First Stop: Jozi

After two 10-hour flights from Seattle to Johannesburg, via Amsterdam (and a close call nearly missing my flight in AMS), I've arrived at the Marion on Nicol - a new boutique hotel in the Sandton suburb of Jo'burg. The hotel only offers 24 rooms, 23 standard and 1 junior suite, so it immediately has a cozy and welcoming feel. Front desk staff were pleasant and happy to help me with a late-night grilled cheese sandwich request.

The room is quite spacious and done in cool greens and blues. A private balcony overlooks the garden, swimming pool and lights of Sandton's city center. It's very quiet and the perfect place to catch up on sleep after a long-haul flight. The en suite bathroom features an enormous soaking tub, walk-in rain shower and beautiful stone work. It's chic, modern and classic all at the same time. Flat screen TV: check. Mini-bar: check. Hair dryer: check. Welcome wine: check!

So far, I'm impressed and we'll do a full site inspection tomorrow. Stay tuned! Then, the New Frontiers exploratory group returns to JNB and board the flight to Bulawayo, Zimbabwe! Here's to a new adventure!

New Gorilla Group in Bwindi

Classic Africa Safaris of Uganda are pleased to announce that there is now a new gorilla group open for trekking in the Kisoro / 'Clouds Lodge' area. Permits are very, very limited for 2011 and we advise that travellers begin planning for 2012 now.

The new group is called 'Mishaya' and it currently has 9 members, including one dominant silverback, adult females, as well as several juveniles and infants. In July 2010, the second ranking silverback called ‘Mishaya’ broke away from the main Nshongi group, taking with him 8 other individuals.

There are now 3 gorilla groups open to tourist trekking in this area:

(1) Nkuringo

(2) Nshongi

(3) Mishaya

There are currently four gorilla groups on the Buhoma/Gorilla Forest Camp side of Bwindi that are available for trekking. Read more about the existing gorilla groups (please note Mishaya has not yet been added to this list).

Porini Camps in AFAR Magazine

The Porini Camps of Kenya and Gamewatchers Safaris were featured in this issue of AFAR magazine as a Good Trips outfitter! Editor Jennica Peterson spent 7 days on safari in Kenya learning about Gamewatchers social, cultural and wildlife-oriented conservation efforts. Here's an excerpt from her article:

"In a 4x4 vehicle driven by our guide, Harry Maina, a group of five other travelers and I rumble toward a riverbed in the 15,000-acre Selenkay Conservancy in southeastern Kenya. Rain had just begun to splatter on the Land Rover's rooftop a few minutes ago, as we spotted a herd of giraffes, some so tall they reached the highest branches of the flat-topped acacia trees...It has started to pour, but we'd convinced Harry that we still want to walk with the Masai to their village, as planned...One of the Masai, Jonah Karasinka Maai, works for Gamewatchers Safaris, the outfitter I've joined for this seven-day trip to some of Kenya's most spectacular natural areas, including Amboseli National Park and the Masai Mara Game Reserve. Jonah is wearing sandals made out of strips of tire - "Four-by-fours!" he jokes...As we walk, I recognize that this simple idea of cultural exchange is part of a much larger shift in the way a new generation of safari companies is doing business." Read the complete article here.

Photo courtesy Gamewatchers Safaris.

A Guide Makes the Trip - Denis Erabu of Uganda!

Africa travelers venture to Uganda for the incredible variety of primates, amazing bird life, rich culture and diverse landscapes. Classic Africa Safaris offers some of the best guiding available in Uganda, as well as customized 4x4 vehicles designed specifically for the tough roads (Classic Africa has its own vehicle modification shop in Uganda). The guides at Classic Africa Safaris are truly the heart and soul of the company and are considered family.

There are a variety of camps and lodges in Uganda and many different routes to venture on, but in the end, your traveler's guide is the one who makes their journey unforgettable! Classic's guides are trained in tourism, birding and natural history, but most importantly, they are local Ugandans with a strong passion to share their country with travelers. Classic guides will make the difference on your clients safari in Uganda and tour operators in the US who have worked with Classic for years will attest to that! Denis Erabu (photo above left) is one of the guiding family at Classic Africa, read on to learn a bit about Denis.

Denis was born in Eastern Uganda, and is of the Kumam Tribe. He grew up in a rural village, where his father is a local chief. After completing secondary school, Denis moved to Kampala where he obtained his license and became an escort driver for an NGO delivering relief supplies to Southern Sudan. After 4 years, he decided to go for a career change and entered the tourism industry, pursuing a childhood interest in wildlife. Through a combination of on-the-job and formal training courses with the Queen Elizabeth Bird Observatory and Bird Life International, Denis has gained extensive knowledge as a general interest Tour Guide with a specialty in birding. He has worked as a driver/guide for the past 12 years and is a member of the Uganda Driver/Guide Association and the Uganda Birdwatching Society. In his spare time, Denis loves to read and watch wildlife documentaries. He lives in Kampala with his wife and 4 children.

Client comments:

“We also wanted to say, once again, how absolutely fantastic we thought Denis was as our guide. The success of the trip was due mostly to his knowledge, flexibility, spotting ability, and willingness to get up early, stay out late, and never stop looking at birds! I still can’t believe that literally everything we went for, we saw. It was the trip of a lifetime, and we’ll never forget it."

T. Ricketts & K. Carney, 3 April 2006.

“Denis is a top guide, excellent, organized and a fantastic driver/guide. He is worth his weight in gold!!” L. Camp, 8 June 2008.

“Denis knew everything about Uganda in particular and Africa in general. He could site birds and primates in an instant. I loved his humor. Denis has a winning smile and knew everybody throughout the trip. I knew he would be a fabulous guide from the moment he picked me up at the Entebbe airport.” M. Kashman, 7 July 2008.

“Denis is an excellent trip leader and an admirable human being. He is very knowledgeable on all aspects of the trip especially in knowing and spotting mammals and birds” T. Klassen Feb 2010

“He was terrific! You could tell he has had a lot of experience with clients – very sensitive to needs and very knowledgeable about everything”. E. Freitag Feb 2010

Photos courtesy of CAS and Bob Wenrick.

Special Offer - Guided Garden Route Classic 50% off!

GARDEN ROUTE CLASSIC, South Africa

BOOK 1 ADULT & RECEIVE 50% OFF THE SECOND ADULT SHARING DOUBLE!

(4 day guided scheduled tour, minimum 2, maximum 12 in group)

Embark on a 4 day escorted tour along one of the most beautiful stretches of South Africa's coastline between Cape Town and Port Elizabeth.

Mountains crowd close to a shoreline dotted with beaches and bays, and vividly coloured wild flowers delight the eye. Visit Oudtshoorn, known for its large ostrich farming industry, and home to the Cango Caves. Enjoy a cruise on the tranquil Knysna Lagoon and interact with the gentle giants at Knysna Elephant Park. Also visit a free-flight bird sanctuary and the inspiring Tsitsikamma National Park. Enjoy charming local accommodations such as De Opstal Country Lodge and Lairds Lodge!

Contact your New Frontiers Tour Consultant or the Kusini Collection for pricing and more details.

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19 September

Porini Amboseli Camp Game Report - March 2011

Porini Amboseli Camp, Selenkay Conservancy, Kenya

March 2011 Wildlife Report

This month we experienced light rains that seem to be getting heavier. In April, we do foresee signs of heavy rains to come. Generally, all the animals in the conservancy are doing very well. There is plenty of feed for the grazing ones and enough prey for the predators. The conservancy has plenty of green grass for the plains game and foliage for the browsing ones like giraffes, gerenuks, etc.

The lesser Kudus are doing very well. With the thick bushes, they are well protected and scattered groups can be seen with their young ones. This is a success story for the conservancy as these Kudus are only found here, within the entire greater Amboseli eco-system. Other Antelopes, including the Thompson and Grant’s gazelles as well as the Wildebeests are in good health. They are strong and doing very well.

These browsing species have some great advantage since March 2011. With all the trees and shrubs having developed new foliage, they are now able to feed ad-libitum. The gerenuks don’t need to stand on their hind legs to reach higher leaves as there is plenty of drooping foliage for them. Giraffes have young ones with nicely coloured coats. These two species can each be found in good groups of ten and over.

On 6th March, during an early morning game drive in the conservancy with some clients, we found a female cheetah next to the Airstrip. The area is generally flat and open, with short grass making a good habitat for the gazelle & a preferable hunting ground for this spotted hunter. The cheetah was seen lying down amidst the tall grass and seemed to be in hunting mood as she lifted her head and scanned the area around. She did this several times for a good 20 min before we moved ahead.

The cheetah was continuously spotted here through the month. With the number of gazelles in

the area, the cheetah is quite at home in the conservancy and has not left. We are also on the look out for the two males(brothers), who tend to around the area; Probably, searching for families to establish their families.

The one collard lion that killed a giraffe last month is quite nomadic. He has moved far away and

has not been spotted since.. However, two other males have established their territory close to the camp. They are an ever present sighting on game drives.

There is a Serval cat that seems to be pacing along the route to the bush dinner sight. Daily sightings of it in the recent past made us wonder why but we realized that she had had kittens and needed to hunt mice and birds for her young ones. Unfortunately it was not easy to spot her kittens in the tall grasslands. Other nocturnal cats like genets, White tailed mongoose & bushbabies can be spotted during night game drives.

There is a hive of activity with weaver birds weaving their nests in preparation for this breeding season which coincides with the rain. Some migratory birds from the Perliarctic region have not gone back to Europe as they have been captivated by the proliferation of insects after the intermittent rains.

Birds of prey like the Pale Chanting Goshawks, Black shouldered Kite, African Hawk Eagle, tawny Eagle and the Brown snake Eagle are vigilant hunters and are spotted in the tree tops - their vantage point to scan the ground below to identify their prey.

In Amboseli, we came across a scuffle between a Bateluer and Tawny eagles, scrambling for some meat. The tawny, being more aggressive at kills, had the upper hand and was able to displace the Bateleur. It was very interesting to see a Fish eagle kill an Egyptian goose to our utter amazement.

With the availability of water all over, including the seasonal river Selenkay, there are many

elephants that migrated from the Amboseli park to the Conservancy. There range from individual to pairs of nomadic bulls to small groups of females with their young ones. The route from the “Maji ya Simba pond” to Oloturo swamp has been rendered almost impassable by the elephants heavy weights making deep holes of foot prints when they walk through during wet days. Eventually, the path dries up with gaping holes. It is obvious that the elephants are at home here.

These small but very important species in the Amboseli Eco-system are busy cutting and rolling

dung. The elephants are eating the soft grass in the conservancy and their dung is not as fibrous as usual.

Photos courtesy Porini Camps/Gamewatchers Safaris

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While New Frontiers Tours focuses on custom FIT tours, we also offer a handful of carefully crafted small group scheduled departures. Each tour operates with a minimum of 2 travelers and a maximum of 12.

On our Wildlife & Warriors Tour, guests travel along the awe-inspiring Panorama Route and the 'Land of the Rising Sun', search for the Big Five in the world renowned Kruger National Park and Hluhluwe Reserve, experience Swazi and authentic Zulu culture and enjoy a scenic trip up the Lebombo Mountains for sundowners! Enjoy all of this and superb cuisine, luxurious accommodation and true South African hospitality, including Perry's Bridge Hollow, Ghost Mountain Inn and others. The price point on this tour is hard to beat and now with a 50% off 2nd traveler discount, Wildlife & Warriors is ideal for first time travelers or those seeking a high-quality, value-oriented tour.

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