Africa Safari Blog

Source: Weekend Argus, December 19th

Christmas is set to be the season of plenty for Zimbabwean who are finally rejoicing in a stronger economy

Cleopatra Matimbe, 24, pushes her trolley slowly through a busy supermarket in central Harare, picking up groceries for Christmas. Now it’s hard for her to remember that last year she and most of Zimbabwe has no holiday celebration. “Last year’s Christmas was different from other the other Christmases we used to have long back. We had to go to South Africa for groceries, there was no money to do shopping,” she said. “It’s different from the last two years, things have been ahrd for us.”
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December is the month that people wait for in anticipation all year long. For some it means time off work and for others it means Christmas, Hanukkah or New Years celebrations… whatever the reason – it is here!!!

So whatever your motivation to celebrate is, we at Jenman Safaris wish you and your family a safe and happy December… Don’t forget that our offices will be open over the holiday season, so feel free to contact us to assist you with your holiday plans.
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Dear reader. I hope that you are acquainted with the fairy tales of Hans Christian Andersen. Perhaps even with “The Flying Trunk”. His tale is about a young man who comes into possession of an old trunk, which turns out to have the capability of flying. So he enters the trunk and flies out into the world. Here he almost obtains the princess and half the kingdom, but alas, the trunk burns, and he is bound to suffer the conditions of an ordinary life. Poor bastard…
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Source: The Sunday Times – December, 13, 2009 by Bongani Mthethwa
Local community says the R490-million upgrade will adversely affect tourism

A plan to tar one of South Africa’s most famous dirt roads has sparked a bitter row. The R490-million upgrade of the 33km Sani Pass, which links Himeville in KwaZuklu Natal and the eastern highlands of Lesotho, has upset environmentalists, tourists, tour operators – and the local community. Opponents claim tarring the road in the uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park World Heritage Site, which is popular with 4×4 drivers, will destroy the spectacular scenery and sense of wilderness at Sani Pass and chase away tourists.

Between 20 000 and 30 000 tourists visit the 2874m Sani Top Chalet’s pub every year – the highest pub in Africa. The SA and Lesotho governments say the upgrade will stimulate economic growth in both countries – and it is not environmentally unfriendly. But a survey conducted by the Wildlife and Environment Society of SA of tourists traveling on the pass between 2007 and 2008 revealed most were opposed to the tarring.
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By Francois de Maroussem
Taken & edited from “Constance Hotel Experience – SILENCE no. 16 November 2008.

The west of Madagascar offers imposing landscapes which are the real symbols of the island: the Baobab alley of Morondava (or of the Menabe: ancient Sakalava kingdom of the red island) and the famous Tsingy of Bemaraha, inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1990. The Baobabs (Adansonia) are giants with bulbous trunks, which store in their spongy tissues water to “hod” during the dry season. On the nine species registered in the world, seven are endemic to Madagascar, one to the whole of Africa and Madagascar and one to Australia, resulting from the explosion of the Gondwana.

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Source: Getaway, December 2009 edition

Our family recently spent our annual holiday in the Kruger National Park. One afternoon, about three kilometers from Pretoriuskop Rest Camp, we came across a pride of lionesses and noticed that the biggest female had a snare around her neck that had cut into her skin.
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Joining the Dots
The Big Story: Indian Ocean Islands Published: Aug 29, 2009
 
There are many reasons for marooning oneself on an Indian Ocean island. Here are six of the best. It’s difficult not to love an island holiday, no matter how jaded one might be. Over the course of their travels, various Sunday Times writers have come ashore on a dot of sand in the Indian Ocean. Here are choice excerpts from their journeys, and some reasons why you should consider heading eastwards. http://www.thetimes.co.za/PrintEdition/Lifestyle/Article.aspx?id=1055640

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