AIRLINK INCREASES FREQUENCY
Airlink has increased its service between Cape Town and Nelspruit with a new 6-time weekly early-morning and late-afternoon flight. The flight departs Nelspruit Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport every Monday to Friday and arrives in Cape Town at 9:25am. The late afternoon flight departs Cape Town International at 4:30pm, and arrives in Nelspruit KMIA at 6:45pm. On Saturdays, the flight departs KMIA at 7:40am and arrives in Cape Town at 10:05am.

CHEETAH AMBASSADOR PASSES AWAY
The Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust has announced that their Cheetah Ambassador, Sylvester has passed away from injuries sustained during a confrontation with a small female leopard. Sylvester transformed negative opinions about predators, like cheetahs, into positive ones and inspired us all to learn more about his amazing species. Sylvester was close to 9 years old and came to the Trust as an orphan when a lion killed his mother and 4 siblings. The Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust aims to continue Sylvester’s noble work of helping to steward a culture of coexistence with carnivores and fostering a conservation ethos among rural communities through education and outreach.

COASTAL AVIATION SUSPENDS FLIGHTS
Coastal Aviation has announced that they will suspend flights to both Selous and Ruaha due to the annual rainy season. The last flights from Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar to Selous and Ruaha will be on 15 March and will resume for the new season on 1 June. Guests wanting to fly to Ruaha or Selous during this period can be flown on a private charter, depending on the conditions of the airstrips.

MPUMALANGA: PESTANA KRUGER LODGE UPGRADES
Once refurbishments on the primary swimming pool are complete, the lodge aims to repeat the process with the Mamba pool. Progress on the main pool is ahead of schedule and work on the Mamba pool project should be done sooner than expected. The lodge has permanently closed the plunge pool on the main lodge viewing deck as it remains underutilized and can open up more space on the deck. Other upgrades include the installation of cables to the covered deck to strengthen the structure, refreshing the thatch roofing for all the buildings and resurfacing the road network within the lodge. All work on the lodge will take place during the day while guests are out exploring.

WESTERN CAPE: TABLE MOUNTAIN CABLEWAY MAINTENANCE
The Table Mountain Aerial Cableway will be closed for 6 weeks for annual maintenance from 8 July – 18 August. The upgrades and renovations are put in place to ensure an improved visitor experience and will include replacing cable car ropes. Hiking up Table Mountain is still allowed, however, visitors are asked to remember that all the cable cars and facilities, including the Cableway’s restrooms, eateries and shops, will not be open during this period. Visitors are asked to hike with a registered guide and follow safety guidelines.

WESTERN CAPE: UPGRADES AT WEST COAST NATIONAL PARK
The Kraalbaai Precinct of the West Coast National Park has received environmental authorisation to proceed with an upgrade to the public and park facilities. Upgrades aim to improve the visitor experience in the area and will include new ablutions facilities, an office, and resurfacing of the car park. The renovations commenced on 21 January and are estimated to be completed in 11 months.

NAMIBIA: LUXURY TENTED CAMP CLOSES FOR REFURB
Jackalberry Tented Camp will close towards the end of January for a rebuild and refurb and is expected to reopen in April 2019. The renovations will include the rebuild of the 4 luxury tents, the addition of a new swimming pool and a new covered dining area.

TANZANIA: AIR TANZANIA TO RESUME FLIGHTS TO ZIMBABWE
Effective 22 February, Air Tanzania will resume flights from Dar es Salaam to Harare and Lusaka 3 times a week on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. The addition of more airlines flying into Zimbabwe will enhance accessibility for tourists and provide more flight options for business and leisure travellers with more connection options to Lusaka and Dar es Salaam.

UGANDA: FEE CHANGES AT SEMULIKI NATIONAL PARK
The Uganda Wildlife Authority will no longer charge fees for the guided nature walk to view the Sempaya Hot Springs in Semuliki National Park. Visitors exploring the park will no longer be required to pay separately to view the hot springs, making the park experience more convenient for travellers. Visitors will now only pay the park entrance fees, and no further charges will be levied. Other products and nature walks will be paid for according to UWA tariffs.

ZIMBABWE: AIRPORT EXPANSION IN MUTARE
Grand Reef Airport in Mutare is to be expanded into a fully-fledged airport and improve accessibility to Zimbabwe’s tourist attractions. The expansion is expected to expedite the movement of tourists to the eastern highlands which boasts attractions like Mount Nyangani and Nyanga National Park, Mutarazi Falls, Chimanimani Mountains National Park, Bridal Veil Falls and Vumba Botanical Gardens. Activities in the area include white water rafting, mountain hiking and boat cruises at Osborne Dam.

ZIMBABWE: FASTJET INCREASES HARARE-BULAWAYO FREQUENCIES
Fastjet Zimbabwe has increased the frequency of its daily return flight between Harare and Bulawayo to twice a day with immediate effect. To manage the increasing demand, the new schedule includes a morning and evening departure.

ZIMBABWE: VEHICLE CLEARING TIMES REDUCED
The Zimbabwe Revenue Authority aims to reduce the time spent by travellers obtaining vehicle Temporary Import Permits (TIP) at the country’s border posts from 5 to 3 minutes. The process will be enabled by the Electronic Temporary Import Permit (eTIP) project which enables travellers to apply for vehicle TIPs online, prior to travelling to Zimbabwe. The project has been successful in managing issues of border congestion, like the busy inland border post, Beitbridge. The new process will enhance efficiency and allow a more prompt movement of visitors, further improving the tourism sector.

UPCOMING EVENTS:
Click on the links for more information

Eastern Cape
The Herald Cycle Tour from 15 to 17 February 2019
Addo Elephant Trail Run from 1 to 3 March 2019

Gauteng
The Rand Show from 19 – 28 April 2019

KwaZulu-Natal
Midmar Mile from 9 – 10 February 2019

Mpumalanga
Wakkerstroom Music Festival from 21 to 24 March 2019
Forever Loskop Marathon on 13 April 2019

Western Cape
Up The Creek Music Festival from 7 – 10 February 2019
KKNK from 21 – 27 March 2019

PUBLIC HOLIDAYS

Please note that our offices will be closed on the following Public Holidays:

Thursday, 21 March 2019 – Human Rights Day
Friday, 19 April 2019 – Good Friday
Monday, 22 April 2019 – Family Day
Saturday, 27 April 2019 – Freedom Day