a tent lodge called Savuti Camp which is outside the National Park gate. We stayed one night at the campsite even if originally we found it too overpriced (50 USD per person for international traveler!) It is the only campsite n this part of the park that you can access without being part of a tour and they know it so price it very very high. The man who helped us assured us that it was really worth it so we decided to "splurge" and pay for it. On arrival, what a disappointment, our riverside campsite was along a dry river (this could have maybe been told to us at the moment of booking the site) and on top of it we had view on the staff camp (separated by a high wooden barrier 10 m from our camp), a big scrub that was hiding the dry riverbed and another campsite. Not much for an into the wild experience... Moreover the layout of the camp was really pour with a tree, a fire place and a water point but all of them spread over the whole area so that it was difficult to find somewhere to park our car!! Plus no light at night in the ablution block, i would say that it is far from the deluxe campsite that had been sold to us. Overall, we are really disappointed by the campsite and found it overpriced. It is private with no concurrence in the middle of a famous national park and the owners know it so play on it but I would suggest to people to try to camp outside of the park and do day-trip into it because we just felt we've been ripped off by this company!! By boycotting this lace, the owners would probably realize that tourists are people and not money bag... There is other national park (for example Etosha in Namibia) that are a lot better managed and cheaper and where we saw more wildlife diversity than during our time spent in Chobe NP.

Way below expectations

We were so looking to camping at Savuti after so many recommendations. The time of year was not ideal, so game around the camp was minimal, other than a few inquisitve elephants and plenty of ground squirrels. But this was not the issue. The ablutions were fairly clean, hot and cold running water was available, the campsites were neat - but the noise spoilt everything. Two generators run from very early in the morning until after 10 at night. There is a constant flow of game-viewing vehicles past the camp, with constant chatter between their guests; but the worst was the loud banter between staff at all hours in the nearby staff accommodation. One of the camp's rules states to keep conversation low, then why do the staff not heed this? One of the joys of sleeping in the bush is hearing the night sounds, but we may as well have been in the suburbs. Very disappointing.

Namibia: Rossing Mine near Swakopmund | Урановая шахта Россинг в Намибии

#УрановаяШахтаРоссинг
#РоссингНамибия
#RossingNamibia
#Arandis

Rossing Mine, Swakopmund area, Namibia

Rossing Mine is located 60 km east of Swakopmund, off main road to interior. It is the world’s largest open-cast uranium mine. Uranium was first discovered here in the 1920s by Peter Louw, though his attempts at developing the mine quickly failed. In 1965, the concession was transferred to Rio Tinto-Zinc, and comprehensive surveys determined that the formation measured 3 km long and 1 km wide. Ore extraction came on line in 1970, but didn’t reach capacity for another eight years.

Rossing, with 2500 employees, is currently a major player in Swakopmund and Namibia’s economy. The affiliated Rossing Foundation provides an educational and training centre in Arandis, north-east of the mine, as well as medical facilities and housing for its Swakopmund-based workers. It has promised that the eventual decommissioning of the site will entail a massive clean-up.

Three hour mine tours depart at 10 am on the first and third Friday of each month from parking area below Hotel Schweizerhaus. Reservations are made at least one day in advance at the Swakopmund Museum.

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Вредитель У828КХ777 - преступление и наказание

#CrimeAndPunishmentУ828КХ777 #ОбочечникУ828КХ777Попал
#ВредительУ828КХ777 #НарушительУ828КХ777 #У828КХ777
#SuckerУ828КХ777

Обочечник идет в банк, весело насвистывая:

Преступление/Crime:

И наказание/And punishment:

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YouTube channel: Exploring Namibia

Aerial photo/video service & other inquiries contact: info@traveltonamibia.com

 

Namibia: Skeleton Coast Zeila shipwreck aerial view | Дрон фото затонувшего корабля Берег Скелетов Намибия

#SkeletonCoastNamibia #ShipwreckNamibia #Swakomund
#Namibia #SkeletonCoast #БерегСкелетовНамибия #Zeila

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Namibia: flying above the capital of Namibia | Аэросъемка Намибия

#WindhoekAerialVideo
#DroneNamibia
#DJINamibia
#АэросъемкаНамибия

Video of morning drone flight above center of Windhoek, Namibia

See video portfolio here

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YouTube channel: Exploring Namibia

Aerial photo/video service & other inquiries contact: info@traveltonamibia.com

Day tours to Victoria Falls from Chobe Safari Lodge & Chobe Bush Lodge | Туры на Водопад Виктория

#ChobeSafariLodge
#ТурынаВодопадВиктория
#VictoriaFallsTours
#BotswanaChobe

Victoria Falls day trips from Chobe Safari Lodge & Chobe Bush Lodge
 
Full-day trips available all year round on unguided or fully guided basis, minimu 2 persons.

The legendary Victoria Falls are just over one hour’s drive from Chobe Safari Lodge and it’s new sister property Chobe Bush Lodge. The Victoria Falls day tour is ideal for guests not able to overnight on the Zimbabwe or Zambia side and it is a comfortable, affordable and hassle-free way to see the Victoria Falls and Victoria Falls town. Departure is at 08.00 in the morning which allows guests to enjoy a leisurely breakfast and the return is at approximately 17.00, just on time to witness a magnificent Chobe sunset with a sundowner on the Chobe River.

The Victoria  Falls day trip is available on an unguided and on a fully guided basis. The fully-guided option includes return transfer with bottled water, a guide for the Victoria Falls and craft market, lunch and park fee. The unguided option is preferred by the more independent and adventurous-minded traveller and merely includes the return transfer and bottled water. Clients are dropped off at the entrance of the Victoria Falls and have the freedom to explore the Falls and Victoria Falls town on their own. Victoria Falls’ wide range of adventure, culture or wildlife activities can be pre-booked.

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Aerial photo/video service & other inquiries contact: info@traveltonamibia.com