Africa Highlights!

Nadia is just back from a great trip in Southern Africa and wanted to share a few of her highlights - stay tuned for more details and photos in the upcoming Holiday newsletter due out next week!

In photo left, Nadia enjoys a mokoro ride in the Okavango Delta in Botswana, complete with make-shift sun hat! Below, Nadia caught a lioness and young cubs in a rare moment of activity out in the open bush. What a sighting indeed!

Trip highlights from Zimbabwe and Botswana:

#1 - Visiting Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe for the first time - what a hidden gem!
#2 - Spotting wild dog at Duma Tau in Botswana - amazing to watch these animals in the wild!
#3 - Excellent leopard and lion sightings at King's Pool Camp in the Linyanti Reserve, Botswana.
#4 - Seeing Children of the Wilderness at Jacana Camp. What a pleasure to see children experiencing the bush!
#5 - Sundowners at Jao Camp - the quintessential African safari experience!

Further details on these experiences, and more, coming soon in the December Africa Easy newsletter!

Photos by Nadia Eckhardt

The Best of Botswana with Africa Easy

Join Africa Easy on an epic tour in Botswana. Our Best of Botswana Safari is a 17-day journey through the highlights of this wilderness wonderland. The tour begins with a few days in South Africa's Mother City (and Nadia's home town), Cape Town, before heading deep into Botswana's Okavango Delta in the Moremi, Savute  and other excellent game viewing areas before ending at Victoria Falls.

This signature safari features both a 4- and 5-star option. In Cape Town, enjoy a stay at the quintessential Cape Grace. In the Delta a few of our select accommodations include Khwai River Lodge and Chobe Chilwero (among others). At Victoria Falls in Livingstone, Zambia, we call the regal Royal Livingstone home while we explore the Falls and surrounding area.

Excellent guiding and game-rich reserves and parks make this trip a top game-viewing adventure - lion, leopard, zebra, elephant, antelope and more are likely to be spotted on this safari. December is sunny and warm in Cape Town and also High Season. In Botswana and Zambia, December is known as the 'Green Season' - there will be some rainfall while on Safari in Botswana and at Victoria Falls, it may also be humid and hot. It is a good time for game viewing with Botswana being green and lush making for healthy animals many of them with their young. There is also the possibility to see part of the Wildebeest and Zebra migration through the Savute Marsh region.

For more information on the Best of Botswana Safari, contact Africa Easy or visit our website.

Good News out of Africa - 2010 SEED Awards

At Africa Easy, we are excited to see sustainable business and development succeeding in Africa. Below is a link to a great story on the 2010 SEED Award recipients - from a bamboo bike and recycled stationary to hand-held laundry devices and solar lanterns!

As Nadia travels through Southern Africa, she often sees the many ways that sustainable development helps to conserve wilderness land and wildlife in Africa, as well as maintaining cultures. Read on and add some inspiration  to your day!

http://www.africagoodnews.com/business/innovation/2347-bamboo-bikes-and-biomass-briquettes-receive-sustainable-development-award.html

Africa Easy designs custom safaris and offers group trips to South Africa and East Africa. If you'd like to visit a local community project or village on your safari, just let us know in advance and we can make the plans!

Africa Easy's South Africa Favorites

At Africa Easy we try to visit all of the properties we work with as often as we can. While the options are truly endless, we do have a shortlist of our favorite spots based on exceptional game viewing, unique accommodations and attentive service. 

The following are great accommodation locations to explore the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park area and the Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Game Reserve in KwaZulu Natal.

ELEPHANT LAKE HOTEL, ST LUCIA - a mid range Hotel
www.elephantlakehotel.co.za

HLUHLUWE RIVER LODGE - a high end Lodge
www.hluhluwe.co.za

PHINDA PRIVATE GAME RESERVE - a high end Lodge
www.andbeyond.com

Within the Greater Sabi Sand/Kruger National Park Area, home to arguably the world's most dense game viewing and prime leopard viewing, a few of our favorites include: 

LION SANDS RIVER LODGE & PRIVATE GAME RESERVE, SABI SAND (Luxury Lodge)
www.lionsands.co.za

LONDOLOZI PRIVATE GAME RESERVE, SABI SAND (Luxury Lodge)
http://www.londolozi.com

SINGITA PRIVATE GAME RESERVE, SABI SAND (Luxury Lodge)
http://www.singita.com

SABI SABI PRIVATE GAME RESERVE, SABI SAND (Luxury Lodge, Tented Camp)
http://www.sabisabi.com

MALA MALA PRIVATE GAME RESERVE, SABI SAND (Luxury Lodge)
http://www.malamala.com

INYATI GAME RESERVE,SABI SAND
www.inyati.co.za

The Timbavati is a great game reserve to pair with Sabi Sand. The cat viewings are not as high in this area, but other game is rich and the landscape and topography vary from Sabi Sand. 

MOTSWARI PRIVATE GAME RESERVE (High End)
http://www.motswari.co.za

TANDA TULA SAFARI CAMP (High End)
Http://www.tandatula.co.za

AKERU LODGE (Mid Range)
www.akeru.co.za

UMLANI BUSH CAMP (Mid Range)
www.umlani.co.za

The malaria-free area of Madikwe is great for families or for travelers looking for something unique. Madikwe has recently become well-known for their excellent wild dog sightings!

IMPODIMO LODGE
www.impodimo.co.za

JACI'S SAFARI LODGE & TREE LODGE (High End)
www.madikwe.co.za

MADIKWE RIVER LODGE
http://www.places.co.za/html/3193.html

Images courtesy of Hluhluwe River Lodge, Lion Sands Game Reserve and Jaci's Safari Lodge.

The Safari Guru Behind Africa Easy!

Nadia Eckhardt is the owner, operator and safari guru behind Africa Easy. Nadia was born in South Africa and resides in Seattle today, but still calls Cape Town “home.” She spent much of her youth enjoying the outdoors with her family: hiking, swimming, diving, exploring the southern tip of Africa and traveling the islands of the Indian Ocean and beyond.

After finishing her schooling in the beautiful city of Cape Town, she earned a business diploma and worked in advertising before boarding her first cruise ship, in the Indian Ocean. Since then she has worked on land and at sea, as cruise director on large liners and small expedition vessels and has traveled extensively throughout the world.

She completed a travel course at Sacramento State University in 1989, and in 2002 earned her National Powerboat Certificate. She is well versed in many adventure destinations such as Antarctica, the North Pole, the Amazon, Asia and the South Pacific and is a veteran African tour specialist and safari leader.

Nadia has always had a genuine passion for her native land, and has thoroughly enjoyed, for decades now, leading unique and specialized tours and safaris around this beautiful unspoiled part of the world. You can see and feel her love for Africa when you travel with her, and many now understand why it is that she returns at least twice a year. As she often says, “Join me and feel and experience the pulse of my beloved South Africa!” Travelers have a chance to join Nadia on an in-depth exploration of her home country of South Africa on Africa Easy's Best of South Africa tour. Nadia will lead the August 2011 departure and offer her uniquely South African insights and experiences.

She knows she will always be drawn back to Africa, and says it is not only the wildlife and diverse cultures that drive her to return time and time again, but it is the magical experiences—the sights, sounds, smells and challenges—of this unique land. Her love, extensive knowledge and firsthand experience show in her attention to detail when tour planning and when leading adventures around Southern Africa for like-minded travelers.