Another post in our credit-crunch-relieving series about how to get the most ‘bang for your buck’ in the next few months if you a looking at safaris in Southern Africa.

Today I’ll mention the well-known Five Rivers safari in Botswana. The Five Rivers safaris is actually an offer by several independent safari companies in Botswana and also in Namibia and Zambia.

The Five Rivers Safari is available only during the emerald season between  15th Nov 2009 and 30th April 2010

The concept is very simple.  If you stay at one of the participating camps for a minimum of 3 nights, or stay 4 nights in total at 2 different Five Rivers Safari Lodges, then you qualify for the special Five Rivers safari price, which is much lower than normal. The Five Rivers lodges are Xakanaxa Camp and Kwando Kwara Camp in the Okavango Delta, Kwando Lebala Camp & Kwando Lagoon Camp in the Linyanti, Deception Valley Lodge in the Kalahari Desert, Susuwe Island Lodge and Impalila Island Lodge on the Caprivi Strip of Namibia and also Stanley Safari Lodge at Victoria Falls in Zambia. The Five Rivers safari also offers lower charter flight rates than normal as well.

The beauty is that you can combine some of these Five Rivers lodges with other Botswana safari lodges of your choosing as long as you stay for 3 nights at one lodge or 4 nights at two lodges….

Contact us for a tailormade quote…

This is another post in our credit crunch relieving series of articles about how to get the most ‘bang for your buck’ in the next few months if considering a safari in South Africa.

Stay 7 nights & Pay for 5 until 30th April 2010

What about a luxury safari holiday combining 3 nights in Cape Town at the lovely boutique hotel of Constantia Uitsig with 4 nights on safari at Amakhala Safari Lodge in the Eastern Cape?  You pay for only 2 nights at Constantia Uitsig in Cape Town and 3 nights at Amakhala Safari Lodge.

This equates to a saving of at least R5400 per person (approx £430 or $720 per person)

Stay 5 nights & Pay for 4 with Seasons in Africa during 2010
Seasons in Africa, which has a number of excellent game lodges in prime wildlife areas in South Africa is offering a great ‘safari circuit’ offer…. If you stay at any combination of Seasons in Africa lodges for 5 nights, you pay only for 4 nights.

The lodges range from the luxurious Madikwe Hills in Madikwe Game Reserve and Leopard Hills in the southern Sabi Sands Game Reserve, to one of our favourites, the welcoming  Kings Camp in the Timbavati Game Reserve and the authentic  Djuma Bush Camp & Vuyatela Lodge in the northern  Sabi Sands.

An even better offer is to Stay for 8 nights and Pay for 6 at the same combination of lodges.
Contact us to check availability…

In these turbulent economic times, we see that people are searching for good value options which still offer extraordinary experiences in South Africa. They don’t just want to book the cheapest hotel or game lodge because -  especially in South Africa -  you get what you pay for.

But they are naturally keen to ensure that their dollar or pound or euro is spent in the best possible way. Thus on our website, www.cedarberg-travel.com, we make a point of outlining all the long stay and safari offers available at our preferred lodges so that you can perhaps enjoy an extra night on the house or a lower price per night. We also summarise some of the key offers in a series of articles.

In the next few blog posts, I’ll outline which ones I think are most attractive…

Summer Madness with Mantis until 15th May 2010

We have put together this luxury safari holiday to introduce the incomparable Nkomazi Private Game Reserve. Stay 2 nights at Nkomazi Game Lodge near Barberton and 3 nights at either The Bishopscourt or The Constantia boutique hotel in Cape Town and receive two complimentary nights at the superlative five star Grande Roche Hotel in the Winelands as well as a complimentary gourmet dinner for two at Bosmans restaurant at the Grande Roche and a back and shoulder massage whilst at Nkomazi Game Lodge.

This equates to a saving of at least R3700 per person (approx £300 or $495 per person) depending on time of travel. This offer is exclusive to Cedarberg African Travel is valid for travel until 14 May 2010.

See here for the full itinerary or contact us to check availability…

The South African winter and spring offers the best game-viewing and also the best whale-watching experiences so the Twelve Apostles Hotel and Spa in Cape Town has teemed up with the luxurious Madikwe Hills Private Game Lodge to offer a superb Cape and Bush experience.

From July to October if we book 4 nights for you at the Twelve Apostles Hotel and Spa, you receive one complimentary night at Madikwe Hills Private Game Lodge. Alternatively, we can book 3 nights at Madikwe Hills and you receive two complimentary nights at the Twelve Apostles Hotel…

Cape Town has many fascinating tourist attractions that are quiet and easily accessible in the winter and spring. Most days are mild, bright and sunny and land or boat-based whale watching, including the Southern Cross whale, is frequent. Whether cruising along the staggeringly beautiful Chapman’s Peak Drive to Cape Point or from the bedrooms, restaurant and bar at The Twelve Apostles Hotel, it is likely you will catch a glimpse of these awesome creatures in the bay. The Twelve Apostles Hotel and Spa is a five star boutique hotel right on the Atlantic Ocean, with the top-of-the-range Spa, the breath-taking garden magically perched above the ocean, two heated outdoor pools and the glorious Azure Restaurant. 

Similarly the game viewing in the Madikwe Game Reserve is unsurpassed during the winter months as the days are clear, warm and sunny, and the animals search out the remaining waterholes to drink. The crisp, cool evenings are ideal for exchanging sightings, bush stories and enjoying the bright and starry African night sky! Wildlife in Madikwe includes the Big Five and two packs of wild dog, for which Madikwe is justly famous. Madikwe Hills is one of the most luxurious and glamorous lodges in this malaria-free reserve. Each of the eight enormous stone and thatch rooms has an expansive deck with plunge pool overlooking the bush; fabulous outdoor shower, huge bathroom, bedroom and sitting room with minibar and open fire.

This holiday combines relaxation, pleasure, pampering, enrichment and value. It is valid from July to October inclusive and for a minimum of two adults travelling together. It is based on a Mountain room at the Twelve Apostles and a Suite at Madikwe Hills. Breakfast is included at The Twelve Apostles and Madikwe Hills is Fully Inclusive.

For more information on this special, or any other special we are offering, contact us at info@cedarberg.co.za or log onto our website at http://www.cedarberg-travel.com

More and more game lodges are linking up with boutique Cape Town hotels to offer great free stays in Cape Town during the winter/spring months of May to September. Indeed its fair to say that you hardly need to pay for your stay in Cape Town if you are going on safari somewhere in South Africa!

Happily the winter months are also the best months for game-viewing in Southern Africa as this is the dry season when the game is forced to come to the rivers and waterholes to drink and when the sparser vegetation making game-viewing even more rewarding. Cape Town’s visitors are usually more summer-orientated even though winter usually offers plenty of warm sunny days (and roaring fires for the cooler evenings). So if you are keen to follow your safari with a few days in Cape Town, many game lodges in the Sabi Sands, the Kruger National Park and the Eastern Cape will offer 3 nights complimentary stay at a chosen partner’s hotel. These are not third rate places but some of the finest four and five star boutique hotels in Cape Town. Click on our website for further details.

Tuningi Game Lodge, in the malaria-free Madikwe Private Game Reserve, have not only introduced free return flights from Johannesburg to Madikwe for longer stays, but they’ve also decided to extend this special to August 2007.

If you stay five nights or more at the luxurious Tuningi game lodge, you are offered a complementary scheduled charter flight from Johannesburg into the Madikwe airstrip and return.

The malaria-free Madikwe Game Reserve boasts a healthy wildlife population including the Big Five and over 230 recorded bird species. You can also expect to see its packs of wild dog which are regularly sighted as well as Black and White rhino and extensive plains game, including sable, gemsbok, springbok and giraffe.  Tuningi Game Lodge consists of 2 separate and exclusive safaris camps with 6 beds and 10 beds each. The ten bed main camp has a thatched main lodge surrounded by five en-suite thatched chalets. There is also a separate 6 bed camp known as Little Tuningi. Each large air-conditioned suite has its own fireplace, lit on your return from your evening game drive, outside shower and your own private deck to relax and enjoy the sights and sounds of the bush. (The Family suite consists of 2 en suite bedrooms, lounge, dining room and kitchen.) You rise early to be guided by a private ranger either on foot or in an open game viewer in search of the Big 5. Lion, elephant, buffalo, rhino and leopard are sighted frequently as well as wild dog. The boma is the perfect place to enjoy dinner next to a blazing fire or enjoy the stars above the canopy of trees in the boma after your evening game drive. 

Tuningi is particularly well suited for family safaris and its intimate size makes it ideal for larger family parties spanning the generations.

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