Plan Your Winter Beach Escape Now!

Plan your winter getaway now while space is still available at our favorite spots on Zanzibar and Mozambique's Bazaruto Archipelago! It's not to early to plan a warm-weather escape for January or February, in fact, that's peak season in many destinations in Africa and the small hotels and beach lodges that we prefer fill fast.

With a history full of conquerors, slavers, and spice traders, Zanzibar is a place to get a taste of the exotic. The island, known as Zanzibar, is actually named Unguja, and the greater archipelago is really called Zanzibar. On the island, Stone Town's narrow, winding streets and fabled doors and are sure to hold your interest. On a spice tour, you'll see how cloves and other spices are grown. And, the island's white-sand beaches and crystal-clear ocean provide the perfect opportunity to swim, scuba dive, snorkel and relax. Read more about lodging options and activities here.

One of our favorite Zanzibar escapes is to the comfortable and welcoming Matemwe Lodge and Matemwe Retreat at the Northern tip of the island. Not only is Matemwe the perfect place to unwind after a safari, but it's an ideal location for snorkeling and diving thanks to its close proximity to the Mnemba Atoll. Read more on Matemwe and this itinerary here.

Other travelers may be more interested in the cultural side of Zanzibar and experiencing life in bustling Stone Town. Based from the luxurious, waterfront Serena Inn, travelers can explore the winding streets and vibrant markets. Learn more about our Zanzibar Stone Town itinerary.

Mozambique is another great African beach escape. Our Mozambique Beach Holiday is a great way to rest, relax and explore Mozambique’s picturesque Bazaruto Archipelago based from deluxe or luxury beach lodges. Spend your days snorkeling, deep sea fishing, visiting villages and simply enjoying the sun and sand. Round trip flights from Jo’Burg are included, making this trip the ideal safari extension from anywhere in Southern Africa.

For more information on travel to Zanzibar or Mozambique and other beach destinations in Africa, please contact us at 1-866-778-1089 or info@adventuresinafrica.com.

Let's Take a Walk in Zambia!

Zambia is the birthplace of the walking safari. The guides are the best in their field, the seasonal bushcamps are remote and full of adventure and romance, and the parks are known as some of the best land in Africa for spotting leopard. Zambia is our top choice for getting off the beaten path and exploring Africa on foot. Read on for some great safari options to suit a variety of interests.

For travelers looking for a bit of bush and beach, Zambia is an ideal spot as it is easily combined with Malawi and the pristine Lake Malawi. Our Wild Zambia and Malawi Safari combines the adventure of walking, with the opportunity to spoil yourself with hot, refreshing showers and exceptional hospitality at each camp makes making for an incredible safari experience. Guides are some of the finest in Southern Africa and travelers will see few other tourists while deep in the African bush. End your safari with a few relaxing days on Lake Malawi snorkeling and kayaking in the clear blue waters.

In addition to the South Luangwa National Park, Zambia is also home to the Lower Zambezi National Park and Victoria Falls. Our Best of Zambia Safari combines the wildlife and remote camps of the South Luangwa with the magnificent Victoria Falls and the variety of the Lower Zambezi National Park. In South Luangwa you get the rare opportunity to do a five-day walking safari, trekking from camp to camp, while Lower Zambezi National Park is all about the water, with drift boat and canoe safari options.

Finally, for someone looking to travel on a small group adventure, our Zambia Kafue Rivers & Plains Safari is the perfect trip. This small group safari will take you to one of the unspoiled, game-rich wilderness areas in Zambia – Kafue National Park. The park is the largest protected area in Zambia, with more than 8,687 square miles of wilderness. It is home to lions, leopards, cheetahs, elephants, waterbuck and yellow baboons, and more than 500 bird species. In addition to game drives, this safari in Zambia includes

exciting boating trips and walks. Your guides are knowledgeable locals on this trip, and you’ll sleep in high-quality chalets and tented camps.

For more information on these, and other custom safari options in Zambia, please contact us at 1-866-778-1089 or info@adventuresinafrica.com.

Photos courtesy of the Bushcamp Company and Wilderness Safaris.

Gorilla Gossip from Rwanda!

The latest updates from Rwanda include a new gorilla family, which increases the number of available permits to 64 per day, and it also appears that the Susa Group has officially split. Read on for more on the gorillas of Volcanoes National Park, thanks to our partners at Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge.

"We definitely entered the long dry season early this year with the weather drying out by mid June and very little rain falling apart from a few drops towards the middle and end of July, the only significant rainstorm fell on the afternoon of the 21st July, when in true tropical style we received 21 mm/m² in a few hours. As this is our "winter time", temperatures have been pretty cool in the evenings, below 10° Celsius, and most of the time the sky has been cloudy, and the air misty or hazy. The Volcanoes made a few brief appearances from behind the veil of misty haze...

Despite the mist, the gorilla sightings have been great. Normally the mammals of Volcanoes National Park, including Mountain Gorillas, tend to be more on the move during the dry season and their movements become more unpredictable as they go in search of rich and palatable food that is becoming scarcer. However, most guests did not have to trek too long to

see the gorillas, and most were back at the lodge in the early afternoon to have lunch and relax quietly for the rest of the day, unless they preferred to visit one of the other points of interest in the volcanoes area.

The major development in the gorilla population was that the Susa Group, that had split and joined back together numerous times during the last few months, has now definitely split into two separate groups. 'Susa-A' has been named 'Susa' Group and 'Susa-

B' was renamed the 'Karisimbi' Group, as the family live in the Mt. Karisimbi area of the national park. Although the Susa Group can usually be found not too far into the forest, the "new" Karisimbi Group will be visited only by hardcore hikers, they have pretty much established their home range quite far (and high) on the slopes of the Karisimbi caldera... making a trip to see them a full-days trek indeed!

With the formation of this new gorilla family the Park authorities have agreed to increase the number of gorilla permits available each day to 64.

Back in the lodge we continue to have exciting sightings. On the 12th of July, for the second time in the last four months, an African Wild Cat was sighted by two observers in the lodge's grounds in the late afternoon. Although the species is still included in the official Mammal List of Volcanoes National Park, no confirmed records of the cat had been reported for many of years, until now..."

Photos courtesy Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge.

Great New Deals in Africa!

We've come across some great deals in the last few days - some really unique offerings at excellent prices. Read on...

If you are looking for a private, luxury adventure safari for just two people, we've got the trip for you! Private mobile camping in Botswana's Moremi Reserve, Okavango Delta, Tsodilo Hills and more. Experience the Kalahari San culture and visit the rock art of Tsodilo Hills. Safaris can be customized, a minimum stay of 5 nights is required. Prices start at $1530 per person, per night based on 5 nights.

Book 2 nights at Porini Rhino Camp or Porini Mara Camp in Kenya and get the 3rd night free (conservancy fees apply). Book now for travel between September 15- December 15, 2010. Porini Camps offer great value and varied activities in private concessions. See our Kenya Value Safari for more details.

Stay 4 nights at any combination of Elephant Pepper Camp, Ol Pejeta, Sabuk, Joy's Camp (pictured above, right) or Saruni Camp in Kenya and pay for 3 nights! Book now for travel through December 19, 2010. Combine these camps for an unforgettable luxury safari in Kenya.

Stay 4 nights at Mateya Safari Lodge in South Africa's Madikwe Reserve and pay for 3 nights. Book now for travel from October 1 - December 15, 2010. The reserve is one of South Africa's largest and is known for it's population of wild dog.

Contact us for more details on any of these specials, how to book or how to plan your custom safari.

Photo courtesy Cheli & Peacock, Zach Lipp.

UNESCO World Heritage Sites

What is a World Heritage site and where are they located in Africa? From Botswana and Tanzania, to Malawi and Ethiopia, Africa is home to a impressive collection of these priceless sites. Visit Ethiopia's on our Timkat and Tribes small group adventure in January 2011. Space is filling fast - call today to reserve your spot.

According to UNESCO, to be included on the World Heritage List, sites must be of outstanding universal value and meet at least one out of ten selection criteria, including such as representing a masterpiece of human genius, to bear a unique or exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition and to contain superlative natural phenomena or areas of exceptional natural beauty - read the complete criteria list here .

The World Heritage List includes 911 properties forming part of the cultural and natural heritage which the World Heritage Committee considers as having outstanding universal value. These include 704 cultural , 180 natural and 27 mixed properties in 151 States Parties. As of June 2010, 187 States Parties have ratified the World Heritage Convention.

Sites in Africa include Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Malawi, Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa, Namibia, Zambia, and more. Africa Adventure Consultants offers unique cultural and wildlife trips to each of these countries. One of the most comprehensive trips we offer in terms of visiting World Heritage Sites is in Ethiopia. Ethiopia alone has eight sites, our Timkat and Tribes small group adventure visits several of these.

Simien National Park

Rock-Hewn Churches, Lalibela

Fasil Ghebbi, Gondar Region

Aksum

Lower Valley of the Awash

Lower Valley of the Omo

Tiya

Harar Jugol, the Fortified Historic Town

Stay tuned for more information on other World Heritage Sites in Africa.

Photos by Andy Richter.

Top 5 Wildlife Encounters

Lioness stalking and strangling a lone wildebeest calf near Lake Masek, Serengeti, Tanzania, March 2007. Gorilla babies playing in the rain, Bwindi, Uganda, November 2006. The season's first Okavango River's floodwaters coming into Maun, Botswana, September 2001. Digging up a croc's nest, Lower Zambezi, Zambia, November, 2008 (see photo left). Baby zebra born and walking within minutes at Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania, March 2000.

That I, with my black hole of a brain, can remember these wildlife sightings illustrates how powerful they were. We strive to help our clients have their own unforgettable wildlife experiences, and we know from all the feedback we get, that we almost always succeed. But where to start? Here are a few of our personal favorites...

#1) Ultimate Botswana Safari - Game viewing in the Mombo Concession on Chief's Island in the Okavango Delta is considered some of the best in Botswana, and possibly Africa. Game can be found near camp and guests can often see animals without leaving their tent. Game drives offer lion, leopard, cheetah, wild dog, elephant, giraffe, wildebeest, zebra and buffalo.

#2) Zambia Walking Safari - Enjoy a walking safari in the South Luangwa National Park - the birthplace of walking safaris. Amazing wildlife viewing includes wild dog, leopard, buffalo, zebra and herds of elephant numbering up to 70.

#3) Sabi Sand & Cape Town Safari - Sabi Sand offers unsurpassed leopard sightings among other wildlife. This safari features Exeter River Lodge, which affords an ideal location overlooking the river in prime leopard-viewing territory.

#4) Ultimate Uganda Safari - Gorilla trekking in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest can't be missed. Uganda offers more than 13 primate species, rare birds and tree climbing lions. On this adventure, explore remote Uganda - including Murchison Falls.

#5) Wildest Tanzania Safari - Trek chimpanzee in the Mahale Mountains National Park. Spend your days tracking these fascinating creatures, watching their daily routines and comic antics. Fish in the late or enjoy a dhow cruise at sunset! This trip is currently 15% off land cost if booked by October 31, 2010!

For more information on any of these top wildlife encounters, contact us by calling 1-866-778-1089 or email info@adventuresinafrica.com.


Photos by Kent Redding, Wilderness Safaris and Phil Ward.