South Africa: !Khamab Kalahari Reserve

A conservation and eco-tourism icon. !Khamab Kalahari Reserve.

Introducing !Khamab Kalahari Reserve, a pristine wilderness and conservation area which forms part of the legendary Kalahari Desert.  

Situated in the central north of South Africa and bordering Botswana to the north, !Khamab is off the beaten track, remote, exclusive and vast. It is an outstanding conservation project which aims for the typical eastern-Kalahari landscapes to return to a status as close to natural as possible by keeping management interference to the minimum.

The Kalahari Desert is regarded as one of few remaining wilderness areas in Africa! The largest undisturbed, arid sandy savannah in Africa, covering almost 930 000 square kilometres of Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa, and it forms part of the 1.5 million square kilometre Kalahari Basin, which includes the Okavango Delta and Makgadikgadi Pans. !Khamab falls within the Eastern Kalahari Bushveld Bioregion which is part of the Savanna Biome.

This 90 000-hectare conservation icon is in a malaria-free area and is safe to visit all year round. The size of the reserve and vast wilderness areas devoid of roads makes !Khamab ideally suited for discerning travellers that want something more than just the normal game viewing experience. A minimum of three to four nights in camp is recommended to make the most of the !Khamab experience.

The small, exclusive, old style lodge, !Khamab Kalahari Lodge, is a place of privacy and remoteness where one will find serenity for your soul in the expanse of wilderness exclusive to our guests.

As we accommodate only eight guests sharing, a visit to !Khamab Kalahari Lodge is a truly intimate, exclusive, personal and private wilderness experience. Guests have the privilege of having the entire reserve to themselves, adding to the feeling of remoteness that the Kalahari brings. !Khamab Kalahari Lodge is an ideal destination for any occasion, from small get-togethers to exclusive honeymoons.

We offer a versatile menu that features outstanding local dishes, tailored to your preferences.  Depending on weather, dinner is served in various venues for an exciting culinary experience.

Our activities are tailored around the preference of each guest, but we encourage as much time out on the reserve as possible, whether on a game drive in open safari vehicles or a guided bush walk. However, the nature of activities is determined by the weather conditions and the guest's specific requirements.

As the reserve embarks on adding an eco-tourism segment to its profile, a new luxury, exclusive and state of the art tented safari camp is planned which promises to be second to none, and we look forward to share the timing of this iconic camp, soon to be born.

We would be glad to share more information, rates, offer training, schedule a telephonic or zoom conversation on this exciting eco-tourism journey.

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Namibia: Okapuka Game Ranch joins Gondwana Collection

Okapuka Game Ranch, located 30 km north of Windhoek on A1 highway to Okahandja, has recently entered a joint venture with Gondwana Collection Namibia.

Okapuka will be part of Gondwana's portfolio from 1 November 2022 under the name Okapuka Safari Lodge.

According to a statement: “A collaboration between Gondwana and Okapuka will mean starting a new chapter for both companies, where the authentic savannah bushveld, with a well-established game lodge on Windhoek's doorstep, will join Gondwana's long-established customer base and footprint in the tourism market”.

The new joint venture is an undertaking comprising equal shareholders between Klein Okapuka CC and Gondwana Collection Namibia (Pty) Ltd in terms of management only.

The Okapuka Lodge was originally opened in 1998 and has since become a local and internationally renowned mainstay in the Namibian tourism industry. It was always known for its spectacular game drives, just 30 minutes outside Windhoek's city centre, yet deep enough into the African savanna to enjoy a true African safari experience.

Okapuka Hospitality Management (Pty) Ltd is planning an extensive revamp of the lodge premises, which will only be the first step in giving this classic safari lodge a new lease on life.

Renovations are scheduled to start in October, and Gondwana Collection Namibia will be taking bookings from 1 November. The first guests will be welcomed to the lodge in April next year, where they will encounter a classic safari lodge.

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Kenya: Sanctuary Tambarare: Incredible Wildlife Adventures

Incredible Wildlife Adventures Await at This Brand New Luxury Camp! 

Sanctuary Tambarare, opening 1 June 2022, will bring new levels of luxury to the wildlife haven of Ol Pejeta in Laikipia. Nestled amongst fever trees in the shadow of Mount Kenya, this brand new camp looks out across the grassy plateau of the award-winning Ol Pejeta Conservancy, 90,000 acres of unspoilt African landscape, where the Big Five roam, including the last two northern white rhinos.

With just 10 luxurious tents, Sanctuary Tambarare is a peaceful haven that reflects its surroundings – with a generous helping of indulgence. Each luxury tent is large and airy, with a private veranda overlooking the grassy plains. Enjoy floor-to-ceiling cinematic views of the landscape from the super king beds. Inside the spacious and beautifully appointed main tent, inviting sofas and chairs encourage guests to linger. The lounge looks out onto the boma, where guests can gather to hear thrilling tales and local legends shared by the camp’s safari guides.

Once-in-a-Lifetime Wildlife Experiences

GAME DRIVES 

At Sanctuary Tambarare, guests can explore Ol Pejeta Conservancy with daily game drives, where expert guides enrich the experience. In addition to the Big Five and many other animals (from cheetahs and jackal to hippos and hyena), the conservancy is home to over 130 black rhinos.

THRILLING NIGHT GAME DRIVES*

The plains come alive at night, with nocturnal animals such as aardvark, white-tailed mongoose, zorilla (striped polecat), bat-eared fox and perhaps even lions and leopard. This nighttime adventure is very special as it's not possible in most of Kenya's national parks and reserves. 

*Additional cost applies and subject to availability at the time of booking

Meet the Northern White Rhinos

RHINO ENCOUNTER*

Get up close and personal with the last two northern white rhino on earth and hear their incredible story. Get up close and personal with Najin and Fatu, the last two northern white rhino on earth, and hear their incredible story from the keepers that look after them 24/7.

*Additional cost applies and subject to availability at the time of booking

LION TRACKING*

Guests can accompany a ranger and actively help protect these big cats. They'll take notes on specific lions spotted, then report to the Ol Pejeta Ecological Monitoring Department.

*Additional cost applies and subject to availability at the time of booking

Ride the Wild

Get closer to the wildlife and gain a unique perspective of the landscape, riding on horseback through Ol Pejeta and the northern white rhino enclosure.

K9 Anti-Poaching Unit

Meet the incredible K9 Unit dogs - from tracking the scent of a poacher, to detecting ammunition, these animals are imperative in anti-poaching efforts.

CYCLING SAFARI*: This all-day adventure through the Laikipia landscape includes animal spotting, lunch and climbing at the Big Rock.

HORSE RIDING WITH RHINOS*: Guests can take morning or evening horse rides in the 600-acre endangered species enclosure, alongside northern and southern white rhino, Grevy's zebra and Jackson's hartebeest. 

RIDE THE WILD*: Riding on horseback across the Ol Pejeta plains gives you a unique perspective of the landscape and allows you to get closer to wildlife. 

GUIDED BUSH WALK*: Accompanied by an experienced ranger, these interpretive walks bring you up close and personal with the sights, smells and sounds of the African bush.

HIPPO HIDE NATURE TRAIL*: Guests walk through the bush along the banks of the Ewaso Nyiro river, where hippos keep cool in the shallow water.

MEET THE NEIGHBOURS COMMUNITY INTERACTION*: Ol Pejeta Conservancy aims to positively impact the surrounding communities through education, agriculture and livestock enterprise. Visit the local communities and see first hand the work the Conservancy undertakes in health care services, sustainable energy and community enterprise initiatives.

RUN THE WILD*: For fitness and adventure fans, there is no better run than a 5 to 7km route across the Ol Pejeta plains.

*Additional cost applies and subject to availability at the time of booking

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Zambia: Mayukuyuku Bush Camp newsletter

We hope you are all okay despite this horrid Covid continuing. Here in Zambia most people have now had their first vaccination with the second in September / October.  We have today got a new President which is wonderful news – all calm in town which is also good news. I am now back in camp after a long time stuck in the UK.  My journey was pleasantly uneventful. I got a local travel health clinic in Sussex, UK to do the Covid test for travelling which came back the next day, I had an airline ticket that could be easily changed and off I went, arriving Friday June 18th. A few extra forms to fill in at the airport but it was very smooth and professional - took my temperature on a wide screen TV, a few questions, handed over the COVID PCR copy letter and I was through formalities – all very easy. Masks are still being worn in all public areas and with the Delta variant, some places have had to close and wedding guests limited once again but generally in Zambia, life is very normal.  More tests before coming home but that is a long way off so I am not stressing about that just yet.

I am very happy to report that the Kafue National Park has been taken under the wing, on a one year (hopefully to be formalized as 20 years) trial, by African Parks. This is the best ever news for us and all lodge owners appear to be delighted. There was another big meeting a few weeks ago at Mukambi and The Kafue Park Operators Association (KPOA) had contacted us about our requested priorities. For us, we requested early grading – now all done and an excellent job, burning of firebreaks to be back with the responsibility of the camps, not the grader driver!  No more collaring, no more game capture, better patrols (although poaching in our area is not really an issue), it is, however still around on the park boundaries, between the camps the request list is long – so watch out for my next newsletter for an update on how they have got on.

For the camp it was obviously a quiet year in 2020 but 2021 has picked up a bit with local visitors and some Internationals. These times, if there were funds, you can do major work on the camp but none of us knew it was going to happen and “battening down the hatches” was the only option.  As many of you are aware, we split the staff into two teams, so 9 went off duty without pay for a month and then returned for a full month, swopping alternatively.  None of them complained as they all understood the worldwide situation and fortunately with farming etc. some had a chance to extend their home ventures.

The 2020 was quiet, despite a lot of local marketing – we had bits and pieces of business and we put our prices as low as we could in the form of “specials” but it was tough for everyone in the industry. Many camps did close completely, some pushed on, as we did, some went under. The fact we are one of the most accessible camps made a difference so it was mostly weekends we had guests for overnight stays but you cannot live off that.

The assistance to businesses in Zambia was nothing like what was on offer in the UK and on my return in June 2020 to the UK, I applied for a “Bounce Back” loan from Nat West – our UK business bank.  I have to say how impressed I was with their phone service and the simple online application – I filled it all in and sent it on a Friday, the money was in the Kafue Camps account on Wednesday! So for the months when we could not meet the salaries, fuel and food, this money was a life saver!  Obviously it has to be paid back but it gave us some breathing space.  We are not “out of the woods” yet but business with the locals is picking up with lots of public holidays, (known as Long Weekends) around this time of the year.

Sightings have been very good with the drives, walks and boat cruises we are doing.  The elephants are prolific and there were Lion in the campsite last night but I don’t think the campers were even aware!  Two weeks ago around dinner time a Leopard came into the workers compound and took 2 shoes – one from each pair that Dominic (guide) had left outside his house to dry.  The Leopard then returned for a 5 litre container!  I think he thinks he is a hyena!  Also about the same time, we had 2 Lions at the campsite and they had killed a baby Hippo right by the campsite lounge area.

A rare sighting was a Honey Badger – about only the 4th sighting since we started in 2006. This was on the road into camp. On the first week in June we had a sub adult Lion in camp also. For those of you who are keen birders, we had our first sighting of a Buff Spotted Fluftail which is very rare indeed – this was near the entrance to camp. Yesterday Dominic saw two Cape Clawless Otters by the dining room in the river and about three days ago a male Leopard was seen on Cheetah Loop and was very calm with the vehicle – he was calling for a mate. We had Pangolin sightings but these I don’t advertise generally on newsletters due to the high poaching situation.

Finally we had, in the late rains, a pride of Lions on the beach and also a Lioness has been seen with 2 cubs.  Good to see we have some youngsters to grow up in the area.

In the time of writing this newsletter, we have had some other excellent sightings of our two male Lion brothers on Zamloop behind the camp, an otter taking on a very large crocodile and also various good photos all taken by a new young client Iain Macdonald from Solwezi area of Zambia. Finally just now, 2 Lioness from the boat a few minutes ago and a Leopard on the bank the day before when guests were fishing.

Keep in touch and reserve your clients’ provisional booking for later this year or 2022.

Very best regards

Pippa, Patrick and all the Mayukuyuku team.

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Namibia: Absolute Erongo Package by Hohenstein Lodge | Этемба Намибия

#Namibia #AbsoluteErongoPackage #HohensteinLodge #lions #Africa #Usakos #Braai #EtembaWildernessCamp #ЭтембаНамибия

Absolute Erongo Package - lions in Erongo Mountains

Kindly take note that the Absolute Erongo Package by Hohenstein Lodge has been amended due to lions in the area.
The Namibian Ministry of Environment & Tourism and the Erongo Mountain Rhino Sanctuary Trust released 5 lions in the Erongo Mountains. The animals are now roaming free in the Erongo where the Etemba Wilderness Camp is situated.
To ensure the safety and security of guests the following amendments have been made to the Absolute Erongo Itinerary:
° On day 2, guests stay at Hohenstein Lodge where a light lunch will be offered.
° At 15:00 guests are taken on a guided hike/drive with a guide.
° The guide will take guests on a special Erongo Mountain Flora/Fauna tour which includes a sundowner at the end of the tour.
° Back at the lodge guests will get to experience a typical Namibian Braai.

A two-day adventure – from a comfortable lodge to a romantic night in the African Wilderness, offered exclusively to guests of the Hohenstein Lodge. After hiding its treasures for more than 10 years, the mythical Etemba opens its gates again, presenting the new Etemba Wilderness Camp.

DAY 1 HOHENSTEIN LODGE
You are welcomed with a refreshing drink, served on the panorama terrace of the lodge, situated at the foot of the highest mountain in the Erongo Mountain Range. Arrival at the Lodge not later than 2pm. Otherwise it could be too late for the afternoon activities.
Accompanied by an experienced guide, the afternoon excursion takes you to the “Boulder Forest”, characterised by spectacular rock formations and luscious vegetation. On the steep mountain slopes, semi-precious stones like Tourmalines, Aquamarines and Mountain Crystal are found. You are given a glimpse into the
work and life of the small miners, working on the slopes and hoping for the one big find.
On the decent you are treated to spectacular views, with the sun setting behind the majestic Spitzkoppe Mountain. A twenty minute drive takes you back to the lodge, where a 3-course dinner awaits you.

DAY 2 ETEMBA WILDERNESS CAMP
After a scrumptious breakfast, the journey takes you to Etemba (in your own vehicle). The route takes you past the Erongo Mountain along one of the most scenic
routes in the country. From the gate of the Farm Anibib (situated along the road D2315 approx. 45 km west of Omaruru) you drive through the area of the Erongo Mountain Rhino Sanctuary Trust to Etemba. In extraordinary situations, especially weather conditions, the car can be parked safely and your guide will pick you up here.
Etemba has hosted guests from Europe from as early as 1960. A spectacular landscape has evolved between the peaks of the Erongo Mountain Range and the riverbed
of the Omaruru. Situated at a historical gathering place of the bushmen, is the newly built Etemba Wilderness Camp. After a short rest with coffee and cake,
you will be taking a walk to the famous bushmen paintings, which have been declared a National Monument more than 50 years ago.

Tonight you will enjoy a traditional braai in the spectacular setting of the camp, amidst gigantic rock boulders.

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