I know we all say how quickly the time is flying and yes I shall add to the chorus of that, however when we look back on what we have done already it does seem like time well spent.
Please check out Facebook and Instagram feeds to see some of the safari stories and what we have been up to.
THE GOOD NEWS
Southern Africa has been having some exceptional rains so far as a result of the La Nina weather system. Some areas like Western Zambia have had excessive amounts so they may not agree with me on how good it is – but I always believe that lots of rain is always much better than no rain. With all these rains the Zambezi River and Kavango systems are rising quickly and places like Victoria Falls will be very impressive in about May/early June when that full flood hits there. Lake Kariba will also come up a lot although this is being quickly utilised for power that this effect will be short lived, so not sure how much it will actually come up – local rainfall has already lifted it over a metre already which is a vast amount of water considering the size of it. We should also expect the Okavango Delta to get substantial inflows as well which will be welcomed and who knows will we see the Savute Channel flow?? They for some reason have not had widespread or consistent local rains in the Okavango Delta but maybe in the remaining weeks of the wet season that will improve. When I was there in January in certainly looked very green and flush in the area but that is not the story everywhere yet.
MORE GOOD NEWS
As International travel picks up to pre pandemic levels we are seeing a situation much like we were experiencing in 2018 and 2019 with African Airlines and others from outside linking African cities and destinations more and more efficiently. For example, we now have flights direct from Mpumalanga (Kruger National Park) to Victoria Falls – Windhoek to Victoria Falls which links through from Frankfurt – Ethiopian Airlines have also announced that they are adding frequency to their flights and also later in the year will no longer connect Lusaka and Harare and instead service those cities directly from Addis Ababa. The big American airlines are now flying more frequently into South Africa and Cape Town has been put back on the schedule as well with direct flights. Kenya Airways have also increased their frequency between the USA and Nairobi. There is lots going on with flights which is keeping us on our toes trying to keep up when planning your safaris, but these are good problems as it is making it all much more convenient.
A LITTLE MORE GOOD NEWS
We are already planning and started booking now for my Zakouma National Park Safaris in Chad for 2024, I am sure many of you have heard me talk about this amazing safari destination, it really is fantastic, easy to get to and really quite a spectacle worth visiting. I will be there in March this year for 3 safaris and really looking forward to that so please keep an eye on our social media platforms for some updates and great pictures from there – I have been discussing behind the scenes some new plans for safari options into Zakouma and hope my suggestions and plans come through for next year which I know will add to what is already and outstanding safari experience.
FROM THE CAMPFIRE
Our involvement with theIvan Carter Conservation Alliance continues to grow from strength to strength and I would really like to thank those guests that joined me in Kenya. As donors to this important project in Kenya with the Giraffe Conservation Foundation.
They were fully involved with the teams assisting with the collaring of Masai Giraffe in an area where these Giraffe and other species are having to compete more and more with humans for space and resources, plus the infrastructure such as roads and fences that comes with our “development” which creates its own problems.
The researchers are wanting to understand better how they are navigating this minefield as a way to try and work out what is going to be needed for the future as the human populations and economies grow at a relentless pace in Africa. The units we fitted are very clever small solar powered units that were attached to their tails so much less intrusive, great to see how the technologies are being tested and developed to assist conservation work. We have got a great menu of projects that are coming up and needing help which you can be involved with right on the front line or just assist financially, whatever level feels right for you. If you want to be a part of this just let us know and we can discuss how you can participate and get involved with the projects across Africa.
DOUG'S GOOD NEWS
I would like to congratulate my eldest son Dean on his amazing Cambridge A level results with 3 A* passes which I am so proud of him for, certainly has eclipsed my very half-hearted attempt at scholastic excellence, that bar was set quite low for him! He is heading off to university this year to do Chemical Engineering, and I wish him all the very best success at that.
SAFARI 'GOOD NEWS' SPECIALS
We receive many different rates specials from camps across Africa so we always try and apply these when designing safaris for our guests, so here is a couple of specials to consider that we know are really worth doing and great value and can be stand alone or built into a bigger safari plan.
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