News

Acclaimed director and producer Anthony Makin is embarking on a project to produce a documentary about the life of David Rattray and the establishment of The David Rattray Foundation and its work.

He is trying to find as much footage of David’s battlefield tours as possible for inclusion in his documentary. If you should have any footage of David’s talks - long or short - and would be willing to make it available to Mr. Makin, Nicky Rattray would be enormously grateful if you would get in touch with her via email at nicky@fugitivesdrift.com.

Any footage used in the documentary will be properly credited.

For more information about the Foundation’s work, please go to www.davidrattrayfoundation.org.

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The David Rattray Foundation - His Legacy

George Irwin, a lecturer at Fugitives’ Drift, has written and photographed a book about the David Rattray Foundation and the communities of Rorke’s Drift and Isandlwana. The book is a 110-page 'coffee-table' book offering a written and photographic account of the region’s history, David’s history and the Foundation’s work in the communities. All profits from the sale of the book will go to the Foundation.  It is due to be published in the second week of October and will be available from Fugitives’ Drift directly.

Guests visiting Sanctuary Swala Camp in Tarangire, Tanzania, now have the rare privilege of enjoying exciting night game drives, walking safaris and balloon safaris in the National Park.

Never before has permission been granted to experience the wonders of a safari at night within the park. As dusk falls, guests can relax in the comfort of their safari vehicle as they venture into the park (which appears completely transformed at night), and search for nocturnal animals rarely seen by visitors. At night, guests may encounter African wild cat and the elusive leopard, or feel the round eyes of a bushbaby peering down as the moon rises into the sky. With specialised lighting, the guide searches for lion and hyena and smaller creatures such as spotted genet, serval, bat eared foxes, owls and nightjars.

Guests can also now put on their walking shoes and experience the beautiful Tarangire National Park from a different perspective on a walking safari. With a professional walking guide and armed ranger, guests explore the grassland around camp in one of the most secluded areas of the park. The qualified guide has a wealth of knowledge which he shares as he tracks game and explains how to understand animal behaviour. Tarangire is one of a few places in Tanzania’s northern Parks where walking is possible.

There is no better way to truly experience the unique beauty of Tarangire than on a balloon safari. The balloon safaris offer an unusual opportunity to fly low over this amazing landscape which is dominated by majestic Baobab trees and has a mixture of acacia tortilis, riparian woodland, riverine and savannah grasslands. The pilot and guide sets an attractive flight path northwards following the Tarangire river, which attracts a large number of migrant animals to its banks year round.

Activities are at additional cost - please contact one of our team for more detailed information.

Nkwichi Lodge, located on the Mozambique shores of Lake Malawi, focuses much of its efforts on the local communities.

One project is the fuel-efficient stoves that are hand-made on their community farm and then sold to the local villages. These stoves are made by hand from clay gathered in the area. They are produced by the community and sold to the community at a very affordable price, encouraging the support of the micro economy within the area. This has had a noticeable effect, the stoves use between 40% to 70% less firewood, depending on how carefully the wood is used pre and post cooking.

These stoves help sustain the growing number of people while slowing the detrimental effect to the environment caused by chopping down trees for firewood. They have also been selling the stoves to Likoma Island Residents (Malawi) who for years have been going across to the mainland to chop down trees for firewood or buy firewood from the mainland residents. With the introduction of these stoves, these firewood collecting or buying trips have been reduced by between 20% and 50% depending on the time of year.

The Bushcamp Company, Zambia are hosting a unique safari at the newly refurbished Mfuwe Lodge in November 2010. They are proudly welcoming back BBC Big Cat Diary presenter, author and wildlife photographer Jonathan Scott, who along with renowned Bushcamp Company guide, leopard and giraffe expert, and former Park Warden, Phil Berry, will be leading a very special week long trip in the South Luangwa.

South Luangwa is celebrated as being Zambia’s big cat country and one of the best parks in Africa for leopard. Although November can be hot, it is an exciting time for wildlife activity, with wild dog and lion sightings being good in previous years, as well as stunning carmine bee-eater colonies and mixed bird species fishing parties. During this period - at the very end of the dry season and at the start of the rains - the concentration of game around the Luangwa River and its oxbow lagoons is among the most intense in Africa. When the first rains come the park takes on a fresh green appearance, the air becomes clear and the light is perfect for photography. With all this going on and two of Africa’s top experts to guide you - this truly will be a unique week in the South Luangwa.

Also, in November the resident elephant families near Mfuwe Lodge are on the search for succulent wild gardenia fruits. One particular family, led by a wily old matriarch ‘Wonky Tusk’, takes the most direct route to the wild mango trees, by walking through reception at Mfuwe Lodge, much to the delight of the guests.

Each day, following a light breakfast, guests will head off into the park with Phil or Jonathan in search of photographic opportunities and interesting wildlife. Each day will be different with meals in the bush, picnics or lunch back at the lodge. Another highlight will be before tea, when Jonathan, Phil and representatives from local conservation organisations (African Wild Dog Conservation Zambia and the South Luangwa Conservation Society) will be giving talks and presentations. After tea, guests will head out once more with either Jonathan or Phil in search of game, and night drive back to the lodge in time for drinks and dinner.

If a week isn’t long enough, then you have the opportunity to join the experts before and after the main safari: Jonathan will be leading a safari before the main event to the Lower Zambezi for some wildlife photography and canoeing, while Phil will be leading a trip after the South Luangwa to Shiwa Ng’andu and Kasanka, in search of millions of fruit bats and sitatunga.

This unique safari is from 3rd to 10th November 2010 - please contact one of our team to confirm your place - space is very limited and filling up fast!

In October 1975, two white lion cubs were born into a pride of lions in the Timbavati Private Nature Reserve bordering the Kruger National Park in South Africa.  The lions were discovered by Chris McBride who, in 1977, went on to write ‘White Lions of The Timbavati’, a book about the famous lions.  Since then few other white lions have been born in the Timbavati and immediate vicinity - the last disappeared in 1992, killed in a territorial take-over by other lions.

At the beginning of December last year two white lion cubs were seen in the Timbavati - a most rare and precious event.  The cubs were seen early one morning with a pride consisting of three adult females and four cubs approximately 8 or 9 months old.  The pride was feeding on a fresh giraffe carcass on Kings Camp property. Only two of the cubs were white and as Kings Camp tracker Albert put it, the other two were just "plain" - meaning they were the normal tawny colour!!  Kings Camp's guides report that the newcomers look healthy and well fed, and their chances of survival increase daily as they get older.

White lions are not albinos, as is sometimes thought, but owe their uniqueness to a recessive gene carried by the normal tawny parent lions. Their re-appearance is a very exciting event.

Kings Camp captures all the charm of a bygone age. The camp faces an open plain and a waterhole that is frequently visited by wildlife. Nine spacious thatched suites, and two honeymoon suites with pools, have air-conditioning, luxurious bathroom, indoor and outdoor shower, mini-bar and private verandah.

Four of the worlds last eight Northern White Rhinos have been flown from the Dvur Králové Zoo in the Czech Republic to Ol Pejeta Conservancy, in Kenya’s Laikipia District.

The transfer is aimed at providing this rare species of rhino with the most favourable breeding conditions, in an attempt to pull the species back from the verge of extinction. It is thought that the climatic, dietary and security conditions at Ol Pejeta will provide them with higher chances of starting a population, in what is seen as the very last lifeline for the species. The transfer marks the beginning of ‘Last Chance to Survive’, a project by the joint efforts of the Dvur Králové Zoo, Fauna and Flora International, Back to Africa, Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, Kenya Wildlife Service and Ol Pejeta Conservancy.

The Ol Pejeta Conservancy is a 90,000 acre private wildlife conservancy situated on the equator, between the foot hills of the Aberdares and the magnificent snow-capped Mount Kenya. It is home to some southern white rhinos and with 83 black rhinos is East Africa's largest Black Rhino Sanctuary. The most exclusive place to stay at Ol Pejeta Conservancy is Ol Pejeta Bush Camp, a small owner-run camp which offers guests the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of carrying out interactive conservation safaris - right in the heart of one of Africa's most important wildlife conservancies.

Chef Malika van Reenen of Signal Restaurant, has added an innovative twist to afternoon tea at the Cape Grace by introducing a Sugar Buffet - a first for Cape Town.

The enticing tea, prettily presented at three o'clock every afternoon continues through to six o'clock in the evening and includes classic treats such as cherry-red toffee apples, decadent pistachio-laced chocolate fudge, fruity florentines, buttery little cup cakes, delicate meringues and pink and white marshmallow squares. The Sugar Buffet served in the hotel's library with incredible views of the yacht marina and Signal Hill.

Nestled in Cape Town’s Waterfront, the gracious sanctuary of Cape Grace embraces tradition, sophistication and contemporary comfort. The luxurious spaciousness of the guestrooms and suites, the diversity of amenities and the unsurpassed standards in service, have all ensured Cape Grace is a favourite for many returning guests.

Malika van Reenen is currently Executive Chef of the superb Signal Restaurant at the Cape Grace, where the creative menu reflects the diversity of Cape cuisine; French Huguenots, British, Dutch and Asian an eclectic and fascinating mix of past favourites, drawing on today’s blend of cultures and their unique tastes worldwide.

Cheetah research in the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania started in the 1970’s when virtually nothing was known about cheetahs in the wild, and information on their conservation status was limited. The aim of the Serengeti Cheetah Project was to monitor the demographics of the cheetah in one of the last few remaining natural ecosystems where cheetahs exist.  Valuable information has been obtained from this project about this unique and specialised member of the cat family.

The field research of finding the cheetah is undertaken by one person covering a research area of 2,200 km²! The public Cheetah Watch Campaign was started in 2000 with the aim of trying to get the public interest in the project increased, as well as trying to collate the information on sightings made by tourists. To date the project has received approximately 1,200 sightings from the public.

Sanctuary Kusini Camp is well situated for cheetah observation, sitting directly in the path of the seasonal cheetah movement from central to southern Serengeti. As such, the camp has partnered with the Cheetah Research Project to help keep track of the animals in the areas surrounding the camp. Their guides have intimate knowledge of the area and have now received in-depth training as to the identification, habits and movements of cheetah. For guests staying at Sanctuary Kusini, the camp offers informative talks and cheetah research outings where the specific aim is to go out on a drive, find cheetah and identify them by means of field ID kits.

Guests are encouraged to leave copies of photos of any cheetah sightings they have had. These are then passed onto the researcher for identification and feedback is provided directly to the guest on the cheetah they saw. They hope to offer guests a more detailed and in depth look into the world of this amazing cat.

If you would like to visit Tanzania and incorporate Sanctuary Kusini in your next safari, please contact us for more details.

Led by world-renowned wildlife photographer Adrian Steirn, Singita will next year offer bespoke Professional Photographic Safaris at their lodges in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Tanzania. These safaris cater for small groups and all skill levels. The first four day safari will take place at Singita Pamushana Lodge in Zimbabwe's pristine Malilangwe Game Reserve from 3rd to 7th March.

Adrian and his partner, Harriet Pratten, will each accompany three guests on a safari vehicle and alternate between them. Nikon sponsors the provision of essential equipment in the field and back at the lodge workshops on technique, style and post-production are presented by the hosts.

The safari includes:

o Professional tuition while shooting and editing.
o Sponsored Nikon equipment to use for the duration of the safari.
o Customised drives with an emphasis on favourable lighting and the best photographic opportunities.
o Only three guests per vehicle allowing each guest a row of seats with access to both sides of the vehicle, and tutelage from the professional photographer.
o Workshops offering guidance on digital post-production and editing techniques between game drives.
o Customised itineraries incorporating different ecosystems for an array of wildlife and landscape.

Each group of six guests has two dedicated safari vehicles, each manned by a field guide and host. Adrian hosts one vehicle, while Harriet hosts the other and they alternate between vehicles on each drive. Drives depart the lodge each morning at first light and again in the afternoon, returning after sunset. If the opportunities present themselves, guests can stay out on drives all day.

The Singita Professional Photographic Safari caters for wildlife photographers of all skill levels, from beginners to professionals, and includes 35mm SLR, medium and large formats. The focus is on digital photography and editing workshops are held daily for approximately 1.5 hours before lunch, creating a great forum for comparing images and learning new skills.

Set Departure Dates

25th - 31st August - Singita Castleton Camp and Singita Sweni Lodge, South Africa
18th - 24th September - Singita Sabora Tented Camp, Tanzania
29th Oct - 4th November - Singita Castleton Camp and Singita Sweni Lodge, South Africa
15th - 18th November - Singita Pamushana Lodge, Zimbabwe

Please contact one of our team for further details.

A series of workshops are being planned at Mashatu Game Reserve in Botswana to bring like-minded people together to enjoy and discover more about wildlife and outdoor photography. With award winning host photographers as the guides, guests will be taken out to witness the spectacular wildlife viewing of the Northern Tuli Game Reserve. For a longer safari combining two diverse and beautiful countries, and incredible wildlife viewing, then an extended trip combines Mashatu with the world renowned MalaMala Game Reserve in South Africa.

Days comprise morning and evening drives, talks, short lectures and review sessions to discuss and analyze photographs - resulting in excellent on site learning and ultimately, better images. The photographic hosts will lead guests through a discovery of technical knowledge, nature experiences and practical application, with reminders of the photography basics of light, composition and creative effects with the camera. The group ratio is kept low enough to maximise individual attention, meaning all levels of photographers are catered for.

The workshops will operate on various set dates throughout 2010 - please contact one of our team for further details.

In 2007, we asked Sue Bingley to organise a safari to Botswana for us. This was after talking to friends who had been there the previous year with Hartley’s. We had such a good time that we decided we wanted to do another safari in 2009, this time, in company with our friends. Sue recommended Zambia as it would provide us with a different safari experience.

Accordingly, on 27 August this year, we found ourselves standing on an airstrip in the Kafue National Park waiting for a transfer to Lufupa Tented Camp. The brief to Sue was to provide us with three camps, for four nights each, in as a wide an environment as possible. Kafue NP is north west of Lusaka and covers a vast area. Our introduction to Lufupa was dramatic as a lion pride had made a warthog kill about 200 metres from the airstrip. With our bags in the back of the landcruiser, we went straight there to follow the action and watched the pride and their cubs having their lunch. We only stayed at Lufupa for one night, but the staff and service were great and it was an excellent start to our holiday. Next day we moved further north to Busanga Camp and began to realise why safaris in Zambia are so logistically challenging.

Busanga Bush Camp is situated on a small island on the Busanga flood plain. For six months of the year the flood plain makes the camp inaccessible so the camp is struck and stored until the floods subside. Because of its position, there is no airstrip so the final leg of the transfer has to be by helicopter. The camp manager, JD, and his wife Laura explained some of the problems of a bush camp. A month before the season opens, all the supplies have to be trucked in and the camp has to be reconstructed. After six months storage, there is inevitably some termite damage and deterioration in the stored equipment and a refurbishment and repair operation is required. The snag is that the flood plain is still too wet for trucks, so everything is brought to the nearest dry area and then taken by canoe to the island. This includes all the food, cement, timber, construction materials, tents, etc. As a camp manager at Busanga you need to be young, fit and able to turn your hand to almost any task. This is on top of the skills required to act as guide and driver! Fortunately JD and Laura have those qualities in spades.

Busanga was chosen as it is in one of the few parks where cheetah can be seen, but although they had been seen a few weeks previously, we were unlucky. Our friends, who had not seen leopard before, were more successful. The Busanga flood plain offers wide open panoramas with unbelievable landscapes and skies. We saw a huge variety of game and birds and enjoyed a wonderful stay. Our highlight was probably a night drive, when we saw a lioness with her three new cubs, two servals, a genet and a leopard on a night prowl.

After a great stay, we transferred to Kaingo Camp in the South Luanga NP. This was chosen as a good leopard viewing area, the totally different terrain from Kafue NP and the wonderful photographic opportunities. This camp is a family run camp and Derek Shenton was our host. Kaingo offers everything you could need (except cheetah!) with almost daily sightings of leopard, lion, elephant, giraffe and antelope of every shape and size. The resident lion pride specialises in taking down buffalo and we witnessed two kills. As we had come to expect, the guiding and driving was of the highest quality. A bonus at Kaingo is the walking safaris and the specially constructed viewing hides. The sight of hundreds of Carmine Bee Eaters nesting on the river bank of the Luangwa River will stay with us for ever.

Our final camp was Chiawa in the Lower Zambezi NP. This is another family camp run by Grant Cumings. The attraction here is the wide range of river activities on the Zambezi and the opportunity to see game from a different perspective. We witnessed elephants crossing from Zimbabwe to Zambia across the Zambezi, listened to elephants, hippos and lions as we drank our sundowners and came back to the camp on two occasions to find that the local trio of bull elephants were ensconced in the middle of the camp making a leisurely lunch of the tamarind tree. The canoe trips and river boat excursions were wonderful and very relaxing after the previous ten days of game drives. Our novice fishing party even managed to catch three tiger fish on the Zambezi. Even though we were concentrating on the river, we still saw the resident pride of lions and a leopard.

Impressions? From our limited experience of only one other safari in Botswana, Zambia seems to offer, smaller, family run camps with more opportunities for a wider variety of activities. For example, at Busanga, there is only room for six guests – the third tent was unoccupied so the four of us had the camp to ourselves. The proportion of Brits to other nationalities (particularly Americans) seems lower in Zambia compared to Botswana.

The camps might at first glance seem more basic, but there is everything you need with laundry services, en suite facilities and a very high standard of catering, management and guiding. The variety in environment of the camps is enormous and can probably cater for almost anybody’s requirements.

The previous history of poaching and hunting has made the game in Zambia a bit skittish, particularly in Kafue NP where the elephant population is very depleted and can be aggressive if approached. Rhino seem to have been completely poached out, so visitors wanting to see the “Big Five” will be disappointed. Nevertheless, Zambia provides a wonderful safari experience and I would thoroughly recommend it.

2010 marks the 60th Anniversary of Norman Carr Safaris in the South Luangwa National Park, Zambia 

In 1950, a young game ranger called Norman Carr initiated a far-reaching and visionary conservation concept which was to pave the way for modern conservation and tourism. He encouraged a local Chief in the South Luangwa to set aside a portion of his tribal land as a Game Reserve and built the first game viewing camp open to the public in Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia). Revenue from the camp was paid directly to the Kunda Traditional Authority.

His dream was to share his passion for this unique wilderness and to secure its future by ensuring that the local population would benefit by conserving the wildlife and infinitely varied habitat of the Luangwa valley.

Sixty years on and Norman Carr Safaris, are still walking.  They are still passionate about sharing the thrill of tracking lions on foot through the early morning mists, the delight in learning something new on every walk or game drive and the chance to meet local people and share experiences about life in the valley.

To celebrate this important milestone they have reduced their rates and introduced some special itineraries including a Classic 60th Anniversary ten night South Luangwa Safari.  

Please contact one of our team for further details

Londolozi has introduced the first zero emissions, electric safari game drive vehicle. The vehicle moves guests silently through Londolozi’s 16,000-hectare traversing area in the Sabi Sand Game Reserve, with a significantly lower carbon footprint than a conventional 4×4.

Using rechargeable batteries, Londolozi has moved a step closer to more efficient use of propulsion energy. They will continue to work closely with the prototype developers to use increased battery efficiency and solar power to achieve a zero emissions status for this new technology.

Londolozi is justly famous for its ground-breaking conservation work, and for establishing that the welfare of the land, the wildlife and the people are intertwined. Londolozi’s Dave Varty was among the first to question and measure the energy costs of a safari, and is proud to have the opportunity to help with the development of the silent, zero-emissions vehicle. The aim is to increase battery efficiency and harness solar power to achieve zero emissions and enable guests to experience the bush and its sounds.

The signage at O.R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg will no longer refer to the terminals as domestic and international, but Terminal A (previously the international terminal) and Terminal B (previously the domestic terminal).

Terminal B has a new multi-use departures hall where some airlines will be able to process both international and domestic passengers. They include -

SAA, Express and Airlink
Air Madagascar
Air Tanzania
Air Mauritius

For the foreseeable future the check-in counters in Terminal A will continue to be used for international flights only.

To assist passengers, the airport has temporary signs that show which airlines operate out of each departure terminal.

From the beginning of April until the end of 2010, tourist visas for Kenya will be reduced by 50 per cent, from US$ 50.00 to US$ 25.00, while children under 16 will be exempt from all visa fees. This will offer a family of four (with children under 16 years old) a saving of US$150.00.

British passport holders can obtain additional information regarding the current Kenya visa prices and requirements from the Kenyan High Commission website where they can also download a visa application form.

www.kenyahighcommission.net/visas.html  

Less than one year after they were controversially increased, the cost of Zambian visas has changed yet again - but this time the cost has come down! 

Visa costs for British and Northern Ireland passport holders have dropped from £ 75.00 for a single-entry visa to £ 35.00 (US$ 50.00), whilst the multi-entry option has been reduced from £ 240.00 to £ 70.00 (US$ 80.00). Single-entry visas for the majority of other nationalities will now cost US$ 50.00.

For additional visa information regarding the current Zambia visa prices and requirements, please contact your local consulate. British passport holders can obtain further information from the Zambian High Commission website where they can also download a visa application form.  www.zhcl.org.uk