Alan

The uncertainty over India’s tour of South Africa grew further when the New Zealand Cricket announced their itinerary on Monday a day after the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s Working Committee meeting approved the proposal of a West Indies tour to the sub-continent.

The tour to the land of Kiwis, which was supposed to begin in February according to the International Cricket Council’s Futures Tour and Program, has been advanced to January leaving a small window for Cricket South Africa to host India.

The New Zealand tour is supposed to begin mid-January with the first of the five ODIs being played on 19th.

Meanwhile, the number Test matches have been reduced from three to two.

Going by the current scenario, the window to accommodate a South Africa series is small. Australia’s tour of India will end in the first week of November, with the last ODI being played on November 2 while the New Zealand tour begins with an ODI on January 19. And between these two dates, India will have to accommodate two big series.

West Indies are likely to play two Tests and five ODIs that could take at least a month leaving little time for South Africa.

Some officials in the BCCI say they are not sure how the tour of South Africa would be accommodated, while some feel that it could be pruned from three to two Tests. The Indian cricket board has still not communicated with the CSA about their plans who are keenly waiting for their counterparts to reveal them of their intentions.

“We have kept a proper window for the South Africa tour between the West Indies and New Zealand series. Although it’s a small window, South Africa will have to accommodate by reducing the number of games — including the Tests and ODIs. It is unlikely that we will play a practice game there,” said a top BCCI official.

A top BCCI official revealed that the West Indies tour is more of a money-making exercise. “We wanted a short series against South Africa and we had a window to accommodate a series that would help us financially.” It is likely that India might play two Tests, three ODIs and two T20Is.

Meanwhile, the New Zealand Cricket is keen to host India as it will give them a major boost financially. NZC’s chief executive David White said he was happy that the summer programme of the Indian team visiting their country was finally confirmed.

“It’s brilliant that the Black Caps will be playing five ODIs against the world’s top one day side given the proximity of Cricket World Cup in 2015,” he said adding that the venues for the tour will be announced next week.

Tendulkar to take it one match at a time
Sachin Tendulkar has rubbished the reports of his retirement after the West Indies series where he will achieve the 200 Tests landmark. He told a news channel that he didn’t want to comment on it and is rather keen on taking it one match at a time. “No reactions now…will take it match-by-match,” he said.

Meanwhile, a top BCCI official on condition of anonymity, said that the hurriedly-planned visit by West Indies was about garnering revenue and is not organised as a farewell series for Tendulkar.  “As far as Tendulkar’s retirement is concerned, it is up to him when he wants to quit the game,” official said.

Catch all the sporting action at www.dnaindia.com/sport and http://www.dnaindia.com/sport/archives

When elephants attack!

Terrified tourists have caught on camera the moment an enraged beast stampeded their Jeep.

JukinVideoDotCom via YouTube

Tourists on safari thought they were going to simply watch elephants from a distance.

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The astonishing footage begins with the safari party stopping to watch a herd chewing on vegetation in South Africa’s Kruger National Park.

JukinVideoDotCom via YouTube

The elephants chew vegetation, with little indication they are about to stampede.

The enormous animals seemingly take insult at the invasion of privacy and start to walk towards the vehicle.

RELATED: SEE IT: THOUSANDS RUN FROM BULLS IN PAMPLONA-INSPIRED EVENT

JukinVideoDotCom via YouTube

The elephant herd turns toward the Jeep in a move the stunned guide called very rare.

It ends with one of the elephants, a territorial female, rushing toward the jeep and hitting it.

Stunned guide Johann Lombard, who has run safaris in the area for more than two decades, said the incident was extremely rare.

JukinVideoDotCom via YouTube

‘I’ve never seen anything like it in 23 years,’ the guide says.

RELATED: PIGS ON THE RUN IN CHINA AFTER TRUCK OVERTURNS ON ROAD (VIDEO)

“I’ve never seen anything like it in 23 years,” he added.

JukinVideoDotCom via YouTube

Luckily, no one was injured in the elephant attack.

Luckily, no one was injured in the attack.

On a mobile device? Click here for video.

If South Africa is home to the Cradle of Humankind, then the East Africa region can perhaps lay claim to where much of the continent’s technology-led evolution is now taking place.

But this being a corner of Africa which has been ravaged over the years by civil war and famine, nothing is ever completely straightforward.

When a fire raged through Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta Airport in early-August this year, there was a sharp intake of breath not only from the Kenyan capital’s citizens and national government, but from others in the region.

Over the past few years the modest sized airport (5.8 million passengers in 2011) has become a gateway for inbound traffic to East Africa, both for the safari tour operating industry and for those outside looking to invest in Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda and Tanzania.

The early pictures of the damage caused by the blaze looked devastating.

Could the 2013 safari season cope with the disruption? What would rumours of emergency services looting before fire-fighting do to the reputation of a country desperate to position itself as one of the more forward-thinking nations on the continent?

Typically for a country (and wider region) which seemingly copes with all manner of knocks that would ordinarily cripple a so-called developed nation, services at the airport were restored quickly.

In short: officials in Kenya know how important the airport is to sustaining the tourism sector and fuelling further investment in other industries.

Travel sector overview

Inbound tourism, for example, reached around 1.3 million visitors in 2012, with the UK sending the largest proportion of travellers followed by the US and Italy (2010 figures).

These statistics are encouraging to the likes of John Chirchir of the Kenya Tourism Board. The agency has seen overall numbers more than double since the mid-1990s despite the US embassy bombings in 1998 and the controversial election and its aftermath in 2007-2008.

In 2012 tourism brought in around $1.1 billion to Kenya, mostly via wildlife and safari-led products but with an increasing amount going to new adventure, eco and beach trips.

Chirchir says the government is pushing Kenyan and external organisations to develop boutique and lifestyle hotels both in the national parks and ocean resorts, raising the “spend profile” of visitors further as well as encouraging corporations and MICE planners to select the country for conferences and exhibitions.

It’s inevitably a slow task, not least given that the government needs to continually fund and encourage investment in the country’s infrastructure, such as upgrading the airport in Isiolo and the development of marinas, but especially the road network (Nairobi’s roads, for example, can be jammed in and out of the city during peak hours).

So what about the tech?

Kenya (and to a lesser extent, Tanzania and Ethiopia) is aggressively pitching its tech potential to the outside world, in an effort to sustain the current 6.5% growth in GDP to the East Africa region (Western Europe’s is 0.1%).

Silicon Savannah is the rather inevitable title given to a movement in the country to encourage developers, startups, digital designers and entrepreneurs to consider Kenya as a base.

iHub is one of the platforms coordinating such efforts, and counts high profile brands such as Intel, Google (and elsewhere in Africa) and Samsung on its roster of international partners.

This stream of investment and enthusiasm for all things tech is rubbing off on the populace and the authorities (it likes to call itself a “digital government”).

Members of the growing middle class have an average of three devices to their name and many of the urban slum areas have subsidised mobile schemes, as well as free wifi zones to encourage internet use and sharing of information.

Yet perhaps the most significant and eye-catching development is the M-Pesa service.

Little known to many outside of the region, M-Pesa (Mobile-Pesa – Swahili for money) is a device-hosted money transfer and micro-finance system and is considered by some to be the most advanced mobile payment service in the world.

Developed by local students in Kenya in 2007 (short video about its history), M-Pesa is now used by a third of the country’s population in shops, food stalls, buses and offices.

Ask many what has fuelled the rapid rise of mobile payments – despite large scale poverty and relative underdevelopment of other forms of infrastructure – and it can be summarised easily: a hands-off approach to regulation by the government and the fact that many citizens have completely skipped desktop computers.

Their first experience of ecommerce is coming via a mobile device.

M-Pesa is spreading to countries around with similar structures and positions on the tech development curve, such as India and Afghanistan, and has caught the eye of a string of mobile operators around the world.

Some other significant stats to bear in mind:

• Average age in Africa is 20 (40 in Europe).
• Africa will have larger workforce than China in three decades.
• Seven of the top ten fastest growing economies are in Africa.
• BRIC countries trade more with Africa than they do amongst themselves.
• 750 million Africans have a mobile phone (1 billion by 2020).
• 54% of Kenyans never or infrequently use a desktop.
• Data produced from organisations based in Africa has increased by 30,000% in three years.

Travel industry moves

It is this rapid development of technology and infrastructure, alongside a burgeoning outbound tourist and business travel sector, which has led organisations such as Travelport to invest in and focus on Kenya and the wider region.

Having taken over its local National Distribution Company (known, rather ironically, as an NDC) agreement from Kenya Airways in April this year, Travelport sees establishing its own hub as a significant stepping stone to capitalising on the cultural and technical evolution currently taking place in the region.

“Travel’s new big game” is company’s slogan (and a nod towards the traditional, safari-led image of Africa) as it looks to bring the agency and wider tourism sector in the region up to speed with the pace of tech-driven change hitting other industries.

In particular is a focus on providing web and mobile services, not least because it seems imperative for travel businesses to start catering for the obvious fondness in the population for mobile and tablet devices, but also because traditional offline agencies are finding they will need fully functioning search and booking websites very soon.

Meanwhile, in terms of GDS segment growth, Africa outperforms the rest of the world considerably – Americas, Europe and APAC were relatively flat at 1-2% in 2012, whereas Africa was almost 15%.

Travelport’s managing director in Africa, Mark Meehan, believes the time is right to give the region such a large focus because the agency community is “very tech-savvy” and “their expectations of what can be achieved are very high”.

Interestingly, Meehan firmly believes the problems that beset bricks and mortar agencies in Europe and North America in the late-1990s and early-2000s (i.e. declining numbers in the face of new web-based services) will not be felt to the same extent in Africa.

“The pace of change here [in the industry] is not the same as elsewhere and the regulatory environment is different,” Meehan says. “Agents have the technical infrastructure to compete, alongside the tools and platforms.”

In other words: when previously many Western-based agents scrambled around wondering how they would compete with the likes of Expedia, now the availability of services and the business infrastructure (broadband, data storage, etc) in 2013 means the barriers to upgrading to a multi-channel service are far lower.

The ecosystem of industry will evolve as a whole, rather than there being widespread bloodshed as a result of a revolution which agents can’t control, Meehan believes.

Nevertheless, despite the industry environment in Africa in 2013 being markedly different to that in the west ten to 15 years ago, it is up to companies such as Travelport, in partnership with their customers, to make sure this happens.

This isn’t the spin from the company, but the reality. There is a significant opportunity for the existing players in the region to capitalise on the changes in the structure and processes in the industry, rather than sit idly by for outsiders to come along in the same way they did so devastatingly in other parts of the developed world.

On the ground

At the sharp-end of the agency world, Kiiru Mahiaini (CEO of Incentive Travel) has been in business for 17 years on the outskirts of Nairobi, both as an outbound air ticket and hotel booking service as well as an organiser of inbound safari tours.

Around 80% of his agency revenue is from business travel, servicing Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and the increasing number of large corporations which have settled in Kenya and the wider region (such as Coca-Cola, Nokia et al).

As companies have thrived on the back of the local tech-led business revolution so have the needs of employees, with traditional destinations in Europe (London, Istanbul) giving way to a rapid rise in travel required to the Middle East, India and China.

At the moment his team of 16 staff mainly process travel queries that come in via email (around 60%) or telephone, with very few actual “walk-in” customers.

The agency’s tools and how its staff use them are changing, Mahiani says. Younger members are using point-and-click platforms (Travelport’s Smartpoint is one) and he oversees the entire operation from a reporting and productivity point-of-view using Agentivity, a system which was developed initially for agents in South Africa by UK-based startup, Inside Group.

Mahiani concedes that there is now – as broadband and smartphone connectivity really kicks in – a growing need for the fully functioning web service.

This, he predicts, will change the make-up of his revenue model as he estimates the agency could boost its leisure travel bookings by as much as 20%, simply with the launch of a consumer-facing website.

Not resting on his laurels (and in stark contrast to the general mood amongst many agents in the west), Mahiani is capitalising on the growth his agency is experiencing ($400,000 a month in just air ticket volumes) and is opening an agency in London this year, catering for academic and so-called “mission” (pilgrimage) travel.

Rose-tinted spectacles

Despite the technical advances with its infrastructure, increased wealth and the growing enthusiasm of the population to travel, evolution of the travel industry in East Africa is not going to be easy.

Martin Herbert, who leads Travelport’s operations in the region, concedes that a number of hurdles remain or could come along and stall development.

There are significant issues around fraud (on and offline), smaller airlines which connect the some of the far flung reaches of the continent are prone to collapse and improvements to infrastructure (broadband, roads, airports) may not materialise as quickly or indeed at all.

Furthermore, many governments are inherently unstable and, unlike during the development of the M-Pesa service, often interfere negatively in the development of industries within their countries.

Within travel in particular, Herbert says there may not be enough hotels in the region to cope with both inbound and inter-regional demand, essentially stifling any growth.

And in terms of safety, some cities are still considered extremely dangerous, especially for overseas visitors, with heavy security at many hotels and restrictions placed on movement without a guide or local representative.

Wide open Savannah

Potential pitfalls aside, many in the industry (Travelport and no doubt others in the future) see East Africa has having enough promise for it to be considered an important cornerstone of a growth strategy in emerging countries beyond the usual Brazil, Russia, India and China (BRIC) markets.

Yet, obviously, many of the eye-watering data-points thrown around exist simply because there is still a relatively low base from which to climb.

One particular forecast, however, illustrates perfectly the growth potential on the continent: there are currently 670 commercial aircraft based in Africa. It is estimated that a further 900 will be required to meet demand by 2020.

But there is a lot more than simply the chance to gush over heady statistics when it comes to East Africa and the development of the travel sector and its relationship with technology.

At this stage the region appears to be learning from the mistakes (some unintentional) that affected the industry when technology became the engine room of travel around 20 years ago.

Combine this with the sudden switch from being never-connected to always-connected for large swathes of the population and there is a recipe for growth and success that could be as rewarding for the industry as the reaction of tourists seeing their first wild lion on safari.

NB: Africa circuit board and Nairobi safari images via Shutterstock. M-Pesa shop via Fiona Bradly on Flickr.

NB2: Disclosure – travel and accommodation for the author’s visit to Kenya was supported by Travelport.

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Notwithstanding the collective collapse in the second unofficial Test, the India A team’s tour of South Africa was satisfactory. Importantly, it served the bigger purpose of key players in the national side getting accustomed to the conditions in South Africa ahead of the full-fledged tour later this year.

Apart from Test opener Murali Vijay, most other batsmen were amongst runs. Fellow opener Shikhar Dhawan ratcheted a mind-boggling 248 in a limited-over match and tallied 410 runs in the tri-series that also included Australia A. Rohit Sharma and skipper Cheteshwar Pujara were consistent in both formats.

The signs, generally, were auspicious for Indian cricket. “Though the conditions would be different in December, the players utilised this opportunity. Pujara showed he is a responsible captain and batted extremely well. Rohit’s consistency is a big plus for Indian cricket, for we all know how capable he is in all formats,” reckoned coach Lalchand Rajput. Suresh Raina and Ambati Rayudu, too, illustrated their worth. “Raina’s hundred was a brilliant effort and Rayudu showed his temperament. (Ajinkya) Rahane, too, played brilliantly in the second Test. Wickets were falling and they were bowling so well, but he batted with composure,” pointed out Rajput.

Vijay’s lean patch was only an aberration and not indicative of any gnawing technical deficiency. “In fairness, he didn’t get too many opportunities (featured in only three innings). He’s a wonderful batsman, and just because he didn’t bat well in a few matches doesn’t mean that he isn’t good enough. There is no reason why he shouldn’t perform well in South Africa,” defended Rajput.

He effusively praised the bowlers, especially medium-pacer Ishwar Pandey. “He is a very promising youngster and in this tour he proved that he is capable of getting wickets in overseas conditions. The wickets weren’t exactly green tops, as you would expect in South Africa. The boy put in a lot of effort to get his wickets,” Rajput reflected.

Topics: 

cessna 182,

editors picks,

fatality,

plane crash,

safari,

south africa

TWO New Zealanders are dead after their plane crashed in South Africa while flying in formation with two other aircraft filled with tourists on safari.

Richard Primrose, a Pukekohe father of two girls, was killed with fellow Kiwi John Walton when the Cessna 182 they were in crashed into mountains in remote Mpumalanga, 300km north-east of Johannesburg, which was their destination.

Mr Primrose’s wife and daughters were being supported by family last night.

The president of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, Ian Andrews, said the two men were “fantastic people”.

“They’re top guys. Something has gone tragically wrong. I won’t speculate on the cause [because] everyone wants to speculate on plane crashes.”

It’s understood they were leading the safari – the third trip Mr Primrose had organised – when the tragedy occurred on Thursday.

The South African news website Beeld.com reported the aircraft might have been caught in a strong gust before it slammed into the mountains.

Witnesses reportedly saw one of the planes “struggling” and soon after heard a loud bang.

An air force helicopter found the wreckage on Thursday afternoon.

Crew on a medical helicopter that went to the crash scene found the plane had crashed in an area of thick clay and bush.

Mpumalanga police spokesman Colonel Leonard Hlathi said an investigation had started.

Mr Primrose was an experienced pilot but it was not known last night which of the men was at the controls.

Friend Phil Pacey said: “I’ve got nothing bad to say about Richard. I’m just so disappointed the whole thing has happened.

“He was very passionate about the trips in South Africa and wanted to share it – they were marvellous and, having done one, I can say it was incredible.”

Mr Pacey travelled with Mr Primrose to South Africa two years ago.

“There were five couples in five Cessna 182s, and we flew through South Africa, Botswana, down the Zambesi River across Zimbabwe and back through South Africa again.

“You land at out-of-the way game reserves. It’s amazing to see Victoria Falls from the air, it’s absolutely something special … And Richard was so keen on it and wanted to share it with everybody.”

Despite the crash, Mr Pacey still believed flying was a far safer option than driving throughout Africa.

“It’s arguably safer to fly around than drive around in New Zealand, and especially South Africa.

“If you were going to drive over that route you are more likely to die driving than you are in an aeroplane.”

The plane went down near the town of Matibidi.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it was providing consular assistance to the two men’s families.

South Africa´s flag carrier South African Airways said that its Vacations unit is targeting parents with a promotion on educational safari packages in South Africa with its air-inclusive Family Safari collection.

According to SAAV, the packages start at USD 3,398 per person and run for eight days.

The firm´s “Best of South Africa” package includes a three-night stay in Cape Town with tours, and a three-night stay at one of four safari lodges, where families can access multiple game drives tracking Africa´s Big 5.

SAA Vacations said that its customisable Family Safari collection also includes packages with a variety of activities, properties and lodges including Jr Tracker and Ranger training programs, exploration of the Cape region´s Garden Route, or the Victoria Falls in Zambia.

The company said its goal is to arrange the perfect vacation for families with varying budgets, resulting in a vacation that achieves a mix of providing children with a vacation that entertains and educates, while pleasing adults as well.

The SAA Vacations family safari packages can be booked at a discount for a limited time, with SAAV´s current fall package sale, offering USD 125 off per person for all packages booked by Oct. 15.

SAA Vacations packages include international and domestic Africa flights on South African Airways. A division of South African Airways, the national airline of South Africa , SAA Vacations uses SAA´s route network to create packages for travel throughout South Africa, Botswana, Victoria Falls, Namibia, Mozambique, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, as well as East Africa.

Find out more at www.flysaavacations.com/south-africa-travel/family-safaris/.

ROBYN Jones has dreamed of going on an African safari as long as she can remember.

The school principal from Stawell (pictured) and her husband had vowed to “live life a little more to the full”.

“I had always wanted to go on a safari, and I thought I might book next year for my 50th, when I saw the South African trip competition in The Weekly Times,” she said.

“And I was determined to win it.”

Her entry of a poem beat hundreds of other entrants to win The Weekly Times Travel Club trip to South Africa for two with Swagman Tours.

• Click here for more details and offers

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Topics: 

cessna 182,

editors picks,

fatality,

plane crash,

safari,

south africa

TWO New Zealanders are dead after their plane crashed in South Africa while flying in formation with two other aircraft filled with tourists on safari.

Richard Primrose, a Pukekohe father of two girls, was killed with fellow Kiwi John Walton when the Cessna 182 they were in crashed into mountains in remote Mpumalanga, 300km north-east of Johannesburg, which was their destination.

Mr Primrose’s wife and daughters were being supported by family last night.

The president of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, Ian Andrews, said the two men were “fantastic people”.

“They’re top guys. Something has gone tragically wrong. I won’t speculate on the cause [because] everyone wants to speculate on plane crashes.”

It’s understood they were leading the safari – the third trip Mr Primrose had organised – when the tragedy occurred on Thursday.

The South African news website Beeld.com reported the aircraft might have been caught in a strong gust before it slammed into the mountains.

Witnesses reportedly saw one of the planes “struggling” and soon after heard a loud bang.

An air force helicopter found the wreckage on Thursday afternoon.

Crew on a medical helicopter that went to the crash scene found the plane had crashed in an area of thick clay and bush.

Mpumalanga police spokesman Colonel Leonard Hlathi said an investigation had started.

Mr Primrose was an experienced pilot but it was not known last night which of the men was at the controls.

Friend Phil Pacey said: “I’ve got nothing bad to say about Richard. I’m just so disappointed the whole thing has happened.

“He was very passionate about the trips in South Africa and wanted to share it – they were marvellous and, having done one, I can say it was incredible.”

Mr Pacey travelled with Mr Primrose to South Africa two years ago.

“There were five couples in five Cessna 182s, and we flew through South Africa, Botswana, down the Zambesi River across Zimbabwe and back through South Africa again.

“You land at out-of-the way game reserves. It’s amazing to see Victoria Falls from the air, it’s absolutely something special … And Richard was so keen on it and wanted to share it with everybody.”

Despite the crash, Mr Pacey still believed flying was a far safer option than driving throughout Africa.

“It’s arguably safer to fly around than drive around in New Zealand, and especially South Africa.

“If you were going to drive over that route you are more likely to die driving than you are in an aeroplane.”

The plane went down near the town of Matibidi.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it was providing consular assistance to the two men’s families.

<!– imageUrl2: http://mycradock.co.za/wp-content/plugins/rss-poster/cache/63cd0_FL24751LOGO and and flex: false –>

Download image

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Aug. 27, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — South African Airways Vacations® (SAAV) is inviting parents to look beyond the normal vacation and take their families on an educational and experiential safari in South Africa with its air-inclusive Family Safari collection. Starting at $3,398* per person (restr. apply), the 8-day “Best of South Africa” package includes a 3-night stay in Cape Town with tours, and a 3-night stay at one of four beautifully appointed safari lodges, where families will enjoy multiple game drives tracking Africa’s Big 5.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100622/FL24751LOGO)

SAA Vacations’ customizable Family Safari collection also includes packages with a variety of activities, properties and lodges that families will enjoy, including Jr. Tracker and Ranger training programs, exploration of the Cape region’s Garden Route, or the world-famous Victoria Falls in Zambia. SAAV’s goal is to arrange the perfect vacation for families with varying budgets, resulting in a vacation that achieves that difficult goal of providing children with a vacation that entertains and educates, while wowing adults, too.

The SAA Vacations family safari packages can be booked at a discount for a limited time, with SAAV’s current fall package sale, offering $125 off per person (restr. apply) for all packages booked by Oct. 15.  To learn more about the “Best of South Africa” or other packages in the SAAV Family Collection, please call 855-FLY-SAAV (359-7228), or visit http://www.flysaavacations.com/south-africa-travel/family-safaris/.

“Families are discovering that vacations to Africa can be fun and incredibly rewarding for the entire family. The SAA Vacations Family Safari collection will provide families with an unforgettable and lasting experience,” said Terry von Guilleaume, president of SAA Vacations®. “From the flights to South Africa to the activities there, children will be entertained throughout the entire journey, and will return with a new knowledge of wildlife, history and different cultures.”

SAA Vacations packages include international and domestic Africa flights on South African Airways. Parents are able to reserve kid’s meals for the flight, and children receive a keepsake entertainment pack. Hours of children’s video games and programming on board make the time fly by and results in the flights being an enjoyable part of the vacation.

About SAA Vacations^®

A division of South African Airways (SAA), the national airline of South Africa and Africa’s most awarded airline, SAA Vacations^® is highly regarded for its wide array of affordable luxury packages to Africa, and uses SAA’s extensive route network to create packages for travel throughout South Africa, Botswana, Victoria Falls, Namibia, Mozambique, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, as well as East Africa. The program is managed and fulfilled by Destination Southern Africa (DSA), which was founded in 2001 and offers an extensive portfolio of tour programs with a variety of hotels, game lodges and safari companies throughout Southern Africa.  DSA was one of three tour operators in the U.S. that was officially appointed by MATCH to develop and sell travel packages for soccer fans visiting South Africa for the FIFA 2010 World Cup, making it a partner with extensive knowledge and know-how in planning the perfect African vacation.

Terms Conditions

$125 off applies to new bookings only. Subject to flight availability. Not available Dec. 10, 2013 – through Jan 9, 2014.

The Best of South Africa Package

Price is per person based on required double occupancy. Valid as of June 28, 2013 for departures from New York or Washington, D.C. between August 11–September 30, 2013 with the same itinerary available at higher prices during other travel periods. Price for other departure cities and/or travel dates may vary. Subject to availability and currency exchange rate fluctuations. Prices are valid for new bookings only, are not retroactive and may change without notice. Baggage and optional service fees, cancellation charges and other restrictions may apply. Package includes all government and airline imposed taxes and fees.

 

SOURCE South African Airways Vacations

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Luxury is a swimming pool in an African safari bush camp

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Category: Life

Published on Saturday, 24 August 2013 17:36

Written by Maximus Jayme Gonzaga / Text and photos

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SINCE time immemorial, exotic endeavors have been known to be the blight of man.

From the perspective of natural history, he was able to jump from a single-celled organism to the complexity of a humanoid, finally stretching his spine to a more vertical axis, perhaps to reach the bough of a tree. But in a remote Zambian wildlife reserve, one of the most primeval places in the planet, the hunger games of the species have turned into something else. Fruit is neither reached for nor food scavenged; a dining table is set before brunch hour in the Anglo-Saxon style. Instead, one jumps into the swimming pool and waits for hippos and elephants. A proposition to go sunbathing hangs in the air when you opt for deluxe accommodations in the African outback.

To get to Zambia, one takes a British Airways jet and arrives in Lusaka, the capital city. A short day trip in the urban center ends the next morning with a propeller-driven flight to Mfuwe. From there, 4×4 Land Rovers can take one to any of a dozen bush camps.

Zambia is a land-locked country in the south of Africa. Blessed with a tropical climate on a terrain of mostly high plateau with some hills and mountains dissected by river valleys, the country with the size of Texas overflows, not with oil, but with lots of fresh water. Zambia was named after the great Zambezi River, which feeds into the Seventh Wonder of the World, Victoria Falls (which was featured recently in the Travel Section).

The Zambezi has two large tributaries, the Kafue and the Luangwa, which have provided life blood for two of the planet’s most legendary game reserves, the Kafue National Park, the largest and most exotic in the country; and the South Luangwa National Park, one of the very few that allows nighttime safaris. (Watch out for our feature stories on the Kafue and the South Luangwa. The travel group did not opt to visit the more prominent Serengeti in Kenya due to reports that it was under maintenance.)

 

A man in the wild is an island

THE saying that “No man is an island” may be refuted in the bush camp where one can be the start and end of all. Arguably, it only takes one man for the species to survive in the wild. All he needs are his tools.

But that would be quite solitary, right?

Mfuwe Lodge, the pioneer since the 1960s and the largest in South Luangwa, was completely rebuilt and refurbished for today’s world traveler. Located within the park, the lodge is hidden under an umbrella of ebony and mahogany trees. Its thatched-roofed chalets dot the banks of two lagoons where guests can find reverie in the wildlife. A wooden open-air resort deck beckons travelers to take a dip in a swimming pool or consume a few nibbles in the al-fresco dining area. The deck, crowned by a mahogany tree, allows views of elephants, hippos and other animals dipping in the Luangwa River. It is perhaps the most perfect spot in the planet to have brunch, as our travel group found out. With a nearby bar, barbecue pits, food servers and armed attendants, what else does one need in order to survive in the wild?

Open all-year-round, Mfuwe Lodge maintains 18 roomy, en-suite chalets with electricity, warm showers and private verandas, aside from the lodge’s spa and curio shop. The establishment offers day-and-night game excursions in the South Luangwa National Park, plus walking safaris, provided by third-party specialists.

On the brink of sounding comedic, I only have one complaint about my stay in Mfuwe Lodge. Perhaps, it may be a glowing testament to the venue’s proximity to the animal kingdom. Being a light slumberer, I wasn’t able to get much sleep at night, perhaps owing to jet lag and the hippos that were making a racket. Near my chalet was a marsh of noisy and gregarious hippopotamus which, by day, were enigmatically quiet, but gave off the snorts and the sounds of pigs at night. Like humans, they were also partying in the wild. I decided to go to the bar. I wanted to hear safari stories on the eve of our assault in the South Luangwa.

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In Photo: The deck at Mfuwe Lodge features a swimming pool, a luxury to punctuate an African safari. (Right photo) The deck also serves as an al-fresco dining area and is perhaps the most conducive place for brunch in the planet.

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Witnesses tell of plane `struggling’ before deadly plunge into mountains during South African nature trip.

Two New Zealanders are dead after their plane crashed in South Africa while flying in formation with two other aircraft filled with tourists on safari.

Richard Primrose, a Pukekohe father of two girls, was killed with fellow Kiwi John Walton when the Cessna 182 they were in crashed into mountains in remote Mpumalanga, 300km north-east of Johannesburg, which was their destination.

Mr Primrose’s wife and daughters were being supported by family last night.

The president of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, Ian Andrews, said the two men were “fantastic people”.

“They’re top guys. Something has gone tragically wrong. I won’t speculate on the cause [because] everyone wants to speculate on plane crashes.”

It’s understood they were leading the safari – the third trip Mr Primrose had organised – when the tragedy occurred on Thursday.

The South African news website Beeld.com reported the aircraft might have been caught in a strong gust before it slammed into the mountains.

Witnesses reportedly saw one of the planes “struggling” and soon after heard a loud bang.

An air force helicopter found the wreckage on Thursday afternoon.

Crew on a medical helicopter that went to the crash scene found the plane had crashed in an area of thick clay and bush.

Mpumalanga police spokesman Colonel Leonard Hlathi said an investigation had started.

Mr Primrose was an experienced pilot but it was not known last night which of the men was at the controls.

Friend Phil Pacey said: “I’ve got nothing bad to say about Richard. I’m just so disappointed the whole thing has happened.

“He was very passionate about the trips in South Africa and wanted to share it – they were marvellous and, having done one, I can say it was incredible.”

Mr Pacey travelled with Mr Primrose to South Africa two years ago.

“There were five couples in five Cessna 182s, and we flew through South Africa, Botswana, down the Zambesi River across Zimbabwe and back through South Africa again.

“You land at out-of-the way game reserves. It’s amazing to see Victoria Falls from the air, it’s absolutely something special … And Richard was so keen on it and wanted to share it with everybody.”

Despite the crash, Mr Pacey still believed flying was a far safer option than driving throughout Africa.

“It’s arguably safer to fly around than drive around in New Zealand, and especially South Africa.

“If you were going to drive over that route you are more likely to die driving than you are in an aeroplane.”

The plane went down near the town of Matibidi.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it was providing consular assistance to the two men’s families.

– additional reporting: Amelia Wade

By Andrew Koubaridis @A_Koubaridis Email Andrew

Eddie Clark/Courtesy
Tyler’s Eddie Clark.
His first trip to South African resulted in a cape buffalo. Eddie Clark/Courtesy
Caden, Eddie, and Ed Clark.
Caden took a nyala with a crossbow. Eddie Clark/Courtesy
Among the game Eddie Clark took with his bow was a sable. Eddie Clark/Courtesy
Son Caden Clark, took a eland with a crossbow. Eddie Clark/Courtesy
Caden Clark   1 of 5  

This has been the summer of discovering Africa for a number of East Texas hunters, but Tyler’s Eddie Clark did it with a twist.

Making his first safari to the continent, the Tyler homebuilder hunted with both his rifle and his bow, and he didn’t just use the bow for plains game antelope. In fact, his first kill was a cape buffalo, one of Africa’s big five.

Although tempted to head to other African nations with bigger hunting concessions, Clark opted instead to book a 10-day hunt through Bush Africa Safaris in the Limpopo Province. His primary reasoning, like others going for the first time, was to get a feel for the African way of doing things. Just as important was he was being joined on the trip by his 12-year-old son, Caden, and father, Ed.

“Dad doesn’t hunt, but I wanted the three of us being and he really enjoyed going out with Caden,” Clark said of the July hunt.

Hunting in South Africa is different from the rest of the Africa because it is on game ranches with a variety of animals that are managed more in the Texas hunting style. Hunting, especially bowhunting, can still be challenging.

However, it also helps to be lucky. Caden Clark has experience with hunting game in Texas with a bow, but because of his size he only shoots a 40-pound draw. Realizing this was too light for African game, Clark had him set up to shoot with the outfitter’s .25-06, but also with a newly-purchased crossbow. Clark’s thinking was he would start with smaller antelopes and move up. Caden, on the other hand, started with big game and never backed up.

“The first morning we went out he had his crossbow and I had my bow,” Clark said. “We were sitting in a hide (blind) and this nyala came up. “We had been sitting there for about an hour and 15 minutes, and it came up at about 28 yards and he drilled it. I wasn’t going to let him take something like that first, but then I said what the heck.”

Before the trip was over, Caden added a kudu and eland with the crossbow, and took an impala and blesbuck with the rifle.

The outfitter allows rifle hunting, but specializes in bowhunting. Because of that it has a number of blind locations around scarce waterholes on the ranch. That is where Clark was sitting on day two of the hunt.

“My first animal was the cape buffalo. I wasn’t expecting that to be the first animal, but when you are bowhunting you have to be ready for whatever comes into range,” he said.

Clark had actually drawn on a big eland and was about to take the shot when the guide told him to wait. The hunter looked to the side and there stood a wary cape buffalo waiting its turn to come to water. It was evident that because of the windy conditions that the bull was in no hurry.

“It took an hour and 12 minutes from the time we first saw him until I got an opportunity for a shot,” Clark said. The hunter said that with any noise or change in the wind the buffalo went on alert.

Clark was carrying the 70-pound bow he typically uses for hunting white-tailed deer and wild hogs in Texas. Instead he amped up his arrows and broadheads. Using 180-grain German Kinetic SilverFlame point, he brought his overall arrow weight to 780 grains.

“I had to use my 60-yard pin for a 30-yard shot and my 50-yard pin for a 20-yard shot,” Clark said.

His shot on the 40 ½-inch cape came at 27 yards, but like shooting a big feral pig with a lighter set up, Clark said the arrow only penetrated the bull’s tough hide just enough to penetrate its vitals.

“If I had to do it again I would go with an 80-pound bow,” he said.

Although a cape buffalo is a hard animal to bring down with a rifle, Clark said technically the most difficult hunt for him was a blue wildebeest. The hunter said the 32-yard shot was tricky because of the size of the herd that came to water. To get the animal he wanted he had to wait until it was clear of the others.

In all, Clark took five of his 11 trophies with a bow including a 41-inch sable.

Along with the hunting, the trio also took time to visit a nearby village.

“That was humbling. It let (Caden) see the kids over there and what they have. When we went to leave we gave them almost everything we had, clothes, candy…it didn’t matter,” Clark said.

While enjoying the introduction to Africa and a three-generation trip, Clark said South Africa will indeed be his gateway to other nations on the continent in the future.

Have a comment or opinion on this story? Contact outdoor writer Steve Knight by email at outdoor@tylerpaper.com. Follow Steve Knight on Facebook at TylerPaper Outdoors and on Twitter @tyleroutdoor.

 

 

 

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Trailer For Found-Footage ‘Safari’ Into Horror

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We scored the sales trailer and some art for the found-footage thriller Safari, directed by Darrell James Roodt

From Azari Media?, “Safari is an American, found footage thriller film, set in South African wild, where animals and poachers rule the land. Two worlds collide when Mbali, a young zulu girl, meets an American tourist group who have come to explore and go on safari in South Africa. Things take a wrong turn after the group enter uncharted hunting grounds where they are forced to face the untamed wild.”
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It stars Carl Beukes, Rocky Myers, and Kim Argetsinger (Alien Vs. Avatar).

By Uncle Creepy
August 21st, 2013

The found footage sub-genre has taken us many places over the years so it only seems fitting that it now takes us into the deepest and darkest part of Africa for a Safari of fear that we’ll be lucky to come back from in one piece.

Safari, a found-footage thriller, was filmed in Johannesburg, South Africa. Rocky Myers (Vamp U) and Kim Argetsinger (Foreign Exchange) star. Directed by Academy Award nominee Darrell Roodt (Little One, Yesterday) and written by Dark Was the Night scribe Tyler Hisel, the pedigree is right for this one to be a cut above.

Synopsis:
Safari centers on a band of American tourists, stranded and hunted in the heart of the South African wilderness. Their struggle to survive the elements and the vicious predators lurking the African plain is documented by the video cameras meant to record their vacation.

Dig on the trailer and one-sheet below.

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Head out into the wild in the comments section below!

Due to continued economic recession in Europe, the African countries have become the new hub of export of engineering goods and recent  difference of rupee and dollar has also turned African continent as a favoured destination to exporters looking forward to grab the market of their products in African territory.

In the past four years, due to European recession, export to African nations has augmented beyond 285 per cent and this year export figures are likely to cross 7600 million dollars, deputy director of Engineering Export Promotion Council (EEPC) Opinder Singh told HT.

“South Africa, Nigeria, Egypt, Algeria and Kenya turned out to be great markets of Indian goods and you can find them at any good store in these countries,” he said.

“The Indo-African current trade scenario can be described as India’s new African safari as in the past five years, India has extended lines of credit worth 2 billion dollars to African countries,” Opinder added.

The regular fall of rupee against American dollar will boost export to African countries, which could be realised from the fact that even from Punjab, export of auto parts, hand tools, garden tools, cycle parts has increased, he said.

Due to widened gap of rupee-dollar value, buyers of European countries have started bargaining for already placed orders and exporters, being helpless, are surrendering to pressure tactics, Singh said; but no such issues involved in export to African countries.

He said the concerned union ministry has unveiled a Focus Market Scheme (FMS), in which 29 new countries, mostly from African continent have been included and incentive for export to such countries has been increased from 2.5 per cent to 3 per cent and even Market Development Assistance (MDA) has been increased from 1.5-lakh to 2-lakh per event under focus category.

A handtool and hardware exporter Ashutosh Wadhwa said he has been exporting more to African countries in the past few years.

“We have received good export orders, but frequent fluctuation in raw material in India has hindered optimum use of the export potential in Africa, as our immediate competitor China is not having any such problem, where rate of raw material is fixed for certain period,” he said.

Another city-based exporter, Jagmeet Singh Panesar, said now he has shifted his trade to Africa, where profit margin is good with huge potential for growth.

Manjit Singh, who exports variety of engineering goods to South Africa, suggested that Indian government should provide warehouse facility in African continent for optimum use of the export potential there.