We recently had John and Pam in our offices and they’ve developed some unique Cape Town day tours for us ranging from cooking workshops through to wine and chocolate tours and even Table Mountain walking tours. What’s particularly good is that a number of these Cape Town tours are ‘scheduled tours’. I appreciate that this may summon up images of coach tours but in practice it’s rarely more than six people in a minibus. What ‘scheduled’ really means is that we are committing to run these tours, on specific days, with only two people. Given that the vast majority of our clients are couples and families, this is more cost effective than having a private guide and vehicle. Over the next few posts, I shall outline some of these exciting new excursions…

I am particularly positive about the development of some interesting township experiences where you can meet the local people. People don’t want to have a goldfish bowl experience being bussed into a township for a ‘tour’ and bussed out again. We have offered an authentic African Heritage tour for a number of years but more and more people are opting to extend this to a full day tour where they can chat to the locals, have lunch at an African restaurant, (serving a mix of African and Western dishes), and an afternoon drink at a local shebeen (or tavern).

Another option which used to only be possible for groups is to visit the Township for dinner and jazz. We now offer this as a scheduled tour on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. This is a great evening experiencing a completely different side of Cape Town life. You usually enjoy a short orientation of the townships before heading to a local township restaurant where you meet local people and experience local township cuisine. What’s clear is that the local people are as interested in finding out about you, and where you come from, as you are about them. Later on there is story telling and local jazz bands playing and after some drinks, everyone becomes more relaxed and it’s not uncommon to find yourself dancing the evening out.

On Sunday mornings we show you a complete different slice of life as we visit several different church services in the townships surrounding Cape Town. You’ll witness the important role these churches play in the local community’s lives and hear the beautiful gospel choirs. Please note that dress code is semi-formal/smart in keeping with local custom.

During the summer months of November to February we offer a Xhosa Heritage tour on Saturday afternoon which enlightens our visitors about the Xhosa culture and specifically its initiation rites. Even under the tremendous influence of urbanization, the Xhosa people of the townships of Cape Town hold their customs dearly. You’re introduced to Xhosa folklore by an English speaking Xhosa guide. You witness the performance of ‘Igongqo’ (ancestor rituals) and ‘Umcimbi’ and you’ll meet a traditional healer. There’s also plenty of opportunity to interact with the local people and learn more about their culture in a relaxed and informal way.

Alternatively you can join us every Saturday morning for a walk on Table Mountain as part of a group (or book your own private guide to walk with you on the mountain). You meet up with a group of hiking enthusiasts early in the morning to walk up the world famous Table Mountain. You will be led by a guide who has intimate knowledge of the mountain: its paths, its fynbos vegetation and its fauna. You’ll enjoy spectacular views of the city of Cape Town and its surrounding suburbs. The specific route taken will vary depending on the fitness of the group but you should be of above average fitness, be a regular walker/runner and also be used to tackling mountain hiking. The paths are not difficult but it is a continuous upward climb for approx 3 to 4 hours depending on the route taken. You can walk down the mountain or take the cable car down instead. The cable car tickets, and transfers to the meeting point, are not included in the basic tour price.

The Okavango Delta, the jewel in the middle of the Kalahari Desert of    Botswana, is Africa’s largest and most beautiful oasis - an isolated, lush green paradise with some of the richest wildlife in the world. This exceedingly beautiful maze of waterways, lagoons, vast grassy plains and palm-fringed and wooded islands is home to crocodile, hippo, elephant, lion, leopard, hyena, giraffe, wild dog, rare antelope and around 400 bird species. We are often asked about the seasonal flooding of the Okavango Delta in Botswana – Why does it happen? When does it happen? Why do some lodges have water all year and others only during the flood? So I thought I’d try to address this issue in more depth…

Where does the source of the Okavango come from?
The source of the Okavango Delta lies in the extremely wet highlands of Angola to the north. From here the Cubango River flows south, through Namibia, away from the sea, gathering ever more water until it finally reaches Botswana, where the river becomes known as the Okavango. Here, the fate of the river is determined by a series of fault lines deep below the desert surface. Once the river passes over the first fault line, it splits into several channels forming a vast, fan-shaped, astonishingly luxuriant wilderness of flood plain and forest, stream and lagoon, the ideal breeding ground for an incredible diversity of wildlife. When the water meets the final two fault lines, the water is literally dammed and cannot go further. (Before the fault lines, the river flowed through the area which is now the Okavango Delta and the Makgadikgadi pans, and probably on to the Indian Ocean by flowing into the Limpopo river.)

When does it happen?
Something that often confuses people is that Botswana and the Okavango Delta has a summer rainfall and yet the flood occurs in the dry winter months. The rain falls during the summer and first seeps into the parched ground before the rivers start flowing. It takes months for the river flow to reach the Okavango Delta. (The flood travels very slowly at only a kilometre a day, partly because of the shallow gradient and because the swamp vegetation slows the water.) The flood starts coming into the northern reaches of the Okavango Delta in late April and makes its way steadily down reaching many camps sometime in June or possibly early July, depending on their precise location, and peaking in August. As it is the dry season, gradually the flood waters evaporate over the next few months, leaving their valuable salts and minerals in the ground, and the waters recede through October and November.

The evocative mokoro trips - a traditional dugout canoe made from an ebony or sausage tree - largely take place in these shallow waters and seasonal flood plains of the Okavango Delta. Gliding along in a mokoro, in total harmony with nature is an experience not to be missed.

Why do some lodges have water all year, others only during the flood and others not at all?
In the south-eastern part of the Delta lies a slightly higher area of land, known as Chiefs Island. This forms part of the Moremi Wildlife Reserve and the higher ground means that the waters never flood this area. The lodges here are predominantly land camps offering  game drives. If they’re on the edges of the Moremi, they may offer some water-based activities during July to September but this would be secondary to the main focus which is game drives. Prime examples would be Mombo Camp, Chief’s Camp and Khwai River Lodge.

To the north of the Moremi lie some deep river channels which are fed through the summer rains and then by the Okavango Delta. The camps in this area such as Kwara Camp, Vumburu Plains and Shinde are what is called ‘multi-activity’ camps (for want of a more elegant term) in that they offer a choice of water or land based game-viewing activities throughout the year because of the presence of these deep river channels.

Broadly speaking, to the south of the Moremi are the seasonal camps which focus on game drives in the green season and offer a mix of activities as the flood comes in. As the Okavango Delta flood varies from year to year, no-one can say precisely when the flood waters will arrive so if you are booking early on in the season, in June for example, there may be an element of luck (but the price usually reflects this). Depending on the camp’s exact location, land-based activities can be quite limited in the full flood so the camps literally become surrounded by water. The advantage is that the animals also get restricted to limited island areas making for excellent game-viewing on foot, by mokoro or by boat. Excellent examples would be Nxabega, Jao and Baines Camps.

Finally further towards the northern and western stretches of the Delta are the permanent water camps, which as their name suggests, offer boat-based game-viewing and game walks on the surrounding islands. The game-viewing is more limited here but the birding is excellent. It’s worth noting that mokoro trips are not usually on offer here as the water is too deep to pole. Examples would be Jacana and Eagle Island Camp. 

Point for the Safari Visitor
Change is the essence of the Okavango Delta. The delta changes from year to year depending on flood levels and rains and the flood constantly forges new channels which prevents the delta becoming silted up. This dynamic nature leads to great diversity of water depth, soils, vegetation and animal distribution. The exact location of each camp dictates what activities are available and when and this can vary within a short distance. Assuming you are booking well in advance, we’ll be able to match a particular camp to your needs.

It also follows that staying at two different camps in different habitats will give you the best feel for the dynamic mood of the Okavango Delta.

When to visit Madagascar?
The west and northwest are year-round destinations but mid January to March is cyclone season on the east coast. The eastern rainforests have a high rainfall so the best times to visit are the drier months of May onwards or September to December.
Place Names
Madagascar is quite confusing in terms of place names as the guide books swop from the English name, for example, Perinet, to the Madagascan name eg Andasibe (Perinet) fairly indiscriminately. Sometimes the Latin name is also used.

In our proposals we tend to use the English names with the Madgascan names in brackets so that if you are reading a guide book or surfing the net, you can link up which area is which
Fitness Levels
Another thing to bear in mind is that ideally you should be reasonably fit. You experience Madagascar’s flora and fauna mainly by walking the forest trails, sometimes for some hours, sometimes in hilly terrain.
Can you go to the beach in Madagascar?
Some clients are wishing to combine Mauritius with Madagascar. Though this is perfectly possible – staying at a smart resort hotel on Mauritius and then visiting Madagascar for its wildlife, you should also consider ending your Madagascar safari with some time on the beach.

Many visitors tack on some days of relaxation at the end, at Nosy Be or Saint Marie with their gorgeous tropical beaches.

Nosy Be
Nosy Be is the largest of several beautiful islands off the northwest coast. This ‘Perfumed Isle’ is alive with the smells of vanilla, ylang-ylang and coffee. The more active can enjoy diving and snorkelling off the coral reefs or perhaps an excursion to Nosy Komba and Nosy Tanikely. Alternatively the Isle of Tsara Bajina matches the Seychelles for stunning island beauty – a palm-fringed desert island with lapping azure blue waters.  The bustling island markets are full of embroidered white lace, colourful sarongs and wooden carvings.
Ile Sainte Marie
Ile Sainte Marie is 50km long and 7km at its widest point. The only real town is Ambodifotatra - other small villages comprise bamboo and palm huts. The island is almost universally known as Sainte Marie and is almost a cliché of a tropical island with endless deserted beaches overhung by coconut palms, bays protected from sharks by coral reefs, hills covered with luxuriant vegetation and a relative absence of unsightly tourist development. Sainte Marie has a far less settled weather pattern that its island rival, Nosy Be. Cyclones strike regularly and you can expect several days of rain and wind all year round, but interspersed with calm sunny weather. The best months for a visit are from June to November.
And finally a couple of smaller points to remember:

How to get to Madagascar?
Visitors fly to the capital city of Tana from Johannesburg or Paris and also from the island of Mauritius. There are plans to also fly direct from Johannesburg to the resort area of Nosy Be.

Visas
Current information is that all nationalities can purchase a Madagasy visa on arrival in the country. Current costs are Euro 15 per person but please check with your local consulate to confirm these costs before you travel.

Health
Unlike its northern neighbour, Mauritius, Madagascar is in a high risk malaria-area and so anti-malaria precautions should be taken

We’ve been having many Madagascar safari requests lately and we’ve noticed that there are some common misconceptions about Madagascar which I’d like to address.

Madagscar is not for everyone… if you really like good quality accommodation, expect a holiday to unfold exactly as the brochure says and have difficulty coping with change, then perhaps Madagascar is not for you. However if you have a spirit of adventure, welcome the unexpected, and are willing to accept some irritations and rustic conditions, then Madagascar, with its pristine flora and extra-ordinary wildlife, could be the perfect destination for you. We recommend that you visit at least two, and preferably three or four, of its distinct climatic and floral zones.

Type of accommodation
Unlike many countries in Southern Africa, there really isn’t that much choice in terms of accommodation in Madagascar except in the beach resorts of Nosy Be and Ile Sainte Marie. The accommodation is reasonable but usually not of a very high standard and so if you are someone who only enjoys the finer hotels and lodges then you need to appreciate that this is not on offer in Madagascar. We try to tell it as it is in our proposals so that there should be no surprises when you are on holiday so read our comments thoroughly.

Having said that, Nosy Be and Ile Sainte Marie do offer a higher standard of hotel and so this is where you can upgrade your accommodation to offset the more modest lodges elsewhere.

Cost
Some clients are under the impression that because the hotel standard is not high, the cost of a Madagascar holiday will be moderate. Unfortunately this is not really the case. Though it is not one of the most expensive safari destinations in Africa, it is not cheap. There are a variety of reasons for this:

The international flight to Madagascar is expensive (due to lack of competition). However this should be changing as SA Airlink introduces a new direct flight from Johannesburg to Nosy Be. This will stimulate South African interest in Madagascar and lead to lower air prices.

Madagascar is a huge country and therefore the domestic flights between Tana and Fort Dauphin (for Berenty) and Tana and Morondava are also expensive. Given that most people want to experience the diversity of Madagascar’s flora and fauna, you usually will visit  3 or 4 different regions.

The hotels and lodges are priced in Euros and charge European-style prices.

English-speaking guide or not?
One factor which has a big influence on the cost of your safari is whether you take a private English-speaking guide. We usually give you the price with and without this guide.

If you choose the basic tour, your hotel transfers (from the airports to your hotels and from Tana to Perinet) are with a local driver who will not speak much, if any, English. This is fine if you speak French (which is a common language in Madagascar) or if you are really looking for the cheapest possible cost, but could be frustrating if you want to ask your driver about something you’ve seen en route, or ask a general information question. However when you get to the National Park just as Perinet or Berenty, you join the scheduled tours and excursions with the English-speaking park rangers. However as these are scheduled, you will be joining other people who may or may not have the same interests and requirements as you.

The alternative is to take a English-speaking private guide. We include this as standard if you are a party of four people as the cost is not so much more however we offer it as a supplement if you are just 2 or 3 people. It is quite a bit more than the basic tour as you have to pay the guide’s daily fees and also his accommodation and meals but in exchange you have much more flexibility and will gain so much more knowledge about the wildlife and sights of Madagascar so we strongly recommend it.

Note that if you fly from one area to another, you will have different English-speaking guides in each region. The guide does not accompany you on the flight. So you’ll have one guide for your visit to Perinet and another one who meets you at Fort Dauphin for your visit to Berenty.

To read Points to consider when planning your Madagscar Safari- Continue… click here

Another Cape Mountain Leopard has been captured, collared and released as part of this exciting monitoring and conservation project which is being run by the Cape Leopard Trust.

The Cape Leopard Trust aims to facilitate conservation of the Cape Mountain leopard through simultaneously implementing conservation strategies, research projects and tourism. In the past the Cape Mountain leopard’s has proved highly resilient

However the leopard has suffered extensive range loss in the Western Cape and is now extinct in many areas of the province. Today, the long-term survival of Cape Mountain leopard populations pivots on their densities within protected areas such as the Cedarberg Wilderness Reserve. It is believed that there are many of this elusive predator in the Cedarberg mountains but as they are so shy, signs of them are rarely found, let alone sightings. Reliable population estimates of the leopards are essential for effective conservation management and so the Trust aims to collar 12 leopards and keep track of their movements.

So far, the Trust has captured four leopards starting in February 2006. One was found on Bushmanskloof Wilderness Reserve and now the fourth on Karukareb Wilderness Reserve.
This fourth cat is a stunning adult male, weighing 32kg, which is a typical size for a Cape Mountain leopard.

The trap was set on Tuesday, using no bait, in a prime leopard area high in the mountains above Karukareb Lodge. On Thursday, after a brilliant and exciting leopard tracking flight with Johan Ferreira, Quinton Martins, the Project Manager of the Cape Leopard Trust went to check a camera in the area where the cage was set up. He was horrified to discover that a female leopard had walked into the trap and managed to jump out before the doors had closed. The females have so far eluded the study. On Friday morning Quinton was out walking/monitoring on a nearby farm when he was summoned ” Daar is ‘n luiperd in die hok!” ( There’s a leopard in the cage).

As Quinton said “The sensation, after all the effort put into this project, to get this result was indescribable. I called our vet, Dr Andre van der Merwe for his assistance. He raced out to Karukareb with me. The darting & collaring procedure went exceptionally well. It was a great day.”

The leopard recovered quickly and was on his way.

Š

Most of our clients now stay on the Zambian side of Victoria Falls and so view the falls from the Zambian side. However in the last few months the new Zambian power plant has taken a fair bit of water from the Zambian Falls. Though this is a proverbial drop in the ocean during the high water months of February to August when the Falls are at their most impressive, it does make an impact as the dry season progresses as the volume of water over the Falls continues to drop until the end of the year.

Clients heading to the Falls between late September and December need to be aware that viewing the Falls from the traditional viewpoints  may not be as awe-inspiring as they might have hoped.

What should clients do?
If seeing Victoria Falls is one of the key highlights of your Southern African safari, then I would recommend planning your safari to co-incide with the best time for Victoria Falls which is generally May to August. At this time the rains have stopped which means that the Falls are not hidden behind clouds of mist and spray. But the volume of water over Victoria Falls remains high and your photographs will be spectacular. This time of year is also the best time of the year for game-viewing in the rest of Zambia and neighbouring Botswana.

However game-viewing remains superb and even improves into September and October and so many people choose to visit Victoria Falls later into the dry season. What advice do I have in this case? I recommend three options

1) Supplement your visit to the viewpoints of Victoria Falls with either a helicopter flight, the so called Flight of Angels, or even a microlite flight for the more intrepid. You will fly over the whole breadth of the Falls, over 1km in length.
2) Consider staying at one of the country lodges which lie a little upstream from Victoria Falls. The advantage of these lodges is that they offer a fully inclusive experience with a tour of Victoria Falls, sunset boat cruises, game drives in the National Park, canoeing, village visits all included in the price. What this means in practice is that you enjoy all of the many aspects of the Zambezi River including, but not limited to, Victoria Falls itself. Personally I enjoyed canoeing on the Zambezi River as much as viewing the actual Falls.
3) Finally you can visit the Falls from the Zimbabwean side. You can either stay in Victoria Falls town at one of their excellent hotels or you can purchase a Zimbabwean visa and walk across the border to view the Falls from the other side of the Zambezi. This is a relatively expensive exercise especially if you are from the UK (as the visa costs more for certain nationalities) but worth considering.
Š

Imagine riding along the spectacular Chapmans Peak Drive in Cape Town by motorbike? Well that’s exactly how the Cedarberg Travel team in South Africa celebrated Women’s Day (an August public holiday in South Africa). Except there was no anxiety because the last time you were on a bike was when you were seventeen and now you’re older, wiser and basically the wrong side of thirty, and jittery. No - we traveled in style on five vintage sidecar motorbikes dating from World War II and beyond. Think Steve McQueen in The Great Escape…. They even supply the leather jackets and original old-fashioned helmets (so now you think you’re the German officer chasing him). Enjoy the unique experience of cruising around Cape Town on a classic 1940’s sidecar motorbike being chauffeured by an experienced bike rider/guide. The beauty of the sidecar motorbikes is that each bike can take two passengers, one riding behind the driver and one in the sidecar. It’s even suitable for all ages from five years and older. We can book a full day tour by sidecar, heading off around the Cape Peninsula or sampling the latest vintage in the Winelands. (We recommend that the one who’s most enjoyed the wine-tasting sits in the sidecar on the way back.) Alternatively the sidecars make a spectacular alternative to a road transfer from the airport. Works particularly well as a surprise gift for a loved one…  

We took a short drive from the Waterfront along the Atlantic Ocean through Clifton, Camps Bay and over the pass to Hout Bay. It was a glorious sunny day with wraparound the views of the ocean, and the Twelve Apostles mountains were glorious. Everywhere people stopped and waved so if you are a quiet retiring fellow, it may not be for you, but the drive wasn’t long enough for the girls at Cedarberg. Highly recommended.  

For more Information & Travel ideas visit our main website at http://cedarberg-travel.com/

We recently had John and Pam in our offices and they’ve developed some unique Cape Town day tours for us ranging from cooking workshops through to wine and chocolate tours and even Table Mountain walking tours. What’s particularly good is that a number of these tours are what is called in the trade ‘scheduled tours’. I appreciate that this summons up images of coach tours but in practice it is rarely more than six people in a minibus. What ‘scheduled’ really means is that we are committing to run these tours, on specific days, with only two people. Given that the vast majority of our clients are couples and families, this is much more cost effective for you than having a private guide and vehicle.

 I am particularly excited about the development of some really interesting township experiences where you can meet the local people of Cape Town. People don’t want to have a goldfish bowl experience being bussed into a township for a ‘tour’ and bussed out again. We have offered a non-touristy African Heritage tour for a number of years but more and more people are opting to extend this to a full day tour where they can chat to the locals, have lunch at an African restaurant, (serving a mix of African and Western dishes), and an afternoon drink at a local shebeen (or tavern).

Another option which used to only be possible for groups is to visit the township for dinner and jazz. We now offer this as a scheduled tour on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. This is a great evening experiencing a completely different side of Cape Town life. You usually enjoy a short orientation of the townships before heading to a local township restaurant where you meet local people and experience local township cuisine. What’s clear is that the local people are as interested in finding out about you, and where you come from, as you are about them. Later on there is story telling and local jazz bands playing and after some drinks, everyone becomes more relaxed and it’s not uncommon to find yourself dancing the evening out.
 On Sunday mornings we show you a complete different slice of life as we visit several different church services in the townships surrounding Cape Town. You’ll witness the important role these churches play in the local community’s lives and hear the beautiful gospel choirs.

During the summer months of November to February we offer a tour on Saturday afternoon which (hopefully) enlightens our visitors about the Xhosa culture and specifically its initiation rites. Even under the tremendous influence of urbanization, the Xhosa people of the townships of Cape Town hold their customs dearly. You’re introduced to Xhosa folklore by an English speaking Xhosa guide. You witness the performance of ‘Igongqo’ (ancestor rituals) and ‘Umcimbi’ and you’ll meet a traditional healer. There’s also plenty of opportunity to interact with the local people and learn more about their culture in a relaxed and informal way.

 Finally we are particularly keen to drum up interest in the African cooking course which is held every Saturday morning. This is a way to learn more about African food and also to support a small cookery school by using their facilities on a Saturday morning. You travel to the township of Langa to enjoy a morning cooking workshop at a cookery school that gives the local residents the skills needed to get jobs in the kitchens of the top hotels in Cape Town. The morning begins with a welcome drink and a talk on African cuisine. You then go into a hands-on cooking lesson where you learn to cook dishes like pap (similar to polenta), chakalaka and samp. Afterwards you sample the dishes that you’ve helped to prepare along with a few other dishes that have been prepared in the restaurant. Great fun!

For more Information & Travel ideas visit our main website at http://cedarberg-travel.com/

Welcome to Cedarberg African Travel’s blog. I’m Kate Bergh, the owner and MD of our South African office and most of the blogs will be posted by me but you may also hear from Ginny Russell, who runs our London office and from other members of the team. I’ll be writing about various topics but probably the bulk of my postings will be updating you about recent research trips we’ve taken: what we liked and didn’t like about each lodge we visit. But I’ll also be posting some good specials as they come through to us, breaking news in the African travel market and other articles relating to our specialities of Family safaris, Honeymoons, self-drive holidays and walking. Plus probably anything else that takes my fancy…

For more Information & Travel ideas visit our main website at http://cedarberg-travel.com/