5 Days / 6 Nights Package
Dates: 22nd June 2014 – 19th July 2014
Location: Port St John’s, Wild Coast, Transkei, South Africa

With our base here all year round, we are ideally located to offer you a superb, fun filled trip, coupled with a highly experienced sardine run specialist team of skipper and dive guide.

We offer a boat based adventure for everyone, whether a diver or non diver. All nature lovers, bird watchers, photography enthusiasts, dolphin and whale enthusiasts, snorkellers and scuba divers will thoroughly enjoy this incredible event of nature, which has been likened to the land based “Wildebeest migration of the Serengeti” and the marine equivalent of this has since been called “The Greatest shoal on earth“.

Please take a look at our sardine run trip info and join us for an experience of a lifetime in the most beautiful and scenic place of Port St John’s, Wild Coast, Transkei, the gateway to the sardine run.

http://www.africa-discovery.com/diving_south_africa/sardine_run_2014.shtml

Africa Discovery is proud to announce:

Porini Mara Camp Awarded Gold Eco-Rating !

Gamewatchers Safaris & Porini Safari Camps are proud to announce that Porini Mara Camp has been awarded a Gold Eco-rating by Ecotourism Kenya. Only eight Gold ratings have been awarded throughout the country – two of which are now held by Porini Amboseli Camp and Porini Mara Camp.

The Eco-rating Scheme is a sustainable tourism initiative that awards qualifying accommodation a Bronze, Silver or Gold certificate based on their performance. The criteria cover environmental and socio-economic issues and emphasis is given to sustainable use of resources, protection of the environment and support to local economies.

The Gold Eco-rating is an indicator that a property has achieved “outstanding, superior and replicable levels of excellence” in responsible resource use, environmental conservation and socio-economic investment.

The small and exclusive Porini Mara Camp is the only permanent camp located within the 17,600 acre Ol Kinyei Conservancy which belongs to a Maasai community who set aside the land for the purposes of wildlife conservation. This was the first true wildlife conservancy in the Mara, established in 2005 where the area was set aside exclusively for wildlife by the Maasai. They voluntarily moved their homesteads and cattle out of the area and lease payments are made to the 171 individual landowners so they are now seeing real and significant benefits from wildlife. In addition to the lease payments and community projects over 95% of the camp and conservancy staff are from the community. In 2012 the income paid to the community by Porini Camp was over Kshs 20 million (Approx $230,000). The Conservancy itself won the award for ‘Community Conservancy of the Year 2012’ in the Eco-Warrior Awards.

Located within the Serengeti-Mara eco-system, Ol Kinyei is renowned for its unspoilt and breathtaking scenery with diverse terrain of open savannah plains, rolling hills, streams and rivers and is home to a wide variety of animal species. There is a resident lion pride of over 20 animals and several leopards have their territories within the Conservancy. Cheetahs are frequently seen and large numbers of giraffe are seen as well as Cape buffalo and elephants.

Porini Mara Camp’s 2013 special offers now include:

• Stay 3 nights for the price of 2 at Porini Safari Camps
• Free Night / Savings at Nairobi Tented Camp
• Special Offers for the Wildebeest Migration (Kenya and / or Tanzania)
• Low-Cost Adventure Camping
• 10% Disount at Porini Safari Camps

Cindi LaRaia

www.Africa-Discovery.com

Our newest excitement is building in the Republic of Congo (the good Congo)! For those of you wanting a bit more of the wild side of Africa…..  a must do is a visit to see the Lowland Gorillas in the Odzala-Kokoua National Park:

After a wonderful hour together watching the Neptuno Group go about their business it was time to head back to camp. Wherever one places a foot or pulls back a branch in this vibrant ecosystem life comes pouring in: nippy yellow-backed duiker, naughty putty-nosed monkeys and noisy black-casqued wattled hornbills were only a few of the jungle residents we saw on the walk back to Ngaga Camp.
Back in the lap of luxury at Ngaga, the mood was a contemplative one. We couldn’t quite put our finger on it, but everyone agreed that being so close to these great apes was a humbling experience. The likeness that we see in them is mystifying and makes the experience so much more than just a human-animal interaction. When you catch the eyes of a gorilla something primal stirs within you… a connection from hundreds of thousands of years ago.
Craig Glatthaar

To experience the Lowland Gorillas in Congo, the Odzala-Kokoua 6 Nights / 7 Days Safari package is now available at Africa Discovery.

Cindi LaRaia

www.Africa-Discovery.com

You all know by now how much I love my beloved Africa! I recently returned from escorting my fun fun fun group to Tanzania in October, I sadly said goodbye to them, subsequently I ventured on to Uganda to visit a friend and trek with the incredible Mountain Gorillas!!!

Tanzania was amazing in October with the Migration of the 1.4 million Wildebeest crossing back over the Mara River into the Serengeti. We stayed at Lemala Mara seasonal tented camp where we could see the river from our camp. We were lucky charms and had the Luck of the Irish, thank you Tom Hosey (we traveled with our very own Leprechaun)! We saw everything and had way too much fun on our safari in both the Serengeti and the Selous. See my trip report!………..

It is time to travel! What’s on your bucket list? Africa!! Questions: Where to go in Africa? Is it your first time? Where is the best experience, the best country, great culture, adventure? Where do I begin to look? www.Africa-Discovery.com of course! Call me, email me! I can help you! Basically the truth is this, no matter where you go in Africa, you will fall in love with it, you will see more animals than you can imagine, you will have surprises you never dreamed could happen, and you will be hooked and love it like I do.

Cindi LaRaia

www.Africa-Discovery.com