Africa Travel Newsletter - January 2009

TRAVEL CENTRE

With the festive season behind us - many of you will now be planning your annual holidays. With this in mind we have decided to dedicate this month's Newsletter to our Travel Center.

If you are considering visiting Africa during July/August September of 2009 then we recommend that you make a booking early in the year, as safari lodges get booked up early in the year during this peak season, particularly in East Africa.

If Africa is your chosen destination for this year's holiday our Travel Center is the perfect place for you to have a browse through to get some ideas and make some enquiries. There is the choice of over 600 individual, varied itineraries - from budget to luxury, offered by many different tour operators throughout the African continent. Click to view the whole selection.

Here are some ideas to tempt you...

New Itineraries for 2009
	Bush & Beach Safari: Fly In Kruger & Cape Town - South Africa 11 days: Go on Safari with expert Rangers in open landrovers, overnight in luxurious lodges where your every need will be met. Fly to Cape Town and experience the cultures & beauty of the Mother City.
	Bush & Beach: Kruger and Vilanculos - South Africa/Mozambique 12 days: Experience the thrill of a Big 5 safari in the Kruger National Park, guided by your own private ranger, and fly to the exotic Vilanculos coast in Mozambique.
	Sierra Leone - Discovery - Sierra Leone 12 days: perfect mix of culture, nature and history. The tour includes a visit to Bunce Island, once the largest British slave castle on the Rice Coast of West Africa. We visit the Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary, established to rescue orphaned and captured chimps. Sierra Leone’s amazing array of wildlife is encapsulated on Tiwai Island.
	Magnificent Kenya Adventure Safari - Kenya 7 days: This is an unforgettable trip through the splendour of Kenya providing the opportunity to observe wild animals in their natural habitat and exploring Kenya's most popular game parks. The Masai Mara offers superb game viewing on the vast plains; Samburu Game Reserve is good for elephant, while scenic Lake Naivasha is home to hundreds of hippo.
	Experience Amboseli, Lake Naivasha and Mara Safari - Kenya 6 days: Experience Kenya safaris covering the best National parks. Talk of ‘southeastern Kenya’ and think of Amboseli on the slopes of Africa’s highest mountain. Includes Mt. Kenya National Park and Lake Naivasha and the spectacular Masai Mara National Reserve the Africa of everyone’s imagination,
	Real Safari, Masai Mara - Kenya 3 days: Kenya's most spectacular annual event is organized by an unlikely group - wildebeests. Literally millions of these ungainly antelopes, along with zebras and gazelles, move en masse in July and August from the Serengeti in search of lush grass. They head south again around October. The best place to see this phenomenon is at the Maasai Mara National Reserve.
	Wildlife and Authentic Cultural Safari - Tanzania 10 days: Visit Olduvai Gorge, one of the most important prehistoric sites in the world, Engaruka - famed for its irrigation and cultivation system and view the Big Five on game drives in Tarangire, Lake Manyara and Serengeti National parks – great for photography! Enjoy an African Sundowner: Experience authentic African safari
	Mount Meru and Mt Kilimanjaro Climb Shira Route - Tanzania 12 days: Trekking to the summits of the Africa's continent's highest peaks. Starting with Mt. Meru - as warm up and acclimatization trek for the big one - Mount Kilimanjaro on Shira route. Can customise for any route up Kilimanjaro
	Climb Kilimanjaro, Peak of Africa and Wildlife Safari - Tanzania 11 days: a popular combination of Mountain climbing and Wildlife Safari. The tour gives you a chance to make the top of Mount Kilimanjaro via the Machame route and after you will experience the 'Big Five' areas of Tanzania on 5 days, 4 nights safari.
	Equestrian Extravaganza - South Africa/Swaziland 18 days: From wild horses to riding in the wild, if you are a horse lover and would like to spend time on horse back, this is the tour for you. There are rides through misty hills, bushveld, beaches and mountains. The tour will be conducted in air-conditioned vehicles to drive between the attractions that we will be visiting.
	Drakensberg & Garden Route Explorer - South Africa 11 days: This trip begins in Durban and travels south along the Garden Route before finishing in Cape Town. Enjoy the awesome views of the stunning Drakensberg Mountain range, and explore the deep ravines, waterfalls, forest and grasslands of the Natal South Coast.
Back up to Newsletter Index
Special Offers / Late Deals Special Offers are added to the travel center on a regular basis so keep checking for one that appeals to you... Click to browse through all itineraries that are currently on Special Offer
The most popular destinations for 2008 Below were the top African destinations for 2007. We expect that 2009 is going to be even more popular, so start your planning now....
	South Africa Safaris Such diversity... experience the landscapes, lifestyles, cultures, wildlife and adventure of South Africa. Climb Table Mountain and admire the views of Cape Town, visit world reknown Kruger National Park, Scuba Dive at South Africa's best dive sites. All options available: luxury, lodges, private, budget, participation camping, hotels.
	Kenya Safaris Famous for its birdlife in the lakes in the Rift Valley, it's wildlife viewing opportunities, and as a beach destination, Kenya is a top choice for a combination safari and beach holiday. We have a full selection of itineraries including budget camping safaris, luxury lodge safari, fly in safaris and for the more active Climbing Mt Kenya.
	Tanzania Safaris Explore the Serengeti & Ngorongoro and Southern Tanzanian game parks. Climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, fitness and physical levels vary from an easy trek to hanging off a cliff face by your fingertips, yikes!!. and then relax on the tropical beaches of Zanzibar Browse through Zanzibar Beach Holidays Spice tours, Historical Stone Town tour, Prison Island tour and leisure time on the white sandy beaches.
	Egypt Tours Enjoy the historical sights of Cairo, Luxor and Aswan; Pyramids, Sphinx, Karnak, Luxor temples, Valley of Kings & Queens, experience a Nile Cruise. Scuba Dive, snorkel and end your holiday relaxing by the Red Sea.
	Madagascar Holidays Discover the beautiful exotic Island Madagascar with its unique nature and culture. A full range of itineraries that include seeing the Lemurs (the only place in the whole to see them in the wild), canoe down the rivers, hike through the rain forest and relax on the beaches
	Morocco Tours Immerse yourself in the rich history and culture of the Imperial Cities. Discover the abundant imprints left by ancient civilizations. Discover the old mystical Berber villages and loose yourself in fascination with each Kasbah. Mountain bike though the Atlas Mountains or join in on one of the annual festivals
	Overland Participation Camping Safaris Overland trips are aimed at the adventure traveller and they were popular last year. Africa is a huge continent and so diverse in its scenery, culture, history, climate, wildlife - an overland trip is an affordable way to travel through the different countries, experiencing the highlights a country or region has to offer. They are ideal for GAP year students and those on a tight budget with plenty of time.
Family Safaris for School Holidays
	Family Safaris Child friendly family safaris - specifically designed with flexibility and activities to keep younger family members interested and happy. Introduce your family to a real safari adventure with people that know what a family needs on holiday, no stress, no fuss. These itineraries are perfect for school holidays - but do get booked up early, so start making enquiries now!!
Volunteer & Conservation Projects
			Volunteer & Conservations Projects There have been many new projects added for 2009., and there is currently a choice of over 45 different projects, in many different countries, for you to experience. ranging from 3 weeks to 6 months, making them an ideal ways to make yourself useful whether you are on holiday or on your gap year
We can't add all the itineraries to this Newsletter - if none of the above appeal then I am sure you will find one that suits you in our Africa Travel Center. where you can search by country, price, number of days, activities and national parks. and if you can not find an itinerary that suits your specific requirements and there are 2 or more of you travelling we would be happy to assist you in designing your own itinerary. Please complete our Customised Request Form

   Back up to Newsletter Index  

TRAVELLING AFRICA INDEPENDENTLY

Although this Newsletter is mainly dedicated to what's in our travel center - the Africa Guide has so much useful information for travellers who wish to see Africa independently. Before embarking on a trip to Africa, research is key to getting the most out of your experience, there are very few websites that cover the whole of Africa with up-to-date, useful and comprehensive information. For those of you who wish to travel independently, The Africa Guide website has the following sections that will prove to be invaluable for making your plans.

Country Information
Extensive travellers information about each country in Africa - including, climate, money and visas plus information about regions, towns and game parks, photographs and more...

Hotels & Accommodation
Looking for a hotel - click to browse through our Accommodation section . It is FREE to advertise your hotel on The Africa Guide Click here - How to Get Listed

Car Hire
Have the freedom of getting around without having to rely on local transport - rent a vehicle for your holiday. A selection of vehicles for hire/rental including Saloons, 4WD and Mini Buses at very competitive prices throughout the African continent.

Visas & Embassies
We have provided details of the various African Tourist Offices and/or embassies located around the world. These offices will be able to provide you with further tourist information as well as help and advise on applying for visas.

Travel Insurance
Travelling to Africa ? don't go without it! We have a selected several companies offering comprehensive cover at very competitive pricing, catering for travellers from USA, UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand

Travelogues
Travelogues are the diaries of people travelling in a variety of different ways in or through various countries. If you are considering travelling in Africa this will be a great place to find out how other people do it and their experiences along the way.

Maps & Atlases
A full range of Road Maps, General Maps, Individual Country Maps, Specialist Maps and Wall Maps, extremely useful and not easy to find in high street shops.

Travel Books
It's always useful to have a travel guide to help show you the way.... we have carefully selected relevant books for each country in Africa. These can be found in each individual country section and our main book shop.

Forum Boards
Have a question but can't find the answer?
Want to provide feedback for other visitors about your recent trip?
Feel free to post a message on our forum boards (no advertising please)

We hope you have enjoyed this Newsletter. Please let you family, friends and colleagues who are thinking of visiting Africa know about The Africa Guide where they will be able to find all the information they need to plan their travels.

Happy Travels

   Back up to Newsletter Index