Safari Blog

The Stellenbosch Wine Festival in Cape Town, South Africa will take place a month earlier than usual to accommodate the football fans who will be attending the FIFA World Cup. The event will take place between the 1 and 5 July and being an easy 35 minute drive from Cape Town – it makes for an easy day trip. During the 5 day celebration participating wine farms along the route will open their cellar doors for a wide range of family friendly activities. The programme includes interactive wine making experiences, gastronomic delights and of course the main attraction – wine tasting. For the lover of the great outdoors, a wine tasting horseback safari is the perfect way to enjoy the scenic splendour of this picturesque part of the Cape Winelands. Stellenbosch is also home to some excellent world class restaurants all of which are participating in the festival and you will be spoilt for choice trying to decide which food to combine with which wine. Stellenbosch is South Africa’s second oldest town after Cape Town having been founded in 1679 by the governor of the Cape Colony – Simon van der Stel. He planted a large number of oak trees and it soon became known as the Eikestad or City Of Oaks. The town has 200 vineyard estates which collectively produce 1,000,000,000 litres of wine annually in a Mediterranean climate. Most of the estates are very impressive with grand Dutch gabled houses filled with Dutch antiques, sculptured grounds and breathtaking views over the lush green valleys and hills of the surrounding area. The town itself is an interesting blend of architecture – a mix of Cape Dutch thatch cottages and double storied Georgian and Victorian homes. The town is also filled with many interesting museums, arts and craft shops, antique shops and art galleries. Stellenbosch is an interesting little town and there is enough variety to be found to suit everyone’s taste. You may want to combine a visit to the Stellenbosch Wine Festival with a private tour of the Cape Winelands to include visits to some of the other wine producing regions in the area including Paarl, Franschhoek and Wellington.

The Maralal Camel derby is a 3 day event that takes place every year in the quiet Samburu town of Maralal which is situated about 200 miles north of Nairobi in Kenya. The town has hosted the event since 1990 and attracts amateur and professional camel riders from all over the world. Countries that are represented include England, Canada, France, America, Australia, Spain, Japan, South Africa and New Zealand. The route runs through the semi desert regions with varying degrees of difficulty. Camels are available to hire should you wish to compete. Maralal is camel country and the humble camel plays an important role in the local culture and way of life. It is considered a great honour to win the Derby title and competition is fierce. When the race begins the amateur racers set off in whatever direction their camels choose while the professionals break away from the pack at breakneck speeds. Other festival events include cycle races and folk dancing displays. The cycle race is quite demanding and also attracts a fair amount of professional racers. Other activities in the area include white water rafting and bush walking. Maralal is also home to Kenyatta House, the location where Jomo Kenyatta was detained before his release. The town is surrounded by the Maralal National Reserve. Within the reserves boundaries roam a good variety of wildlife including impala, zebra, buffalo, leopard and hyena. Elephants pass through on a seasonal basis. The reserve has relatively few visitors compared to the Samburu reserves in the east – which for many is part of its unique appeal. The Maralal Camel Derby is an interesting addition to those exploring the unspoilt Northern Frontier District. It is a good opportunity to actively experience the rich culture and heritage of Kenya’s nomadic people and in this neck of the woods you are guaranteed to meet some very interesting characters. Not to to mention the amazing attractions that this offers to those holiday makers on Kenya safaris at the time of the Derby.

The 13th Zanzibar International Film Festival takes place from the 10-18 July 2010. It is East Africa’s largest film and arts festival which showcases a variety of African and international works all based on this years theme which is "Hopes in Harmony". There are no red carpets or stretch limousines at this event which takes place in the picturesque Old Fort in Stone Town. It is the perfect venue with an ancient amphitheatre which serves as an outdoor film screening cinema. Activities at the festival include workshops, seminars, story telling, street theatre, film screenings, live music and dance. Other events take place on the island of Pemba. If you are visiting Zanzibar at this time – perhaps on your luxury beach honeymoon or after your luxury Tanzania or Kenya safari, you may want to visit this unique event. It will give you a fascinating insight into the local culture and African heritage as depicted in a variety of art forms by Africa’s very own people. Stone Town: Stone Town or Mji Mkongwe which means "ancient town" in Swahili is the old part of Zanzibar city. It is a fascinating old town consisting of a warren of narrow alleys with shops, bazaars, mosques and houses built from aran design with ornate carved wooden doors. The trade was originally a trade centre between Africa and Asia – its main exports were spices but the down also has a darker history. It was once the centre for slave trade. In the 1800’s, slaves were gathered from mainland Africa and traded with the Middle East. The Anglican cathedral, which was built on the former site of the slave market, still bears witness to those times as the site has some of the original holding cells where the slaves were chained before being exported. The town was also a popular base amongst European explorers. It is also the birth place of Freddy Mercury. Pemba Island: The island of Pemba forms part of the Zanzibar archipelago and is situated about 30 miles east of mainland Tanzania. The waters around this tropical island paradise are amongst the richest marine ecosystems on the planet with miles and miles of pristine coral reefs. Fundu lagoon is a luxury retreat in Pemba that has received many international awards including the Good safari Guides "Best Beach Safari Camp". It is a PADI 5 star Gold Palm Resort with its own fully equipped dive facility. The diving ethic at Fundu Lagoon is focussed firmly on respecting the environment and diver safety. From your luxury cottage you can wonder through the trees down to the pristine white sand beach, which stretches for over three miles beside the multi-hued blues of the Indian Ocean. Fundu has a fine restaurant where delicious meals are served featuring locally caught seafood as a speciality. There are two bars, including one that is a few hundred metres down the beach where a Swahili barbeque is sometimes created.  

The Addo elephant Trail run is a 50 and 100 mile run that takes place in April every year at the Addo Elephant National Park just north of Port Elizabeth in South Africa. The first race took place in 2005 with just 11 contestants – it is now gaining popularity amongst endurance race all over the world and every year the number of competitors increases. Most of the trail is on the trails in the park. The trail is remote and a certain level of mental and physical fitness preparation must be completed by every runner who is planning to take part in this unusual run. The mountains and valleys may be beautiful to look at but they will be an extreme challenge for those who are ill prepared. There are 16 checkpoints along the 100 miler and 9 along the 50 miler.The 100 miler race starts at Darlington Lake – an arid area, just south of Somerset East and winds its way over the mountains into the Sundays River Valley and then over the Zuurberg Mountains to finish at the parks main rest camp. The cut off time is 30 hours. The 50 mile race starts in the main street of a town called Kirkwood and runners make their way through valleys then over the Zuurberg Mountains into the parks main rest camp.Amongst the other wildlife in the park, runners will have the opportunity to spot elephant, buffalo and black rhino. The park was established in 1931 to save 11 elephants from the brink of extinction, it is now home to 450 elephants, Cape Buffalo, rhino and a variety of antelope species. It is also home to the unique flightless dung beetle. The park has recently expanded from a size of 164 000 hectares to a 360 000 hectare park including a 120 000 hectare marine reserve - home to breeding Cape Gannets and African penguins. This expansion now means that the park contains 5 of South Africa’s 7 major vegetation zones and is also probably the only park in the world to house the Big 7 in their natural habitat (elephant, lion, leopard, rhino, buffalo, whale and great white shark). The Sundays River has its entrance at the mouth of the Indian Ocean and is tidal for a stretch of about 10 miles. The fishing is superb and the birdlife prolific. The park offers a good range of activities that includes 4x4 game drives, horse riding, guided safari walks and hiking.

Here are some of the safari activities you can expect to enjoy when on a luxury African safari: • Hot air balloon rides – Hot air ballooning over the African plains is a surreal experience. Your guide will take you high up before descending to a height just over tree level where you will drift lazily above the landscapes as you view the wildlife below. Your guide will then land in a remote spot where you will enjoy a delicious champagne breakfast. This is a wonderfully romantic experience for honeymooners. Hot air balloon safaris are offered in Kenya, south Africa, Botswana, South Africa, Namibia and Tanzania. • Fishing – Fishing in Africa is a wonderful experience. The lakes and rivers are overflowing with perch, bream, tigerfish and catfish. Deep sea fishing on the Indian Ocean islands is also an awesome experience. Fishing activities are offered in Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.