There is something about
safari life that makes you forget all your
sorrows and feel as if you had drunk half a bottle of champagne - Karen
Blixen |
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Letter from the editor
Hello everyone.
Winter is a fantastic time to visit southern Africa. Game viewing is at its best, fewer tourists are around and there are many accommodation and flight specials on offer.
This is traditionally the rainy season in the south-western Cape but don't let that deter you from visiting Cape Town! Winters are very mild here and periods of showery weather are interspersed with clear sunny days with temperatures in the 70s. As mentioned, this is the best time to visit the game reserves in northern South Africa, Botswana, Namibia and Zambia. These areas enjoy mild, dry winters and the lack of water means a lower malaria risk and better game sightings as the animals tend to congregate around the few remaining water holes. Also, the sparser vegetation means the game is easier to spot!
We look forward to helping you plan your holiday to this magnificent part of the world!
Visit our newly updated website at: www.ashworthafrica.comBest wishes,
Patrick
Ashworth
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A huge electrical storm brings some much needed rain to the south-western Cape.
Copyright Anthony Aspeling |
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Cape Town's Waterfront wins top award
The Victoria & Alfred Waterfront has scooped an international tourism award. The retail and leisure development in Cape Town was presented with the International Award for the Tourist, Hotel and Catering Industry at a trade fair in Spain, beating competitors from 40 other countries. The Waterfront with its hotels, shops, bars and restaurants is hugely popular with locals and tourists alike and welcomed 23 million visitors last year. It is named after Queen Victoria and her second son Alfred, the "Sailor Prince".
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Twin elephants born in Addo Elephant National Park
Twin elephants, a male and a female named Dusk and Dawn, have been born in the Addo Elephant National Park in the Eastern Cape. This is only the third time in the history of the park that such an event has been recorded. Elephant cows usually give birth to one calf after a 22-month gestation period and the occurrence of twins is relatively rare. All three sets of twins have been born into the same family herd, to closely related females.
As is common in elephants, the mother and twins are intimately accompanied by a handful of sub-adult females, who help to protect and nurture the young calves as well as learning how to mother their own calves in the future.
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Voortrekker Monument gets African tourist guides
The architects of apartheid must be spinning in their graves! In yet another sign of how quickly South Africa is becoming a more "normal" society, black tourist guides are now showing visitors around the Voortrekker Monument near Pretoria.
This symbolic relic of the old regime was built to honour the thousands of Afrikaner pioneers ("voortrekkers") who journeyed into the interior of the country to escape British rule in the early 1800s, dispossessing black tribes in the process.
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What's in a name?
In another sign of change, up to 57 000 places on the South African map are to get new, politically correct and non-confusing titles, although local communities will be consulted first. Offensive names with racist overtones (like "Kaffir Kraal" and "Boesman ("Bushman") River" are top of the hit list.
The most controversial plan is the possible renaming of towns from the colonial era such as Durban, Newcastle, Grahamstown and Queenstown. The country's fourth largest city and administrative capital Pretoria (pictured right) is likely to be re-named "Tshwane", to the dismay of some white Afrikaners.
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Construction of giant telescope nears completion
This year, South Africa and its German, Polish, American, New Zealand and UK partners will complete the largest single telescope in the southern hemisphere, with a hexagonal mirror array 39 feet across.
The Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) is being built at Sutherland in South Africa's semi-desert Karoo region. Construction on the US$33million project began in 2000. SALT will be able to record images of distant stars, galaxies and quasars a billion times too faint to be seen with the human eye - as faint as a candle flame on the moon.
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Featured Kruger National Park Property: LION SANDS PRIVATE GAME RESERVE
Lion Sands Private Game Reserve is situated in one of the finest wilderness areas in the southern Kruger National Park region, north-east of Johannesburg. It is the only property to have substantial access to the perennial Sabie River, ensuring an incredible diversity of wildlife all year round. Lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and Cape buffalo are common residents in this reserve.
This deluxe game lodge offers the highest standard of service, accommodation, amenities and facilities including a private lounge, wooden viewing decks, wine cellar, health spa, curio shop and both an indoor and open-air boma (dining area).
A unique element of the Lion Sands safari experience is in its programme of activities. The guest is offered the opportunity to interact more closely with and learn about the environment, getting in tune with the pulse of the ancient spirit of Africa. All the activities have been customised to enhance and compliment the African luxury safari experience and include the following: open Land Rover game drives, early morning bush walks, specialised bird watching safaris (with over 350 species endemic to the area) and afternoon wildlife lectures by the team of highly qualified rangers and an ecologist.
The new Ivory Lodge has been built on the banks of the Sabie River with magnificent views. There are 6 ultra-luxurious suites, each with en suite bathroom, outdoor and inside shower, courtyard, lounge with fireplace, wooden viewing deck, patio and private plunge pool. The bedroom and bathroom areas are air-conditioned and overhead fans cool the bedrooms and lounges. All rooms have a mini-bar, telephone and internet access.
To make a booking or for more information, contact us at: info@ashworthafrica.com
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