Looking for a place to snow ski this summer? Try Africa!

May 252011
 

EXPLORE is located in the beautiful ski town of Steamboat Springs CO and as much as we love our great mountain everyone can use a change from time to time.  But who would ever think you could make Africa your next stop to hit the slopes?!  And the time of year to visit works perfectly with anyone trying to get in year-round skiing as our summer is their winter.  The best months to go are June through the first week of September.

The top African ski experience is located in the gorgeous kingdom of Lesotho surrounded by South Africa at Afri Ski offering a quiet and scenic environment.  This ski resort offers everything:  equipment rentals, ski school and private ski lessons, kids club, 1/2 day to 7-day passes, world-class snow making system and daily grooming, special events and festivals, and a variety of accommodations.  Afri Ski is only a 4.5 hour drive from Johannesburg (it is a 1.5 hour drive once through the border post and into Lesotho on a spectacular journey going through several mountain passes (the road is newly tarred but still beware of the occasional pothole!).  tip:  they highly recommend filling up with gas in Fouriesburg or Butha-Buthe on the drive and get cash at the ATM before heading to the resort.

The great thing about skiing in South Africa is the option to head to Kruger National Park during a time of prime game viewing.  Please contact us for more information on traveling to South Africa.

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Elephants in Peril

Mar 312011
 
Iain Douglas-Hamilton (Save the Elephants) and World Women Work
Working together to help African Elephants in the Samburu National Reserve in northern Kenya


March 2011~

“We’ve had 7 poached elephants in the last month which has been devastating – so much poaching happening now and it all seems to be around the access route of this new road. Wilson is now riding transects up and down the road three times a week recording all the dead animals being killed on the road and he is now our chief informer for what is going on with poaching and bush meat incidents.”
Dr Lucy King, MSc, DPhil.
Chief Operations Officer
Save the Elephants


 

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Changes in Botswana’s Selinda Spillway create new opportunities for guests…

Mar 302011
 
A message from our friends at Great Plains Conservation:

Historic Opening of the Selinda / Zarafa Waterway in Botswana |
A channel now links two Great Plains Camps to the Zibidianja Lagoon

The Selinda Reserve is situated in the Linyanti Region of Northern Botswana and forms a vital conservation link between the Okavango Delta in the North West and Savuti / Chobe areas in the East. A river channel, known as the Selinda Spillway, ribbons through the reserve flowing eastward from the Okavango Delta into the Zibidianja lagoon before splitting into the the Linyanti and Chobe rivers to feed the Savute Channel.

Up until two years ago the Selinda Spillway was not a complete waterway. Through increased rainfall levels in Angola, and theories of substrata seismic activity in 2008, the spillway now runs freely from the Okavango through to the Zibidianja Lagoon.

This incredible change has already had a marked impact on the activities of the Selinda Reserve. The most substantial is the four day/three night Selinda Canoe Trail down the spillway, ending close to Selinda Camp during May to October. Fishing and boat cruises are expanded on the spillway and guests can arrive in camp by boat from the airstrip.

Between Selinda Camp and the Zibidianja lagoon lies a 4 kilometre stretch of the channel, previously blocked by floating reed beds. Now the reeds are cleared there is a channel from the Okavango Delta to the mouth of the Savuti Channel, eliminating the two hour drive between the camps. Guests can now find themselves in either the north or southern parts of the reserve in less than thirty minutes.

The newly expansive channel between Selinda and Zarafa camps is a stunning, deep waterway surrounded by high reeds. This untainted part of the spillway hides many rare birds and a Black Crowned Night Heronry.

Great Plains Conservation will move the Selinda Camp canoes further along the new channel. Opening up walking areas on the islands between the channels linking to a Selinda Hide. On the Zarafa side it opens up the Zibidianja Lagoon to the Selinda Spillway. HMS Zibidianja, a large platform boat for guests, has a new water system to explore.

Game viewing without boundaries will have a profound impact on both camps in the Selinda Reserve. At Great Plains we like to explore new boundaries and provide adventure for our guests. This breakthrough will certainly provide that.

Click to find the latest news of the newly opened waterway between Zarafa and Selinda camps.

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Massive Increase in Mozambique Visa Fees

Feb 152011
 

The massive increase in visa fees in Mozambique are spreading to other airports throughout the country.  Benguerra Lodge reported recently that at the Vilanculos Airport visa fees have increased to US$95pp with immediate effect.  Previously, visa fees at this airport were US$30.

We encourage guests to obtain their entry visa in advance to avoid delays at any airport in Mozambique. If not possible, please ensure that you have the correct amount available in cash to obtain the visa at the airport.

Original Mozambique visa fee increase anouncement July 2010 (only applicable to some airports at that time):  http://www.tourismupdate.co.za/NewsDetails.aspx?newsId=22192

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Northern Serengeti Road Losing Support

Feb 072011
 

Plans for this busy commercial road through the Serengeti National Park have met with strong international opposition from scientists, conservation groups and the public.  Scientists predict this road would cause the collapse of the migration (affecting millions of animals) and the ecosystem dynamics that depend on it.  Thanks to all of you who wrote letters of concern to the government regarding the proposed road through the Northern Serengeti!

World Bank announces support of the Serengeti Bypass! 

UPDATE:  As of February 3, Kenya halted plans for the road through the Northern Serengeti.  Read full story.

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Tanzania / Zanzibar: Yellow Fever Vaccination Notice

Feb 022011
 
In response to an outbreak of yellow fever in Uganda, the government of Tanzania (and Zanzibar) has stated that as of January 26th, 2011 a valid yellow fever vaccination certificate must be presented by ALL visitors at all points of entry into both Tanzania and Zanzibar.  This changed from previous requirements which stated that yellow fever vaccination is required only for persons from or those who have visited yellow fever endemic countries.

INFORMATION FROM CDC.GOV:

Yellow fever can be prevented by vaccination. Travelers should also take precautions against mosquito bites when in areas with yellow fever transmission. Travelers should get vaccinated for yellow fever before visiting areas where yellow fever is found. Note: the vaccine is to be given 10 days before travel to an endemic area. If you continue to live or travel in yellow fever-endemic areas, you should receive a booster dose of yellow fever vaccine after 10 years.

In the United States, the vaccine is given only at designated yellow fever vaccination centers. International regulations require proof of yellow fever vaccination for travel to and from certain countries. People who get vaccinated should be given an International Certificate of Vaccination.

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Namibian Coastline Offically Declared a Protected Area

Jan 212011
 

The entire Namibian coastal area, stretching from the mouth of the Kunene River in the north to the mouth of the Orange River in the south, has been officially declared a conservation area.

With the declaration of the Dorob National Park on December 1, the last piece of the puzzle has finally been put in place, thus converting the total Namibian coast into the eighth largest protected area in the world and the largest park in Africa – called the Namib-Skeleton Coast National Park.

The fact that the government declared the last section of the Namibian coastline as a national park during 2010, being the International Year of Biodiversity, underlines the country’s role and commitment towards global, regional and national conservation and sustainable development.

The Namib-Skeleton Coast National Park stretches along the total length of the Namibian coastline 975 miles, covering an area of 26,575 million acres or 66,822 square miles. It comprises four main terrestrial management areas, the Sperrgebiet National Park in the south, the Namib-Naukluft Park, the Skeleton Coast Park and now the Dorob National Park (Dorob means dry land).  The park will also not exist in isolation as it borders on the Richtersveld in South Africa, the Iona National Park in Angola and various communal conservancies inland.

According to the ministry, the proclamation of the protected area represents one of Namibia’s greatest conservation achievements since independence in 1990, and one of the most significant developments in the history of conservation in the country.

From Our Friends at Ultimate Safaris

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Madagascar: Discovery of a New Lemur Species

Jan 202011
 

According to Travel2Madagascar, the lemur was first spotted by Russ Mittermeier in 1995 during an expedition in the northeastern part of Madagascar, but it wasn’t until October 2010 that he could finally return to find this lemur again.

“I was surprised to see a fork-marked lemur there, since this animal had not yet been recorded from the region,” he said. “I immediately knew that it was likely a new species to science.”

So, what makes this lemur different? The answer is simply the unique, feathery structure found under its tongue. Mittermeier believes that the lemur species has adapted uniquely to the forests of Dairana and that this feathery structure is used to assist in lapping up nectar. This is definitely not very common amongst other lemurs…

“This is yet another remarkable discovery from the island of Madagascar, the world’s highest priority biodiversity hotspot and one of the most extraordinary places in our planet.” Mittermeier says. “It is particularly remarkable that we continue to find new species of lemurs and many other plants and animals in this heavily impacted country, which has already lost 90 percent or more of its original vegetation.”

Read the full story

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Kenya – Infant Wildebeest Rescued… By a Hippo!

Nov 182010
 

A Special Newsletter from our friends at Sanctuary Lodges:

Moments like these are so special that Abdul, the head guide at Sanctuary Olonana in the Masai Mara, just had to share this story…

“One unforgettable incident was where a mother wildebeest and her calf struggled across the river. With the strong current the mother got separated from her calf and watched helplessly as her baby was swept away. A female hippo was watching nearby, and to everyone’s amazement, she came to the calf’s rescue and pushed it gently to the river bank. The young gnu was reunited with its mother, who was waiting anxiously at the bank.  Maternal love can be so strong it even surpasses species boundaries!”

Wildebeest Rescue

Infant Wildebeest Rescued by a Hippo!

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UPDATE from UNESCO: Proposed Road Through the Northern Serengeti

Oct 272010
 

CLICK HERE to view our Call To Action newsletter regarding the proposed road in Tanzania through the Northern Serengeti. Thanks to those of you that sent letters!

Northern Serengeti
The state of conservation of Serengeti National Park was examined at the 34th Session of the World Heritage Committee meeting in Brasilia, in July 2010, and the Committee expressed its utmost concern about a proposed highway in the northern wilderness area of the Serengeti National Park. This proposed highway is a part of Tanzania’s Transport Sector Improvement Program (2002-2012). The North Road would be a part of the 452 km Natta-Mugumu-Taboro ‘B’-Kleins-Loliondo-Mto wa Mbu tarmac road, and would likely become a major transit route between Rwanda, Burundi and Eastern Congo. When finished, the road would dissect 53 km of the northern wilderness area of the Serengeti.

Along with the expressed concern, the World Heritage Committee has also asked Tanzania to consider one of the feasible and less environmentally damaging alternatives to the road. In terms of potential environmental deterioration, the damage to the park by the north road could be severe enough as to prompt inscription of the site on the List of World Heritage in Danger. Because of this, the Committee decided to send a monitoring mission by the World Heritage Center and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to the site, in order to assess the potential threats and discuss alternatives with national authorities. There was also a request from the Committee to have a report submitted by the State party by 1 February, 2011, which should include the status of the North Road proposal.

The concern of the potentially irreversible damage has spread throughout the international community, and has received a great deal of attention from conservationists, international organizations and the public alike. The UNESCO World Heritage Centre has received many petitions in response to Tanzania’s North Road plan, and is continuing to reassure those concerned parties of UNESCO’s commitment to finding a solution to the issue.

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