November 24, 2008 - Zarafa Camp
Zibadianja Camp re-opened in June 2008 with a beautiful new design and spectacular new location. As few guests have been able to pronounce or remember the name Zibadianja, from 1 January 2009, Zibadianja Camp will change its name to Zarafa Camp. Zarafa is Arabic for "giraffe" and literally means "charming" or "lovely one". There is also a true story behind the name. Zarafa, a young Maasai giraffe, in 1826, appeared at the port of Marseilles as a gift from the Viceroy of Egypt to Charles X of France. Her journey to France began with her capture and taming in the Ethiopian highlands, whence she travelled 3500 miles down the Blue Nile and the Nile, and then across the Mediterranean. She was accompanied by three cows that provided her with 25 litres of milk to drink each day. From Alexandria, she embarked on a ship to Marseilles. As she was so tall, a hole was cut through the deck above the cargo hold through which she could poke her neck. After a voyage of 32 days, she arrived in Marseilles on 31 October 1826. She was carefully walked the last 900 km to Paris and crowds of people were captivated by the 'beautiful African'. She was the first living giraffe Europe had seen in almost 350 year and thus Zarafa's arrival in Paris caused a sensation. Over 100,000 people came to see her, approximately an eighth of the population of Paris at the time. An enthralled Charles X made sure that Zarafa was exhibited daily in the Jardin du Roi and soon songs, poems, satires, clothes and hair fashions were reflecting the impact of her arrival. Zarafa remained in Paris until her death 18 years later."

November 24, 2008 - Zambian Entry Visa Cost Reduced
We have some good news - the Zambian Government has reduced visa fees for US passport holders from US $135 per person to US $50 per person single entry.

November 24, 2008 - Cape Town Update
South Africa's Cape Town is considered one of the world's top 10 most beautiful cities (also top 10 most romantic cities) with lots on offer. Please find a Cape Town update below:

We are proud to offer a new 1/2 day Cape Malay cultural / cooking tour. You will be guided by a longstanding member of the community in the Bo-Kaap, intimately acquainted with the area and its people. The tour starts at the Bo-Kaap museum for a unique insight into the origins and history of the Cape Malay people. Across the street from the museum is the bustling spice wholesaler. Learn about the origins of the spices and how they are used in Cape Malay cuisine whilst you savour the heady aromas which permeate the store. Stroll along the cobbled streets, learning the history of the various buildings en-route. Locals greet and interact with your guide, adding to the colourful nature of the day. Visit a home and experience a true warm Cape Malay welcome. Experience, first-hand, how to fold samoosas and see a demonstration of the preparation of the traditional cuisine. Finally, sit down together to enjoy the feast that you have prepared whilst enjoying the swapping of anecdotes at the table. The tour last approximately 6 hours.

Tammy Frazer, granddaughter of the Oil of Olay inventor, is a perfumer who works only with natural raw materials personally sourced from sustainable farming practices around the world. Tammy's success has been recognised in the UK with her perfumes currently being exclusively retailed at Harrods in a private room on the fifth floor, the Roja Dove Haute Parfumerie. We can arrange a visit to Tammy's home in Llandudno, where she consults to private and commercial clients on creating bespoke perfumes.

You don't always have to drive to from Cape Town to Hermanus to see whales. Whales may also be seen by boat in False Bay, a 45 minute drive from the city center. This area is sheltered from the open ocean, surrounded by stunning views and provides an ideal winter home for the Southern Right Whales. Sightings of Brydes whales, Humpback whales, Orcas and dolphins are also common.

With regards to the Cape restaurants something is always a foot!

Sevruga is the new "sexy sister" to the well known Beluga in Green Point. Located in the V&A Waterfront the restaurant has superb outdoor seating right on the quayside, as well as a warm wood-paneled interior. They offer an extensive, beautifully presented seafood menu, a fantastic sushi selection as well as non seafood items, including their 45 day aged beef! 

Addis in Cape - This is a new delight for those wishing to experience authentic African cuisine. Ethiopian cuisine is famous for its rich aromas and generous use of herbs and spices. Addis in Cape, situated in the city centre, offers affordable cuisine with a unique ambience.

The historic Roundhouse Restaurant, nestled in the picturesque Glen on the slopes of Lions Head with sensational views across Camps Bay and the 12 Apostles mountain range, has re-opened. Their focus is on exceptional service, the finest rare wines and spirits, and uncomplicated, contemporary French cuisine inspired by the seasons.

For those who enjoy personal interactions we offer a range of home hosted meals which can also include a cookery demonstration or active involvement in the preparation of the meal. These dinners have been hugely popular with guests and are highly recommended for the added insight gained during these visits.

November 10, 2008 - South Africa: the Crux of Kruger       
Here is a brilliant article written by Mike Unwin...it gives good insight to South Africa's Kruger National Park and tourism development issues:

South Africa’s most famous park divides opinion like no other. Although undoubtedly one of the greatest wildlife parks on the continent, Kruger is dismissed by many as being too managed and developed. So, is it a splendid safari dream or a nightmare in waiting?

A morning in Kruger:
We hit the trail before dawn: six of us, plus two guides, picking through tangled acacia scrub along an ancient elephant highway. Night lingers in the quavering whistle of a fiery-necked nightjar, but the pale eastern glow prompts an awakening clamour of francolins and first light slants across the trail to reveal the imprint of its nocturnal commuters: the neat cloven shield of impala, the steam-iron stamp of giraffe, the tiny-pawed embroidery of a genet. Soon we find the tracks we’re looking for: four unclawed toes and three lobes at the back of a hand-sized pad means lion. It’s a big male, and he’s headed the same way we are. Our guides confer and their hushed urgency charges the air with adrenalin. Falling into step, we enter the mopane woodland, its litter of butterfly leaves crunching underfoot. With visibility poor, every shadow seems to hold a glimpse of something tawny, each swaying twig is the twitch of an ear. But time passes, tension ebbs and eventually the trail goes cold. We pause for breath by the clotted droppings of a wildebeest midden. I scan the horizon as water bottles are sought and swigged. This is wild, empty country, and there’s been no other sign of humanity for two days. Then suddenly a deep growl from the thicket ahead jolts me alert again – the unmistakable, menacing resonance of big cat. Our guide beckons us back into line; cautiously we move forward.

A morning in Kruger:
We hit the road before dawn: three of us in a rental car. Unfortunately we’re not the only ones, and at the camp entrance gates we simply join the queue. Engines rev while fingers drum on dashboards and air-conditioning whirs into life. Bang on time the scout raises the boom and, as though at a starting gun, the convoy roars out into the dawn. As the 4WD in front pauses briefly for a startled bushbuck, three more from behind seize the chance to overtake, slaloming around the antelope in their race for pole position.And soon we find them: the same vehicles that had shot off ahead of us, now jammed into an impassable roadblock. This can mean only one thing: lions on the road. In the early morning safari business, as everybody knows, first out of the blocks gets first shot at the big prize – and lions have the handy habit of lolling on the warm tarmac as they return from a night’s hunting. At least I assume it’s lions. Unfortunately our little Corolla is too low-slung for us to see over the crowd. And though I could happily pass up this sighting – watching animals encircled by a ring of land cruisers is not my idea of a wilderness experience – we’re trapped by the convoy backing up behind, so a U-turn is not an option. We sit and wait for the cats to move off, which, given the hassle they’re getting, should happen imminently.

Yes, the two experiences both took place in Kruger National Park. And if, like me, you’ve spent much time there, then at least one of them should ring a bell. South Africa’s most precious national asset is riddled with contradictions: on the one hand, one of Africa’s greatest wildlife experiences; on the other, mass-market tourism at its vulgar worst. Not surprisingly, the park divides opinion like no other. Despite generally being considered one of the great African wildlife parks, up there with Serengeti, Chobe and the like, today’s safari cognoscenti seldom have a kind word to say about the Kruger, dismissing it as too managed and developed. Instead they seek out more exclusive retreats such as Botswana’s Okavango Delta and Zambia’s Luangwa Valley. They have a point: Kruger is by far the busiest of Africa’s great wildlife parks, with over one million visitors per year, 25 rest camps and 2,300km of road – 850km of them tarred. The largest camps, such as Skukuza, are more like villages, with shops, restaurants, film shows, petrol stations and conference facilities. In such surroundings the wilderness ambience can prove elusive, while the rather functional aesthetic, all concrete and tarmac, seems designed to offend purists. Even the park’s own weblog bristles at the antics of visitors: “Leftovers, empty drink cans, nappies and plastic bags were strewn all over the place,” reports one correspondent of Christmas Day in Shingwedzi camp. But some other statistics can help put this into context. Kruger National Park is vast: some 19,000 square kilometers (more than 22,000 square kilometers, if you count the private concessions along its western boundary). That’s the size of Wales. And as for one million annual visitors, my English seaside hometown of Brighton, a mere pinprick on the map, gets more than eight million (and they’re noisier, I can promise you). Meanwhile Kruger’s authorities enforce a rigid limit of 4,000 visitors per day and will turn away any who exceed this number. Believe me – I’ve tried. In other words, Kruger may seem busy by wildlife park standards, but it’s still a very big and very empty place. Beyond the main roads that link the larger camps are quiet back roads where space and seclusion are easy to find. And beyond view of all the roads lie great tracts of wild country that no tourist ever lays eyes upon.

Size isn’t everything, though, and Kruger’s detractors also argue that the park is too managed to count as true wilderness. Its boundary fence, for a start, immediately makes it less ‘natural’ than unfenced parks elsewhere, while interventions such as dams, waterholes, firebreaks and culling (most controversially of elephants) have further compromised its ecological integrity. Fair point, again: big does not mean pristine. Kruger’s management today readily concede that mistakes have been made over the park’s 110-year history. Were they to start again tomorrow they would probably create a more modern, zoned structure, with the camps moved to the margins and a no-go wilderness area at the core. And knowing what they now know about ecology, they would probably also be more circumspect about fire management and the provision of artificial water sources (which have skewed wildlife populations in some areas, speeding the decline of vulnerable species such as roan).

But there is no turning back the clock. Kruger’s structure reflects a long and complex history – mistakes included – and many, if not all, other wildlife parks in Africa have benefited from its pioneering work in conservation management. Today Kruger also reflects the reality of contemporary South Africa: a country in the grip of modernisation, with a burgeoning population and land at a premium. Wildlife has to pay its way, and simply shutting out the population at large from a sizeable chunk of their own nation under the guise of some vague ‘wilderness ethos’ would be both hard to justify and self-defeating.

This reality, of course, is not confined to South Africa. Conservation areas Africa-wide are under increasing pressure to justify their existence. And those who enjoy exclusive fly-in safaris to private enclaves of ‘real’ Africa do not always see what lies beyond their luxury lodge. South Luangwa, for instance, suffers increasing conflict over land between villagers and elephants along the park boundary and Maasai villagers have taken to spearing wildlife in Amboseli in retribution for eviction from their traditional grazing grounds. The fact is that truly ‘pristine’ wilderness is largely an anachronistic fiction. Our romantic imaginations continue to package Africa as limitless, virgin bush, inhabited by nothing but wild animals and the odd picturesque tribal community. And in the blissful seclusion of a private bush camp this fiction can be very seductive. But who built the airstrip? What happens to the rubbish? How many air miles did that French wine and designer linen eat up? Our very presence in any supposed ‘wilderness’ immediately compromises its integrity. The difference between a public camp in the Kruger and an exclusive lodge elsewhere is often little more than the capacity of the latter to keep its infrastructure concealed. Indeed that’s partly why we pay so much for it. 

November 10, 2008 - Zambia to Reduce Entry Visa Cost
Zambia's new president, Mr. Rupiah Banda, has announced a decrease of the tourist visa fee to US $50 to encourage more visitors to Zambia. We will advise all clients once this has been enacted.

November 10, 2008 - The Devil's Armchair
Between August and December each year adventurous travelers may swim with the angels in the Devil's Armchair on Livingstone Island on the lip of Victoria Falls.

November 10, 2008 - Mombo Camp #2
At a glittering ceremony on October 15th, at the 21st Annual Condé Nast Traveler’s Readers’ Choice Awards Wilderness Safaris’ Mombo and Little Mombo Camps in Botswana placed 2nd in “The Best of the Best – the TOP 100”. Also in the Top 100 were two other Botswana properties we highly recommend - Jao Camp, placed at 14th and DumaTau Camp at 41st. Mombo and Little Mombo Camps were also first in the category "50 Top Resorts – Africa," with Jao Camp in third position. A number of other Wilderness Safaris camps achieved outstanding results in the Awards, with no less than five Wilderness Safaris camps being featured in the category "50 Top Resorts – Africa"; other camps that featured here are DumaTau Camp in fifth place, Vumbura Plains Camp at 16th and Kulala Desert Lodge at 32nd respectively.

November 10, 2008 - Migration Camp #1 in East Africa
Conde Nast Traveler has named Tanzania's Migration Camp #1 in east Africa in the "Best Resort in Africa" category. The 20-suite camp is hidden amongst rocky outcrops of the wildlife rich northern Serengeti. This beautiful area was the inspiration for the look of the Lion King movie.

November 1, 2008 - AIG / Travelguard Insurance Still Strong
There have been a lot of media reports recently regarding AIG and the impact that the sub prime mortgage crisis has had on its business. Many might be wondering "How does this impact my travel insurance?" "Will Travel Guard be there to honor their claims if they have a financial loss?" AIG is different than other financial institutions that have been severely impacted by recent developments in the financial service markets. They have a deep asset base, with stakeholders' equity of $79.9 billion and assets of over $1 trillion. The New York State Department of Insurance, which regulates AIG, says they "continue to meet New York's solvency standards and are able to honor our policyholder obligations."  An article in the Wall Street Journal, quoted Standard & Poor's as saying that "AIG has enough money to pay claims and post collateral, if needed." In short AIG still remains financially sound.

November 1, 2008 - Mountain Biking at Singita
Singita Sweni and Lebombo in South Africa's famed Kruger National Park have introduced mountain biking as a new activity!

October 24, 2008 - Crater Lodge Dining Room View
Tanzania's Crater Lodge at Ngorongoro Crater has been noted as having one of the top 11 restaurant views. Perched on the edge of the largest unbroken volcanic caldera in the world provides spectacular panoramas of the flat expanse of the crater floor dotted with wildlife - from wildebeest to the big cats...they are visible with binoculars as you enjoy pan-African dishes such as duck with kumquat and chili marmalade.

July 2, 2008 - South African Airways to fly to Botswana
South African Airways will begin flights between Johannesburg, South Africa and Maun, Botswana from October 2008 - Hooray!

June 26, 2008 - Is your travel agent experienced?
Our consultants shook their heads at a recent article in an African travel trade publication. Each month the Southern African Tourism Update interviews an African travel specialist. In the June 2008 issue African travel specialist Nayaz Noor (CEO of Safir Tours) was asked "what is your recipe for success?" and he replied "we arm ourselves with knowledge that we can impart to our clients who are unaware of the destination"...ok, so far so good...when asked "what are the obstacles when operating in southern Africa?" he replied "the personal obstacle I face is that I have yet to visit southern Africa...that is a handicap for a person in my business. Hopefully I will visit one of these days. The advantage is the more clients we send to Southern Africa the more we learn about the destination and the more referrals we get"...All we can say is WOW!

Considering the cost of a trip to Africa please make sure that the travel agency you book with has extensive hands on experience in Africa. Each of Ultimate Africa's professional safari consultants has lived and worked in Africa. Managing director Ian Proctor has personally stayed at over 250 hotel / lodge / camp properties in east and southern Africa and inspected hundreds more! Our consultants spend 6 to 8 weeks each and every year in Africa; not only to insure that each property meets the high standards we demand for our clients (it is our policy to regularly, and personally, visit every property we recommend, and many others besides), but also because we love Africa and its wild areas.

June 26, 2008 - Table Mountain Cablecar Closed for Maintenance
The Table Mountain Cablecar will close for maintenance on Monday, July 14, 2008 and will re-open, weather permitting, on Monday, August 4, 2008.

June 26, 2008 - Credit Card Issue in Zimbabwe
For years Ultimate Africa has advised our clients to not use credit cards in Zimbabwe due to the difference between the official and black market money rates. Zimbabwean banks have now suspended all credit card transactions as their equipment is no longer able to handle the billions of local currency involved in even the smallest of transactions.

June 26, 2008 - Luxury Yacht Experience in Cape Town
The renowned Cape Grace Hotel has secured the exclusive use of "Spirit of the Cape" a private 56 foot Aicon luxury yacht which is available for the exclusive use of Cape Grace guests. The cost per hour is R5,000 (approximately US $650). The minimum booking is for 2 hours. Tailor-made excursions such as an authentic South African braai (barbeque) whilst anchored at the world famous Clifton or Camps Bay beaches, or a Champagne and oyster sunset cruise down the Atlantic seaboard with Table Mountain as the backdrop can easily be arranged. Whilst sailing to destinations such as Cape Point, Hout Bay or even Langebaan, guests can choose to enjoy a spa treatment. The five star charter vessel holds a maximum of ten guests with two crew members ensuring a genuine sense of exclusivity and offering the highest standards of hospitality. 

June 26, 2008 - Cape Town's Mount Nelson Hotel Wins Awards
The Mount Nelson Hotel, Cape Town’s most iconic luxury hotel, outshone its competitors last week by winning not one, but two of the world’s most sought after travel accolades. The world’s top travel and trade industry professionals agreed, at the World Travel Awards, that the Mount Nelson Hotel is "Africa’s leading hotel". Now in its 15th year, the World Travel Awards is often referred to as ‘the travel industry’s Oscar’s’. 165,000 travel agents and industry professionals from over 200 countries casting their votes.

The "Nellie" was also voted "Best Hotel in Africa" in the Daily Telegraph’s Ultratravel One Hundred Awards 2008. Ultratravel is a quarterly consumer travel magazine produced by the Daily Telegraph, one of Britain’s leading newspapers. The Ultratravel One Hundred is an annual listing of the luxury travel industry’s top tour operators, hotels, airlines and destinations, as voted for by Daily Telegraph readers. The winners in each category are awarded an ‘ULTRA’ (Ultimate Luxury Travel Related Awards) at a special presentation lunch held at a premier London hotel.

June 10, 2008 - New David and Livingstone Safari Lodge and Spa
A new two storey, 77 room lodge comprised of 72 river facing room and 5 luxurious suites, on the banks of the Zambezi River on the Zambian side of Victoria Falls. All rooms stunning views of the Zambezi River and Siloka Island on the Zambian side of Victoria Falls.

June 10, 2008 - Cape Grace Refashioning
Cape Town's Cape Grace Hotel will be undergoing a complete refashioning. Local Interior Designer Kathi Weixelbaumer has been appointed to refashion all 121 guestrooms and suites. Kathi has previous experience designing beautiful private homes and she has no hotel experience other than her own guest house. This was important to Cape Grace as they have always strived to be more of a gracious home than a hotel and have always wanted to be "un-hotel-like". People are far more conscious of traveling responsibly these days. They want to experience some of the community to which they are traveling; they want a more real and authentic experience and obviously, exclusivity remains key. Specifically addressing the exclusivity, green, responsible travel trends, Kathi has hand-picked an amazing crew to work with her on the refashioning project and to handcraft décor elements within the rooms.  The new fabrics are being hand painted exclusively for Cape Grace by “African Sketchbook” and they are using a number of other craftspeople to make ceramics, lamp bases etc.  In other words, they are making responsible decisions and are using local talent wherever possible. Where they can, they are going green - for example, their Charlotte Rhys amenities have been re-packaged in black sepia, pump-action bottles which are recyclable.  The composition has been tweaked and is now more natural.  It is totally exclusive to Cape Grace. Two main themes run throughout the refashioned rooms; the suites will subtly tell the “Stories of the Cape” while all other room categories will showcase “Cape Botanicals”.  Although the same design of carpet will run throughout the hotel, each floor will incorporate a different accent color:  4th floor - blue / 3rd floor - red / 2nd floor - green / 1st and ground floors - gold. The project is on schedule to complete on September 28, 2008.

June 10, 2008 - New Conservation Partnership Announced
Retired safari operator Colin Bell, together with wildlife documentary producers Dereck and Beverly Joubert, boutique hotelier and businessman Paul Harris and Mark Read, botanist, paleontologist and exclusive art gallery owner, recently formed the "Great Plains" partnership. The goal is to establish flagship conservation programs that will add value to their host countries, stakeholders and communities. Each project has its own uniquely styled operation targeted at conserving iconic endangered species and improving and expanding their environment. World class boutique lodges are also being constructed to support conservation, research and outreach programs. Projects include a marine and island bird conservation project in the Seychelles, a mountain gorilla and tropical rain forest project in Rwanda, a lion and predator protection and community upliftment programmed in  east Africa, the elephant footprint in Botswana, a tiger project in India, and a world renowned small anchor property in Cape Town.

May 9, 2008 - Kilimanjaro Snow Gone by 2020
The snow atop the world's tallest freestanding mountain, Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, is projected to disappear by the year 2020. Already 82% has disappeared since 1912 with one third melting in the past 12 years.

May 9, 2008 - Victoria Falls Rafting Stopped
White Water rafting at Victoria Falls has been stopped due to high water. This seasonal closure is caused by helicopter evacuation / safety points being submerged as opposed to dangerous water conditions (in fact rafting during high water is more placid). We expect rafting to restart late June this year.

May 9, 2008 - New Hot Air Balloon Option in Tanzania
Grumeti River Camp is now offering low level hot air balloon excursions just west of the Serengeti. The morning flights offer incredible views of stunning east African landscapes and spectacular wildlife. At the right time of year lucky guests may witness the wildebeest migration crossing the Grumeti River below! The flight ends with sparkling wine and a full English breakfast served near the landing site. The cost is US$500 per person.

May 9, 2008 - Tanzanian Resort One of World's Best
The Palms, a small boutique resort on the island of Zanzibar in east Africa, was selected by Conde Nast Traveler as one of the Top 30 island beaches in the world and recommended as the place to stay. In addition the Palms was recently featured in American Town and Country magazine, Woman magazine, Elle, Architectural Digest, and Cosmopolitan! If that was not enough Zanzibar Island and the Palms in particular, was chosen as the #1 island destination of the world by the BBC Holiday Show.

May 9, 2008 - New Baby Elephant at Abu Camp
Ultimate Africa welcomes Lorato (meaning love in Setswana) into the world! The elephant calf was born at Abu Camp in Bostwana’s Okavango Delta! Lorato is the fourth baby elephant to be born at the camp, where Randall Moore pioneered the first elephant back safari operation in Africa 18 years ago. Lorato has been feeding and sleeping well, and within a few days of her birth, joined the herd in their walks to the mud bath.

Kitimetse, her mother, joined the Abu herd as a baby when rescued from a mud bank in the Okavango after she had been attacked by a crocodile and presumably abandoned by her wild herd. Lorato is her first born.

Moore says "Apart from the privilege of being able to witness the arrival of one of these magnificent animals, it is another indication that the elephants at Abu are happy, healthy and without stress of any kind."

Ultimate Africa staff congratulate Randall Moore and Abu Camp for all they have done with regards to elephant conservation in Africa. All of travel consultants have visited Abu Camp (many several times) and highly recommend it!

May 9, 2008 - Flight Cancellations and Rule 240
Have you ever had your flight delayed or cancelled due to weather when the weather is fine and other airlines, flying between the same cities, continued to fly? Could it be that the reason for the cancelled flights was a convenient untruth? Simply - yes.

In the above situation a smart traveler will would request the gate agent to invoke Rule 240. Rule 240 states that in the event of any flight delay or cancellation caused by anything other than weather, the airline would fly the passenger on the next available flight - not their next available flight, which might not leave for another 24 hours.

Rule 240 was created by the old Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) before the days of airline deregulation. And the rule clearly stated what an airline's responsibilities were to passengers in the event of a flight cancellation or delay. Rule 240 mandates that an airline facing a delayed or canceled flight had to transfer you to another carrier if 1) the second carrier could get you to your destination more quickly than the original line and 2) it had available seats. In pre-deregulation days, all the big U.S. airlines adhered to this practice (In the days of regulation, the U.S. government required all airlines to submit details about what they would and would not do in a wide range of circumstances. Those tariffs, in effect, constituted the contract between airlines and travelers. And in an interesting semantic approach, the tariff paragraphs were described as "rules." ). In its day, Rule 240 was perhaps the most pro-passenger rule ever enacted to protect air travelers. And then, when the CAB was deregulated out of existence in 1978, the rule survived the transition. Flight delayed or canceled? An airline counter or gate agent could easily invoke Rule 240 to endorse your ticket over to another carrier. In colloquial airline usage, the rule soon became a verb, as in ... "Hey, could you '240' me?" Airlines would ... and did just that.

Of course, in today's deregulated environment, when airlines no longer have to post tariffs, the argument can be made that Rule 240 therefore no longer exists. Officially, that's true, but in practice a majority of airlines still honor the old rules, 240 among them. The newer carriers — those that do not have interline agreements with the major legacy airlines, like JetBlue, Southwest and Air Tran, never had Rule 240 to deal with, and thus don't, as a matter of company policy, endorse tickets over to other carriers (although JetBlue has been known to outright buy tickets on other carriers to accommodate some of its passengers).

In the past few years, just about every cash-strapped airline has amended its "contract of carriage" to try to change the definition of Rule 240. Still, in practice, airlines continue to reluctantly use it every day. They reluctantly use it because of financial realities — to endorse a ticket over to another carrier also means the airline loses that revenue.

It's really an issue of semantics and interpretation. Rule 240 does exist. On the official level, this is what airlines now say they will do in the event of a delay or cancellation: United Airlines changed its language to say that in the event of a delay or cancellation, it would still fly you on a competitor, but not necessarily in the same class of service as on your original United flight. Delta still has a Rule 240 in its contract of carriage, but conveniently omits the section in which it used to say it would fly you on another carrier in the event of a "flight irregularity." American only promises to get you out on one of its own flights. Alaska and Northwest airlines have stayed with most of the original paragraph 240 language.

The bottom line is that while no one airline is legally mandated to follow Rule 240, many of them do. The key is that you have to ask, not demand, and in many cases, you'll be accommodated.

May 9, 2008 - New Ultra-Luxury Zanzibar Resort
Sol Kerzner's One and Only Resorts will partner in the development and management of a new 150 room luxury resort on a 75 hectare site at Muyuni Beach in Zanzibar. The resort is scheduled to open in 2009.

May 9, 2008 - Concerts in Cape Town
Michael Buble at the Kirstensbosch Botanical Gardens...Celine Dion at the Vergelegen Wine Estate...Elton John in Cape Town...these are just a few of the top musical performers to recently concert in and around Cape Town, South Africa. Ultimate Africa guests staying at the Cape Grace Hotel can contact the concierge for pre-purchased tickets. For a perfect evening take along a gourmet Cape Grace picnic basket complete with incredible snacks, blanket, crockery and cutlery.

May 9, 2008 - Johannesburg to Kilimanjaro in One Day
South African Airways has a daily codeshare flight with Air Tanzania that allows traveler to get from South Africa's Johannesburg Airport to Tanzania's Kilimanjaro Airport in one day (and vice versa). The flight leaves from Kilimanjaro at 8:00 AM (making a night in Arusha before the flight necessary for most travelers) to Johannesburg arriving 1:10 PM, and departs from Johannesburg at 1:50 PM to Kilimanjaro arriving 8:55 PM (making an overnight in Arusha necessary).

Although the flight seems wonderful Ultimate Africa consultants do not recommend it. The flight is often cancelled and we have had business class passengers downgraded - experiences we do our best to steer our clients away from. 

May 9, 2008 - North Island World's Most Brilliant
North Island, in the Seychelles, has been named Tatler’s Most Consistently Brilliant Hotel 2008 at the Tatler Travel Guide Awards.

Tatler magazine describes North Island as “a mesmerizing place, a Midsummer Day’s Dream, a magical kingdom fit for a shipwrecked Oberon and Titania. You can’t take your eyes off North Island. It opened five years ago and yet still nothing has come close to touching its trailblazing approach.”

The Tatler Travel Awards aim to celebrate “the hotels that are individuals, the ones that go beyond the call of duty, that are true to their roots, that are passionate about the countries they're in and inspire that passion in others.”

May 9, 2008 - Delta to Launch Direct Flight USA to East Africa
Beginning June 2008 Americans will be able to fly to east Africa without having to pass through Europe. Delta Airlines will fly four times weekly to and from New York's JFK Airport and Kenya's Jomo Kenyatta Airport in Nairobi with only stopover being Senegal's capital of Dakar. The services begin on June 3, 2008. The airline will operate Boeing 767-300ER aircraft with 214 seats in a 2 class configuration - economy and BusinessElite, Delta's award winning business class service. This routing will save American travelers both time and money.

Ultimate Africa would like to remind travelers that the US State Department warning for Kenya is still in place (for terrorism, serious crime against tourists, and political instability) and this warning invalidates some travel insurance coverages (as an example if a terror attack occurred in Kenya causing a traveler to cancel their plans they would not be covered). For this reason and taking into consideration other quality concerns, Ultimate Africa does not entertain bookings to Kenya.

This route is one of several new routes between Africa and New York planned by the Delta for 2008. Others include Lagos, Cape Town (via Dakar) and Cairo.

In December 2006, Delta launched a nonstop service between Johannesburg and Atlanta in the US (also via Dakar). 

May 9, 2008 - Zambia Bush and Beach!
Many Ultimate Africa clients want to combine the bush safari with a beach experience. and there are a number of ways to do this from Zambia. There is Lake Malawi – easily reached by regular light air transfers direct South Luangwa. Travelers wanting to experience the beautiful east coast of Africa can fly aboard Zambian Airways four times a week from Lusaka to Dar es Salaam where there are easy connections to Zanzibar and northern Mozambique. Alternatively there are daily flights to Johannesburg where travelers can overnight and then fly onto southern Mozambique. To plan your dream trip Africa call our Seattle office toll free 1 800 461 0682 and speak to an Ultimate Africa travel consultant today!

May 9, 2008 - Sunscreens Explained
Sunscreens are chemical agents that help prevent the sun's ultraviolet (UV) radiation from reaching the skin.  Two types of ultraviolet radiation, UVA and UVB, damage the skin and increase your risk of skin cancer. UVB is the chief culprit behind sunburn, while UVA rays, which penetrate the skin more deeply, are associated with wrinkling, leathering, sagging, and other effects of photoaging. They also exacerbate the carcinogenic effects of UVB rays, and increasingly are being seen as a cause of skin cancer on their own.  Sunscreens vary in their ability to protect against UVA and UVB.

Most sunscreens, with an SPF of 15 or higher, do an excellent job of protecting against UVB. SPF - or Sun Protection Factor - is a measure of a sunscreen's ability to prevent UVB from damaging the skin. Here's how it works:  If it takes 20 minutes for your unprotected skin to start turning red, using an SPF 15 sunscreen theoretically prevents reddening 15 times longer — about five hours. Another way to look at it is in terms of percentages:  SPF 15 blocks approximately 93 percent of all incoming UVB rays. SPF 30 blocks 97 percent; and SPF 50 blocks 99 percent.  They may seem like negligible differences, but if you are light-sensitive, or have a history of skin cancer, those extra percentages make a difference. No sunscreen can block all UV rays.

No sunscreen, regardless of strength, should be expected to stay effective longer than two hours without reapplication. Second, "reddening" of the skin is a reaction to UVB rays alone and tells you little about what UVA damage you may be getting. Plenty of damage can be done without the red flag of sunburn being raised. 

Experts typically recommend a broad-spectrum sunscreen offering protection against both UVA and UVB rays. Many of the sunscreens available in the US today combine several different active chemical sunscreen ingredients in order to provide this protection. Most include PABA derivatives, salicylates, and / or cinnamates (octylmethoxycinnamate and cinoxate) for UVB absorption; benzophenones (such as oxybenzone and sulisobenzone) for shorter-wavelength UVA protection; and avobenzone (Parsol 1789), ecamsule (Mexoryl), titanium dioxide, and zinc oxide for the remaining UVA spectrum.

To ensure protection one person should use around one half to one quarter of an 8 oz. Bottle per day in the sun. Sunscreens should be applied 30 minutes before sun exposure to allow the ingredients to fully bind to the skin.  Reapplication of sunscreen is just as important as putting it on in the first place, so reapply the same amount every two hours.  Sunscreens should be reapplied immediately after swimming, toweling off, or sweating a great deal.

Remember, you should not rely on sunscreen alone to protect your skin against UV rays. Avoiding sun exposure between 10AM and 4PM when UV rays are at their strongest wearing sunglasses, protective clothing and a wide brimmed hat are important ways to protect yourself too. 

May 8, 2008 - Cape Town Hosts Food and Wine Show
The South African Good Food and Wine Show will take place at the Cape Town International Convention Center from May 15 to May 18, 2008. This annual event showcases South Africa's incredible food and wine offerings and combines well with other southern African experiences such as wildlife viewing and Victoria Falls.

May 8, 2008 - Cape Grace Hotel Receives Facelift
South Africa's Cape Grace Hotel will be undergoing a "refashioning" over the next several weeks. In addition to the new interior décor, the exterior of the hotel will be painted as well. Painting will begin on Monday, 19 May and a temporary framework will be erected on a small portion of the building. The structure will not cover the entire building – only 25% of the hotel will be painted at one time.

The Cape Grace has assured us that all Ultimate Africa guests visiting during the painting period will be allocated rooms away from the temporary framework. This structure may be visible from the exterior but it will not affect the views from the rooms  or the use of room balconies. Rooftop rooms will not be affected at all by the structure.

For new bookings made for the time during which painting is taking place, we will be able to confirm the exact location of a guest’s room in relation to the temporary framework.

May 4, 2008 - Fire Destroys Portion of Botswana Camp
Chitabe Lediba Camp, situated in Botswana's famed Okavango Delta, experienced a fire the night of April 30. Only the main lounge/dining area was affected. No one was hurt and all rooms remain completely intact. 

The camp was closed for three days while the site was cleared. It reopened today with the curio shop / office having been converted into the new main dining area / lounge / bar / coffee station. This is a 10 x 5 meter thatched building has electricity, ceiling fans and plug points. It has also been furnished with furniture from Chitabe Main Camp: dining table and chairs, couch, ottomans, carpet and outside umbrellas

In making the best of the situation the camp is hosting private dinners on guest's decks and offering full day picnics out to the Gomoti Channel -perfect winter functions.

Ultimate Africa guests booked to stay at Chitabe Lediba will be notified. 

April 29, 2008 - Nationwide Airlines Cancels All Flights
South Africa's Nationwide Airlines has cancelled all of its flights due to critical cash-flow problems.

A source confirmed the airline has already gone into liquidation (although the liquidator would not confirm or deny this) after the sale of the airline fell through. AGE, the investment company that was to have bought Nationwide, withdrew its bid on Saturday, April 26. AGE ceo, Reggie Naidoo, said that the bid was withdrawn as the deal was no longer “viable”.

Ultimate Africa clients, previously booked aboard Nationwide Airlines, have been booked on alternate flights and will be provided with updated travel information.

January 26, 2008 -  All Travelers Must Purchase Zambia Entry Visas
With effect from January 26, 2008 all visitors to Zambia will have to pay the full visa fee (the visa waiver program for travelers overnighting in Zambia has been scrapped). ALL visitors are required to purchase a tourist visa. Visaa may be purchased on arrival by land or air. Single entry visas, payable in CASH, are US $135 per person for American passport holders.

January 26, 2008 - Tanzania Entry and Yellow Fever
We have just been notified by the Government of Tanzania that ''Health Surveillance Desks" which were removed in 2001, will now be reinstated in all border posts, ports, and international airports. As Tanzania is among countries which are at risk of being infected with yellow fever, health officials have been instructed to deal with the control and prevention of yellow fever for international travelers coming from infected countries.

Yellow Fever Endemic zones in Africa include Senegal, Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Cote D'Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Nigeria, Mali, Niger, Chad, Central African Republic, Togo, Benin, Sao Tome and Principe, Cameroon, Gabon, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, United Republic of Tanzania, Angola, Zambia, Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, Ethiopia, Somali, Sudan and Equatorial Guinea.

Yellow Fever Endemic zones in the Americas include Panama, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana and Bolivia.

All visitors arriving from the above infected countries will require a yellow fever vaccination. Visitors arriving from other areas transiting in yellow fever endemic countries by connecting flights to Tanzania within the arrival airport and without checking out of the airport will not be required to produce a yellow fever vaccination certificate. For personal health protection, however, all clients including those arriving directly into Tanzania from non-yellow fever areas, for example Europe or the USA, may need to vaccinate against yellow fever, although it is not mandatory.