Apr
3rd

The Safari

The United Republic of Tanzania is an autonomous state in the Eastern region of Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the western side,  Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique on the southern border and then the Indian Ocean along the country’s eastern border. Tanzania is a member of the East African Community (EAC), together with Kenya, Uganda, Burundi and Rwanda. You probably have always wondered what language is the word “safari”! This is a word that comes from the East African Swahili language and it simply means “voyage”, “travel” or “journey”. This word however has got an Arab origin as is most of the other Kiswahili words.  From the earlier times around the 14th and 15th centuries when the Arab traders, ivory hunters and slave traders would travel extensively in the eastern and central parts of Africa, an expedition could sometimes be up to around 4200 people strong. In those days such an expedition was referred to as a “Safariya” and this was a major undertaking.  The African safari is a journey into the mystifying, wild but romantic jungles of Africa. At the present time these words spike the mind’s eye, correlating with images of enormous herds of wildebeest (gnu), buffalo, the huge elephants and the beautiful zebra, herds of running Giraffes all booming across the vast green sweeping savannas, being hunted by the King Lion, fierce Leopard and the mighty hyena. It is pure magical in the increasingly present and glorious African brightness of the sun capturing the wonderful and thrilling imagination.  Commencing the day you set under the wonderful African skies you will begin feeling the experience deep in the wilderness of our great and beautiful wild continent, you will absolutely fall in love with Africa aver and evermore. You will understand our passion for nature and the great life in the jungles. Some of the natural beauties in the heart of Africa are the verdant waterways of the great Okavango Delta in Botswana, which is also home to the mighty elephant herds of the Chobe and Linyanti; the blazing Namib Desert as well as the Skeleton Coast of Namibia. You will surely not miss the wonderful African bushveld of the Kruger National Park and then of course its game reserve neighbours of Mala Mala, Sabie Sabie and Timbavati in South Africa…. and many others! These are the playgrounds of the great herds and predators of Africa, true African Safari country. Have you heard of the booming roar of the Victoria Falls and the mighty Zambezi River? These great falls, just bordering Zambia and Zimbabwe are one of the features that you will surely not afford to miss. In East Africa, you will definitely want to feel the open savannah grasslands of the Serengeti and the Masai Mara in Tanzania and Kenya. Go for that safari on your hpneymoon.  

Oct
2nd

On safari in the jungles of Africa

Typically, it begins in the early hours with a morning wakeup call and then you begin to prepare for your first game drive of that day. A nice cup of hot African coffee accompanied by a light breakfast of some bit of toast will help chase away that lousy bit of drowsiness will make you feel great and much ready for the day.
You then set out for the best times for the game viewing which are normally early mornings  just from before  the daybreak onwards and then from the late afternoon up to sunset. The late afternoon drive is most times extensive, turning it into a rather night drive.
The safari begins when you get into the safari vehicle, habitually in a group of around 7 people, there is a lot of excitement and everyone is full of expectation. As you get into the jungle, the bushveld then becomes quiet, with a kind of stillness hanging within the air just before dawn. At this time nocturnal life is settling down, and the noise level subsiding, while daytime life is beginning to awaken with some early birds calling out with beautiful chants to welcome the lightening up of the blue skies.
At this time, you set off with a professional game ranger just at the back the steering wheel and a very well experienced tracker on his special seat up front way above the bull bar. Just between the two of these two men, they will make sure that your wildlife encounter is an exciting one, very safe and informative. travle guide

Oct
2nd

Expeditions into Africa, the great Safaris

The African safari is a journey into the mystifying, wild but romantic jungles of Africa. At the present time these words spike the mind’s eye, correlating with images of enormous herds of wildebeest (gnu), buffalo, the huge elephants and the beautiful zebra, herds of running Giraffes all booming across the vast green sweeping savannas, being hunted by the King Lion, fierce Leopard and the mighty hyena. It is pure magical in the increasingly present and glorious African brightness of the sun capturing the wonderful and thrilling imagination.

Commencing the day you set under the wonderful African skies you will begin feeling the experience deep in the wilderness of our great and beautiful wild continent, you will absolutely fall in love with Africa aver and evermore. You will understand our passion for nature and the great life in the jungles.
Some of the natural beauties in the heart of Africa are the verdant waterways of the great Okavango Delta in Botswana, which is also home to the mighty elephant herds of the Chobe and Linyanti; the blazing Namib desert as well as the Skeleton Coast of Namibia. You will surely not miss the wonderful African bushveld of the Kruger National Park and then of course its game reserve neighbours of Mala Mala, Sabie Sabie and Timbavati in South Africa…. and many others!
These are the playgrounds of the great herds and predators of Africa, true African Safari country.
Have you heard of the booming roar of the Victoria Falls and the mighty Zambezi River? These great falls, just bordering Zambia and Zimbabwe are one of the features that you will surely not afford to miss.
In East Africa, you will definitely want to feel the open savannah grasslands of the Serengeti and the Masai mara in Tanzania and Kenya. Go for that safari now!

Typically, a safari expedition begins in the early hours with a morning wakeup call and then you begin to prepare for your first game drive of that day. A nice cup of hot African coffee accompanied by a light breakfast of some bit of toast will help chase away that lousy bit of drowsiness will make you feel great and much ready for the day.
You then set out for the best times for the game viewing which are normally early mornings  just from before  the daybreak onwards and then from the late afternoon up to sunset. The late afternoon drive is most times extensive, turning it into a rather night drive.
The safari begins when you get into the safari vehicle, habitually in a group of around 7 people, there is a lot of excitement and everyone is full of expectation. As you get into the jungle, the bushveld then becomes quiet, with a kind of stillness hanging within the air just before dawn. At this time nocturnal life is settling down, and the noise level subsiding, while daytime life is beginning to awaken with some early birds calling out with beautiful chants to welcome the lightening up of the blue skies.
At this time, you set off with a professional game ranger just at the back the steering wheel and a very well experienced tracker on his special seat up front way above the bull bar. Just between the two of these two men, they will make sure that your wildlife encounter is an exciting one, very safe and informative.

Oct
2nd

Option and potential, the African Safaris

A drive in the early hours of the morning can easily take up to three hours, but all depending on what you come across during that trip. By then you will surely have taken in so much that it is time to return to your bush lodge and to a lavish and energetic breakfast.
You then get ready from mid afternoon it starts all over again, with an afternoon drive that usually ends just about sundown. Please note that many game parks and lodges recommend game drives at night, because this gives the chance to watch the king lion, the fierce leopard and the hyena do what they do best for their survival and that is hunting for prey. This is an incredible experience to watch.
After the jungle experience, you then have to return to the camp, take a great hot shower, have an ice cold drink at the camp fire and enjoy an outdoor Africa barbeque night and a bush dinner in the camp site. This, you may call a black night, stars all blazing, nocturnal wildlife sounds with the roaring of lion unmistakably discernible and this is an absolute entire bliss that creates an incredible experience.
The most popular destinations for an absolutely thrilling African Safari experience are Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda in East Africa, and of course South Africa, Botswana, Zambia and Namibia in the Southern part of Africa.
A true African Safari may be taken in very many ways, from the low budget backpacking, then a self driving and then accommodation in an organized lodge or tent. On the other hand, you may prefer a fly-in safari and a stay in a very luxury private lodge where you will be treated like a true princess.
Africa Safaris are surely numerous, for example honeymoon safaris, the canoeing safaris, the elephant back safaris, mountaineering safaris and general adventure safaris.
The choice of your journey into Africa will surely continue to be one of life’s greatest adventures that you will live to remember.
Feel the life in the jungle
Experience the sunrise over the African green bush land with the shadows of the ever thorny acacia trees against the blue lightening sky, it is a rather fantastic scenery, the superior rim of the sun glance over the clear skyline in the distance. At this time it is all there; that fantastic sight that gives a whole clear picture and makes you feel that you are not just looking at it, but rather you are fully in it. This is undeniably, the sunrise experience over the African bush land that you will surely never fail to remember.    The majority of the animals take it easy during the heat of the day and are not very active until the day cools down again in the afternoon time. If then you wish, you may track their pattern and spend the entire middle section of the day relaxing by the pool side, alternatively you may decide to use this time to meet and visit  the native people within a local village. This will also make you feel the African people and their culture.
Unhurriedly the gigantic body strolls by the vehicle and a big mass with curls of hair around its muscular neck stretches down its back as it walks like it owns the place, moving each massive paw slowly, calculatingly, decisively. All of a sudden the tracker whispers alerting everyone as he points ahead and a bit to the sides. And then you’ll see him, appearing from behind a bush, His Majesty, the king of animals,…a massive male lion. At this time everybody is just holding their breath, and the ranger will keep the engine idling and quietly shifting into gear, just in case. Yes, it surely walks like a king demonstrating truly the king of animals. Just one last look shows a slow swing of its tail before it then turns and disappears into the jungle.

Aug
30th

East African Banking and Insurance News

             The Standard Chartered Bank  Tanzania and the African Life Assurance  of Tanzania have signed a deal that will see the bank`s customers enjoy bundled insurance products directly from the bank. The deal given the name as `Bancassurrance` will provide customers, a full package of finance and insurance services under one roof. Speaking at the bank`s head office in the city of Dar-es-Salaam, Mr. Jeremy Awori, the bank`s chief executive officer said Bancassurance is a rather new product in the banking sector and has a lot of potential to bring more people into insurance schemes. With the introduction of the new product, Bank customers will have a comprehensive range of insurance services affording greater flexibility, security and investment options. Meanwhile in the neighboring Uganda, Standard Chartered Bank Uganda has launched a new product in the market to enable their salaried customers transact at a low cost at the time of their convenience. The new product dubbed `Smart Banking`, is an account that will enable customers enjoy the free services in the bank including account opening, Visa Debit Cards, over the counter transactions like cash and cheque deposits, salary processing, ATM transactions, access to mobile banking, e-statements, standing orders and bank statements among others. Speaking at the launch in Kampala recently, the bank`s acting Chief Executive Officer, Mr Segun Odusanya said the launch was part of a series of the bank`s milestones achieved in making it a market leader in terms of product and service innovation.  

Aug
21st

East African Telecom update

Telecom group Zain to appraise its African operations.

 The Zain group is in the process of reviewing its operations in 16 countries on the African continent. Kenya’s Daily Nation reported that the strategic review follows an expression of interest from several parties to acquire Zain’s African assets. For the first half of 2009 the group saw a 24.1% increase in revenue and Zain’s customer base grew by 37% to 69.5mn customers but the performance of its Africa operations on its own was not enough to convince French Vivendi to continue acquisition talks at a price of USD 10bn. In other telecom news, the first undersea fibre optic cable to reach Africa and run by the Kenyan Seacom group was recently launched. The project, though ran about one month behind its initial deadline, is hoped to cause a lowering of prices for internet access and data transfer because of competition. Seacom has already connected Johannesburg in South Africa, and Kampala in Uganda as well asNairobi in Kenya with the coastal landing stations and is working on connections to Kigaliin Rwanda and Addis Ababa in Ethiopia.Meanwhile, Kenya’s Safaricom announced that the company has started offering broadband internet to its customers following the advent of the first fibre-optic cable. News agency Reuters reported that the CEO said some 14 million subscribers have the potential to access fast internet in a region where telecommunications are hampered by lack of infrastructure.Known as SEACOM, the undersea cable links east Africa to South Africa, India, Middle East and Europe, and was launched last week by its owners, a Mauritius-based private equity group. A second cable, The East African Marine Systems (TEAMS), which is fronted by the Kenyan government, is in testing stages and will act as a backup for Safaricom’s customers.

Aug
17th

World cup fever in South Africa

As time nears for the 2010 FIFA world cup, host South Africa are hoping the tournament will leave a lasting legacy on the southern nation. With an estimated 483,000 people expected to visit the country, the government has already shown a major commitment to infrastructure development programs, because the tournament prompted construction and refurbishment of the dilapidated structures. With visitors from all over the world coming for the soccer fanfare the country will get a significant boost for the local tourism industry and other sectors of the economy.
The millions of visitors expected to pour into the country for world cup will boost opportunities in accommodation, health provision services, travel services, short-term insurance, event management entertainment as well and arts and crafts. The tens of thousands of jobs that were already created for the preparation of world cup and over 4000 volunteers that are expected to help during the world cup makes the country at a great stake of reaping great in this event. The world cup is seen as a catalyst of the construction of around 25 new hotels in the last couple of years. As part of the 2010 world cup legacy program, a total of 27 one star football turfs are to be built in rural and township areas all around South Africa. All these proposed facilities are to be built with synthetic surface that reduces the cost of upkeep on a continual basis. Hosting world football will leave a lasting soccer legacy in South Africa.
Economically, the word cup will contribute approximately $6.8b to the South African economy, generate 415,000 jobs and contribute $2.3b in tax income to the government. The research findings done so far indicate that 483,257 tourists will spend $1b in total during their stay in South Africa. Despite the global economic meltdown, the tournament will not be badly affected. By the end of July 2009, a great demand of tickets has already been shown; countries like Japan, Korea and USA have already advanced a huge interest for tickets because of their good show in the Confederations cup. USA requested for 93,000 tickets, UK requested for 220,000, South Africa has been allocated 240,000 while the rest of the world will have to share 800,000 tickets.

May
30th

Air travel insurance

The usual way of traveling abroad or to a distant place is through air, by plane. Whether you’re traveling domestically or internationally, you will be protected if you have travel insurance. You will never know what’s going to happen in your vacation or travel so it would be best to have yourself insured. Travel insurance protects you in case of any unfortunate and unprecedented eventuality.
Forget those days when the necessities of life were just food, clothes, water and shelter. In today’s times, things have much changed to the extent that things that used to be called luxuries are some of the most essential ones in our lives and are considered necessities. Insurance is one good example of the essential things. In the earlier days, insurance was considered more of a luxury because it was only the rich who could afford it because it was quite expensive for the common person. But because of the market competition in the insurance industry, prices have gone down drastically and now insurance policies are much more affordable, even air travel insurance. You have to understand thoroughly the coverage of air travel insurance. As the word suggests, it only covers the flight. So if you meet an accident while you’re already in your vacation, you can’t be covered by the insurance. If you need medical attention or you’re in an emergency state before and during the flight, your insurance will cover it but anything that happens after the flight, it’s all yours to shoulder. This may be one reason why some people don’t like to purchase air travel insurance. However, if you already have an existing insurance policy that covers your travel abroad, additional air travel insurance would be a wise decision.

By securing air travel insurance, you can skip some of the usual hassles of traveling. For instance, trip delay, flight cancellation, lost luggage, car rental cancellation, hotel cancellation, emergency needs, medical needs, and death are usually covered by travel insurance. Other types of insurance policies have an age requirement but with this type of policy, there is none. So how can you secure one? Here is how.

You can either contact an agent or you can log on to the online sites of the different insurance providers and apply online. You need to provide some pertinent personal information and you can already get instant quotes online. Between the two options of applying for travel insurance, the online application is easier and a lot faster. You can choose whichever is more suitable for you because in any way, you can still purchase the air travel insurance. There are some advantages of air travel insurance. You see, the policy is considered a short-range accidental death and life insurance. If a plane crash happens and you are either mutilated or killed in it, your family will be compensated for it. Usually, the coverage is about $100,000.The air travel insurance policy is then terminated once you get off the plane. Remember that the insurance policy can be used only in commercial flights and not in private air travel. The policy must be purchased before you board the plane. The cheapest policy can be bought for $12 for each individual but there are also family rates available.

When purchasing an air travel insurance policy, do not forget to read the fine print. You must understand it fully so that in the event of an accident, there will be no untoward incidents once you claim for the coverage. Traveling by air will be safer and relaxing with your insurance policy, so always make all the endeavors to have it before you set out to travel.

May
30th

Rwanda, the new African dawn

Rwanda on her small size is endowed with great natural and manmade attractions, un paralleled with any other country on the African continent. The “thousand” hills characteristic of Rwanda provide a unique scenic beauty , while the outstanding mountain features on the west and the plains in the east with the unique flora and fauna are part of the exquisite beauty that blanket Rwanda and make it so special. Rwanda is a magnificent country with an assurance of social comfort, rich in cultural variety and rare smile that tourism worldwide should not miss. The culture is also shown in the arts and crafts made by the Rwandese artisans and you can learn more about the culture when you visit the National Museum of Butare. Accommodation is available for people visiting the parks and other tourist attractions.
Rwanda has substantial natural resources for tourism with variety of tourism and ecosystems, climate and culture. Some of its features are outstanding by international standards while others are unique. The main attractions so far visited by tourists are:
The Volcanoes National park famous for the rare mountain gorilla and is soon being accorded a world heritage status. Just two hours’ drive from Kigali, there you will visit the Golden Monkeys, Dian Fossey tomb, you will experience Muhabura and Bisoke hiking, nature walk and you enjoy the warm climate of the high attitude and for gorilla trekking you have to be at Kinigi office at 7:00 am.
Rwanda’s fresh water lakes such as Kivu, Muhazi, Burera, Ruhondo and numerous lakes in Akagera National park offer opportunities for water activities and sports. The plains of Eastern Rwanda which make up the Akagera National park, the Nybarongo/Akagera River line region all display unusual habitats of great diversity, offering a wide range of recreational activities.
Nyungwe Forest
Nyungwe forest is the largest Afromontane forest in Africa and has now been declared a national park. It is just four hours’ drive from Kigali and for primate lovers you will find 13 types of them among which the famous Chimpanzee, the Colobus etc… There many types of birds like the rare Blue Bird Turacco, waterfalls and many types of orchids.
Akagera National park
The Akagera Ntional park which the place to be for safari with its complex mix of terrains, marshlands and lakes, vegetation and animal life plus the conducive “spring like” climate and offers an enchanting and adventurous environment. Here you can meet big mammals such as zebras, buffaloes, antelopes, giraffes and elephants. During the boat tour you can enjoy the calm of Lake Ihema, discover hippopotami and crocodiles. As for birds, it has more than 525 species. You could encounter unique species such as shoebill and the papyrus gonolek. Among the endemic species, there are ibis, jacanas, herons, plovers, sandpipers and many others.

City tourism
The City tourism offers now to visitors the chance to discover the Capital city before they drive to the country side, and are overtaken by a thousand hills that overtake one’s breathe. Kigali City tour takes the visitors around the busy town where they are able to learn about the history of the town from the colonial era to democracy, from the slums to suburbs. This tour takes around four hours and you can buy souvenirs after tasting Rwandan food in one of the fine restaurants in Kigali.

May
23rd

AfricaBorder-free tourism this World Cup

South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Mozambique have signed an agreement to share the tourism spin-offs of the 2010 Fifa World Cup through “border-free” tourism packages. This means more cheaper opportunities for the Fifa World Cup fans come 2010.
South Africa’s provincial Limpopo Tourism Parks Board, the Zambia National Tourist Board, Zimbabwe Tourism Authority and Mozambique struck the deal creating the Limpopo-Zambezi Destination at the Tourism Indaba conference and exhibition in Durban.
These agreements will see the creation of new package tours between and within the four countries and this will result in the easing of border formalities to smoothen the route of travellers through border posts, and joint marketing and branding in support of all the package tours.
The Victoria waterfalls, located at the border between Zambia to the north and Zimbabwe to the south, is one of the natural wonders of the world. It is 1 708 metres wide, making it the largest curtain of water in the world. Remember that South Africa is not only an important emerging economy in its own right but rather, it is also a key gateway to sub-Saharan Africa.