Chobe Angels

Chobe Game Lodge has the only all-female guiding team in Africa. Fourteen professional guides from Botswana will share with you their intimate knowledge of the wildlife and flora of Chobe National Park. Not only are they qualified and enthusiastic nature guides but our team of lady guides will also share with you their passion for Botswana and their culture, ensuring that each guest leaves with a more rounded knowledge of this wonderful nation.

LADIES ARE BREATHING FRESH LIFE INTO GUIDED SAFARIS

Africa Geographic Magazine
by: Fransje van Riel    date: 13 February 2015

Click HERE to read full article

Chobe Game Lodge

For more information, contact Africa Discovery at:
1 800 886-7321, (415) 444-5100
or Email us

Now is the perfect time to visit South Africa! Here’s why…

Cape Town was, voted #1 destination to visit in 2014 by New York Times.

Due to the recent devaluation of the South African Rand against the US Dollar, South Africa represents outstanding value for your money and now is the time to go! With its five star restaurants and some of the oldest grand vineyards, Cape Town, at the tip of the African continent in South Africa, is a food connoisseur’s dream location at any time but especially now with the strong US dollar.

A favorite hangout of Africa Discovery………….

For more information, contact Africa Discovery at:
1 800 886-7321, (415) 444-5100
or Email us

We are very proud to announce we won the “Best New Safari Property in Botswana” for 2014 Safari Awards and in December won the Global Award for “Best Luxury Eco Safari Lodge” at the World Luxury Hotel Awards.

This year our focus as a conservation group is to continue offering incredible safari experiences to our guests through dedicated guiding, wildlife interpretation and giving our guests an appreciation of nature in its wildest truest form. Not forgetting our commitment to communities neighbouring these wild areas and of course our struggle to protect the Rhino.

Machaba Camp:
http://www.africa-discovery.com/botswana_safaris/khwai/machaba_camp.shtml

We look forward to meeting new guests and old friends who travel to our wild corner of the earth this year and hope you all get some time to visit those special places you have been dreaming about.

For more information, contact Africa Discovery at:
1 800 886-7321, (415) 444-5100
or Email us

Zimbabwe: NY Times Top Travel Destination 2015

Holding Statement 
Ebola Outbreak in West Africa – Update 
By Wilderness Safaris:

1 October 2014 – Wilderness Safaris has noted the concerns expressed by a number of our travel partners and guests over the current outbreak of Ebola in the following West African countries – Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria. We are also aware that there has been a minor outbreak in a very remote area of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) (not the Republic of Congo (Congo-Brazzaville) where Odzala is situated). This is not related to the West African outbreak and the DRC authorities have dealt with it quickly and effectively, due to their experience in handling any outbreaks in the past.

As a precautionary measure, the respective Ministries of Health of Botswana, Kenya, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa and Zambia have issued travel entry restrictions on anyone who has recently spent time in one of the countries affected by the outbreak – whether visitors or returning residents. Entry and exit medical screening is in place in a number of countries, and travellers should allow for additional time accordingly. Zimbabwe has not introduced any travel restrictions, however, they are monitoring all travellers from the affected countries. Visitors to South Africa are required to complete a Traveller Health Questionnaire for the Department of Health on arrival.

Wilderness Safaris wishes to reassure all our travel partners and guests that during the current outbreaks there have been no cases of Ebola in any of the African countries in which we operate, namely Botswana, Kenya, Malawi, Namibia, Republic of Congo (Congo-Brazzaville), Seychelles, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Of these countries, Republic of Congo is the only one where Ebola has ever been recorded and the last such case was nine years ago in 2005. Since then, health authorities in the Republic of Congo have had ongoing early detection programmes in place in northern Congo.

The current outbreaks are still a long way from any of the countries in which we operate, for example Sierra Leone is 5 241 km (3 257 miles) away from Botswana (the distance between New York and Seattle is 2 852 miles). The very minor outbreak in DRC is in a remote area from which it is extremely unlikely that Ebola would spread to neighbouring countries. While it is possible that occasional cases may occur in other areas, quarantine and containment plans are in place at all major airports to combat this immediately.

Ebola can only be contracted through extremely close contact with the body fluids of an infected person or animal so it is very difficult to foresee any circumstances in which our guests would be at any risk. Please note that at present we do not consider there to be any risk to Wilderness Safaris guests and staff, due to the distances involved, the security measures in place and the means by which Ebola is spread. We will continue to operate as normal whilst monitoring the situation very closely as the health and safety of all our guests and staff members remains our utmost priority.

For more information, contact Africa Discovery at:
1 800 886-7321, (415) 444-5100
or Email us

Nigeria and Senegal will imminently be declared Ebola-free countries after the 42 day window period without any new cases recently passed. This is good news indeed, and proof that the Ebola virus has not spread any further in Africa, aside from the three affected West African countries of Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia. The fact that Nigeria and Senegal share borders with the affected countries is further testament to the successful containment of the virus.

The rest of Africa, including East and Southern Africa, has not registered any case of Ebola in this outbreak and arrivals from infected countries are carefully monitored, or in the case of Botswana and South Africa, disallowed.

Here is a summary of Southern Africa’s Ebola free status:

Botswana

Ebola cases: No reported cases of Ebola

Travel restrictions: Botswana has banned travellers from Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea, Nigeria and DRC.

Botswana’s Health Deputy Permanent Secretary, Shenaaz El-Halabi, said during a recent media briefing that Botswana is screening all arrivals from West Africa and that the country has implemented travel restrictions for visitors from the four affected countries. These measures are part of a new comprehensive Preparedness Plan.

Travel incidents: The African Travel and Tourism Association reported that US tourists were refused entry into Botswana because they had arrived from Lagos, Nigeria.

Distance from Ebola outbreak: 5 300km

Mozambique

Ebola cases: No reported cases of Ebola

Travel restrictions: There are no travel bans in place.

Mozambique has drawn up a questionnaire that will be asked of all passengers who have come from, or passed through, the West African countries where Ebola has been reported (Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria).

Distance from Ebola outbreak: 5 900km

South Africa

Ebola cases: No reported cases of Ebola

Travel restrictions: South Africa has issued a travel ban for all non-citizens travelling from Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone in an attempt to prevent the spread of Ebola into South Africa. Non-citizens will only be allowed into South Africa when travelling from these high-risk countries if the entry into the country is considered ‘absolutely essential’.

The South African Department of Health has issued a travel advisory against all but essential travel to Liberia, Guinea or Sierra Leone.

Distance from Ebola outbreak: 5 500km

Zambia

Ebola cases: No reported cases of Ebola

Travel restrictions: Zambia has issued contradictory information on whether or not it has closed its borders for travellers from Ebola-affected countries.

Health Minister Joseph Kasonde said Zambia has not banned entry into the country for individuals coming from Ebola hit countries, but has issued a travel advisory. He said a travel advisory is not a ban but a travel advice restricting not only nationals of the affected countries but anyone traveling from the affected countries into Zambia. He said anyone suspected of having contracted the Ebola virus would be quarantined.

A statement posted on the Ministry of Health website on Saturday said Zambia would restrict entry of travellers from countries affected by the Ebola virus and would ban Zambians from travelling to those countries.

“All delegates from any of the countries affected by Ebola virus disease are restricted from entering Zambia until further notice,” the statement reads.

Distance from Ebola outbreak: 5 000km

Zimbabwe

Ebola cases: No reported cases of Ebola

Travel restrictions: Zimbabwe is ‘closely monitoring’ all travellers from Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia. Health ports have been set up at all the border posts. Port health officer are reportedly interviewing people coming from Ebola zones and examining them for possible symptoms. They are then referred to the hospital for tests.

The government has advised against travel to affected countries.

Distance from Ebola outbreak: 5 350km

For more information, contact Africa Discovery at:
1 800 886-7321, (415) 444-5100
or Email us