This month Deborah Calmeyer of ROAR AFRICA features on the cover of Business Traveler Magazine. The first in their "Woman in Business" series. Jeff Heilman reveals some of her challenges and triumphs from growing up with a lioness to launching and running the company in New York. You can read it here at Business Traveler online (page 38) OR below (click to enlarge).

I was very proud to read The Huffington Post article by Shari Cohen; "South Africa Rolls Out the Ubuntu in Abundance". It's wonderful to see the spirit of South Africa appreciated and having such a deep impact on a self-described cynic. It's also reassuring to know that we can teach the world something. Please read the full post on their website here. I have copied a few touching quotes below.

"To say that I have been blown away at the hospitality South Africa has shown the rest of the world would be an understatement."

"The questions and conversations are in earnest. They are honest. And they are had with enthusiasm and a thirst to know more. South Africans are drinking deeply from the cup of humanity that has been brought to their doorstep."

"I'm a little teary just writing this because I leave for home next weekend and I will be leaving a little piece of myself here in South Africa. I just hope I have learned enough to bring back a little piece of Ubuntu to my homeland."

"Thank you South Africa, for giving me this unexpected gift. I am humbled. "

*****

There many good reasons to tell you about Singita's Gourmet Safari. Here are just a few:

1. Singita is one of our favorite partners; owners of beautiful lodges - wonderful venues for just about anything!
2. Sweni Lodge (the precise venue) is an intimate lodge accommodating just 12 guests. It is in a concession within the world famous Kruger Park and is spectacular. More about Sweni on our website here .
3. Singita has an inspiring Cooking School community project. Read about it on our website here and on our blog, here. We love the work Singita does for the community and that the cooking school is where this gourmet safari takes place.
4. We are all about specialized trips and offer a Flavors of South Africa journey. It's a hands-on gourmet trip in Cape Town and the Winelands. We can easily include that or part of that with this Gourmet Safari at Singita (read more about it Flavours of South Africa here)

So here are some details on Singita's Gourmet Safari (online):

Exclusive to Singita Sweni Lodge, Chef Bruce’s delightful Gourmet Safaris are unique to the African continent, a culinary first. A five day and four night experience filled with intrigue, warmth and laughter at the edge of the boma fire.

Set Departure Dates:

• 06 - 10 June 2011
• 21 - 25 November 2011

(But talk to us about other options or putting a group together)

Singita Sweni Lodge

EMMY-nominated TravelScope: "When you think of Africa you hardly think of a beautiful beach, but in Mozambique, Africa that’s exactly what you should be thinking about. Joseph traveled to Mozambique for one of two shows on Africa that will be featured in Travelscope TV Season IV – which begins airing in June 2010. After the long flight from the U.S. aboard South African Airways, Joseph joined Geoff Calmeyer of Roar Africa on a sun-soaked, white-sand beach in Mozambique. "
Click here to listen to the interview.

To all of our avid Africa fans,

One of our partners, Londolozi - owned and run by the Varty family, is a unique and special place in the Sabi Sands, South Africa. Much of the preservation today in southern Africa and beyond is a result of Dave Varty's tremendous insight and efforts in conservation. Still there is great risk...

• The population of the African elephant, has declined by more than 99% since the 1930s, when as many as 10 million of the great creatures roamed free there.
• Only 10,000 Rhinos exist around the world, down 85 percent since just 1970.
• The continent’s lion population has fallen off by half since the early 1950s when there were an estimated 40,000 “kings of the jungle”.

"Londolozi’ means Protector of all living things. True to our values, we present to you our conservation event for 2010. Five individuals from Londolozi have come together with a mission to raise R500 000 for an endangered species and for literacy. Ultimately, for us, Africa is about the fusion of people and animals and about reconnecting the human spirit back to the wilderness." Londolozi

...and so Shan, Bronwyn & Boyd (Varty), Rich Laburn and Brett Roux are embarking on a grueling challenge to raise funds and continue this relentless endeavor; a 7-day 330km bicycle ride through the northern Namibian desert. Donations will go to Save the Rhino and The Good Work Foundation.

Any donation would be greatly appreciated and anyone who can

donate $600 or more stands a chance to win a 2 night stay at Londolozi’s Private Granite Suites worth $40,000!

To Donate, click here and scroll down:

http://www.marthabeck.com/LEAP/

Please refence your donation with 'C4AC' and then 'your name'.

For more information:

Contact Boyd Varty:

Tel: +27 (0)13 735 5653

E-mail: boydatlondolozi@gmail.com

Links (click for more):

Londolozi
Londolozi Granite Suites
Save The Rhino

We came across this amusing letter by Peter Davies, the award winning presenter of SuperSport. Granted, it's a little condescending towards media, especially British media, but it's good fun. Hilarious in fact. It shares common perceptions and misconceptions. The full letter (below) is definitely worth a read. Here are some snippets to whet the appetite. Enjoy....

• As you emerge blinking from your luxury hotel room into our big blue winter skies, you will surely realise you are far more likely to be killed by kindness than by a stray bullet....
• The fact that England, the nation which safely delivered Wembley Stadium two years past its due date, is prepared to offer us South Africans advice on stadium-readiness should not be surprising.
• Trivia question: which country has hosted the most global sporting events over the past decade and a half? You don’t need me to answer that, do you?
• Bottomline. Get out there and breathe in great lusty lungfuls of this amazing nation.... You will be welcomed like a lost family member and looked after as if you are royalty...
• ....this country will change your life...It’s Africa’s time. Vacate your hotel room. Join the party. Waka waka eh eh.....

*** Full Letter ***

Dear World Cup visitors,

Now that you are safely in our country you are no doubt happily realising you are not in a war zone. This may be in stark contrast to what you have been bracing yourself for should you have listened to Uli Hoeness or are an avid reader of English tabloids, which as we all know are only good for wrapping fish ‘n chips and advancing the careers of large-chested teens on page three.

As you emerge blinking from your luxury hotel room into our big blue winter skies, you will surely realise you are far more likely to be killed by kindness than by a stray bullet. Remember that most of the media reports you have read, which have informed your views on South Africa, will have been penned by your colleagues. And you know what journos are like, what with their earnest two thousand word opuses on the op-ed pages designed to fix this country’s ills in a heartbeat. Based on exhaustive research over a three-day visit.

Funnily enough, we are well aware of the challenges we face as a nation and you will find that 95% of the population is singing from the same song-sheet in order to ensure we can live up to our own exacting expectations.

We are also here to look after you and show you a good time. Prepare to have your preconceived notions well and truly shattered.

For instance, you will find precious few rhinos loitering on street corners, we don’t know a guy in Cairo named Dave just because we live in Johannesburg, and our stadiums are magnificent, world-class works of art.

Which is obviously news to the Sky TV sports anchor who this week remarked that Soccer City looked ‘ a bit of a mess’. She didn’t realize the gaps in the calabash exterior are to allow in natural light and for illumination at night, and not the result of vandalism or negligence.

The fact that England, the nation which safely delivered Wembley Stadium two years past its due date, is prepared to offer us South Africans advice on stadium-readiness should not be surprising. The steadiest stream of World Cup misinformation has emanated from our mates the Brits over the past couple of years.

If it’s not man-eating snakes lurking in Rooney’s closet at the team’s (allegedly half-built) Royal Bafokeng training base, then it’s machete-wielding gangs roaming the suburbs in search of tattooed, overweight Dagenham dole-queuers to ransack and leave gurgling on the pavement.

In fact what you are entering is the world’s most fascinating country, in my opinion. I’m pretty sure you will find that it functions far more smoothly, is heaps more friendly and offers plenty more diversions than you could possibly have imagined.

In addition to which, the population actually acts like human beings, and not like they are being controlled by sinister forces from above which turns them into bureaucratically-manipulated robots.

Plus we have world’s most beautiful women. The best weather. Eight channels of SuperSport. Food and wine from the gods themselves. Wildlife galore. (Love the Dutch team’s bus slogan: “Don’t fear the Big 5; fear the Orange 11”).

Having said all that, Jo’burg is undoubtedly one of the world’s most dangerous cities. Just ask those Taiwanese tourists who got out of their hire car to take close-up snaps of tawny beasts at the Lion Park a few years back. Actually, ask what’s left of them. And did you know the chances of being felled by cardiac arrest from devouring a mountain of meat at one of our world class restaurants has been statistically proven to be 33.3% higher in Jozi than in any other major urban centre not built upon a significant waterway? It’s true. I swear. I read it in a British tabloid.

Having recently spent two years comfortably cocooned in small town America, I’m only too aware of how little much of the outside world knows about this country. The American channel I used to work for has a massive battalion of employees descending on World Cup country. It has also apparently issued a recommendation to its staff to stay in their hotels when not working.

Given that said corporation is headquartered in a small town which many say is “best viewed through the rear-view mirror”, I find the recommendation, if it’s true, to be utterly astounding. In fact I don’t believe it is true. Contrary to the global stereotype, the best Americans are some of the sharpest people in the world. The fact they have bought most tickets in this World Cup proves the point.

Of course I have only lived in Johannesburg, city of terror and dread, virtually all my life, so don’t have the in-depth knowledge of say, an English broadsheet journalist who has been in the country for the weekend, but nevertheless I will share some of my observations gleaned over the years.

Any foreign tourist or media representative who is worried about his safety in South Africa should have a word with the Lions rugby fans from last year, or the Barmy Army cricket supporters (lilywhite hecklers by day, slurring, lager-fuelled lobsters by night). They managed just fine, just like the hundreds of thousands of fans who have streamed into the country over the past fifteen years for various World Cups, Super 14 matches, TriNations tests and other international events. Negligible crime incidents involving said fans over said period of time.

Trivia question: which country has hosted the most global sporting events over the past decade and a half? You don’t need me to answer that, do you?

In addition. Don’t fret when you see a gaggle of freelance salesmen converge on your car at the traffic lights (or robots as we like to call them) festooned with products. You are not about to be hijacked. Here in Mzansi (nickname for SA) we do a lot of our purchasing at robots. Here you can stock up on flags, coat hangers, batteries, roses for the wife you forgot to kiss goodbye this morning and a whole host of useful merchandise.

Similarly, that guy who runs up as you park the rental car outside the pub intends no malice. He’s your car guard. Give him a buck or two and your vehicle will be safe while you refuel for hours on our cheap, splendid beer. Unless someone breaks into it, of course.

We drive on the left in this country. Exercise caution when crossing the road at a jog-trot with 15 kilograms of camera gear on your back. Exercise common sense full stop. Nothing more. Nothing less. If you want to leave wads of cash in your hotel room like our Colombian friends, don’t be surprised if it grows wings.

Bottomline. Get out there and breathe in great lusty lungfuls of this amazing nation. Tuck into our world-class food and wines. Disprove the adage that white men can’t dance at our throbbing, vibrant night-clubs. Learn to say hello in all eleven official languages. Watch at least one game in a township. You will not be robbed and shot. You will be welcomed like a lost family member and looked after as if you are royalty. Ask those Bulls rugby fans who journeyed to Soweto recently.

With a dollop of the right attitude, this country will change your life.

It’s Africa’s time. Vacate your hotel room. Join the party.

Waka waka eh eh.

*****

Here's the original post on SuperSport.com

Excitement has reached fever pitch in South Africa. We're posting various pictures as we receive them into a Picasa Album. A slideshow will stream here. Click to go to the album itself.

Please email your photos to share to rob@roarafrica.com. Include your caption, name, date, time and location. They can be of the excitement on a beach in Mexico, a pub in England...anywhere as long as it's live World Cup FEVER!

Enjoy......

Marca.com has published an amazing World Cup Schedule online. It's a dial which allows you to click and view the match schedule by Date, Stadium, Group/Stage and Team - All on one screen.

To try it click here.

Source: www.marca.com

Slideshow from April trip: Karkloof Spa (South Africa), Natures Valley (South Africa), Okavango Delta (Mombo and Jao Camps) and Linyati (Kings Pool Camp).

For the full album click to visit Picasa web albums.

Winner of Shutterstock’s 2010 Photo Safari Contest!

"Congratulations to John Batdorff of Chicago, Illinois, for winning Shutterstock’s 2010 Photo Safari Contest, sponsored by B&H Photo and Zozi! Batdorff wins a safari for two in South Africa, including three nights on safari at the Lions Sands River Lodge and three nights exploring Cape Town courtesy of Roar Africa, plus $2,000 which can be used towards airfare."

South African Airways is advertising a last minute limited availability fare to get you to the World Cup. Click the advertisement to enlarge or click here for more. At ROAR AFRICA we are still managing to find people last minute accommodation for the World Cup.
It's still possible! Call us on +1 877 ROAR AFR.

*** flysaa special ***

Last Minute SUMMER FARES

World Cup flights from only $725 (each way).

Book now as we are days away from the WORLD coming to South Africa. We have reserved special fares with limited availability just for this monumental event. Let Africa's Most Awarded Airline take you there.
Flights from: New York or D.C. with great fares available from other select cities in the U.S.
Flights to: Johannesburg and Cape Town South Africa
We've gathered our lowest fares on select flights making booking a trip to South Africa this summer easier than even. BOOK NOW!

*****

Last week we spotted this magnificent black-maned lion at Tswalu Kalahari, South Africa.
Many people are not aware that lions vary considerably around Africa. Adult male lions weight generally ranges between 150–250 kg (330–550 lb). On average about 5% heavier in southern Africa than East Africa. The presence, absence, color, and size of the mane is associated with genetic precondition, sexual maturity, climate, and testosterone production; the rule of thumb is the darker and fuller the mane, the healthier the lion (other things being equal). The Kalahari lions are renowned for the large size and black manes. This one was in beautiful condition.

Congratulations to TravelScope, the documentary travel series for television that has just been nominated for an Emmy. ROAR AFRICA hosted TravelScope last year for the filming of two episodes of the new season which begins next month: South Africa - On Safari and Mozambique.The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) announced the nominees for the 37th Annual Daytime Entertainment Emmy® Awards on May 12th. Travelscope is nominated for an Emmy® in the Outstanding Special Class Series category.

You can read more about the filming of these two episodes on our BLOG: Safari & Mozambique or on Travelscope's website (see below).
Travelscope press release.
Episodes ROAR AFRICA hosted: South Africa - On Safari & Mozambique

Have a close look at the picture below (click to enlarge).Your eyes are not deceiving you - that's an African Wild Dog taking an afternoon nap very close to a Black-backed Jackal.

Botswana is full of surprises. Last month we came accorss this female African Wild Dog living with Jackals. Firstly Wild Dogs normally can't survive long alone. They need their pack to hunt and protect one another. Secondly, Jackals are normally competition for them. Competitors fight one another or at least drive one another away.

Apparently this female Wild Dog somehow got left behind by her pack on Chiefs Island, Moremi Game Reserve, Botswana. That was more than a year ago. She is an incredible hunter and has managed to hunt by herself and stay safe from lions and hyenas for all that time. Our guide Dr Malinga told us she has formed this remarkable partnership with the Jackals. Their new Dog-Jackal pack is a neat symbiosis whereby the Jackals offer some protection in the form of additional eyes, ears and noses, and she provides additional food. The Jackals can't keep up on the hunt but yet she shares the kill. In fact, most remarkably of all, she was apparently regurgitating food for the Jackals pups. That absolutely amazed us!

Last month we met Legadema, the famous leopard on Chief's Island in the Okavango Delta, Botswana. Legadema (lah-heh-deem-uh)—Setswana for "light from the sky"— is the star of the award winning documentary Eye of the Leopard by Beverly and Dereck Joubert. The Jouberts tracked and filmed her from eight days old for for three years.

There are some intense scenes in the film. For example when she narrowly escapes an attack by a pride of lions. Lions will kill rival predators when the opportunity presents itself. We actually watched a lioness hunting Legadema last month. We were watching the lions when both we and the primary hunter, a one-eyed lioness, heard Legadema's call. She was marking her territory nearby. We followed the lioness as she stalked Legadema for 10 minutes before giving up the chase. Click to enlarge the picture of the one-eyed lioness. You can see her large, swollen, purple eye. Apparently it has been like that for more than a year and she is still the most successful hunter in the pride.

Another remarkable scene from the Eye of the Leopard is when Legadema kills a baboon which, unbeknownst to her, has a tiny infant clinging to it's belly. I was telling this story on the Land Rover when our guide, Dr Malinga, said "Yes, that is the Leopard we just saw...Legadema. She's a movie star". I could hardly believe it.

In the baboon incident Legadema's maternal instincts seem to get confused as the infant reaches out to her for protection. She mothers the baby baboon for the night curled up on a tree branch. The infant dies during the night. You can watch that clip below...

It's not the first time I've heard of predators looking after their prey. A lioness adopted a baby Orynx in Kenya and looked after it for two weeks. You can read that story here or watch the video below:

Here's a link to the Eye of the Leopard

If you'd like to find out more, Legadema even has a Facebook page here.