1. Africa Update
New Lemurs Found in Madagascar
Famed for its lemurs, Madagascar now has three new species of the
shy primates. The three new mouse lemurs were officially announced
at a conservation conference last week in the Malagasy capital.
"Finding an entirely new species of lemur living in the wild in
the 21st century shows how little we know about our natural world,
and how important it is to protect it," said primatologist Mireya
Mayor, who discovered one of the new trio while on an expedition
in northeast Madagascar.
Source: ATTAK newswire
Malaria-testing watch invented by South African scientist
South African scientist, Dr Gervan Lubbe, has developed a
wristwatch able to detect malaria in its early stages. The device
works by taking a blood sample four times a day with a tiny needle
on the underside of the watch. It then runs a quick electronic
test for malaria parasites. If the parasite count reaches a
certain level, an alarm is activated before physical symptoms
begin to show and the wearer is warned to seek treatment. The
monitor is durable, water-resistant and has normal watch
functionalities, it could be used by any individual who visits,
works or lives in malaria endemic areas.
Source: Now Media (Sue Lewitton)
Visit South Africa
Botswana, Zim & SA agree on park deal
Tuli
Safari Lodge is one of the lodges that has been incorporated into
the newly announced Limpopo/Shashe Transfrontier National Park.
The lodge is situated on the banks of the Limpopo River, in
Botswana's Tuli Game Reserve, which will now also incorporate the
archaeologically important Mapungubwe National Park and a corner
of Zimbabwe too. A stay at Tuli Safari Lodge offers the
opportunity for guests to sip sundowners on a specially arranged
picnic overlooking the meeting point of these three great safari
countries and the confluence of the Limpopo and Shashe Rivers.
Singita expands into Tanzania
Singita,
the established luxury safari lodge group in South Africa, has
signed a partnership agreement with Grumeti Reserves in Tanzania.
Singita have now taken over the management and global promotions
of this world class eco-tourism project. Billed as the most
luxurious eco-tourism destination in the world, this concession
area of 140,000 hectares, located on the western boundary of the
Serengeti National Park, houses only three exclusive lodges:
Sasakwa Hill Lodge, Sabora Plains Tented Camp and Faru Faru River
Lodge. Singita is a Fair Trade company with a well-established
social responsibility program - we look forward to watching these
same principles develop in their new Grumeti venture.
ecoQuest
is ecoAfrica's search for the extraordinary in terms of best
practices in African ecotourism.
ecoQuest highlights unique ecological, cultural & conservation
features and special recognition gained in the hope that this will
inspire you to visit and support these establishments, and other
establishments to follow suit.
This month we focus on the
5 day Lake Malawi Island Castaway..
3. New on ecoAfrica.com
Kruger National Park (South Africa)
4
day Pafuri Wilderness Trail
Undoubtedly the best way to experience the biological wealth of
the Makuleke area and its timeless wilderness is on foot. The
Pafuri Kruger Trail is guided and focuses on birding, botany &
tracking.
4
day Olifants River Back-Pack Trail
The Olifants River Back-Pack Trail guides trailists through
previously inaccessible parts of Kruger Park. Hikers will need to
carry their own tent and supplies for the duration of the 42 km
trail.
Madagascar
9
day Whales, Lemurs & Birds of Madagascar
This tour focuses on discovering the fauna and flora of the lush
tropical East Coast and the highlands including Andasibe,
Ankanin'ny Nofy, and Tsarasotra Birdlife Reserve. If you're
travelling in whale season (July - Sept) you will spend 2 days
with the Megaptera team of whale specialists.
5
day Madagascar Islands Cruise
Discover the remote islands around Nose Be on board a traditional
Sakalava wooden dugout (pirogue). Fresh seafood meals are taken on
the beaches, nights are spent under dome tents ashore...
7
day Northern Madagascar & Nosy Be
The Northern part of Madagascar is characterised by its variety in
landscapes, climates, vegetation and fauna. It is very rewarding
for botanists or other naturalists, as well as holiday makers.
11
day Wild Wild West
The west of Madagascar boasts diverse scenery of bush, deciduous
dry forest, baobabs, the impressive limestone razor edged Tsingy,
and the mighty Manambolo and Tsiribihina rivers.
4. Traveller Feedback
Our family had a very memorable holiday at Elephant Plains. We
would not hesitate to recommend it to our friends. The guides were
competent and made every effort to answer our queries and to show
us as much of the wildlife as they could. The lodge itself had a
nice `close-to-nature' feel and the service staff were very
helpful. Overall, I would say that all of us, especially my
children, came away with a heightened appreciation of nature.
Our guide's knowledge of the flora, fauna, wildlife, insects,
birds and cooking was extremely impressive. I thought that the
service we received from him was above and beyond our
expectations. He truly spoiled us and gave us an experience we
will never forget...
We had an absolutely wonderful time on our safari. It exceeded
our expectations in every area. The staff, guides, food,
accommodation, drinks and environment were amazing. I would
recommend Inyati Game Lodge to anyone who is wanting a superb,
very memorable safari!
The wildlife we saw was out of this world. Never in my wildest
dreams did I think we would see as much wildlife as we did, and
have it so close up to us!
Thank you for arranging everything so well. It was perfect, and we
would definitely recommend your company to anyone who is thinking
about travelling to South Africa.
Lisa Lanphear (group of 4) from Hong Kong.
Inyati Lodge
18-21 April 2006
