Safari Trails Newsletter – February 2015

An Experience of a Lifetime!

Expedition Africa by Elewana, assisted by the Land Rover Experience Centre in Arusha – which is itself based at Arusha Coffee Lodge – offers an exceptional opportunity for safari travellers to safely self-drive through some of the most spectacular landscapes that East Africa has to offer.

Expedition Africa visits some of the most iconic safari and wildlife locations available in northern Tanzania, including Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara National Park and Tarangire National Park.

Expedition Africa offers the following Guided Self-Drive Safaris:

THE ‘ELEPHANT EXPEDITION’ SAFARI (3 NIGHTS / 4 DAYS)
ARUSHA * TARANGIRE
This self-drive safari will test your skills as a driver as you take on Tarangire’s off-road tracks.

THE ‘CRATER EXPEDITION’ SAFARI (3 NIGHTS / 4 DAYS)
ARUSHA * LAKE MANYARA * NGORONGORO
This self-drive safari will test your skills as a driver whilst surrounded by the dramatic beauty of Lake Manyara and Ngorongoro Crater.

THE ‘SERENGETI EXPEDITION’ SAFARI (7 NIGHTS / 8 DAYS)
ARUSHA * TARANGIRE * NGORONGORO * SERENGETI
This carefully-crafted safari expedition blends the magic of Tanzania’s iconic national parks with a driving experience of a lifetime.

OPTIONAL SAFARI BEACH EXTENSION
DISCOVER THE SPARKLING PARADISE OF KILINDI ZANZIBAR
Kilindi Zanzibar, comprising of a series of white-domed Pavilion guest rooms all set in 35 acres of lush tropical gardens, is a rarity in the world of luxury boutique hotels.

No matter which safari option you choose, you are sure to have an exceptional experience and one that will see you coming back time and time again.

Land Rover Experience Centres are now located in over 17 countries around the world. Each Centre gives all-comers the opportunity to receive instruction from qualified and certified Land Rover instructors.

Drivers will receive driver-training at Arusha Coffee Lodge’s 4×4 off-road driver training facility under guidance and tutelage of a Land Rover Experience Instructor.
The Crew of the Land Rover Experience Centre will not only teach all-comers the techniques of off-road driving but will also demonstrate the incredible versatility of Land Rover’s iconic vehicles.

Former Spice Girls singer, fashion designer, model and businesswoman Victoria Beckham, who is married to former England international and ex-Manchester United, Real Madrid and LA Galaxy football star, David Beckham, revealed that the one country in the globe she would love to visit is Kenya, during the latest Vogue Magazine quick-fire.

In the Thursday’s 73 Questions episode, Victoria Beckham declared her love for Kenya as she took a stroll around her latest London fashion outlet.

When asked what is the country she would love to visit she said, "I would love to go to Kenya."

This prompted an invitation from the government’s Digital Department through their twitter handle @PSCU_Digital, "Kenya will be glad to host you @victoriabeckham – We appreciate your choice of Kenya as a destination."

The mother of four also said that the movie that made her cry the hardest was 12 years a slave, the movie that made Kenya’s Lupita Nyongo famous.

SATTE 2015, South Asia’s Largest Travel Show and now in its 22nd edition, was held in New Delhi at Pragati Maidan from 29th to 31st January 2015.

Top industry players view SATTE as the most anticipated travel and tourism event in South Asia. Over the years SATTE has grown, both in terms of exhibitors and visitors (including buyers), and is today the largest networking forum for the travel & tourism industry in South Asia.

SATTE brings together travel agents, tour operators, hotels and resorts, domestic and international airlines, NTOs, state tourism boards, wholesalers and other travel-related products and services from across India and the world, on a single platform.

Safari Trails participation at SATTE has been a grand success with lots of new developments and opportunities to look forward to this year!

Baobab Beach Resort and Spa has been awarded the prestigious German ‘HolidayCheck Award 2015’. The award is based on feedback from over 1 million reviews and includes several core criteria, including a recommendation rate of over 90% and a minimum of 5 stars in the overall quality rating. Receiving the award for the 4th year in succession, demonstrates the ongoing dedication of the Baobab Beach Resort & Spa team in exceeding expectations as well as the resort’s outstanding quality.

Located on the world famous award winning Diani Beach in Mombasa, Baobab Beach Resort and Spa has often been described as an oasis of tranquility and serenity, largely attributed to the fact that the resort sits on some 80 acres of tropical forest and gardens, overlooking the Indian Ocean. Shaded by indigenous coastal vegetation and exotic coconut palms with several Colobus monkey colonies found in the forested part of the resort, guests have access to over 800 metres of the famous white sand beach front offering a superb holiday experience.

Baobab Beach Resort and Spa is renowned as Kenya’s leading all-inclusive resort and takes pride in an exemplary level of service and attention to detail. Also on the same 80 acres property is the Kole Kole Resort, a sister hotel under the same management.

Nairobi Restaurant Week, which was held from from January 22nd to February 1st 2015, was an annual chance to dine at some of the city’s top restaurants and indulge in discounted tantalizing menus.

The 2015 edition of Nairobi Restaurant Week showcased some of the finest food Kenya’s capital had to offer.

Nairobi is the acknowledged leader in the region as far as ethnic food variety is

concerned. The city offers arguably the widest range of restaurants and eateries across East Africa and the inaugural Nairobi Restaurant Week 2014 took the city by storm with many looking forward to this year’s second edition. More than 50 restaurants partic
ipated in the event including top names like

the Nairobi Serena, the Villa Rosa Kempinski, the InterContinental Hotel, The Dusit, the Tribe Hotel, The Fairmont Norfolk and of course the Sarova Stanley, among many others, joining top restaurants like Mediterraneo, Haandi, Dolce Vita, Anghiti or Mambo Italia.

Kenya Airways will take delivery of three more Boeing B787-8 Dreamliners as planned. The initial deliveries last year of six such state of the art aircraft replaced the aged B767-300 fleet but the three joining this year will serve to expand capacity of the airline and allow for the opening of new routes and an increase in frequencies to destinations where traffic volumes are up.

The tourism board expects India to become one of its top three source markets by 2018. Currently it is the fifth largest source market.

"We want to reassure visitors from India that Kenya is a safe destination and the government has already taken steps to ensure safety of people and visitors. Moreover, Kenya remains Ebola free and no single case of Ebola has been recorded in the country," said Kenya Tourism Board Managing Director Muriithi Ndegwa.

In the current calender year, the board expects over 65,000 Indian visitors to Kenya.

In order to further promote the country’s tourism here in India, he said the Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) is undertaking a series of initiatives.
"We are making investments at consumer front and will undertake measures like road shows, being the official sponsor of IIFTC conclave in cities of Chennai, Hyderabad and Mumbai," Ndegwa said.
Besides tapping social media, KTB will also host the fifth edition of ‘Magical Kenya Travel Show’ in Kenya in October, he added.
When asked about the segment of Indian visitors to Kenya, Ndegwa said that at present leisure is the biggest segment but "we are also looking to popularise the MICE segment and we will also focus on the niche segments like honeymooners."

In the Middle Ages, young men and women drew names from a bowl to see who would be their Valentine. They would wear this name

pinned onto their sleeves for one week for everyone to see. This was the origin of the expression "to wear your heart on your sleeve."