africa

Have you been chased by an angry elephant? I have.

I travelled to the Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Game Reserve located just north of Richards Bay, South Africa as one of the five ports of call on my 10-day South African cruise aboard Silversea’s (silversea.com) sleek, 296-guest Silver Wind.

At some point during my 10-hour safari through the 47,000-hectare game reserve that was established in 1895, our Land Rover came upon an elephant standing in the middle of the road.

He was “in musth,” a time in which male elephants can become particularly aggressive as testosterone levels skyrocket.

And as we weren’t an attractive female elephant he could mate with, the elephant advanced toward the vehicle before hiding in the bushes.

My guide, Jan, wasn’t fooled. “Look at him; he’s hiding there. OK, here we go.”

He gunned the engine and we raced past the elephant – and to my surprise, the elephant crashed through the trees, let out an ear-shattering roar, and gave chase.

Here’s what I quickly learned: elephants can run in excess of 30 kilometres per hour. Our Land Rover could do 60. And that made for an amazing experience.

Later that day, I returned to my suite aboard the Silver Wind to find a plate of caviar and assorted cheeses waiting for me.

Where else can you find that kind of juxtaposition of raw, natural beauty during the daytime coupled with comfort and luxury during the evenings?

Departing round trip from Cape Town, my voyage aboard the Silver Wind can best be thought of as a safari cruise, with ports of call in Port Elizabeth, East London, Durban, Richards Bay and Maputo, Mozambique.

In almost every port, safari experiences awaited. Guests could even leave the ship in Richards Bay and spend two nights on-land at the Phinda Private Game Reserve, offered as part of Silversea’s Mid-Voyage Land adventures.

In many ways, the 156-metre Silver Wind is perfectly suited to this kind of itinerary.

She’s small enough to come alongside in narrow ports like Richards Bay, but large enough to offer all the amenities Silversea cruisers have come to expect, like the Relais Chateaux-inspired Le Champagne specialty restaurant and the casual (and always fun) Grill poolside dining featuring Hot Rocks.

Every suite, from the sumptuous owner’s suites down to the picture-window vista suites , features butler service. Since all drinks and gratuities are included in the cost of the cruise, there are no cheques to sign and no awkward fumbling around for your key card just to order a glass of wine.

Because of this, the on-board atmosphere is relaxed and inviting – but never stuffy or pretentious.

In fact, I’ve met more fascinating people on my Silversea voyages than on any other cruise line – not to mention the friendly crew that remembered me by name, even after months and years had passed.

I’ve said this about the line so many times I risk sounding like a broken record, but here goes: a Silversea cruise isn’t a cruise. It’s an experience – and a great one at that.

Silver Wind returns to South Africa this December, fresh from a multimillion dollar refit with safari-style sailings that will extend into January, 2014.

Just watch out for those elephants.

Visit fromthedeckchair.com to read our full day-by-day Voyage Report from South Africa.

The Southern Pride is on the move. In the menacing darkness, a dozen hungry lions circle a large herd of impala.

Chaos erupts in the bush as the big cats launch their attack, taking down a huge ram only a few metres from our Land Cruiser.

Moving in on the action, we position ourselves close enough to capture the ensuing feeding frenzy without disturbing the diners. It’s every cat for itself as the pride piles onto the fresh kill like a crazed rugby scrum, snarling, snapping and fighting to devour still beating organs and rip bloody chunks of flesh from bone.

Tonight, I’m an eyewitness to an awesome display of primal brutality. And confident that I’ll have the stunning pictures to prove it because I’m engaging the services of a professional safari photographer to assist me with every step.

Capturing such visceral wildlife encounters on camera has always been an integral part of the safari experience. Now, private game reserves such as Sabi Sabi, adjacent to South Africa’s Kruger National Park, offer their guests the unique opportunity to have an expert guide them through the intricacies of taking that perfect, once-in-a-lifetime coffee table book cover shot.

“Professional photographic safaris offer an incredible opportunity to take much better pictures, improving and enhancing your total safari experience,� says Zulch Conradie, manager of Sabi Sabi’s Earth Lodge.

“It’s almost like you’re opening the curtains on a whole new subject.�

The professional photo safari I recently took in Sabi Sabi is tailored to travellers who can afford more expensive pro and “prosumer� SLR cameras but don’t know how to most effectively use them in a challenging environment like the African bush.

It’s also a great option if you’d rather hire the services and gear of a pro for a day or two on safari than haul around expensive, hefty cameras and telephoto lenses with enough zoom to capture that perfect, once-in-a-lifetime, wildlife picture.

Either way, booking the services of a pro safari photo guide like Sabi Sabi’s Andrew Schoeman is a great idea if you want National Geographic-calibre memories.

For a few hundred dollars, this former safari guide turned photographer will accompany lodge guests on game drives, providing expert, hands-on guidance on subjects such as proper framing of your subject, what angles to use and how to use the available light in multiple situations. Then he’ll walk you through a streamlined post-production process using Adobe Photoshop Lightroom to help make them look their best.

“Most of our guests arrive with basic camera knowledge and are looking for the simple explanations that can sometimes lead to that Eureka moment,� says Schoeman one afternoon as we roam the dense terrain of the Sabi Sabi reserve in a land cruiser, searching for prime lion, leopard and elephant photo ops.

“You can read about all of the camera functions in a manual,� he adds. “But it’s not getting processed. There’s nothing like having someone there alongside you explaining that if you push this button or turn that dial you get completely different results.�

Adam Sandler‘s recent trip to South Africa was apparently the cat’s meow.

Sitting down with David Letterman, the “Grown Ups 2” star recalled a wild encounter with a cheetah while on a safari that left him a little shaken, and purred.

CBS

The comedian brought a quick video of his encounter with the big cat.

“This is a true story,” he began. “I went there, and they let me in with a cheetah…and said I could feed the cheetah water with my hands. So I did it, and it went a little bit wrong.”

Sandler, 46, then showed the video, in which the large spotted cat circles him before pouncing on his back.

CBS

Adam Sandler met a cheetah while on safari in South Africa.

A female handler quickly pulls the large cat off, and it calmly walks away. Perhaps it just got excited at the sight of a movie star? 

“They said you’re not supposed to bend down low with the water,” Sandler said. “I was very nervous…it was fast.”

CBS

The stealthy cat comes up behind him.

The actor explained that he had a stiff neck at the time, so wasn’t able to move or react.

“When he jumped on me, all I was going to do was let him eat me,” Sandler joked.

CBS

An unsuspecting Sandler has a cheetah pounce on his back.

“There was not one part of me that was going to fight back. I was like ‘alright, this is how I’m dying.'”

 

CBS

After the cheetah pounced, a handler pulled it away.

MOBILE USERS CLICK HERE TO WATCH

A carful of safari-goers in South Africa’s Kruger National Park got the surprise of a lifetime when an impala — an African antelope — jumped straight through their window to avoid being attacked by a cheetah.

The tourists let the impala out the other side of the vehicle, where it appears to exit safely.

A tourist captured the whole spectacle on camera (Barcroft TV via Outside): 

It’s not the only crazy home video we’ve seen come out of a South African safari lately. Check out this intense footage of a leopard attack in the wild:

{ story.summary|safe|escape }

• Student Nicole Clark and partner Ben Powell at the African Safari fundraiser.

Cooma university student Nicole Clark has taken a big step towards her dream of undertaking animal conservation work in South Africa by hosting an African Safari Dance Party Fundraiser.

It was held at Dodds Hotel on Saturday and the proceeds – along with her chocolate selling around town – has put her well on the way towards the $5,000 she needs for the trip.

Nicole studies environmental science at the University of Canberra. As part of her studies, she has the opportunity of visiting the Tembe Elephant Park in South Africa next year. But this kind of trip is not cheap.

Environment science is her passion and she wants to help conserve South Africa’s rarest carnivore, the critically endangered African wild dog.

Nicole still has some fundraising to do towards her trip but, with the help of friend Kirstin Thomas and her steely determination, she is intent on making every effort to ensure she gets there.

Have you been chased by an angry elephant? I have.

I travelled to the Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Game Reserve located just north of Richards Bay, South Africa as one of the five ports of call on my 10-day South African cruise aboard Silversea’s (silversea.com) sleek, 296-guest Silver Wind.

At some point during my 10-hour safari through the 47,000-hectare game reserve that was established in 1895, our Land Rover came upon an elephant standing in the middle of the road.

He was “in musth,” a time in which male elephants can become particularly aggressive as testosterone levels skyrocket.

And as we weren’t an attractive female elephant he could mate with, the elephant advanced toward the vehicle before hiding in the bushes.

My guide, Jan, wasn’t fooled. “Look at him; he’s hiding there. OK, here we go.”

He gunned the engine and we raced past the elephant – and to my surprise, the elephant crashed through the trees, let out an ear-shattering roar, and gave chase.

Here’s what I quickly learned: elephants can run in excess of 30 kilometres per hour. Our Land Rover could do 60. And that made for an amazing experience.

Later that day, I returned to my suite aboard the Silver Wind to find a plate of caviar and assorted cheeses waiting for me.

Where else can you find that kind of juxtaposition of raw, natural beauty during the daytime coupled with comfort and luxury during the evenings?

Departing round trip from Cape Town, my voyage aboard the Silver Wind can best be thought of as a safari cruise, with ports of call in Port Elizabeth, East London, Durban, Richards Bay and Maputo, Mozambique.

In almost every port, safari experiences awaited. Guests could even leave the ship in Richards Bay and spend two nights on-land at the Phinda Private Game Reserve, offered as part of Silversea’s Mid-Voyage Land adventures.

In many ways, the 156-metre Silver Wind is perfectly suited to this kind of itinerary.

She’s small enough to come alongside in narrow ports like Richards Bay, but large enough to offer all the amenities Silversea cruisers have come to expect, like the Relais Chateaux-inspired Le Champagne specialty restaurant and the casual (and always fun) Grill poolside dining featuring Hot Rocks.

Every suite, from the sumptuous owner’s suites down to the picture-window vista suites , features butler service. Since all drinks and gratuities are included in the cost of the cruise, there are no cheques to sign and no awkward fumbling around for your key card just to order a glass of wine.

Because of this, the on-board atmosphere is relaxed and inviting – but never stuffy or pretentious.

In fact, I’ve met more fascinating people on my Silversea voyages than on any other cruise line – not to mention the friendly crew that remembered me by name, even after months and years had passed.

I’ve said this about the line so many times I risk sounding like a broken record, but here goes: a Silversea cruise isn’t a cruise. It’s an experience – and a great one at that.

Silver Wind returns to South Africa this December, fresh from a multimillion dollar refit with safari-style sailings that will extend into January, 2014.

Just watch out for those elephants.

Visit fromthedeckchair.com to read our full day-by-day Voyage Report from South Africa.

• 

Lion Sands Tinyeleti Tree House is the perfect hideaway for your South Africa safari.

Guests are escorted to the tree house at sunset, where drinks and a scrumptious picnic dinner await them.

Denver, CO (PRWEB) July 10, 2013

An African safari tree house stay offers families on safari in South Africa a luxurious modern version of Swiss Family Robinson adventure, say the safari travel experts at Africa Adventure Consultants (AAC), who announced in a recent blog post that a new family-friendly tree house will be opening in the malaria-free Madikwe Game Reserve in March of 2014. Africa Adventure Consultants has begun taking bookings for the new Madikwe Safari Lodge tree house option. Two other African tree houses, at Lion Sands in the Sabi Sands Private Nature Reserve adjacent to Kruger National Park, also sleep four, making them comfortable for a family visit.

“While you might only be a few minutes from the main lodge, you feel a million miles away,” says Africa Adventure Consultants President Kent Redding about the African tree house stays. “It offers a special connection with nature that’s hard to describe without experiencing it.”

In practical terms, though, the unique tree house accommodations offer all the comforts of home. Though you may feel incredibly remote in your open-air mini-house beneath a star-filled African sky listening to the night sounds of the bush below, “you will have radio contact with the rangers, should you choose to,” the AAC blog post explains. “There is also limited cell phone reception.” Plus, “tree houses are equipped with a sink and toilet, and some boast a full bathroom including shower facilities.”

In addition to offering a special kind of adventure for families, tree houses can provide the ultimate in romance. “Guests spend the night away from one of the main lodges at Lion Sands in a ‘bush bedroom’ with all the comforts that you can experience at a five-star safari lodge,” according to the AAC blog post. “Guests are escorted to the tree house at sunset, where drinks and a scrumptious picnic dinner await them. The hours of African dusk can be enjoyed relaxing and absorbing the vastness of the bushveld as it transforms from day to night.”

Africa Adventure Consultants offers a number of pre-planned South Africa itineraries, with specialized options for families and honeymooners ranging from a 13-day “Gold” family safari that includes visiting African penguins and a drumming experience with local musicians, to the nine-day South African Honeymoon with a tree house stay in the game-rich Sabi Sand Reserve near Kruger. AAC also can customize existing itineraries for tree house lodging or create a completely personalized African safari around a desired tree house adventure for families or couples.

Company Information: A leading safari company specializing in crafting custom itineraries to 13 African countries, Africa Adventure Consultants (AAC) was recently named to the 2013 National Geographic Traveler “50 Tours of a Lifetime” and to Men’s Journal’s “Best Summer Adventures 2013” as well as being granted that magazine’s “Approved by MJ” status. AAC also received a 2013 Ubuntu Award from South African Tourism as an outstanding travel partner. The staff at Africa Adventures Consultants has lived, worked, and traveled throughout Africa, giving them an insider’s perspective on how to create the best safaris in the continent’s top destinations. For additional information, visit http://www.adventuresinafrica.com.

Media Contact: Darla Worden, WordenGroup Public Relations, darla(at)wordenpr(dot)com, 303.777.0635

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The Southern Pride is on the move. In the menacing darkness, a dozen hungry lions circle a large herd of impala.

Chaos erupts in the bush as the big cats launch their attack, taking down a huge ram only a few metres from our Land Cruiser.

Moving in on the action, we position ourselves close enough to capture the ensuing feeding frenzy without disturbing the diners. It’s every cat for itself as the pride piles onto the fresh kill like a crazed rugby scrum, snarling, snapping and fighting to devour still beating organs and rip bloody chunks of flesh from bone.

Tonight, I’m an eyewitness to an awesome display of primal brutality. And confident that I’ll have the stunning pictures to prove it because I’m engaging the services of a professional safari photographer to assist me with every step.

Capturing such visceral wildlife encounters on camera has always been an integral part of the safari experience. Now, private game reserves such as Sabi Sabi, adjacent to South Africa’s Kruger National Park, offer their guests the unique opportunity to have an expert guide them through the intricacies of taking that perfect, once-in-a-lifetime coffee table book cover shot.

“Professional photographic safaris offer an incredible opportunity to take much better pictures, improving and enhancing your total safari experience,� says Zulch Conradie, manager of Sabi Sabi’s Earth Lodge.

“It’s almost like you’re opening the curtains on a whole new subject.�

The professional photo safari I recently took in Sabi Sabi is tailored to travellers who can afford more expensive pro and “prosumer� SLR cameras but don’t know how to most effectively use them in a challenging environment like the African bush.

It’s also a great option if you’d rather hire the services and gear of a pro for a day or two on safari than haul around expensive, hefty cameras and telephoto lenses with enough zoom to capture that perfect, once-in-a-lifetime, wildlife picture.

Either way, booking the services of a pro safari photo guide like Sabi Sabi’s Andrew Schoeman is a great idea if you want National Geographic-calibre memories.

For a few hundred dollars, this former safari guide turned photographer will accompany lodge guests on game drives, providing expert, hands-on guidance on subjects such as proper framing of your subject, what angles to use and how to use the available light in multiple situations. Then he’ll walk you through a streamlined post-production process using Adobe Photoshop Lightroom to help make them look their best.

“Most of our guests arrive with basic camera knowledge and are looking for the simple explanations that can sometimes lead to that Eureka moment,� says Schoeman one afternoon as we roam the dense terrain of the Sabi Sabi reserve in a land cruiser, searching for prime lion, leopard and elephant photo ops.

“You can read about all of the camera functions in a manual,� he adds. “But it’s not getting processed. There’s nothing like having someone there alongside you explaining that if you push this button or turn that dial you get completely different results.�

Cape Town has once again been crowned one of the top 10 cities in the world, coming fourth in Travel and Leisure magazine’s annual “World’s Best Awards” and claiming a spot in the magazine’s hall of fame.

It was also ranked the world’s top city in the Africa and Middle East category.

Travel and Leisure readers determined the best destinations, hotels, cruises and companies in the 18th annual poll designed by the magazine’s editors.

“Cape Town has consistently featured in the Travel and Lesiure line-up, and we are proud to maintain a top of mind position with the world’s most avid travel lovers,” Cape Town Tourism chief executive officer, Mariette du Toit-Helmbold, said in a statement last week.

Five of the city’s hotels also appeared on the list, with the Cape Grace claiming the highest spot in 26th position, up from 44 in the 2012 awards. This earned the hotel a spot in the hall of fame.

The hotel also claimed pole position in the top city hotels in Africa and the Middle East category. The Mount Nelson was ranked sixth, the Twelve Apostles Hotel Spa came in 10th, the OneOnly Cape Town eleventh and theVictoriaAlfred Hotel was named thirteenth.

Safari lodges around South Africa also claimed numerous spots on the list, with Singita Kruger National Park taking the top spot at third, up from seventh in 2012.

Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve and Singita Sabi Sand, both at the Kruger National Park, took 10th and 11th position respectively.

Du Toit-Helmbold believed the success of the safari lodges would contribute to the success of Cape Town’s tourism. “The prevalence of these exclusive hotels bodes well for the luxury market in Cape Town as many high-end safari travellers include a trip to Cape Town on their itinerary,” she said.

“The fact that they continue their journey in Cape Town in some of the continent’s – and the world’s – best hotels means Cape Town remains firmly on the luxury travel map.”

At Kruger National Park in South Africa, tourists are allowed to drive through a safari without a guide. 

Limpopo, United Kingdom, July 05, 2013 –(PR.com)– Bushwise introduces Hospitality Internships: Unique and exciting career development opportunities in the African wilderness

Since Bushwise was founded in 2006 it has earned its reputation as one of South Africa’s leading professional safari field guide training schools, accredited to the Field Guides Association of Southern Africa (FGASA). To date Bushwise has trained over 200 professional field guides, many of whom are now working at some of the finest lodges on the best game reserves in Southern and Eastern Africa. 2013 has seen the exciting launch of a second branch to Bushwise’s offerings; Hospitality internship training courses at luxury safari lodges on the game reserves of Southern Africa, allowing participants from around the world to build on their experience in the culinary, tourism and hospitality sectors by working in a pivotal role in safari lodge operations in the exhilarating surroundings of the African wilderness.

Bushwise Hospitality Internships begin with a 2 week bush and wilderness orientation course at Bushwise’s idyllic bush campus in the Limpopo Province, led by expert FGASA-accredited trainers. For many, the bush experience will be entirely new and in order to operate efficiently and effectively in a guest-facing role lodge operations, interns will need to possess vital fundamental bush skills and knowledge, such as how to tell the difference between a spitting cobra and a black mamba, what to do if an elephant approaches the boma and how to identify a bird of prey calling from a distant acacia tree. The orientation course will allow interns to develop basic but essential knowledge of Southern Africa’s wildlife and conservation issues, together with bush survival skills and first aid, that will later be applied to their working role to enhance the experience of, and ensure the safety of, their guests who will be on their African safari holiday of a lifetime.

After the 2 week orientation course, equipped with newfound knowledge of not only Africa’s wildlife, but also an indepth understanding of the South African Hospitality Industry, including local wines and culinary traditions, interns will embark on an 8 or 18 week internship in a tailor-made position at a pre-selected luxury safari lodge, partnered with the Bushwise training school. Based on a Big-5 reserve, interns will be immersed in the wilds of the African bush, experiencing the safari industry first hand, and will participate in a skills exchange with local staff at the lodge; bringing and sharing their international experience whilst learning new skills from their fellow local staff-members to take with them into their future career.

Bushwise Hospitality internship placements include front of house, culinary positions, spa treatments and general lodge operations. The program provides a potential stepping stone to an exciting career in the safari hospitality industry, with unparalleled networking opportunities in the luxury safari world. Bushwise welcomes friendly, responsible and enthusiastic professionals with a curiosity for, or an established passion for, South Africa and its wildlife. The Bushwise Hospitality courses provide unique career boosting professional experience which will make a vibrant addition to a CV and catch the eye of future employers, taking any career in the Hospitality Industry to the next level.

For more information please contact rachel@bushwise.co.za or visit www.bushwise.co.za/hospitality-internships
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/greenwoodrachel
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/GVIBushwise
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bushwise

Key functions

Before embarking on our first game drive together, Schoeman runs through the camera’s complex settings, starting with autofocus.

“There are a lot of functions in today’s high-end cameras, which can be daunting for a lot of people. But you only need to use very few of them to get good results reading the light in the bush and knowing the best place to select your light when you’re photographing certain subjects,� he says.

“The real key is getting your subject in focus … If you don’t have a sharp photo, it doesn’t matter what you’ve got. You’re going to throw it away.â€?

Schoeman goes on to explain single point focusing, as well as the relationship between shutter speed, aperture and ISO setting – the sensitivity that the digital sensor has to light.

Understanding what combination of these settings works best in various situations while on safari is key.

“We initially determine the guest’s skill level and help them tailor camera settings specifically for wildlife,� Schoeman explains, noting he often guides accomplished landscape photographers or wedding photographers who are out of their depth in the bush.

Find the light stuff

Crash course complete, Schoeman and I set off to roam through Sabi Sabi’s diverse habitat that is home to the Big 5 — lion, leopard, rhino, buffalo and elephant — as well as cheetah, wild dog and some 200 other animal species indigenous to the area.

Soon, we come across a male lion calling in a thundering roar for his brother to join him.

This battle-scarred old warrior looks like he’s seen his fair share of predatory turf wars, as does his sibling, who soon appears sporting an equally pocked face, battered body and gnarled mane.

Soon, we’re close enough for me to begin shooting with Schoeman’s Nikon D3 full-frame SLR camera.

I’ve fixed it to a stabilizing swinging metal bracket that snugly fits over the Land Cruiser’s door frame, supporting my heavy 200-400mm zoom lens.

As Schoeman whispers instructions, I make settings adjustments on the fly until it all begins to make sense and I have my own Eureka moment.

Here I am, photographing Africa’s most iconic animal with pro gear and a dozen years of wildlife photography expertise at my exclusive disposal.

All that, and a new-found understanding of how best to capture such savage beauty on my first ever picture perfect safari.

IF YOU GO

Arriving: Sabi Sabi lies 500 km east of Johannesburg. Charter flights connect the Sabi Sabi Airstrip with Joburg’s O.R. Tambo International Airport. South African Airlines’ regional carrier, Airlink (flyairlink.com), also offers daily scheduled flights from to Nelspruit, a scenic two-hour drive from Sabi Sabi.

Sleeping: Situated in the world-renowned 65,000 hectare Sabi Sand Wildtuin in the southern section of the Kruger National Park, Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve is home to four air-conditioned luxury lodges, each with its own unique theme. This writer stayed at Earth Lodge. Sculpted into an earthen slope, almost invisible in the landscape, it has been described as the most environmentally sensitive lodge in Africa. Each of Earth Lodge’s 13 spacious suites features individually designed furniture, a private plunge pool and is decorated with wooden sculptures by renowned South African artist Geoffrey Armstrong.

Booking a Sabi Sabi photo safari: Sabi Sabi’s Professional Photographic Safaris run for one full day and must be pre-booked. The cost per guest photographer is R4500 (approximately $560). It includes the services of a pro photo guide, use of a safari vehicle and your choice of a Nikon D700, D3 or D3S with a Nikon 200-400mm f/4 lens or a Canon 70 Mark III or IV with a Canon 300mm f/2.8 or 500mm f/4 lens. Additional equipment can be rented upon request.

Recommended outfitters: Toronto-based Kensington Tours (kensingtontours.com / 888.903.2001) and Askari Travel (askaritravel.com / 877.279.1902) both offer customized South African safaris that can include visits to Sabi Sabi.

More tips: Sabi Sabi has played host to many of the world’s top wildlife photographers during the past 30 years. For great tips on getting the most out of your safari, be sure to check out their extensive and helpful online pro wildlife photography guide at sabisabi.com/photography.

The Real Housewives of New York City star Ramona Singer is getting ready to send her daughter Avery off to college — but before that, she decided to take her daughter on the vacation of a lifetime to South Africa.

“Avery is my only child and she is graduating from high school and going into college and that is a major transition for her,”

Ramona tells RadarOnline.com in an exclusive interview. “And it’s going to be a major transition for me because she is on her way growing up and separating herself from us and I wanted to create a really beautiful memory and do something really different.”

PHOTOS: Ramona And Avery Singer Go To South Africa

Ramona continues, “I went to Africa three years ago and fell in love with it and Avery always said she wanted to go to Africa.”

For 11 days, Ramona, her husband Mario, Avery, and one of Avery’s friends traveled around South African staying at luxury reserves including Phinda Private Game Reserve, Dulini Game Lodge, and Ngala Tented Camp.

“You are propped in the middle of nowhere with nature,” Ramona describes. “Something about the air in South Africa, it’s the freshest smelling air. There’s nothing like it.”

The group spent their days going on safaris.

PHOTOS: Ramona Singer Suprises Her Daughter Avery With Birthday Balloons

“Every morning, we got up very early for a three-hour safari ride,” Ramona shares. “We would have our early morning tea or hot chocolate [out by the water]. And then you go back and have a big breakfast at 9:30. And then it’s time for lunch. And then you go out again for a couple of hours. You get back around 7:00 PM and you have to be escorted to your room at night because there are animals there.”

But it wasn’t all play.

Ramona and her daughter also visited an orphanage, several schools including one for handicap kids and a health facility that are all supported by the Empowers Africa Foundation.

“Avery is big on helping children,” Ramona says. “And I’m involved with the Empower Africa Foundation, so we went to some of the schools and to an orphanage that was built in one area. We are involved in helping to raise money. We wanted to see where the money goes.”

PHOTOS: Ramona Singer Celebrates Her Daughter Avery’s High School Graduation

At the schools, Avery spent time interacting with the kids.

“Avery wanted a more hands on experience spending time with the children,” Ramona says. “Avery played with the kids. We brought soccer balls for the boys and for the girls, the nets game. They gave Avery a uniform and she went on the field and played netball with them. She interacted with the children and played with them and talked to them and took pictures with them.”

Ramona adds, “I’ve never seen my daughter so happy.”

“Avery has a very special soul,” Ramona says. “I’m very proud of her. She is very grounded. She’s bright and outgoing and she has a big heart.”

PHOTOS: Reality TV’s Hottest Stars

Overall, Ramona is glad that she got to share this experience with her daughter.

“You are in middle of no where. There’s no Internet or cell service,” she says. “You’re one with nature and the animals. It was a spiritual experience.”

But now it’s getting close to time for Ramona to say goodbye to her daughter as Avery heads to college at Emory University in Atlanta, Ga.

“I have so many emotions going through me,” Ramona confesses. “I’m excited for her and happy and sad and confused. I feel a huge loss. Sometimes, this overwhelming emotion comes that feels like my heart is being ripped out.”

PHOTOS: Plastic Surgery Secrets Of The Not-So Real Housewives

“You know how people don’t like to talk about how difficult child birth is?” she asks. “Women don’t talk about how gut-wrenching and heart-wrenching it is when your child goes off to college. It is devastating for every woman.”

But Ramona knows that it’s time for Avery to branch out on her own.

“It’s going to be very difficult,” she concludes. “But I have to let go. She has to grow.”

Tanzania ‘best safari destination in Africa’

Details

Published on Monday, 24 June 2013 03:04

Written by MARC NKWAME in Arusha

Hits: 990

 A FEW days after the Deputy Natural Resources and Tourism Minister, Mr Lazaro Nyalandu declared that the country was now aiming at attracting two million tourists annually; Tanzania has jusat been voted the best Safari Destination on the continent.

The votes were cast by more than 1,000 safari travellers and industry experts who took part in the largest survey of its kind to reveal the best safari country in Africa.

The results are now out and Tanzania came out the outstanding winner. The Deputy Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, Mr Lazaro Nyalandu, said that Kenya’s days as the leading tourism destination in the region were numbered and that “very soon Tanzania will take the lead.”

It was just a matter of hours and now Tanzania has been voted in the lead, followed by Botswana. Kenya came third, Zambia fourth and the best of the victory was derived from the fact that South Africa, the best known country in Africa, finished in the fifth position.

“SafariBookings.com,” an online marketplace for African safari tours, had conducted a two-year-long study, gathering reviews from more than 1,000 safari-goers and reputable industry experts to see which African country is best for African safaris. With a score of 4.8 out of 5 stars, Tanzania took the spotlight as the most outstanding winner, beating Botswana by about a tenth of a point.

Rounding up at the top five were Kenya, Zambia and South Africa. The study was based on 2,305 reviews from safari travellers and 756 reviews from industry experts, most of whom are reputable guidebook writers working for Lonely Planet, Rough Guides, Frommer’s, Bradt and Footprint.

“More than half of the safari travellers have undertaken multiple safaris and have a good idea about what’s offered. This secures the fact that Tanzania deserves this top spot,” reads a release from “Safari-bookings” which was sent to Arusha over the weekend.

“Tanzania was rated the best tourism spot because it is home to two of the most famous safari destinations in the world, the Serengeti National Park and the Ngorongoro Crater,” reads the release. Ngorongoro and Serengeti were both declared the new Seven Wonders of Nature early in February when Tanzania produced three out of the Seven winning features the third being Mount Kilimanjaro.

“Both parks offer stunning scenery and some of the best wildlife viewing in the world. Serengeti National Park is primarily known for the annual migration of more than 2.5 million wildebeest and zebra.” The Ngorongoro Crater is a popular safari destination because the wildlife viewing in its immense volcanic caldera is superb throughout the year and sightings of game species such as lion, hippo and rhino are almost guaranteed.

 

 

 

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IT was supposed to be an idyllic safari trip in one of South Africa’s most
beautiful national parks.

But it turned into one ‘el of a day for a group of German tourists, who
watched in panic as a FIVE-TONNE elephant charged at their car.

FIVE TONNE beast batters vehicle carrying terrified Germans on safari in Kruger National Park, SA

The incident, caught on camera by one of the group, saw an angry male elephant
charge at the vehicle, shattering a side window and petrifying those inside.

Thankfully, no one was seriously injured.

The footage shows the vehicle pulling over to admire a group of elephants
crossing the road – including a small baby who falls over.

But this phant-astic sight takes a turn for the terrifying when two males
emerge from the bushes, locked in a tussle.

Without warning, one of the males breaks off and stampedes towards the car, as
a woman inside tries desperately to wind up her window.

Shouts of “go, go go!” can be heard from the passengers as the giant mammal
smashes the side window, showering the troupe with glass.

Fortunately for those inside, that was the end of the assault, and the shocked
tourists made a speedy getaway.

The attack took place in Kruger National Park – one of the few national parks
visitors are allowed to drive through without a safari guide.

Kruger was home to a similar incident in April, when an enraged elephant
demolished a car and left two passengers in critical condition.

From Senegal to South Africa to Tanzania, we track how the first lady of fashion chose her outfits during the Obama’s visit to the African continent.

From southern India to the shores of South Africa and beyond, it was a journey that tired him out thoroughly. But given the fact that he is a workaholic and so he doesn’t have any regrets.

The ‘Singam’ (Lion) in his second avatar is more ferocious, but classier, says actor Suriya, a day before Singam II in Tamil and Yamudu II in Telugu hit the over 2,000 screens worldwide. The film also stars Anushka and Hansika Motwani, Vijaykumar and Nasser.

Asked to throw more light on the sequel to the 2010 runaway hit, the southern heartthrob says if Yamudu showed a rustic village cop, the sequel has the same ‘Dorasingam’ as a sophisticated sleuth hunting down a top criminal on foreign shores with help from an honest politician.

Most of the original cast has been retained in the sequel. The only addition is Hansika Motwani, who has a role specially carved out for her, one which needs a new environment and hence South Africa. Of course, there’s this special number and a wee bit of the story for Anjali, the Seethamma… and Balupu girl too.

Asked why many of his films revolved around cops, Suriya says with a grin, “I don’t know but it’s a fact that I know a lot of policemen. I know about their lives too. My movies are a way of adding value to their role in society. Not all cops are as bad as we hear about them. They have emotions and families. There is something about a cop’s uniform that stiffens the spine the moment they wear them and I swear I have experienced it when I done the role.”

Keywords: Singam, Suriya, Hansika, Anushka, Tamil movies, Telugu movies, Yamudu, Doraisingam, Nasser, Vijaykumar, blockbuster, sequel

Acamor Academy, an initiative of Acamor Journeys, has unveiled an experiential educational programme, ‘Cricket Safari in South Africa’, for school students in India, with the aim of promoting an experiential approach to learning through out-of-classroom sessions. The ten-day programme will include a training session by Jonty Rhodes, former cricketer from South Africa, in Durban, and playing matches against local schools in Durban and Cape Town. The programme will begin in October 2013.

Targeting leading schools in India, the programme will cost Rs 230,000 per student, selected after due procedure. Candidates will be shortlisted based on their proficiency in cricket, extracurricular achievements, career aspirations and overall character and personality. Students in class VIII-XII in the current academic year are eligible to apply for the programme. On completion of the programme, students will be given a certificate.

At Kruger National Park in South Africa, tourists are allowed to drive through a safari without a guide.