è+44 (0) 1732 779 377

Led by world-renowned wildlife photographer Adrian Steirn, the 4 and 6 day Professional Photographic Safaris will cater for small groups and all skill levels and will be at Singita Ebony in South Africa, Singita Pamushani in Zimbabwe and Singita Sasakwa in Tanzania in June, September and October. Book early to get onto these safaris which promise to be absolutely amazing.

to the first Safari Sun newsletter, hot off the press and bursting with lots of interesting facts and some offers you will find hard to resist, I hope!

The greyness of this winter seems to have dragged on for so long now and, what with the bleakness on the news every night, it certainly is time to think of southern shores and blue skies not to mention wild animals, amazing beaches, mountains, stunning scenery— oh gosh I am now rambling...! Such a lot of things to see, do and experience in Southern and Eastern Africa & the Indian Ocean Islands.

I am very excited to say that the Safari Sun website is up and running and can be found on www.safarisun.co.uk. Please do let me know what you think and thank you to those of you who have given me references for the Testimonials page. If anyone would like to add to this then I would love to have your references and some holiday snaps to include on this page.

The weakness of the Pound at this time has been of some concern not only to me and Sarah (who is based in South Africa) but thankfully to our suppliers as well. As a result of this and the economic downturn some really cost-effective packages have been put together and some of them are mentioned later on but there are loads of special rates throughout the regions that Safari Sun operates in being Botswana, Zambia, Mozambique, South Africa, Namibia, Kenya, Tanzania and the Indian Ocean islands of the Seychelles and Mauritius.

Happy reading and I look forward to speaking to you soon.

Belinda Rattray

See Africa through the eyes and heart of someone who knows...

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In this issue

58 Cobden Road, Sevenoaks Kent, TN13 3UB UK

The Lions Rugby TourPhotographic Safaris led by Adrian SteirnMauritius for lessNamibia and the beauty of the dunesBike & kayak in MalawiFamily fun at Samara

South Africa triumphs at World’s Top 100 Best Restaurants Awards 2009Galapagos on the Mary-AnneZambia & micro-light flightsPaseka at AbuEcuador & the Sacha Jungle Lodge

+44 (0) 1732 779 377

Welcome

Singita offers professional photographic safaris

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www.safarisun.co.uk info@safarisun.co.uktelephone/fax +44 (0) 1732 779 377

Singita Sasakwa, Tanzania

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Galapagos Islands on the Mary-Anne

A cruise around the magnifi cent Galapagos Islands – famous for their variety of fearless wildlife and vegetation – must be one of the world’s great experiences. Speak to us about various packages we can offer.’Spend seven nights exploring this amazing region with the following basic itinerary:Wednesday: Fly to Baltra. North Seymour Thursday: Santa Cruz: El Chato and Charles Darwin Station Friday: Espanola: Gardner Bay and Punta Suarez Saturday: Floreana: Punta Cormorant, Devil’s Crown and Post Offi ce Bay Sunday: Isabela: Punta Moreno and Elizabeth Bay Monday: Isabela: Urbina Bay. Fernandina: Punta Espinoza Tuesday: Santiago: Punta Egas. Bartolome Wednesday: Black Turtle Cove. Baltra. Fly to Quito

Mauritius is a great destination for a family beach holiday. Flights are offered direct by Air Mauritius, Virgin as well as British Airways so it is

easy to get to although it is a long fl ight!

Once there it is an island wonderland with loads on offer for children and parents alike. Most resorts offer all the watersports as part of the package and with clubs for all ages everyone is able to get the most out of the holiday. There are beautiful and expensive hotels and resorts but there are also hidden gems like Merville Beach. An informal hotel on the north coast situated in tropical gardens which lead down to its sandy beach in a secluded bay just minutes away from the lively Grande Baie. Quite a large resort with 95 superior and deluxe rooms in thatched cottages by the beach or the Garden Court with fountains and water. While here enjoy the nightly shows and bands and during the day opt for windsurfi ng, snorkeling, diving, water-skiing, football or tennis. You are also able to do deep sea fi shing and ski tubing.There are special offers for honeymooners and children sharing rooms. Also if you stay for 7 nights the next 7 nights are at a reduced rate.

Mauritius for less..

World’s Top 100 Best Restaurants 2009

Samara’s exciting new children programme includes spoor identifi cation, tracking, camp lore (making a basic tent, fi re, meal), orienteering (fi nding

their way home), cheetah tales, star stories, dressing up rangers/ Xhosas/Hottentots, trampoline, Bushman paintings (sketch your own), star naming, 2 way radio use and language/alphabet, making animals using seeds and thorns, treasure hunting with clues, cheetah tracking and spekboom planting.

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I have spent the two days since our return refl ecting on the holiday of a lifetime in South Africa. Your input at the planning stage was invaluable - we had a variety of notions, some fi xed, others vague, and you shaped these, and threw plenty else besides into the mix. My wife and I have lived overseas, and have travelled widely, using a variety of travel agents and occasionally going down the DIY route. I can comfortably state that the service you provided was streets ahead of anything we have experienced in the past. I would be very happy to talk to any prospective clients, and tell them how wonderful you are!!! Thanks - Gavin

Family fun at Samaraa client writes

SOUTH AFRICAN TOURISM has congratulated fi ve restaurants that have achieved a place in the annual S. Pellegrino 100 World’s Best Restaurant Awards – an internationally acclaimed annual event universally recognised as acknowledging the very best places on earth to eat out.

The acknowledged South African restaurants (all in the Cape) are Le Quartier Francais in Franschoek (37th place and named best restaurant in the Middle East and Africa); La Colombe in Constantia (38th place); Jardine’s in Cape Town (79th place); Aubergine in Cape Town (96th place); and Rust en Vrede in Stellenbosch (98th place).

A restaurant’s ranking on the S. Pellegrino World’s 100 Best Restaurant list is purely decided on the votes of a large panel of well respected international judges collectively called Nespresso World’s 100 Best Restaurants Academy. The Academy comprises chefs, restaurateurs, food writers and restaurant critics. For more information visit www.theworlds50best.com

Merville Beach

Mary-Anne

Callum and Rowena

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Pamulani in Malawi is developing a mountain bike ride and kayak combi-nation... an adventurous way to spend the morning exploring the lake as

well as surrounding woodlands and farmland. The bike trail will be designed to take in the beautiful woodlands of the lakeshore as well as giving you the opportunity to see rural Malawi, away from the usual tourist beat. Routes can be altered to suit the fi tness levels of the cyclists!!! The ride will fi nish on the lakeshore, across the bay from Pamulani, where bikes are swopped for kay-aks for the fi nal leg. Team up with your partner or guide or opt for a single kayak and paddle across the protected Kaskanka Bay to Pumalani’s beach for a refreshing swim and a cocktail

Go mountain bike riding + kayaking in Malawi

International fl ights to Malawi arrive at Lilongwe and include Air Malawi which operate a direct weekly fl ight from London Gatwick. Other airlines include KLM/Kenyan Airways via Nairobi and South African Airways via Johannesburg. British Airways fl ies to Lusaka in Zambia with a connection through to Lilongwe. From Lilongwe it is a private aircraft to Monkey Bay and then 20 minutes drive from there. Do ask about specials to both Malawi and Zambia which is a great way to combine a safari (particularly walking) and the ‘beach’ activities at Lake Malawi. Pamulani is currently offering a 6 night stay for the price of 5 nights.

Zambia and micro-light fl ightsRemote Africa Safaris in the northern part of the South Luangwa is an amazing place to experience the wildlife of Africa by walking or in open vehicles. At the main camp Tafi ka there is also the unique extra option of doing a game viewing micro-light fl ight. John Coppinger is your very experienced pilot and I have to say that I have had the pleasure of doing one of these early morning fl ights with him. Quite amazing what you see in 15 minutes of fl ying with John commenting via headphones during the fl ight. These don’t need to be booked prior to your stay but can be done at the camp.

Remote Africa are renowned for their walking safaris in both the South Luangwa as well as North Luangwa. They offer a fantastic 7 or 10 night Sapphire Special (when the skies are like sapphires!) during June which combine Tafi ka, Chikoko Trails and Mwaleshi Camp at special rates with a saving of some USD 210 per person on these specials. Ask about other specials throughout the year.

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Paseka (meaning Easter) was found outside Seba Camp alone and being attacked by hyena on Easter Sunday. She was very valiant in her efforts

against her attackers knocking them fl ying with her ears! Later on in the evening a call came through on the radio that she had been found in the gen-erator room where Mahoots was able to check her out. She was traumatized

with deep cuts, aged between 6 – 12 weeks old and in dire need of milk. The decision was made to introduce her to the Abu herd and Sherini (mother of Abu) took her under her wing with great results as her wounds are now healed and she is in great form. Abu camp is situated in a 400 000 acre private reserve in the heart of the Oka-vango Delta where guests are invited to ride or walk with the resident herd of eight elephants through the wilds.

Easter Arrival at Abu Camp in Botswana

ROLO

studio.com

Getting to Sacha Jungle Lodge in Ecuador is not as daunting as you would imagine. Fly to Quito from Madrid where you can spend a night or

two to relax and enjoy the surrounds. From Quito it is a 25 minute fl ight to Coca where you will be met and transferred by covered motorized canoe to the landing stage (about 2 hours) down the Napo River, the largest river in the Ecuadorian Amazonia. On arrival on Sacha Lodge private reserve you will be met and walk along a raised boardwalk through dense fl ooded palm forests with porters carrying your bags. Coming off the raised walkway you will come out to Pilchicocha lake where dugouts and paddlers take you the last 10 minutes to the lodge

Activities are spread out over a wide area and allow visitors to explore several distinct but equally fascinating habitats. Several trails lead through pristine terra fi rme forest where 150 foot kapok trees tower above and roots form huge buttresses to give trees support. Others follow strategically raised boardwalks in seasonally fl ooded forests,

where walking on the ground would be nearly impossible during most of the year due to groundwater. One trail many choose to follow even leads across fallen tree trunks and a steel cable zip-line through rich swampland!

A favourite activity of guests is to paddle dugout canoes along tannin-rich black-water creeks and lakes, where luxuriant lianas, orchids, bromeliads and palm trees thrive. During free time at the lodge, swimming and piranha fi shing are also activities not to be missed! Night walks and canoe trips, with the aid of fl ashlights, often reveal creatures seldom seen during daylight

- Caimans (of the alligator family) and giant insects rule the jungle after

...and Sossusvlei in the south.Sossusvlei itself means ’the gathering place of water’ in the local Nama language, and, odd as it may seem, in good years seasonal rains in the foothills of the Naukluft and Tsaris Mountains succeed in reaching the vleis, creating temporary lakes that mirror the sand dunes surrounding them. The vleis have evocative names such as Hidden Vlei and Dead Vlei, while the dunes rise up to 300 metres above the valley fl oor with razor-sharp edges that stand out against the blue sky. Sossusvlei is situated within the Namib Desert, the oldest desert in the world, which itself is part of the Namib Naukluft National Park that stretches 400km south of Walvis Bay and is sandwiched between the west coast and the escarpment that runs parallel more than 100km inland. Its huge red dunes and fl at valley fl oors make up the archetypical view of the Namib that is world famous. Desert-adapted wildlife such as ostrich, springbok and gemsbok eke out an existence and are sparsely distributed here. Larger predators include spotted hyaena and occasionally brown hyaena, a mystical shaggy-coated scavenger. Smaller creatures such as bat-eared fox, black-backed jackal, porcupine, Cape fox and aardwolf can be seen at night in the cool desert air, and one bird, the aptly named Dune Lark, has its entire global distribution limited to the area, so dependent is it on the area’s characteristic sands.

Namibia and the beauty of the dunes

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S A FA R I SU N 58 Cobden Road, Sevenoaks Kent,

TN13 3UB UK tel/fax +44 (0) 1732 779 377www.safarisun.co.ukinfo@safarisun.co.uk

Sacha Jungle Lodge in Ecuador

The Springboks are all set to take on the Lions team heading out to South Africa this summer. Tickets are in short supply

but if you do need any match or hospitality tickets please let me know as soon as possible as Sarah is able to get these in South Africa at a reduced rate and we can still do fl ights and accommodation. Email us on info@safarisun.co.uk if you are interested in any of the Lions Rugby details.

Calling all rugby fans:The Lions Rugby Tour to South Africa June / July 2009