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SPECIAL FLOWER TOURS!!!
Join 'Overland in South Africa' on one of their special flower tours and see the real wonder of our floral splendour. The rain has been real good this year and the flowers are guaranteed to be exceptionally good. They already have about 180 species flowering in Cape Columbine Nature Reserve. Tours run from Cape Town Mondays to Fridays but you can ask for specific dates if the group is more than 4 people. Tours include the West Coast National Park and Cape Columbine Nature Reserve as well as selected private flower reserves. Routes change according to the areas where flowers are most spectacular.

Itinerary of the 5 day West Coast flower trip Starting Cape Town Mondays ending Cape Town Fridays: (This trip can be extended on group request.)
- Day 1 We start our 5-day trip from Cape Town and head up the Route 27, West Coast Road. This area is renown for flowers that blow the mind. We might deviate from here a little to visit Darling and surrounds if the flowers are special here. We explore the area depending on time of year and where the rain fell. We visit private flower reserves and do short walks to see the really rare and special wild spring flowers. We stay at The Beach Camp in Cape Columbine Nature reserve.
- Day 2 we will explore the Langebaan- Vredenburg area as well as a visit to the Fossil park where we will see a presentation on fossils as well as flowers of the West Coast. We stay another night in The Beach Camp after a visit to the Cape Columbine Light house.
- Day 3 we travel north to Cedarberg Oasis and explore some mountain flower habitat.
- Day 4 we travel south easterly to the Stadsaal caves and some Bushman rock art. and the Ceres Karoo with a different habitat for flowers. We will sleep at The Farm Backpackers near Wolsley. - Day 5 we travel south through more, yet different mountain habitat back to Cape Town Tour price: R2,450.00 pp for 5 days and 4 nights Cape Town to Cape Town. This includes all meals and backpacker accommodation. Contact us for different itineraries.

4-NIGHT KRUGER PARK & LOWVELD SAFARI
Book a 5-day/4-night Kruger Park and Lowveld Safari for just R4,300pp sharing! See the best of the Kruger National Park and surrounding Lowveld with Wild Wings Safaris. Stay in a luxury 4-star lodge overlooking the Kruger National Park. Your host and guide is an experienced, qualified and registered guide who will make your safari an unforgettable experience. Languages spoken: English, Dutch, Afrikaans. Daily departures from Nelspruit. Departures from Gauteng can be arranged for an extra R600pp. Valid to 30 November 2005.

Included: 4 Nights D,B&B at 4-star Buckler's Africa Lodge or similar on the banks of the Crocodile River overlooking the Kruger National Park. 1 Full Day Panorama sightseeing tour (God's Window, Bourke's Luck Potholes, Blyde River Canyon, Mac Mac Falls, Pilgrim's Rest) 1 Full Day Kruger National Park game drive with registered, experienced guide. 1 Morning game drive in Kruger National Park. 1 Night drive on open vehicle in Kruger National Park. All entrance fees and daily conservation levies. Transfers from and to Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport (KMIA). All tours and transfers in a luxury, 7-seater air-conditioned microbus with registered tour guide. Groups larger than 7 can also be accommodated.

Not Included: Airfares and taxes Lunches and Drinks Expenses of a personal nature Optional extras and activities not mentioned above

Optional extras: Morning bush walk with armed ranger in Kruger National Park (add R250pp) Tour of Swaziland highlights including Swazi cultural village INSTEAD of Panorama or Kruger Park day tour (add R200pp) Micro light Game Viewing flight (add R700pp for 1/2 hour or R1,200pp for 1 hour) Transfers from and to Johannesburg instead of KMIA, with the first overnight at Graskop (add R600pp)

Rates and Details: Rate R4,300pp sharing Minimum of 2, maximum of 12 pax per tour. Daily departures, flexible itinerary. Advance booking essential.

NEW ADDITIONS
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TRAVEL NEWS

Possible strike may cause airport confusion
Although the SAA strike did not take place at 16h00 yesterday afternoon, the United Association of South Africa (Uasa) warned that it is still planning to carry out the strike. Maryna Kleynhans, an official of the Aviation working unit (part of Uasa), was quoted by several news reports as saying: “We are planning to have a grasshopper strike, but we still have to decide which department goes on strike and when.” SAA advises all passengers flying both domestically and internationally to arrive at airports as early as possible. The airline also advised passengers who are able to travel on an alternate date to change their booking. If a passenger is able to fly an alternate day than originally booked, it is strongly advised they change their booking by calling +27 11 978 2888. All fare types, ticketed on SAA’s network, for travel on affected flights during the strike period, may be changed without penalty, subject to various conditions. If the booking was originally done online through flysaa.com, an email with the changes should be forwarded to web_ops@flysaa.com Meanwhile, South African Express Airways has reiterated that its flights will not be affected by the strike. “Even though we have an alliance with South African Airways (SAA) and offer passengers access to a global network through this relationship, our staff are not involved in the industrial action,” said Siza Mzimela, ceo of SA Express Airways. SA Airlink also said the SAA strike will not affect SA Airlink travellers. The airline has set up a contingency plan and is utilising its own staff to man the dedicated SA Airlink check-in counters at Johannesburg International Airport.

Serengeti travel alert
SAA NETCARE Travel Clinics recently issued a warning for travellers to the Serengeti to be aware of the risk of contracting African Trypanosomiasis, or sleeping sickness. Dr Andrew Jamieson of SAA Netcare Travel Clinics said that one woman in the US had recently contracted the disease after visiting the Serengeti. He explained that although there was no mention of an outbreak yet, travellers should still be alert. He said that in 2000, numerous tourists around the world contracted the disease after visiting the Serengeti. This outbreak suddenly came about after only reported incident. According to Jamieson, it is very hard to prevent contracting the disease, which is spread through the tsetse fly. He warned travellers however to be on the lookout for the following symptoms (which are often mistaken for malaria symptoms): headaches; fever; body aches; rashes; inflamed insect bites. Early detection of the disease is essential to prevent severe illness and death.

Gauteng to host soccer tournament
Gauteng will play host to a large soccer tournament, the Legends Tournament, in January 2006. The tournament will see some of Europe and Africa’s soccer legends play in one match. The event is expected to increase the sports tourism appeal of the province in the run up to 2010. The tournament will take place at Ellis Park Stadium Johannesburg on January 7, 2006 and will be broadcast live across the world to billions of soccer fans. “These events are catalytic for our industry; they assist in aligning our destination with global sporting spectaculars, generate huge media interest, attract visitors from core growth markets and showcase our world-class tourism and hospitality infrastructure. With Legends, Gauteng will yet again proudly grace the world stage as a global home of competitive sport,” said Gauteng Tourism Authority chief executive, Cawe Mahlati.

kulula.com expands fleet
Low-cost airline kulula.com will acquire three Boeing 737-400 aircraft, the first of which will be added to its fleet in August. The airline says the decision to purchase Boeing 737-400s is a result of the current high fuel prices. “The Boeing 737-400 requires less maintenance, resulting in less downtime, and also provides a 26% increase in capacity, which means that it can comfortably seat 162 passengers, as compared to 150 passengers in the MD82 aircraft.” The other two aircraft are currently being sourced internationally. “We’ve exceeded all our projections and have grown over 60% year-on-year. With our focus on punctuality and our 90% on-time target, we’ve had overwhelming support from our business travellers,” said kulula.com executive director, Gidon Novick. He says that as part of the airline’s ongoing fleet replacement strategy, the new aircraft will assist in adding capacity on kulula’s Johannesburg-Durban and Johannesburg-Cape Town routes. In addition, they will also allow the airline to introduce at least two more routes within the next six months.

Cradle World Heritage Site extended
The application to extend the Fossil Hominid Sites of Sterkfontein – which forms part of the Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site – has been granted by the World Heritage Committee. The extensions to the World Heritage Site include the Makapans Valley in Limpopo and the Taung Skull Fossil Site in the North West. Both sites have been recognised for the significant archaeological artefacts found there. The Taung skull is regarded as containing evidence of the “missing link” in hominid evolution and the location of the find proved that humankind evolved in Africa and not Asia. The Makapans Valley and its many ancient caves is the site of a long and unprecedented record of early human occupation over three and a half million years ago up to the present. It also captures a technological record ranging from the Early Stone Age, Middle Stone Age and Iron Age periods. “We are very pleased with the outcome following our application for extensions to the Sterkfontein Site. I am convinced that the extensions will leave a lasting legacy for many generations to come,” said minister of arts and culture, Dr. Pallo Jordan.

Seventh World Heritage Site for South Africa
The Vredefort Dome has been declared South Africa’s seventh World Heritage Site. In Durban the World Heritage Committee declared that this meteor site is of universal value. The Vredefort Dome is the oldest and largest meteor impact site in the world. This meteor hit earth an estimated two billion years ago causing an impact site of 380km in diameter. It is located 110km from Johannesburg, in the Free State where one can experience the cultural heritage of the Basotho, Batswana and Khoi-San. This heritage site now joins Robben Island, the St. Lucia Wetlands, The Cradle of Humankind, The uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park, Mapungubwe Cultural landscape and the Cape floral region. Marthinus van Schalkwyk, Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism commented: “The economic and tourism potential of the inscription is also a priority for the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism.” Van Schalkwyk confirmed that R18m is to be taken from the poverty relief program to be put towards creating a tourism centre, hiking trails and the eradication of alien plant life within the Dome’s ecosystem. This ecosystem contains much plant life as well as bird life and many uncommon animal species. Tours through Geological Heritage Tours may be taken by tourists where one can see key sites such as the core zone and collar rocks.

Travel warning for Angola
The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) has issued a warning for people travelling to Angola that there has been an outbreak of polio. Two cases of polio have been confirmed in Angola since April. The Institute reported that since the end of 2003, polio has resurged particularly in northern Nigeria, from where the disease has spread to four neighbouring countries. Prof. Barry Schoub, director of the NICD, told TNN: “People travelling to Angola should take the necessary precautions. Even if they have been vaccinated against polio as a child, it is advisable to have a repeat vaccination. Travellers should also make sure that they cook all water before drinking it.”

‘No rhino, no World Heritage site’
The Democratic Republic of the Congo could see one of its five World Heritage Sites, the Garamba National Park, lose its status next year if the Northern White Rhino population becomes extinct by then. There are no more than 10 northern white rhinos left in the wild. The World Conservation Union (IUCN) and Unesco informed the World Heritage Committee, which met last week in Durban, about the pending threat of extinction of the species due to poaching by highly organised armed gangs. The committee considered that the loss of the rhino would mean that Garamba would no longer be of ‘outstanding universal value’, the criteria for World Heritage sites, and therefore said that it would consider removing the site from the World Heritage List next year. “The Northern White Rhino is a flagship species for this site and every effort must be made to protect the remaining five to 10 individuals”, said David Sheppard, head of the IUCN delegation in Durban, “but important populations of elephant and the endemic Congo giraffe are also present here and the IUCN mission proposed to visit the site later this year will seek to evaluate the overall situation.”

Shangana Cultural Village opens August 1
Shangana Cultural Village in Hazyview, Mpumalanga, is to open August 1. The village, now owned by the local community, has appointed Tholozela Leisure Management as its management partner and African Synergy as marketing and sales representative. The village has also decided to keep its rates unchanged for 2006. All special services including traditional dancing, drumming, choirs and Marimba will be kept at the same rate.

Single currency for Southern Africa?
Not long after plans were announced to implement a single visa for Southern Africa, there is talk of a single currency for the region. According to reports in two SA daily papers, Business Day and Business Report, South African Reserve Bank governor, Tito Mboweni, gave South Africa’s support for the creation of a single currency, saying that in many parts of the region the South African rand is already accepted as tender, although not officially. The establishment of a single currency, according to the reports, is an inevitable part of regional integration. A deadline of 2016 has been mentioned, with various deadlines set along the way. What impact would a single currency, coupled with a single visa, have on tourism in the region? Send us your views by clicking on the ‘Reply to the editor’.

Lanseria seeks new CT service
Lanseria International Airport is in talks with other airlines to offer a service to Cape Town after SA Airlink discontinued its service there on July 11. Marketing manager for the airline, Karin Murray said: “SA Airlink has invested extensively in the development of this route since inception of the service. However, we continue to incur losses on the route – passenger numbers are not meeting our expectations.” SA Airlink had been operating the service since May 2004, offering four daily flights between Johannesburg and Cape Town but has decided to discontinue the route due to disappointing passenger numbers. Lanseria said it hoped it would be able to announce within the next few weeks that a new airline would be taking over the route but at the moment negotiations were ongoing.

SA Airlink to split from SAA
SA AIRLINK has announced that it will officially split from SAA on October 31 and will buy back its 10% share from the national carrier. SAA's ceo Khaya Ngqula said "that the relationship has terminated and that SAA is negotiating a new code share agreement with SA Airlink". SA Airlink also announced it will be launching several new routes. A new service between Johannesburg and Harare will be the first new international route. Rodger Foster, ceo, said: “SA Airlink has had successful experiences on this route previously. A double daily same day returning service is envisioned. Commencement will likely be around end September.” When the airline splits from SAA, it will not be launching its own frequent flyer programme. Foster said: “We prefer to discount our seats and not get embroiled in controversial programmes that have their merits and de-merits. The value benefit will lie with the customer on the day and not be put off to a later date.” SA Airlink said it had no intention of competing with SAA on the JNB-CPT route or on any other sectors within the famous "Golden Triangle".

Kenya awaits cruise port approval
Plans for the development of a cruise ship handling terminal to be built at the Mombassa port in Kenya are on hold pending government approval. A report in the East African Standard states that British firm Symond UK has won the tender for the design of the facility, which is expected to cost around R43m. The new terminal would have an arrivals lounge, boutique shops and immigration offices. It would also boost the country’s cruise tourism appeal, according to Kenya Ports Authority managing director, Brown Ondego.

Air France increases flights to Johannesburg
Air France recently announced it will introduce three additional weekly flights between Paris and Johannesburg in November, bringing the number of weekly flights to ten. The additional flights from Paris will be operated on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Return flights will be on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Michel Maury, Air France gm for Southern Africa and Angola, said: “The traffic between Johannesburg and France has always flourished. From the first day we increased our capacity in January 2002, the flights have always been full. We are now merely answering the expectations of the trade by increasing our capacity.” While Air France reports a strong Paris-Johannesburg service, arrivals from France have been declining month-on-month since February 2004. Figures for the first quarter of 2005 show an average decrease in arrivals of 18,4% on the same period in 2004.

New community-based safari launched
Siyabona Africa has launched a new community-based safari packaged in the Kruger National Park. The Siyabona Africa Kruger Park Safari experience involves the use of community tour and field guides, who will take tourists around the Kruger. The initiative is currently being implemented in various campsites around the park.
“The hand-picked field guides display a passion for sharing knowledge of their culture and surrounding wildlife,” said Siyabona Africa managing director, Hans Gerrizen. “Siyabona Africa merely acts as a catalyst towards the guides running the show entirely unaided,” said project manager, Walter Smith. “We’ve supplied vehicle back-up and operational support. We now confidently hand over to the community-based crew to assist in the advancement of the communities they so proudly and ably serve.” kulula.com has been chosen as the preferred air trade partner.

Tourism pass for Nelson Mandela Bay
Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism is to roll out a new destination pass to attract more visitors to the Eastern Cape area. The pass will be issued as a credit card which can be bought at discounted rates from various points. Through the card, visitors will be granted free access to a number of attractions and activities, as well as special offers and discounts on some of the top attractions that Nelson Mandela Bay offers. Visitors can buy the pass, which will be valid only for the duration of their visit, at discounted rates. Information obtained from this new system will be used to determine visitor behaviour and improve the region’s marketing efforts.

Pafuri welcomes new residents
After more than a century of being absent from the Pafuri region of the northern Kruger National Park, four white rhino were relocated there last week. The SANParks (South African National Park) Game Capture Unit moved the four animals on June 30, to reintroduce and re-establish the species in this region of the park. “The four white rhino being introduced will enable the establishment of a much needed breeding nucleus further north of here in the Pafuri region,” said a Wilderness Safaris statement. The rhino will also play an important role as a selective bulk grazer and an important addition to the local ecosystem. The rhino should thrive in the area, it being more suitable than their previous environment. Currently the Kruger Park has a white rhino population of over 5 000. The relocation was made possible through a co-operation agreement between the Makuleke Community (the Pafuri landowners) and Wilderness Safaris.