Drumbeats - Fall 08

As 2008 approaches its rapid conclusion, it will be remembered as a year filled with excitement and turbulence, both natural and manmade! In spite of the challenges faced by our economy, African tourism continues to thrive. In fact, this has been our busiest year ever! What is especially rewarding is that we are arranging safaris for the grandchildren of clients that we first sent to Africa more than 30 years ago! Take a few minutes to preview African Travel’s 2009 brochure. When you finish admiring the magnificent pictures, let it inspire you to plan the safari you’ve always dreamed of. The dividends will last a lifetime. When you think of it, an African safari is one of today’s few investments that can guarantee an extraordinary return!
— Anne Bellamy, President

FALL 2008

Heidi Podjavorsek
Sales & Marketing Manager
Having joined our ranks less than a year ago, Heidi came to African Travel with a lot of baggage, the good kind! She can claim more than a decade in management, sales, and marketing experience. Most recently, Heidi was with the German Tourist Board, where she gained a wealth of sophisticated marketing techniques, successful sales tools, and cutting edge IT technology. Heidi especially enjoys attending industry functions and meeting our travel agent partners, almost as much as she loves travelling to Africa! Now that Heidi has discovered the rewards of being on safari, she has volunteered to escort all future familiarization trips. For any inquiries about African Travel’s sales and marketing initiatives, Heidi is the person to contact.

WILD ABOUT WILDEBEEST?
If you are partial to a particular safari animal, here is a hint on the areas to find them...
• LION: Masai Mara, Kenya, Serengeti, Tanzania and Savute, Botswana.
• ELEPHANT: Chobe, Botswana, Kruger National Park, South Africa and S. Luangwa, Zambia.
• HIPPO: Mana Pools, Zimbabwe, Lake Manyara, Tanzania and Okavango Delta, Botswana.
• CHEETAH: Serengeti, Tanzania, Masai Mara, Kenya and Hwange, Zimbabwe.
• BLACK RHINO: Ngorongoro, Tanzania, Amboseli, Kenya and Etosha, Namibia.
• BUFFALO: Moremi, Botswana, Masai Mara, Kenya and Kruger National Park, South Africa.
• GEMSBOK: Samburu, Kenya, Etosha, Namibia and Tarangire, Tanzania.
• LEOPARD: Kruger Park, South Africa, S. Luangwa, Zambia and Serengeti, Tanzania.

By Dave Herbert, CTC,
Managing Director

TO PACK OR NOT TO PACK
• Don’t take expensive luggage on safari. Baggage is easily soiled (and sometimes eaten!) out in the bush.
• Do take an inexpensive rolling duffel, made of lightweight but sturdy material.
• Don’t be tempted to over pack, no fashion shows are scheduled. There are stringent luggage weight restrictions on small aircraft in Africa.
• Do take a backpack or fanny pack and keep your money, passport, camera and valuables on your person when possible.
• Don’t pack everything you want, just what you need.

“It was a trip of a lifetime.
I appreciate all of Susannah’s knowledge and expertise. The lodges were fabulous — I could not have asked for more. My husband and I loved every second of our experience!” — B. & E. Pressman, CA

Despite its small size, pound-for-pound the Honey Badger is known to be the most fearless animal in Africa!

Voted One of TRAVEL+LEISURE's
Top Ten Tour Operators

Please contact your favorite Travel Professional to book your next safari!

A safari to Africa is a life-long ‘dream come true’. African Travel, Inc. is dedicated to assisting our customers design and experience the best possible safari adventure. By sharing our firsthand knowledge and expertise, our mission is to breathe life into fantasies and help our clients truly ‘live the dream’...

Fairmont The Norfolk

Where? Nairobi, Kenya
What? The famous Norfolk Hotel, shining even brighter under the Fairmont spotlight
The prestigious Fairmont Hotel group has bought several high-profile Kenyan hotels and safari lodges that were previously under the Lonrho banner. The Norfolk Hotel — one of Africa’s most famous landmarks — has nearly completed its refurbishment and serious makeover. This 100 year old property is looking better than ever! The beautiful guest rooms and public areas are freshly elegant, retaining the warmth and historic touches of a bygone era. The inner courtyards are a welcome respite from the busy city streets, and guests are invited to enjoy the gardens or a swim in the lovely new pool. The outdoor dining patio, however, has not been changed. It is said that the ghosts of Hemingway, Churchill and Denys Finch Hatton still enjoy lunch here on Lord Delamere Terrace, toasting each other with mugs of cold Tusker beer and watching luminaries arrive and depart through the hotel’s bustling portal.

Wildebeest and Zebra crossing the Mara River

Where? Nanyuki, Kenya
What? Another Fairmont crown jewel: The Mount Kenya Safari Club
Of all the properties that Fairmont acquired, the Mount Kenya Safari Club has endured the most extensive refurbishment. The finish carpenters are expected to depart at the end of 2008, so by the New Year, the resort will be re-open to first-time visitors as well as guests that have called this property their ‘vacation home’ for decades. The Mount Kenya Safari Club is set on 100 acres of beautifully manicured grounds, where peacocks and warthog roam freely, and guests are invited to explore this rolling expanse on horseback. Picturesquely placed at the foot of Mount Kenya, it is the perfect setting for visitors who want a little ‘pampering’ in between time spent on safari and in the bush. Activities and facilities include a golf course, swimming pool, tennis courts, bowling green, horseback riding, animal orphanage, and hiking trips on Mt. Kenya. There are over 115 luxuriously appointed guest rooms, including our favorite: the William Holden Suite, named after the club’s famous founder.

The mighty leopard taking a moment to stretch

Where? Masai Mara, Kenya
What? Fairmont’s luxury tented safari lodge: Mara Safari Club
Surrounded on three sides by the Mara River and on the edge of the world’s Seventh ‘New’ Wonder of the World — the Masai Mara — Fairmont Mara Safari Club is the epitome of tented luxury. Furnished with four poster, pillow-top beds and a veranda overlooking the hippo and crocodile-filled river, each of the 50 tents at the Mara Safari Club enjoys its own private, three-piece bathroom. Guests can choose from a wide range of activities, including game drives and balloon safaris over the Mara plains capped with a champagne breakfast on the savannah, or a walk in the footprints of a hippo-trodden path escorted by a Maasai Moran. The location provides a perfect base for visiting the Masai Mara, one of the world’s richest wildlife reserves, and home to an astounding array of animals including zebras, cheetahs, wildebeests, gazelles, and of course, the ‘Big Five’.

All three Fairmont properties, the Norfolk Hotel, the Mount Kenya Safari Club and the Mara Safari Club, are featured in our “Kenya Explorer” available now in our 2009 brochure.

African Travel has launched a new initiative called CASH IN FOR CHARITY. When our clients pay for their safari with cash (check), African Travel will donate 1% of the total safari cost to either of our two sponsored charities, Cheetah Outreach or Maasai Wilderness Conservation Fund. All travelers participating will receive a 3 CD audio book called the Cheetah Portal and a framed certificate of appreciation.

We would like to thank all our supporters for your vote in the Travel Weekly’s “Readers Choice Awards” competition. African Travel is now a FINALIST in the category of Tour Operator: Africa. Cast your ballot by November 10 and help us win this coveted award. Winners will be announced in December 2008. Click here to vote!

One of our best insider tips on how to stretch one’s travel budget: Consider going on safari in the month of May. The weather in Africa is mild, the rains have gone and the game viewing is good. As this is not a particularly busy time to travel, hotel and lodges are not full and more than happy to see travelers on their doorstep. African Travel has negotiated some extraordinary rates at many top notch city hotels and private game lodges for travel in May. In many cases they reflect a 50% discount off regular rates! Have us create that perfect, customized itinerary, using these special properties, for a luxury safari at an incredibly affordable price. When planning your safari, think about the merry-month-of MAY!

African Travel has teamed up with award-winning author, Bonnie J. Nelson, to further the cause of the endangered Cheetah. Bonnie returned from her first African Travel safari with a new life mission, and the realization that her literary talents could be used to achieve this. Her 3 CD audio book — The Cheetah Portal — was bestowed the prestigious 2008 Nautilus award in the category of ‘world changing books’. Bonnie has recently founded the Cheetah Alliance — a non-profit organization that is designed to be a learning tool and inspiration for all wildlife lovers. Through the Cheetah Alliance, both adults and children, from all over the world will be able to share their thoughts on saving our planet — one cheetah at a time!

Request a brochure from African Travel, Inc.

EDITOR IN CHIEF: ANNE BELLAMY;
MANAGING EDITOR: HEIDI PODJAVORSEK; GRAPHIC DESIGN: LISA BRINK
THANKS TO THE ENTIRE STAFF FOR THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS.

CA Sellers #207144420
African Travel is not liable for any errors or omissions.