Roar Africa press reproduced from Fitness Rx magazine:

Beauty & Spa Rx Info-Bits
By Louise Powell






Botox Getaway

At Bay Skin Care Institute, you can get Botox, Mesotherapy (nonsurgical liposuction), massage, facial, manicure, pedicure and self-tan. In between spa treatments, wander through Cape Town, go taste some wines, or visit Cape of Good Hope. Roar Africa will put together a six-day fantasy escape for you at a luxury hotel. After the spa has smoothed you out- get ready to go on safari, at Lion Sands Private Game Reserve! The dollar exchange works in your favor, making this pampering getaway affordable. (www.roarafrica.com)

We're proud to announce that Southern Africa (and the Indian Ocean islands), the home of Roar Africa, has 11 entries currently competing for inclusion in the New7Wonders of Nature. Of those 11 the Kalahari Desert (Botswana/Namibia/South Africa) is the current front runner. We have two coming in at number 7: Sossusvlei (Namibia) and Table Mountain (Cape Town, South Africa). Not bad!

Wonder, Country, Current Rank
Kalahari Desert, BOTSWANA/NAMIBIA/S.AFRICA, 1
Sossusvlei, NAMIBIA, 7 (group A)
Table Mountain, SOUTH AFRICA, 7 (group C)
Mount Karthala, COMOROS, 11
Okawango Delta, BOTSWANA, 18
Victoria Falls, ZAMBIA/ ZIMBABWE, 25
Aldabra Atoll, SEYCHELLES, 26
Malolotja Nature Reserve, SWAZILAND, 29
Mount Nyangani, ZIMBABWE, 30
Avenue of the Baobabs, MADAGASCAR, 35
Maletsunyane Falls, LESOTHO, 57

And we can think of far more than 11 reasons to visit southern Africa!

The New 7 Wonders of Nature will be determined by votes from the public.
Vote here.

Why elect the New7Wonders of Nature?
The campaign to choose The Offcial New7Wonders of the World was a resounding success, in which more than 100 million votes were cast and which took democracy to a new, global level. The New7Wonders of Nature campaign will raise awareness of the incredible variety and beauty of nature around us. “If we want to save anything, we first need to truly appreciate it!” This is something that is very important - more awareness and more tourism income means that these natural treasures can be better preserved for future generations.

The New7Wonders Foundation, which is behind the New7Wonders campaigns, has the express aim of undertaking documentation and conservation works of monuments worldwide under the motto: "OUR HERITAGE IS OUR FUTURE". The Foundation was established in 2001 by the Swiss-born Canadian filmmaker, author and adventurer Bernard Weber to contribute to the protection of the world’s human-built and natural heritage and to foster respect for the cultural diversity on our planet. Fifty percent of net revenue raised by the New7Wonders Project is to be used to fund monument documentation and conservation efforts worldwide.

In January 2009, The New York Times ran an article “South African Wine Steps on to the Stage”. Eric Asimov

"FORGIVE me if I’m excited, but I can’t help it. I want to tell you straight out that South Africa, of all places, is one of the greatest sources for moderately priced cabernet sauvignon on the planet today. " Eric Asimov

We are excited too. As you may know, Roar Africa’s passion is driven out of a desire to unearth finite experiences, be it of wildlife, the Cape, the Karoo or of the finest single vineyard fruit. We know that only then can a great experience be produced and ultimately savored. Such unique experiences are meticulously selected by us with the help of our specialists.

Following the huge success of our exclusive Behind the Scenes wine tours with Cape based wine producer Richard Hilton, we have decided to offer our clients a selection of the Cape’s finest and most sought after wines, which are often available only on allocation.

This offering will take place four times a year and will consist of a 12 bottle case of wine that includes three wines, from three different estates, 4 bottles of each. Prices for each quarter offering will vary depending upon the season and the estate. We will confirm pricing with you prior to shipping.

The wines will arrive at your door, at slightly less than retail prices, and will be hand selected by Richard, to accompany the season of the time of the delivery, with a short tasting note and a suggested pairing with each wine.

This club is only open to clients and friends of Roar Africa and the first wines to be delivered are due at the end July 2009. If you would like to become a member of the ROAR AFRICA wine club, please email me with your name, delivery address, contact numbers, and credit card details. (N.B. The retail prices of these wines will range from USD20.00 – USD 50.00 per bottle).

'If it had been only one wine that impressed us so much, we would not have been nearly so excited. But there were plenty of others..." Eric Asimov, New York Times

Email Deborah Calmeyer

Rob and Victoria Sears kindly shared these photos of two elephants lying down sleeping right outside their bungalow at Eagles Nest Lodge, Mashatu Reserve in south eastern Botswana.

"Victoria and I were awoken by loud snoring outside our bungalow at about 4am. Victoria shone the torch outside and saw 2 huge Elephant having a snooze 1 meter away from the patio!!! I managed to take a few snaps (with flash) and the old boys didn't even stir, they were fast asleep..." Rob Sears (April, 2009)

You quite likely haven't seen an elephant lying down. That's because elephants don't sleep much and when they do they usually nap standing up. They might lie down if they feel secure and then generally only for about 30 minutes or so at a time usually while others nearby are awake and alert. In the case of calves, who you are more likely to see lying down, the herd will stand around them keeping watch while they sleep.

Apparently these two elephants felt very relaxed at Eagles Nest Lodge. Perhaps Elephants Nest would be appropriate.

Mashatu Game Reserve is a wholly preserved and untainted wilderness in eastern Botswana at the confluence of the Limpopo and Shashe Rivers. Mashatu, ‘Land of Giants’ takes its name from the locally-sacrosanct Mashatu tree and the giants that roam its terrain. As one of the largest private game reserve in southern Africa, Mashatu is 25 000 ha (75 000 acres).

Thanks Rob and Victoria.

ZZZzzzzzzzzz

Londolozi has just been featured in InStyle Magazine Weddings 2009 as an Eco-Friendly honeymoon destination.

Londolozi (Zulu: "to protect") is one of Roar Africa's favorite lodges with 83 years of history as a game reserve. The first camp was set up as a hunting escape on the Sand River (near Kruger National Park in South Africa) by the great-grandfathers of the current Varty and Taylor families. That camp had none of the luxuries of the five star (make that 6 star!) accommodations you'll find there today. It is also no longer a hunting reserve either. The Vartys changed that 35 years ago when they built a wildlife conservation reserve which today hosts some of the most fantastic wildlife in the area. There are no longer any fences between Londolozi and Kruger Park so animals can migrate over this vast area. Fortunately for Londolozi they seem to like it right there!

Granite Camp

What makes them Eco-Friendly?
For 35 years they have been committed to guarding the wildlife. Here's a quick look at some of the Londolozi eco-friendly initiatives:

Land Care:

• Micro catchment Management increases drought resistance
• Alien plant Control keeps invasive species at bay
• Bush clearing restores diverse habitats (There is debate about the pros and cons of bush clearing)

Zero Emissions Safari Vehicle:
Londolozi has the first zero-emissions safari vehicle: A battery powered 4x4!

Leopards of Londolozi:
It is well known that Londolozi is one of the best places in the world to see leopards. The partnership between man and these beautiful and usually shy cats has been developed over generations at Londolozi and visitors often have multiple leopard sightings.

Londolozi is known as one of Africa's finest safari reserves. There are four camps each with their own look and feel.

Now THAT'S a bath!

For more on Londolozi see two other posts:
Yoga in The Bush
And a the radio interview:
Safari's aren't just for game viewing anymore

Or: Londolozi

Do you like your life edgy? Do you long for the Trailer Park? Seriously! You can have both in luxury in the heart of Cape Town.

The Grand Daddy Hotel in Long Street

The Grand Daddy hotel in the heart of happening Long Street believes that "luxury shouldn’t exclude playfulness". We agree. The Grand Daddy is full of creative touches to ensure that guests are pleasantly surprised by the unexpected. The biggest and most talked about "surprise" is the Trailer park.

That's right! A fleet of 7 iconic two-sleeper vintage Airstream caravans sits on the roof with Table Mountain as a backdrop. They were each individually conceptualized and designed by local artists and make for possibly the most unusual and fun accomodation you can find anywhere.
It gets better. Your air-conditioned Airstream with hot and cold running water, flush toilet and shower, is enclosed by a tidy garden complete with US Postal Service mailboxes. Watch an outdoor movie on hot summer nights at The Pink Flamingo Cinema. If that's not enough there is the Daddy Cool bar and The Showroom Café restaurant before you even step out onto hip Long Street.

Interiors of two of the Airstreams by local artists.

Prices vary by season but the Airstreams are from about $120 per night. There are Hotel suites and the Sugar Daddy Suite but I think you should one-up your friends by telling them you're off to the Trailer Park in South Africa!

The Grand Daddy

Having recently finished reading the galley copy of Douglas Roger's memoir I have to wholeheartedly agree with Anne Landsman, author of The Rowing Lesson:

"With breathtaking talent, wry wit and abundant heart, Douglas Rogers tells the compulsively readable tale of his parents’ daily struggles to hold onto their land in the nightmarish landscape of present day Zimbabwe. With every turn of the page, you fear for the Rogerses survival, as well as the survival of the country they love so much. But even as they face the most difficult of challenges, their indomitable spirit shines through, revealing the ordinary heroism of people in extraordinary circumstances."

Congratulations Doug!

See our previous post here.
Pre-order on on www.douglasrogers.org

Officially declared in June 2007, Mokala is South Africa ’s newest national park. Situated approximately 80km south-southwest of Kimberley, and west of the N12 freeway to Cape Town, Mokala is nestled in the hills with a landscape that boasts a variety of koppieveld (hills) and large open plains.

The isolated dolerite hills give the place a calming feeling of seclusion. A big surprise awaits when you pass through the hills and are confronted by the large open sandy plains towards the north and west of the Park. Drainage lines from the hills form little tributaries that run into the plains and drain into the Riet River.

Mokala is a Setswana name for a Camel Thorn (Kameeldoring). These trees occur in dry woodland and arid, sandy areas and are one of the major tree species of the desert regions of Southern Africa. This immensely important species has a great range over the Northern Cape and varies from a small, spiny shrub barely 2m high, to a tree up to 16m tall with a wide, spreading crown.

The Camel Thorn is an incredible resource to both wildlife and humans who survive in often harsh conditions characteristic of this area. Traditionally, the gum and bark have been used by local tribes to treat coughs, colds and nosebleeds. Some even use the roasted seeds as a coffee substitute.

Moving a Park

‘It’s been a mammoth process to move all the animals and ready the land for the creation of a new national park,’ say’s park manager Deon Joubert. ‘We had to complete the operation of moving 863 animals – including buffalo, black rhino, white rhino, red hartebeest, tsessebe, gemsbok, eland, zebra and roan antelope (pictured) – from Vaalbos to the new park by October 2006 because it becomes too hot after that.’

Vaalbos was renowned for its large active breeding herds of roan antelope. At Mokala rare and valuable species breeding projects are in the pipeline for roan antelope, sable antelope and pale-rump zebra.

This is especially significant for roan as these magnificent antelope are mysteriously declining in numbers over much of their ranges. The new park, which has about 170 of these animals, now has one of the largest populations in South Africa.

Newsflash

Mokala was the winner in the Parks and Nature Reserves category of the 2008 Welcome Awards at an awards ceremony held at South Africa’s premier tourism showcase, INDABA in Durban recently.

The Welcome Awards were founded four years ago with the express intention of improving service levels in the tourism sector. The judging process includes pre-arranged visits and interviews by the Welcome Awards project team, as well as mystery visits by trained individuals posing as customers. Winners are chosen based on the value they add to customer expectations; on their commitment to excellence in serving customers; and on exceeding visitor expectations.

Mokala National Park

Singita Lodge in Kruger National Park has implemented a creative way to help the community, develop their staff and staff their kitchen with exceptional talent. It was born out of the remoteness of their Kruger Concession locations (Singita Lebombo and Sweni Lodges) and their desire to help the community. We visited the remarkable school last month and congratulate them on their creative program and success. Here's their story.

SINGITA SCHOOL OF COOKING - HISTORY, PURPOSE AND FUNCTION

Background

Four factors came together to create the Singita Cooking School:

• Singita Kruger National Park’s real desire and that of many of its guests, to assist in the active development of local communities was proving challenging because of the very remoteness of the lodge. The villages where most of their staff had their homes were a 3 hour drive away.
• Staffing its kitchens with skilled, inspired and qualified chefs meant recruiting from the far away cities. Local staff with the right foundation skills to thrive and progress were proving almost impossible to locate. There were very few success stories of local enthusiastic staff moving up through the kitchen ranks. This was a situation which needed to change.
• The Singita staff village had a kitchen large enough to accommodate 8 chefs operating comfortably in their own workspace.
• Kurt Abrahams, a Senior Sous Chef at Singita Sweni, SKNP, of 4 years service with the company and possessing outstanding culinary skills and a passion for staff development, put forward a proposal that he commence training “interns” from the local community, in parallel with his normal work.
  

From these 4 strands the Singita Cooking School was born.

Such a program was practical – we had the committed trainer to hand and the perfect facility. Such a program was a hands-on practical way to assist the distantly-situated community in a sustainable way. One up-skilled person with a good job and sound prospects has a multiplying effect on his/her immediate family and the broader community. Besides the income provided, they can also provide much needed inspiration, energy and leadership to depressed under-developed areas.

As a result, at the end of 2007, Kurt vacated his position as Sweni Head Chef and became the full-time trainer and mentor. The kitchen was equipped with all the necessary equipment to house a full-scale cooking school for up to 10 trainees. An advertisement went out to the local community for youth who were passionate about cooking and becoming trained Commis Chefs. And the first group of trainees started “school” in January 2007 ensuring that the Singita Cooking School “started cooking”!

How the Cooking School works

1. The Singita Cooking School is a community development program aimed at equipping 8 youth from the local community – over each 12 month period - with an enthusiasm for cooking and the foundation skills required to commence a successful career as a Chef.

2. It is a 1 year full time Learnership program for 8 students.

3. The program is advertised in the local community – by word of mouth, posters and flyers.

4. Each student receives a chef’s uniform and essential kitchen equipment and is provided with either transport or accommodation to ensure their daily attendance at classes. Students are paid a monthly stipend during their training.

5. The program is a combination of theoretical and practical training, aimed at building knowledge, skills and confidence to enable the trainee to take up a Commis Chef position in a professional kitchen and to drive their own careers into the future.

6. Students gain practical skills by “practicing” on Singita staff and, on occasions, by working in the Singita Lebombo kitchen to gain exposure on the preparation of food for guests. Staff have benefited from the far healthier preparation of their food and an enhanced “culinary experience”.

7. In addition to the culinary aspect, the program includes the development of life skills and a focus on improving spoken English.

8. Students are assessed as they progress and have to be found competent in all modules in order to graduate from the School.

9. On completion of the training program, students are assisted to apply for positions as Commis Chefs within Singita and with other lodges situated close to or within the Kruger National Park.

10. To ensure the continued development of those trainees that it employs into its kitchens, Singita is now rolling out a Part B to this program: a 2½ year Commis Chef development program run by the Head Chefs of each Singita kitchen. All Commis Chefs will be equipped to fill any new Chef d’ Partie vacancies that might arise.

Our Cooking School trainees – two examples:

Mavis Mongoe – a past student

One of the students from the first Singita Cooking School class is Mavis. She lives in a village called Welverdient, which is very close to the Singita’s road exit from the Reserve. She was 21 when she joined the program. One of 4 siblings, since leaving school she had had a short stint of experience working as a general assistant in a Burger ranch when she had traveled to Johannesburg to try and find work after leaving school. She reports that her future was looking bleak. She was selected to join the Cooking School because of her enthusiastic attitude and an interest in cooking. She was obviously intelligent, an organized approach and had good interpersonal skills.

Once she concluded the course she was offered a position in the Singita Lebombo kitchen where she continues her training under the beady eye of Clinton Drake, the Head Chef who was recently recognized as an Relais & Chateau “Rising Star”. She has a bright future ahead. Clinton says of Mavis: “She has real potential and is growing in confidence and skill on a daily basis. I am struck by the difference to her life that resulted from her applying to be part of the fledgling Singita Cooking School. She says that without it she would either still be at home doing nothing or would be looking for work in the far away city. The Cooking School has given her the very real chance to fulfill her own potential.”

Adelari Ndlovu – a past student

Adelari is one of the 8 students selected to participate in the 2nd Singita Cooking School program, which commenced in the latter part of 2007. After leaving school he had sought work and had managed to get a casual position as a gardener at a lodge in the Kruger Park. His home is also in Welverdient, where his mother raised him and his 10 siblings completely on her own. As such there were no funds available for any further education. He is a shy and retiring young man but the selection panel chose him because of his obvious determination to get ahead. He had a real interest in working in the kitchen which was awakened when working at the lodge. Another point that impressed the selection panel was his commitment to his local community. He was personally campaigning for the installation of running water and electricity to his village. (This is reportedly about to become a reality!) Since commencing the program he has shown a real tenacity and commitment that augurs well for his future.

To date:

Since its opening in January 2007, the Singita School of Cooking has had 14 students complete its course. Of these, Singita has absorbed 6 of them into its own kitchens. Tskakani Mathebula, a student from the very first intake, was voted as Employee of the Month at Singita Sabi Sands. Other students have been assisted to find employment in other lodges, with several of them currently working in lodge kitchens. Yet others have gone on to continue their studies still further.

A contribution?

The Singita Cooking School was made possible by Singita’s practical commitment (funding, expertise and resources) to making a difference to the lives of local, unemployed youth and, in no small part, to the financial contributions made by some of its concerned guests. Such funding helps ensure both the sustainability of the program and determines the number of students the School can accommodate.

Last week while in Botswana I was fortunate to see this beautiful male sitatunga. We were in the Okavango Delta near near Xugana camp, about 70kms due north of Maun, on eastern edge of main delta. He posed beautifully for us which is unusual for this shy and cautious antelope most often spotted by aircraft.


The sitatunga or marshbuck (Tragelaphus spekei) range throughout Central Africa and are semi-aquatic antelope. They spend a good portion of their time in the dense reed beds and submerged in water up to three feet in depth. They will even submerge themselves up to their nostrils when disturbed. In Botswana they are confined to the permanent water areas of the Okavango Delta and in the Linyanti river system.

The sitatunga's hooves are well-adapted to walking through the papyrus sedge. They have 7-inch long hooves which splay out as weight is placed on them, enabling them to cross over mud, floating vegetation and in the reed beds. The rams have long twisting horns which curve like a kudu's but to a lesser degree.

Their main predators are lions, which ambush them along the reeds, but they are also hunted by leopard and wild dogs. When chased, they will head straight to deep water and they are excellent swimmers.

This was a rare and memorable occasion for us.

The wildlife in the Kruger National Park is quite accustomed to safari vehicles in its midst and so seldom runs away from or charges vehicles. However, everyone has a bad day sometimes as in this case where an irritable elephant cow decided to charge our Land Rover.

We were not particularly close (and certainly not threatening), but we could see that she was irritable and protective of the herd. There's a bit of a standoff as we hold back and give her space to move on. For a moment it looks like she's going to do just that but then she has a change of heart.

Depending on the situation backing away can actually increase the elephant's confidence and cause them to charge. You can see this happening after the stalemate when we do back-off. The situation was well-read and handled by our guide Diedre and tracker Sidwell (banging on the vehicle to deter the elephant) from Singita Lebombo lodge. We discovered that Deidre has superb uphill reversing skills on rocky jeep tracks. We gave the herd a wide berth and continued on our adventure.


Oh....and that elephant looked rather more intimidating from where we were sitting.

Please be advised that South African Airways has opened a new terminal for all their flights and at this time, it is located too far from the existing baggage handling facilities to allow for timeous connections between flights.

In most cases luggage is unfortunately not making connecting flights. This is applicable to International, Regional and Domestic Air - for example from London or Washington to Cape Town or from Durban to New York. It is strongly advised that all guests traveling on South African Airways through Johannesburg, should check-in their luggage as far as Johannesburg, take possession of their luggage in Johannesburg and then rebook it onto their connecting flight. In this way they can ensure their luggage arrives at their final destination timeously. This situation is expected to continue for the foreseeable future so we would also recommend allowing for greater connection times – at least 3 hours.