South Africa is pumping! The rand is still very favorable for us which make South Africa a fantastic “good value for money” destination apart from being one of the most beautiful and exciting countries in the world. There are new exciting hotels, guesthouses, lodges and restaurants opening up more or less on a daily basis.

The breaking news from Into Africa involves key staff changes. Lut who has worked together with Nick for 21 years has stepped down from operational involvement in Into Africa, but remains a shareholder and will continue to consult on and offer advice to the company. Fortunately we have an excellent team of experienced project managers who are taking on additional responsibility to fill the rather large “boots” vacated by Lut.

Frances is now responsible for the leisure department which incorporates special interest groups and technical study visits.  Frances and I will be working closely in the Nordic market.  The leisure side of the business is growing nicely and we are in the process of recruiting staff to meet the demand. Alex is responsible for the conference and incentive team.

Nick remains at the helm of the company.  He will be going to Barcelona for IBTM which is now only 4 months away.  He looks forward to meeting you there for a personal update.  Into Africa will also be present at Meetings Africa at the end of February 2017.  We will be inviting buyers to this show which will incorporate a pre tour starting in Cape Town on the 25th February 2017. If you are interested in joining, please let us know.

I added Takims Holidays in Tanzania to my portfolio earlier this year. Its been a great beginning and I can truly recommend their services. It is a family run and very personalized company with their own fleet of vehicles and offices in DAR, Arusha and Stonetown. For world-class game viewing, genuine cultural interaction and magnificent scenery, Tanzania is hard to beat. Reserves like the Serengeti, famous for the annual Great Migration and the Ngorongoro Crater are icons of Africa. The vast, less busy Selous & Ruaha in the south provide visitors with spell binding safari experiences, offering game drives, exploration by  foot and also by boat.  

At the beginning of June I had the opportunity to visit Tanzania and my main focus for this trips was southern Tanzania although I also visited Serengeti & more. Both Selous and Ruaha National Parks took me by storm. I loved the untouched wilderness with less visitors, where the sense of the African bush is so strong.  These areas are not for the first time visitor to Africa, but for the keen “Africa Lovers” who are looking for the more remote areas and an unique experience.

Selous National Park with its rivers, lakes and bush experiences, the size of Switzerland (or four times the size of Serengeti),is the largest game reserve in Africa, covering 52,000km¬2 of pristine wilderness. The park offers a wide variety of wildlife including elephant, lion, leopard, hippo, buffalo, giraffe, crocodile and many antelope and bird species. The Rufiji River flows through the park and the terrain varies from riverine forest and flood plains with oxbow lagoons, to low mopane forest.

The remote and wild Ruaha National Park, is Tanzania’s second largest park, covering 13,000 sq kms. Large populations of the great predators are present in the park and lions, leopards, cheetahs, spotted hyenas and wild dogs are all sighted.
The ample diversity in vegetation results in extremely abundant bird life. 

Udzungwa Mountains National Park is the perfect place for hikers! The park is well known for its excellent hiking, trekking, mountain climbing and forest walks. With no road access, the only way in is by foot along one of the many trails. Here the mountains keep their secrets from all, but the most adventurous. There are several trails ranging from short 20 minutes strolls to 5 days expeditions. A great experience for all the keen Nordic hikers!

Zimbabwe is back! If you’ve never been to Zimbabwe before, you’re in for a treat. After all, it’s one of the most beautiful, diverse and friendly countries in Africa. Imvelo is not just about luxury lodges and game drives, but they believe in enriching the lives of those who live around the lodges as well as their guests.

Make use of the great Imvelo Stay for 3 Pay for 2 Specials (valid till 31st December 2016) at Camelthorn, Zambezi Sands and/or Nehimba Lodge and the Green Season Specials Stay for 3 Pay for 2 (1 December 2016 - 28 February 2017)  at Gorges and Bomani.  These can easily be combined with the specials running at the other lodges.

The latest addition to the Imvelo Safari Lodges portfolio is Little Gorges. Little Gorges is a luxury tented extension to Gorges Lodge consisting of 5 bedrooms with the most amazing  location on the edge of Batoka Gorge with awesome views of the Zambezi River 250 m below and across into Zambia.

The positive feedback from our guests about 'The Elephant Express’ has by far exceeded our expectations. Our guests love
 
it! We knew that it would be a fun and unique transfer method for guests at Bomani and Camelthorn, but who would have thought that you could go on a game drive through parts of Hwange by rail while sipping on a nice cup of tea or something a little stronger?