The Greatest Show On Earth

 THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH SAFARI
29 January - 14 February 2014

Please join me for an incredible wildlife safari in Tanzania. I will be escorting a small group (maximum 10 passengers) to witness a very special annual event that takes place in the Southern Serengeti.  All your comforts and safety is taken care of and I personally escort the group from Brisbane.

At last. Everything is confirmed and I have ten front row seats at one of the most amazing natural wonders this planet has to offer. I am talking about the mass birthing of wildebeest calves in Tanzania's Southern Serengeti.  The great wildebeest migration reaches the Ndutu area in January and February and here they give birth to their offspring who will quickly grow strong on the lush grass before their migration back towards the north continues.  These huge herds of animals are attended by the predators of the plains, lions, cheetahs and hyenas. This is something everyone should witness at least once in their lives.

The Ndutu region of the Serengeti is the climax of this amazing small group safari, but we will be visiting other great wildlife viewing areas and witnessing some of Africa's most beautiful scenery before having a few relaxing days on the spice island of Zanzibar.  Accommodation is in four to five star hotels, lodges and tented camps with en-suite facilities.  The safari vehicles are two 4WD specially adapted vehicles. Each passenger will have a window seat and the vehicle's roof opens for the best possible game viewing experience. Each vehicle is driven by a professional driver/guide.

 Here is a run down of the basic itinerary.

29 January 2014
Qantas flight QF505                            Depart Brisbane 6am       Arrive Sydney 8.35am
South African Airlines flight SA7701 Depart Sydney 10.35am   Arrive Johannesburg 3.35pm
Transfer to Peermont Mondior Hotel for 1 night accommodation including breakfast.

30 January 2014
Transfer to Johannesburg Airport.
South African Airlines flight SA186  Depart Johannesburg 9.30am   Arrive Dar es Salaam 2pm
Regional Air flight                              Depart Dar es Salaam 4.30pm  Arrive Arusha 5.50pm
Transfer to Hatari Lodge for a pre-safari briefing and 2 nights at the lodge including all meals, game drives in Arusha National Park and a short walk to the waterfall.

Hatari Lodge

01 February 2014
We depart for Tanangire National Park for 2 nights at Balloon Camp including all meals and game drives.

Balloon Camp

03 February 2014
Today we drive to the rim of Ngorongoro Crater - another of the great natural wonders of Africa. Here we stay for 3 nights at the Sopa Lodged perched on the rim with stunning views of the crater itself. We will have 2 six hour game drives in the crater and all meals are included.

 Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge

06 February 2014
We drive to the Ndutu region of the Serengeti National Park to spend 3 nights at Nasikia Camp with game drives to see the great herds of wildebeest giving birth to their young, the predators and all the other wonderful general game. All meals are included.

A cheetah thinking about lunch 

09 February 2014
We have a final game drive to the airstrip.
Regional Air flight                             Depart Ndutu 11.35am   Arrive Zanzibar 2.35pm
Transfer to the Zanzibar Serena Inn for 3 nights accommodation including breakfast, a morning historical walking tour of Stone Town and an afternoon Spice Tour.

The Serena Zanzibar Inn

12 February 2014
Transfer to Zanzibar Airport.
Coastal Airlines flight                        Depart Zanzibar 1pm   Arrive Dar es Salaam 1.20pm
Transfer to Southern Sun Dar es Salaam.
1 night at Southern Sun Hotel Dar es Salaam including breakfast,

13 February 2014
Transfer from hotel to airport.
 South African Airlines flight SA189  Depart Dar es Salaam 6.45am
Arrive Johannesburg 9.25am
South African Airlines flight  SA7700 Depart Johannesburg 5.50pm

14 February 2014
Arrive Sydney 2.45pm
Qantas flight QF540                             Depart Sydney 5.05pm    Arrive Brisbane 5.35pm

(Please note that the flights from Sydney to Johannesburg and back are code share flights operated by Qantas aircraft and crew.)

Total cost for all of the above is $11470.00 per person twin share.

Now here is the full accommodation list.
Peermont Mondior, Johannesburg.           
Hatari Lodge, Arusha.                      
Balloon Camp, Tanangire National Park.                     
Sopa Lodge, Ngorongoro Crater.  
Nasikia Camp, Serengeti National Park.                     
Serena Zanzibar Inn, Zanzibar.           
Southern Sun Hotel, Dar es Salaam.  

For bookings or more information please call me - Peter Emery on 0449 689 447 or drop me an email. peter.emery@ucango.com.au



                      

Join Me In Tanzania In February

I've been back from Africa for about ten days now and I miss it already. I was there escorting a wonderful group of people on my annual "Great Migration Safari" through Tanzania and Kenya. It proved to be a huge success despite a rather inauspicious start when the arrivals terminal at Nairobi Airport caught fire just before we landed.  Our plane touched down smoothly and taxied off the runway only to stop in the taxi way.  The pilot's voice came over the intercom.

  "Ladies and gentlemen welcome to Nairobi. If you look out of the left side of the aircraft you will see that the terminal is on fire. We will just wait here until the fire service has put out the blaze, then air traffic control will tell us which gate we can use."

Four hours later we were finally allowed to leave the plane. The fire service were unable to control the blaze and the terminal was severely damaged. However, the Kenyan authorities did an amazing job under very difficult circumstances. They set up a temporary customs and immigration desk in the nearby cargo terminal and processed passengers there and within a couple of hours we were all at our Nairobi hotel sipping cold beers and having lunch. Imagine what would have happened at an airport in the USA, Britain or Australia. We'd still be there waiting for security clearance. As it happens we were rather lucky, being the last plane to land before the airport had to close. Subsequent inbound flights were diverted to various points around East Africa depending on the size of the aircraft. Some went to Mombasa, some to Entebbe, some to Kilimanjaro. What a nightmare that must have been for the passengers.

Anyway, things have settled down now and Nairobi Airport is functioning again. There is a new terminal being built in any case and they are trying to fast-track that. Meanwhile travelers flying in and out of Nairobi can, for the time being expect a few minor delays.

Once the safari was under way we saw some amazing things including a rarely sighted (if rather gruesome hyena kill. There were leopards, cheetahs, lions, elephants, giraffes, hippos and all manner of antelope and gazelle and vast herds of wildebeest in the Maasai Mara National Reserve - a truly awe inspiring sight.  Below are some of our photos.  The accommodation was excellent throughout and the food was of the highest quality. I can't wait for next year. In fact I am currently putting together a small group safari to visit the southern Serengeti in February when the massed herds of wildebeest will be calving. This is another great natural event attended by predators, and once again great game viewing is all but guaranteed. As soon as I have firm details I will post them on this blog.  Meanwhile, as promised here are a few images from this year's Great Migration Safari.

Dik dik antelope, Lake Manyara, Tanzania.

Olive baboons sharing an intimate moment in the middle of the road, Lake Manyara.

Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania.

Don't let anyone tell you that you don't get close to the animals on safari.

 Ngorongoro Crater.

Handsome fellow, Ngorongoro Crater.

Spectacular crowned cranes, Ngorongoro Crater.

Maasai village school between Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti, Tanzania.

Great hairstyle. Serengeti, Tanzania.

Where's dinner Mum? Serengeti.

In a waterhole, Serengeti.

Leopard up a tree. Serengeti.

The Maasai Mara, Kenya.

Topi antelope, Maasai Mara.

Resting in the shade. Cheetah, Maasai Mara.

A minute part of the 2-3 million wildebeest spread out across the plain of the Maasai Mara.

Mother and calf, Amboseli, Kenya.

Mount Kilimanjaro from Amboseli National Park.

Finally, the obligatory African sunset shot. Amboseli National Park.

Now then, for those of you who for some inexplicable reason do not wish to visit Africa, here is a great special from Thai Airways for flights from Brisbane to Bangkok return. The cost is $892 per person including tax. It is a companion fare, so two people must travel together.  It is available for sale until October and seat availability is limited so be quick.

 

Please call me for bookings or further information.

 

PETER EMERY

Africa Travel Specialist & Home Based Travel Consultant

Mobile - 0449 689 447

Office - 07 5451 8600

Email - peter.emery@ucango.com.au

 Qld registered travel agent licence number 3181 385

 

Sabi Sand

Welcome to my August newsletter.  Boy was I lucky with the weather in Great Britain recently. It was absolutely stunning for the entire week I spent there attending a family wedding.. Certainly much better than the weather I left behind in the so called Sunshine Coast, as my wife Jacky pointed out with more than a hint of envy upon my return.

I travelled to London via South Africa in both directions in order to look at four game lodges that I had not previously seen in the Sabi Sand Private Game Reserve adjacent to the Kruger National Park.
All were fantastic and all had a unique atmosphere. Firstly there was Lion Sands, with it's views over the Sabie River. Lovely rooms, tastefully furnished. Great food and very professionally run. Check out the tree houses on their website. http://www.lionsands.com/

Lion Sands accommodation

Lion Sands lounge

Next I moved on to Mala Mala, probably one of the most famous of the reserves in the Sabi Sand area. The rooms have fantastic views over the Sand River, which is more open in nature than the Sabie River and consequently it is easier to view game as they come to drink at the water's edge. The rooms here are massive, the largest of any of the four lodge in which I stayed. Again the food was absolutely beautiful and the place was impossible to fault.  http://www.malamala.com/

The rooms at Mala Mala are enormous.

The view of the Sand River from my private deck at Mala Mala.

Next came Londolozi - another famous lodge, and probably the most upmarket of the four. Again, I had a beautiful room, though it did seem a little small after the one I had at Mala Mala. It was a little over-furnished too I thought. The food there was glorious and the staff, as in all the lodges could not do enough for the guests. I did however get the feeling that Londolozi is primarily a resort and wildlife viewing is a bit of an afterthought.  Having said that, there was some nice wildlife viewing to be had without leaving the lodge. Again, there are great views over the Sand River with it's pods of hippos and herds of elephants which come to drink in the late afternoon. http://www.londolozi.com/en/?gclid=COaog9nM2LgCFYQhpQod0U0AFg

Over furnished room?  Londolozi

My private plunge pool. Londolozi

Finally. on the way home I had time for two nights at Nottens Bush Camp. I guess this was the most rustic of the four, and the rooms really didn't look that great from the outside. However, inside they were large and more than comfortable. The only power available in the room was one socket in the corner which serviced the emergency telephone, but this socket could be used for charging batteries etc. Lighting in the room was with lovely oil lamps and this really added to the charm of the place.

Nottens Bush Camp accommodation

The food here was perhaps a step down from the haute cuisine of Londolozi, but was fantastic nonetheless in a home made wholesome kind of way. I loved it. The other thing I loved about Notten's Bush Camp was that they had so many staff who had been there for more than ten years. My guide Joseph had been there for thirty years and he really new his stuff. http://nottens.com/

UP CLOSE WITH THE WILDLIFE OF SABI SAND

So, what next? On August the 6th I leave for Africa once again. This time to escort a really lovely group of people to see the great wildebeest migration in Kenya and Tanzania. This proved to be a very popular concept and I will certainly be repeating it in 2014.

NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT.
Fancy a cruise? A serious cruise?  Here's a great deal on a Round the World trip on The Norwegian Star.  Prices start from $6499 per person twin share, and lets face it you can barely get a decent round the world airfare for that these days, let alone accommodation all meals and entertainment too.
http://ucango.com.au/offers-1/whip-around-the-world

Okay, that's it for now. See in you September when I'll start to organise next year's Great Migration Safari.

Personalised Service

I am very pleased to announce that from 01 July 2013 I will be working from home once again. This gives me the flexibility to make appointments to meet my clients either in their home or favourite cafe as well as at either our Maroochydore or Pelican Waters office. I love this way of working. It really allows me to get to know my clients' requirements and preferences better without the pressure of an office environment. Obviously this means greater quality of service and a more personalised experience.

I am still working under the auspices of Ucango Travel which gives you all the government protection offered by a licenced travel agency. (Queensland Registered Travel Agent Licence No 3181 385)

My main focus will still be Africa of course, but naturally I can handle bookings to any international destination including worldwide cruising. This new newsletter will feature selected deals throughout the world. I will also keep you up to date with African happenings. I know many of you love Africa as much as I do.

In July I'm visiting four private game lodges in the Sabi Sands region of South Africa adjacent to Kruger National Park. The lodges in this area all offer a wonderful wildlife experience with five star accommodation and food along with the most professional wildlife guides in the business.  I have stayed in several lodges at Sabi Sands and am looking forward to seeing how these compare.

Then in August my wife Jacky and I will be leading a group of twelve wildlife enthusiasts to see the great migration in Kenya and Tanzania. This tour is fully booked but I intend to run another next year and have already had strong interest in that.  So the next couple of months are likely to be very busy for me.

Here's a great deal on a Southern Africa safari. Just click on the link below to view the flyer.
http://www.africasafarico.com.au/docs/SouthernAfricaUncovered.pdf
Contact me and I'll give you a further discount of $150 per person.

London is always a popular destination, so here are a few good ex-Brisbane return economy class fares that don't involve having to spend two days in Moscow or Pyong Yang.

Singapore Airlines $2035 for travel 4th October to 7th December. Book and pay by 9th July.
Cathay Pacific $1910 for travel 4th October to 25 November. Book and pay by 5th July.
Emirates $2070 for travel 4th October to 5th December. Book and pay by 4th July.

Of course cheaper fares are available, but the above represent good value for premium airlines.
Well, that's it for July. More news in August.

If you prefer not to receive these newsletters please just drop me an email to let me know.

Many thanks for reading.

Peter Emery