Africa Travel

The view at lunch...

Londo Lodge, situated in the Quirimbas Archipelago in northern Mozambique will get you over the worst of the winter blues (if you’re situated in the southern hemisphere) with a fantastic 50% discount for a minimum of 3 nights stay!

Limited space available so book now.

Minimum 3 night stay. Offer ends 01st of August 2010.

The view from one of the rooms.

For questions and bookings, go here. Or see The Safari Co. for more details.

One of the greatest wildlife shows on earth has taken placed earlier than usual and is currently on the move.

The Greatest Show on Earth

The migratory herds have separated into two distinct groups – one in the Western Corridor/Grumeti area and one in north-east Serengeti and northern Loliondo area. We are expecting the western herd to to start moving north to the Mara River area towards the end of July. In the meantime travelers in both the Serengeti and Loliondo are enjoying good migration sightings.

The herds arrived at the border between the Masai Mara and the Serengeti

An extraordinary sighting in the Serengeti was of a python the caught and killed an adult zebra at Grumeti, although it was unable to swallow it whole.

The migrating wildebeests in the Mara progressed fast over the past few days. It took the herds only 2 days from the central plains to the Mara River, where they are now in the Mara triangle. They covered large distances during the night and due to the migration being early this year the main migration from the south preceded that of the Loita herds which traditionally will be in the Mara ahead of the Serengeti group.

Crossing the Mara River

An easy crossing for the wildebeest herds this year

The herds which had gathered near the Talek gate have been crossing north of the river. The crossings were quite slow but dramatic to see the wildebeests moving across the almost dry river in a rush creating a cloud of dust in the process. The resident lion pride has been busy since the early arrival of the wildebeest herds and made kills almost daily at the river crossing, at times making four kills a day.

Check out the migration safaris and places to stay on offer. There are various ways of experiencing the great wildebeest migration – enjoy a mobile tented safari camp that moves where the herds are, or spoil yourself at one of the luxury lodges. A hot air balloon ride is an exceptional way of seeing the herds from a unique vantage point.

Contact The Safari Company to organize your Great Migration Safari

Helpful links:
Serengeti Map
Masai Mara Map
Book your Safari
Serengeti Lodges
Masai Mara Lodges

Have you ever thought of Africa as a romantic wedding destination? Imagine standing barefoot on a white tropical beach, ready to say your vows…or maybe in a private game reserve in the exclusivity of the African bush!

Africa is an exceptional wedding destination for many couples that feels they want to do something different for their wedding day. For most it’s a once in a lifetime celebration, so it’s well worth considering an African destination wedding. The options are endless with some of the most unique weddings venues to choose from. And there are world class wedding service providers in all the major centres (many of them willing to travel) – be it a wedding photographer, bridal gown designer, catering companies, stationery providers, wedding planners or make up artists, they offer exceptional service at great prices.

The cost of a wedding in Africa is one of the major benefits of getting married in the African bush or an Indian Ocean island. An African destination wedding package is not only very romantic, it is also affordable! You can get married in Africa, go on honeymoon for a week or two and the cost of all this will still be lower than getting married in Europe, Australia, UK or America (that’s including the airfare). You can plan your wedding and honeymoon in Africa from start to finish.

One of the most popular wedding destinations is South Africa, mainly due to its well developed infra structure and the availability of a wide range of exceptional wedding venues. Cape Town, the Garden Route, KwaZulu Natal’s Midlands, the Drakensberg, Kruger National Park and the Waterberg are but a few wedding destinations to consider. Other popular African wedding destinations are Kenya’s Masai Mara, Namibia’s Namib Desert, Mozambique’s Bazaruto Archipelago and Zambia’s Victoria Falls.

When it comes to putting together the wedding arrangements, it is wise to consider the experts – wedding planners. They have all the inside information about weather, catering, distances to travel, logistical know how and the right contacts to make your dream wedding in Africa a reality. Many wedding venues offer complete packages which makes it easier to arrange a wedding in Africa.

See The Wedding Co.’s helpful wedding guide for more information or browse the wedding section on the website.

Africa offers unique wedding destinations at the right price. Take the plunge and do it – it’s well worth it!

Africa fascinates me! Even when it comes to the type of lodges and hotels in Africa, there are always a wide range to choose from. I will try to summarize our travel experiences in this short article, even if it just highlights some of the amazing places on this beautiful continent.

The Good
Over the past two decades I’ve had the privilege of staying in some pretty awesome spots…and some hair raising places to be brutally honest! One of the most memorable experiences was a 2 night luxury train journey on the Rovos Rail from Durban to Johannesburg. The absolute luxury and comfort on this unique train was a well deserved break from the office. Another ‘wow’ moment was our stay at Camp Jabulani – a luxury lodge in the Kapama Game Reserve – where we enjoyed the interaction with African elephants. The exceptional service from the lodge staff made this one of the best African safari experiences we’ve ever done. I think the afternoon elephant back safari and private sundowners in the bush clinched it for us! These two safari experiences rates as some of the best lodges and hotels in Africa you will find.

The Bad
On the other side of the scale, we’ve embarked on numerous overland journeys where we’ve travelled  cross country to east Africa and the wilderness areas in our neighboring countries.

The thing with a self drive safari in Africa is that you don’t always make the  distances you planned on doing (anything from a flat tyre or a hassle at the border can add a few hours to your trip). And now that the travel plans have changed, finding that nights accommodation is generally like playng Russian roulette, just not with live rounds. Rather with itchy, noisy, dodgy or obnoxious rounds… We stayed at a place once that was a little run down, but generally looked ok – until we got into bed and felt things crawling on us! Yip, bed bugs – and Doom doesn’t kill them. We managed to eradicate most of the pest (don’t ask which method proofed successful…) and thought that we’ll get some well deserved rest for the night. We were not in bed for 10 minutes when the local disco cranked up the sounds so load that none of us slept until they stopped at around 05h00 am the next monring. This one was added to the ‘never again’ list when we made our way out of there with grumpy faces and scratchy eyes at 06h30.

The Beautiful
Not all the unplanned stops have been bad. We once had to camp in a dry river bed in Namibia (we made sure  it wasn’t close to rainy season), as our journey took longer than anticipated and we didn’t make our next stop. That night we set up camp and enjoyed a good braai (barbecue African style) while listening to the amazing  night sounds before we slipped into our tents. The peace was tangible. We had some unexpected visitors during the night – a herd of desert elephant – but they didn’t stay long. When I think back now, I wish I can build a lodge there to show others what an amazing place Africa is…

Africa has some of the most diverse locations found anywhere in the world – from rain forests and open savannahs to tropical beaches and snow capped mountains. And all these destinations have a full range of accommodation options to choose from. Find a jewel and you’ll dream about it for ever. And if there is the odd lemon in the bunch, you’ll have something to warn your friends about. Carefully plan your African safari travel plans by doing research on the internet and asking fellow travelers what their experience was like. The internet empowers us to make informed decisions and to make the most of our journeys into Africa.

Finally, be adventurous and try something different next time when you travel into Africa.

A study has indicated that 60 percent of British online adults who conducted an online travel transaction in the last year are now conducting more transactions online than they did in the past, despite  the current economic climate.

And for this, the ability to compare products and prices was cited as the main reason by 80 percent of the respondents, according to the 2009 Survey of Online Consumer Behaviour, conducted by Harris Interactive, commissioned by Tealeaf.

The findings also indicate that travel companies are failing to fully capitalise on this trend, with 79 percent of online adults who have conducted an online transaction on a travel site in the past year saying they have experienced problems when doing so. 47 percent of these advised they would abandon the transaction as a result, with 43 percent saying they would switch to an online or offline competitor. The travel industry should strive to capitalise on the increase of online travel sales by being visible, providing up to date, relevant information and be able to reach the millions of online travel shoppers worldwide.

The percentage of consumers who have experienced problems (81 percent) when conducting online transactions has actually improved compared to last year (92 percent in 2008), with many companies realising the benefits of becoming more ‘customer-centric’ and investing in usability or customer experience management solutions.

The Safari Co. has developed a platform to avoid  these problems by implementing simple-to-use navigation and communication systems, as well as a user-friendly website with easy access to relevant information online travelers are searching for on a daily basis.

The survey results show that online adults who conducted transactions on a travel site in the last year are increasingly turning to social media to broadcast their online experiences to others, rather than directly with companies. 14 percent of online adults who encountered problems conducting online transactions said they shared those experiences on a blog or social networking site, twice as many as in 2008 (seven percent). The Safari Co. has responded to the need to do it right by providing a strategic online platform where tourism businesses can promote their services effectively and easily to an ever growing global travel audience.

Some of the tools utilised are online profiling, social media networks, article submissions, photo and video sharing, and direct linking between consumers and business owners. It is of importance for travel companies to capitalise on the growth of online sales by implementing strategies that will grow their online profile and allow travelers to find, contact and book them simply and easily.

If you are in the Africa travel industry (local or abroad), join us in promoting this amazing continent to the world!

We have been in the African Safari industry for over a decade and it has included guiding in southern and east Africa, marketing to the international travel market, online marketing and selling safaris. This experience has culminated into an amazing platform where the (local and international) traveler and tourism businesses can meet and plan the perfect safari holiday to Africa. We see it as ‘travel planning match making’.

The categories include every type of traveler thinking of visiting Africa – be it a first time visit or a romantic wedding, or maybe a family trip or an island getaway, and everything in between. From luxury to overland, relaxed to adventurous, romantic to roughing it, we attract these clients.

So if you’re in the Africa tourism industry, join us. This is what we can do for you and how you can get more bookings:

1. Show case your travel products and services to a global and local audience by creating a profile on the popular Safari Co. website (this site ranks well for almost everything to do with African Safaris as it’s been focusing on it for over 7 years). The profile is a unique, mini-website with 5 pages where travelers can contact travel businesses directly.
2. Create excellent PR by sending us your news and we’ll promote it for you. It’s as easy as submitting articles, photos and videos of Africa related travel subjects and we’ll place it in front of potential travelers. We also add a link to your profile for additional exposure. Our ‘top photos & videos’ section are released monthly. Travel articles, videos and photos are a great way of directing potential clients to a travel business.
3. Release specials and travel deals to a targeted audience that subscribed specifically for what you have to offer. This works well for last minute specials to fill up a lodge, hotel or tour.

So get listed today and promote your business to the world.

What is The Safari Co. about?

The concept of The Safari Co. is to promote the African travel industry. And we need your help to do so, as you are the professionals and you have what potential travelers want.

Our job is to attract travelers, both local and international. We have been doing exactly that for the past 10 years and have seen great success online. Since 80% of all travelers do their research online, that’s where we spend most of our time promoting Africa travel. Are you visible online? The Safari Co. ranks well on all search engines and it ensures that potential travelers finding us are looking for Africa related travel services – thus delivering qualified enquiries to our partners.

So how does it work?
1. Promote your business directly to a global and local travel audience by adding an online profile of your business on The Safari Co. Here’s more info…
2. Send us articles and press releases about your business and Africa travel. We will review your content and, once approved, will add it to The Safari Co. Your article will then be promoted to our audience via the articles search engine, content feeds to subject specific pages around the website and social media syndicate. A link to your profile will ensure that you get the necessary exposure. Check out our articles section to see an example…or send your first article.
3. Send us photos and videos of Africa and on approval, it will be added to our photo and video search galleries. Every photo and video are sorted by category and destination. It will also have a link back to your profile for more PR.

If you’re not a keen writer or photographer, please email us for an interview. If you have a compelling subject to talk about, just let us know and we’ll do an interview over the phone, by email or on video.

This powerful promotional service is free to the entire African travel industry. As a Safari Co. partner you will have the added benefit of generating amazing awareness of your travel business to travelers during the crucial planning phase of their holiday.