Jenman Safaris April 2010 Newsletter

April Fools - what a laugh!

In the spirit of April fools and fun we decided to email our agents with a news brief ... Some of you couldn't be fooled whereas others were slightly shocked and worried about our 'new change'. Would we have caught you out?

Read the original email below:

Please note that we have updated all of our camping safaris effective immediately, as of the 1st April 2010 all of our Camping safaris will no longer include the option to camp.

As much fun as 'camping' is, we have realized that camping is taking valuable time away from our camping safaris... and night game drives are not given enough attention as they should be (on average we lose 6 hours per night sleeping that could be used for game drives). As time is precious on your client's holidays we have decided to rather remove the camping option and safari 24 hours a day. Please advise your clients that if they wish to sleep or relax on safari that they can sleep on the night game drives - we will equip each safari vehicle with travel pillows and blankets for their comfort.

Below are some of the answers we received... And yes, we even fooled a few people in our very own office!

"Hahah... this one is the best I ever heard! We all laughed..."
"April fool to you too! Nice one!"
"Aaaah, you got me. ;-) My mind was telling me this was a bit odd."

Book, pay and go! Online payments for Cape Town day trips

We have just launched a new online payment and booking system on our CapeTownSafaris.com website for all of our day trips!

It's really simple - have a look at all our day trips, select the one that you want to go on and then fill in the easy forms. Our system is completely secure making use of professional credit card encryption and the latest SSL3 security measures - this basically means that your credit card details will be scrambled after you have entered them - and NO-ONE (not even us) will have access to your details.

After entering your details a consultant will contact you (within 24 hours) to confirm that you are happy with your booking. As most of you know we recently launched our day trip division called "Cape Town Safaris"and are now also running our own day trips. Book Aquila (including wine tasting), Cape Point, City and Winelands day trips! And yes, you can book all of these online!

So instead of simply enquiring... start booking!

Guide Workshop 2010 - we are ready!

In our February newsletter we featured our upcoming guide workshop... The guide workshop was a HUGE success with current and potential guides having had an awesome time and of course learning a great deal about hygiene, equipment, cooking and 4x4 driving; so that they can make our safaris even that much more enjoyable for our clients.

Two of our most experienced guides had such a great time that they sent us their stories about the workshop; read below about their impressions!

Chantal: "The best part was certainly the 4x4 course. Taking out the best vehicle (our Jenman Land Cruiser) and having some fun on the dunes at Atlantis was not only beautiful but exhilarating. We all had our chance to tackle some big dunes and we also learnt how to recover our vehicles if they get stuck. The trainers, Rob and Trevor, really know what they are doing and it's always a privilege to learn new skills from experienced guys."

Andree: "Five days at a former Navy-camp were packed with information about the internal work at Jenman African Safaris, Astronomy lessons & star gazing at night as well as 4x4 driving tests in the coastal dunes near Atlantis during the day. This was my first time joining the undaunted tour-leaders, bush chefs and gravel & mud-road heros!!! What a great and informative time...."

(click on the links to read Chantal's and Andree's detailed reports)

Sounds like they had a great time - well done to the Operations Team

Facebook us!

The facebook craze is still going strong and we are loving the interaction it brings. We also have linked our fan page to our blog - get great updates on safaris, Africa and even some funny stories guaranteed to make your day just by becoming our 'fan'!

Follow us - upload some pictures, tell us what you think, basically go wild! Click here to follow us, if you have a fan page that you think we should follow then let us know and we can pass it along the the staff here.

Botswana and Cape Town - revealed...

Thinking of visiting Cape Town, Botswana or anywhere else in Africa? The best way to gather information about a destination or a safari is to find out from those that have just returned from holiday. So, have a look below...

Peter & Marina - Holland (Botswana Wildlife Breakaway)
We did the Botswana Wildlife Safari from the 10th of February until the 24th of February. Our guide was Nico. We just wanted to let you know that it was a great experience. We enjoyed it all! Nico was a great guide. He was tactical, funny, hard working and intelligent. We think he is an asset to your business. Although it was a very exciting experience on our game drive through Moremi Park we think the Jenman solution was excellent. We would like to thank Nico for giving us the holiday of our life.

Sabrina - India (Cape Town Safari)
Thanks for the lovely time we had on the safari and the Cape Town tour. The safari was just awesome our guide (at Aquila) was extremely helpful and patient with each and everyone on the trip and somehow knew everything about all the animals so we got to see all the animals, including the big 5. And our Cape Town trip was amazing, we got to see the most beautiful places on earth and Warren our guide was extremely helpful and guided us all along the way. We have come back feeling that we have learnt and understood a lot. He gave us an amazingly detailed description of every place. Thank you also for all the help and support you have given me. I wish I had met you. You never know. I may just come back again

Click here to read more!

Zimbabwe - Garth Jenman answers some tough questions (part 3)

For the past few newsletters we have been featuring questions and answers about Zimbabwe, this week we have some more! Don't forget if you have any specific questions about Zimbabwe to send them to info@jenmansafaris.com and we will answer them via email, on our blog or in the next newsletter.

What environmental credentials does your company have - and how would your safaris to Zimbabwe benefit both wildlife & environment and the local communities?

We practice responsible tourism in all aspects of our safaris, TIES (The International Ecotourism Society) defines ecotourism as "responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people." This means that those who implement and participate in ecotourism activities (like we do) should follow the following principles:

- Minimize impact
- Build environmental and cultural awareness and respect
- Provide positive experiences for both visitors and hosts
- Provide direct financial benefits for conservation
- Provide financial benefits and empowerment for local people
- Raise sensitivity to host countries' political, environmental, and social climate

We abide by this concept and make sure that our safaris in Zimbabwe meet the above criteria. All the national parks we visit re-invest back into the park; we buy local produce, stay in locally owned & run camps and lodgings, and we encourage our travellers to buy locally while educating them with knowledge about Zimbabwe - increasing their sensitivity for the area. With the TIES list we are sure that we can help benefit the wildlife, environment and the local communities.

You hear about poverty, killing animals to eat and general wildlife & environmental problems - wouldn't that make the terrain and animal sightings a problem?

In the past (before 2009) the locals would hunt and eat the smaller game and antelope for survival. This has not happened for over a year since the new political agreement has prompted the shops to be fully stocked with food! The national parks we visit are & were far away from the hunting places of the past and are still stocked with free roaming wildlife.

These questions and answers are on our blog (as well as the previous questions and answers) - to comment about this click here and let us know what you think.

Durban International Airport - NEW!

The new Durban International Airport will be officially known as the King Shaka International Airport (KSIA). This new airport will be fully operational from May 2010 (the current airport will be decommissioned on April 30th). This new airport can cater for more tourists, more flights and more planes then ever before in Durban! All aviation business will be relocated and conducted at the new airport.

If you are coming to South Africa and specifically Durban for the 2010 Soccer World Cup event then you will be landing at the new airport!

Host City 2010: Nelspruit (June/July)

Nelspruit is the gateway to South Africa's most exciting safari destination; the Kruger National Park. This is one of those areas that you can't miss - even if you spend only 1 day spotting Africa's Big Five it will be well worth it!

What to do? Firstly and most importantly the Kruger National Park! We offer the Greater Kruger Walking Trek (a 4 or 5-day walking safari through the Kruger) and the Kruger Wildlife Experience (4-day holiday with Kruger National Park accommodation, game drives and fun!). There is also the Chimpanzee Eden Park (for misplaced chimps), Lowveld Botanical Gardens, Croc River Environmental Park and Sudwala Caves & Sudwala Dinosaur Park!

Where to stay in Nelspruit? The Protea Hotel Nelspruit is one of the only places in Nelspruit to offer 'going-green' accommodation and is the ideal starting point from which to explore the Lowveld. The Haus Schmidt Guest House is a small and exclusive guest house with exceptional hospitality and charm - perfect from small groups. Finally, the Matumi Golf Lodge is a great accommodation option for all the golf fanatics and families out there with plenty fun activities on offer!

Where to stay in the Kruger National Park? The SA National Parks Rest Camps are great; you can choose to stay in a number of different accommodation units in a number of different camps. Each camp has its own unique selection of accommodation types to suit every need and budget and they are all located within the Kruger National Park. The Nkambeni Tented Lodge offers luxury tents with an en-suite bedroom with air-conditioning and a private deck - all constructed to offer you a great location with minimal impact on the environment! The Jock Safari Lodge incorporates the romance and elegance of the past colonial era, reflecting a unique style of the Zulu and Shangaan cultures. This lodge offers an abundance of birdlife!

Where to eat (Nelspruit)? The Brazen Head is an authentic Irish Restaurant and Pub with great Irish food and, of course, a great Irish atmosphere. Old Joe's Kaia has always been well-known for its excellent cuisine (including game meats) and fabulous wines and offers fantastic views from the tree-level balcony. Oliver's is a 'Wine Magazine Top 100 Restaurants of South Africa' offering continental and Mediterranean meals including fondues, wines and luxurious desserts...

If you need some help planning your trip to South Africa this year please don't hesitate to contact us!

Kenya - flooding in the Samburu area

Flooding occurred in the Samburu area after the river Uaso Nyiro broke its banks following heavy rains in the Mount Kenya and Laikipia regions. The floods came in the early morning hours on 4th March. Rescue and evacuation in the affected areas went smoothly. Unfortunately, not everything went smoothly - buildings were submerged, areas were destroyed and sadly the 'Save the Elephants' research facility and its sister Elephant Watch Safari Camp, both located in Samburu National Reserve, were destroyed.

Over the past month, re-construction and efforts have been in place to fix all of the damage - it's going to take at least a couple of months until all the damage has been fixed and everything restored.

Luckily this hasn't affected any of our Kenya Safaris. If you are interested in going to Kenya please contact us for more information: info@jenmansafaris.com