Protea Livingstone hosts 'fatkidonabike'

Protea Hotel Livingstone recently supported Ron Rutland on his epic journey from Cape Town to London on a bike.

His incredible journey named Lettie’s ride – is a tale of a proud South African’s 27 month, 43,000km bicycle expedition through every country on mainland Africa, and onto the 2015 Rugby World Cup in London – celebrating health, vitality, mobility, adventure, life and the #HumanSpirit.

Ron is an inspiration to us all and we wish him the very best on his adventure through Africa.

Website:
www.fatkidonabike.com

Zambezi Traveller Directory:
Protea Hotel Livingstone

Update from Pioneer's Camp

An update from Pioneer's Camp, on the banks of the Zambezi above the Victoria Falls.

The recent installation of a solar powered mister in the chill tent has provided respite for our guests from the hottest months of the year.

The river is low with wonderful pools and squeaky sandy beaches. Here we bring our guests to see spectacular Zambezi sunsets while enjoying a sundowner and delicious home-made canapés. Back at camp guests are treated to a three course dinner freshly prepared by our chefs. Before being guided back to their tents guests convene around the fire pit to enjoy the African night skies.

The Mpala Jena spring line has remained green the whole season and is an ideal food source for warthog, waterbuck, baboons and a myriad of birds are regular daily visitors, with elephant, buffalo, kudu and other game on a frequent basis. We have a resident aardvark, a small herd of kudu and even eland.

Game has increased and we have regular visitors in and around the camp with elephant often in camp providing 'intimate' photographic opportunities for guests.

Not only is day time game viewing testimony to this but our new motion sensor camera gives us 'eyes in the dark'! The camera has shown us our resident aardvark, regular hyena and other game as well as ‘lion filming lion’ behind tent 3. Late September the motion sensor camera was ripped off its strap by a large male lion which then 'walked around' carrying the camera and managed to film a younger male companion before dropping the camera and losing interest. Video is on YouTube!

The highlight of a very recent trip was wonderful sighting of a mating pair of leopard. The leopard are seldom seen but they are here, proven by footprints on the sand in the dining and chill tent! A good reason for sandy floors!

More from the Zambezi Traveller:

Introducing Pioneer Camp (Zambezi Traveller Issue 12, March 2013)

Read more about the region in our destination guide:
Victoria Falls

Email: reservations@pioneerscamp.com, website: www.wildfrontiers.com, tel: +263 13 45139

VFH Livingstone Room voted one of the Best in the World

Victoria Falls Hotel Livingstone Room voted one of the Best in the World

Management of The Victoria Falls Hotel are extremely proud to announce that the new refreshed Livingstone Room has been voted as the 7th best hotel restaurant in the world. This prestigious achievement was awarded by The Daily Meal, which is a highly respected international website, concentrating in the field of culinary excellence.

The achievement is made more spectacular owing to the fact that The Livingstone Room is the highest ranked Restaurant on the African continent. Situated in the heart of the 110 year old Grand Dame, The Livingstone Room strives to offer the best of fresh and exciting cuisine with an old world charm. The atmosphere is charming with a vibrant sense, which comes alive at night. Having recently been lovingly restored to its former glory the new design and feel is the genius work of Graham Viney of Graham Viney Designs, which was responsible for the 1996 hotel refurbishment and has return to bring the look and feel to a modern, yet stately feel.

A recent edition to the family saw the arrival of a full size Grand Concert Piano, at over sixty years old, this beautiful instrument graced many a concert hall and she is perfectly positioned to thrill diner’s nighty as Takesure Mvasa tickles the ivories and sets the mood for romance.

Management of The Victoria Falls Hotel would like to this opportunity to not only congratulate the entire team for their brilliant achievement but also to thank each and every staff member that contributed to this magnificent success. We are extremely proud of entire team, from the dapper front of house ambassadors to the crafted professionals behind the scenes. Without the diligent approach from all members this triumphant success would not have been achievable.

A further cause to be hailed is that The Victoria Falls Hotel has joined forces with a community project, whereby producing most of the fresh vegetables, lettuce and herbs for restaurant. This project is situated right on hotel grounds and ensures daily produce is fresh from the soil to the table.

While the restaurant is trading as normal, the work continues to the exterior walkway, which is expected to be completed in the next few weeks. The Victoria Falls Hotel looks forward to launching this exciting revamped product to the marketplace with much celebrations and to showcase the wealth of talent we have right here in Zimbabwe.

Zambezi Traveller Directory:
The Victoria Falls Hotel

Victoria Falls in Lonely Planet top ten

Africa Albida celebrate Victoria Falls being named 6th on the Lonely Planet list of the top 10 regions to travel.

Victoria falls from the air (Image credit: Tom Varley)

Lonely Planet, the largest travel guide publisher in the world announced its Best Top 10 regions to travel this month, giving Victoria Falls reason to celebrate. As a joint destination shared by Zimbabwe and Zambia, Victoria Falls was ranked 6th the Lonely Planet list. Lonely Planet has a wide readership with the ever popular travel guides, a globally distributed monthly magazine the Lonely Planet Traveller, the vast online community The Thorn Tree as well as a television production company. From February to April of 2013, Lonely Planet.com had 10.3 million unique visitors and 45.9 million page views. Impressively, Lonely Planet has over 400,000 points of interest throughout the world and Victoria Falls is the 6th best!

Victoria Falls is truly one the world’s great wonders. Standing in a UNESCO World Heritage Site, in front of the mighty Zambezi falling 108m down the first gorge with such exceptional force that you are drenched, is a remarkable experience. As David Livingstone perfectly summarised, “Scenes so lovely must have been gazed upon by Angels in their flight”.

Victoria Falls offers superb game viewing opportunities, a range of activities to suit every age, superb restaurants, unique cultural artefacts and art, banks and ATMs, and a hospital all within a National Park. The completion of the infrastructural developments at the Victoria Falls airport, including a new terminal in 2015 and 4km runways in 2014 to handle long haul wide body jets will be an exciting development for the destination.

Such achievement and recognition comes on the back of the successful co hosting by Zimbabwe and Zambia in August, of the United Nations World Trade Organisation general assembly in Victoria Falls. The event saw representatives of 120 countries and 900 affiliate organisations experience firsthand the splendour of one of the 7 Wonders of the World.

The destination caters to all budgets and tastes, from backpacking lodges to luxurious lodges and hotels. New properties such as Africa Albida Tourism’s lavish butler-service Victoria Falls Safari Club (VFSC) have placed the destination on the discerning travellers radar. The VFSC has earned a reputation as a trend setting and innovative establishment. The first of its kind on the Zimbabwean side, the VFSC has broken the mould offering world class, 5 star luxury clothed in the warmth for which the region is famous. As the destination continues to gain attention from the world, there is little doubt that Victoria Falls is The place to be.

Read more about the region in our destination guide:
Victoria Falls

More from the Zambezi Traveller:
Victoria Falls Safari Lodge

Ndau nominated for Africa Fashion Award

The Ndau Collection are extremely proud to have been nominated for Accessories Designers of the Year at the prestigious African Fashion Awards, held by African Fashion International recently at the Montecasino Hotel at the close of Mercedes Benz African Fashion Week 2013. Fellow nominees were Anita Quansah London and Pichulik from South Africa. The final judging was done by supermodel Alek Wek, TV personality Diana Opoti, supermodel Sayora Grigorian, ambassador of Azzedine Alaia, with interests in luxury fashion, and South Africa's Chris Viljoen, a renowned fashion director who has been in the local fashion industry for more than 17 years. Whilst the award went to Anita Quansah London on the night, the Ndau team were very honoured to be included in such a prestigious line up of designers from Africa and the diaspora. Watch this space next year!

Read more on the Ndau Collection from the Zambezi Traveller:
Ndau Collection

Zambezi Traveller Directory:
The Ndau Collection

New appointments at Bumi Hills

Home-Coming For Dardley Tafuruka and Catherine Norton

The Bumi team are delighted to welcome both Dardley and Catherine back to the fold. Zimbabwe-born and grown, they both in fact started out at Bumi and in the Kariba area, and have both been out of the country for many years enhancing their skills and learning to really understand the needs of foreign and regional clients.

Dardley Tafuruka, who is a Professional guide, and who has been in the industry for 20 years, who states “leadership, teamwork, training and communications” as vital to him, is a larger than life effervescent personality who creates an immediate impact when he walks into the room. He is well-spoken, and incredibly knowledgeable about wildlife. His passion and knowledge of wildlife and all creatures great and small, and the ability to relate to people from all over the world has been further enhanced in the other countries where he has worked for the past few years (such as Tanzania, Botswana - including the Delta - and Zambia)

Catherine Norton also started her career working at Bumi and in the Kariba area in the early 1980s – and also after being out of the country for several years, and having worked in the hospitality industry for many years, has returned home to Bumi! Catherine is a Food and Beverage specialist and is a personality of her own, she is witty and creative and this comes through in the choice of menus and cuisine creations and displays that come forth from the kitchen. Despite being a real lady (having attended Cheltenham Finishing School!) really knows how to get stuck in and ensure that that despite operating out of a kitchen miles from any shops and town, in the heart of the bush, delicious meals are produced and clients constantly marvel at what is produced and presented to them.

Both Dardley and Catherine are delighted to be home after many years, and we are delighted to have them and all the new ideas and skills they bring!

Zambezi Traveller Directory:
Bumi Hills Safari Lodge

Kimple Africa launch new 530 RiverRunner with fishing deck layout

Kimple Africa is proud to announce the launch their new 530 RiverRunner with customised fishing deck layout. This model offers both the personal and tour operator the flexibility of a people carrier or specialised fishing rig.

We fitted this demo boat with a 125 optimax to give it the sport performance that many pro fishing users require. The RiverRunner series of Kimple Boats has been received very well in the African market, lodge owners have given us only positive feedback. The order book for January 2014 is still open. Call us to discuss a customised option for your needs.

Zambezi Traveller Directory:
Kimple Africa

Latest news from Wilderness Hwange

Here's an appetiser from our forthcoming eNewsletter - are you signed up? Subscribe here.

The Wilderness Safaris concession in the Hwange National Park is one of the prime game viewing areas in the Park. The diversity of landscape from the border at Ngweshla all the way through to Ngoma provide interesting habitat for a large selection of species. Within this area Wilderness Safaris constantly nurtures, protects, monitors and cares for this precious wilderness. Arnold Tshipa is the conservationist whose job it is to keep an eye on conservation matters and this month his report deals with the stresses of a lingering dry season.

In September Arnold reported early rains, which were probably attributable to conventional currents, and yielded a welcome 4mm to Little Makalolo. This was most needed as the gauge had climbed to 39ºC and the heat was becoming unbearable at times. Whilst this early respite was welcome, it was short-lived and the month of October is expected to yield the typical unrelenting heat that precedes the real rain.

(Image credit: Mike Myers)

During the dry months, Wilderness Safaris Zimbabwe looks after the water levels in 14 waterholes. Willem Botha maintains and runs Lister and Kubota diesel engine pumps to ensure an adequate supply of water for game species. As the water levels drop owing to the demand of elephants and buffalo especially, so the level of diesel required increases. This is carefully monitored and reported on, and from the reports, the movement of elephant, particularly, can be seen. At the moment, the pumps are pushing out around 1M litres of water a day. Keeping up with demand is difficult, but is ongoing and as the thud of the engines yield fresh water, we look to the skies for signs of some natural relief.

(Image credit: Mike Myers)

The anti-poaching unit continues its patrols to prevent off-take. Every month large amounts of snares are found and removed, but now with the concentration of game around the few waterholes, the incidents of snared elephant and buffalo is on the rise. This is being closely monitored and de-snaring tactics are being put in place.

We also have a number of camera traps that have been set up and the results from these traps are starting to be very rewarding and interesting. This month the white-tailed mongoose and leopard were the most exciting sightings.

We acknowledge all the hard work done by our conservation team for without their care of the wilderness, there would be no Wilderness.

Read more about the region in our destination guide:
Hwange

Zambezi Traveller Directory:
Little Makalolo Camp (Hwange, Zimbabwe)
Davison's Camp (Hwange, Zimbabwe)

Elephant societies 'disrupted decades after cull'

Source: BBC News (1 Nov 2013)

Image source: BBC News

African elephants' decision-making abilities are left impaired by culling operations that ended decades ago, University of Sussex research suggests.

The study found that elephant herds that lost adults to culls during the 1970s and 1980s were less able to respond appropriately to other elephant calls.

Lead researcher Prof Karen McComb said the animals' "social understanding" had been impaired by the loss of adults.

The scientists, from the University of Sussex, say this is the first "systematic evidence that fundamental social skills may be significantly impaired by man-made disruption".

The results are published in the Journal Frontiers in Zoology.

Read the full article here.

More on elephants from the Zambezi Traveller:
Elephants