It is great to have you reading this edition of Dean's Diary, which covers the adventures, travels and excitement of African Bundu Safaris and all of our recent clients. We have been truly blessed in that business has been good recently, with some super clients who have become good friends now - some past clients coming back for more exciting safaris, quite a few camping clients wanting to explore Kruger Park or Botswana and of course, the ever popular Cape Town and the Winelands.
We are ending our 7th year of business soon, and the 8th year looks good with some super trips planned for repeat and new clients.

For our old friends, you will have noticed that we have totally redone our website - which I am sure you will agree is very attractive and has lots more information than our previously successful website. In this edition of Dean's Diary, I shall share with you the feedback from our clients who have traveled over the last 4 months plus tell you a bit about what is happening around us - and also what lies ahead of us. I think a number of colleagues also read Dean's Diary - and get jealous when they read about what super clients we have and the fantastic African Safaris that they enjoy, as very few of them have the personal experience that I have, to be able to plan these safaris through Southern Africa for our more adventurous tourist to enjoy.

PAST CLIENTS:
Andre with his wife, Danielle and daughter spent part of their summer vacation here in South Africa. Being French Canadians, working in Madagascar, they continued after their safari to home in Canada to spend time with family and friends there. When they returned to Madagascar, Danielle wrote a lovely e-mail to us, telling how much Lisa-Marie and they had enjoyed the trip and the places they visited. They are friends of other French Canadians that have traveled with us before, so it is really good to have past clients refer their friends and colleagues to come and travel with us. Here is some of their feedback from Danielle: "We were absolutely happy about our trip in your gorgeous country. We really enjoyed all, but specially the Tshukudu Lodge, for many reasons I explain here: Very well organized, staff very friendly and efficient, the beauty and the rusticity of the place, the comfort of rooms and facilities, good food, the way we lived, in the middle of all these wild animals everywhere around, ... But most of all, our Ranger, Wendell was just amazing. He had a very impressive knowledge of the bushes and the wild animals, he was always ready to share it with us, a lot of passion too for his job, very devoted and extremely interesting to listen. Our stay there was very nice and a big part of it is because of him. This is a place where we would be ready to go again at anytime. All our hopes were met, I mean reached beyond!
Our guesthouse in Cape Town was a very nice place, pretty and cozy (we appreciated to have heat in all rooms!). Amazing view all around! The owners are very nice and have a good "business sense". Very well located (close to the Waterfront). We felt good there. A place where we definitely would be ready to go again too. CAPE TOWN: What a gorgeous city!!! We really enjoyed seeing these wonderful mountains everywhere. The Waterfront is very beautiful, the Shopping Center is quite modern, the aquarium is big and impressive, ... We rented a car for 2 days and we made the road to Hermanus (Magnificent! But next time, we'll go during the Wales' time), Boulder's Bay, Cape Point,... Very beautiful. Few observations: Table Mountain was closed for renovations (they do it during the low season?), the South African Historical Museum too; the food at the Waterfront's restaurants where we went (Mexican, seafood) wasn't very good (but at Cape Town Fish Market, we ate delicious sushi). Four days there wasn't enough; we'll have to do it again, then! So, we hope these comments will be helpful for you and you can have them forward to people you work with, if it could be useful. We won't hesitate to recommend your name to friends who would like to visit beautiful South Africa.
Thank you very much again for your good services and regards, Andre, Danielle & Lisa Marie."

Margot and her children spent a few nights at The Palace after flying out from Belgium, before going to their holiday home down in the Cape. I assume they had a fabulous time, as I know that The Palace is one of the world's top hotels and holiday resorts - with fantastic facilities and cuisine!

Gerrit and his family from Johannesburg went on a selfdrive holiday into Zambia and had a fabulous time, spending a few nights in Livingstone, at a lodge overlooking the Victoria Falls

Jan and his children flew our from Sweden - Jan had some meetings to attend to in Durban and so they stayed at a Durban beachfront hotel, where they enjoyed stunning sunrise's, before Dave took them off on a safari to Hluhluwe-Imfolosi Game reserve, to the private bush lodges, where Dave with the armed Field Guide, took them on wildlife walks and also gameviewing in Dave's pop-up roof vehicle. Feedback from Jan was appreciated and I include some comments below: "The arrangements you made for us in Durban were all perfect, from the meeting point at the airport and back again. The three days safari with Dave was highly appreciated. We managed to see all big five (a leopard just beside the car at night) and some lions like little yellow spots, unfortunately. Also some cheetahs far away, while one of the elephants was even a bit too close for our guide Dave. He is a very comfortable and knowledgeable person, who managed to make us really feel taken care of. He really did his very best to bring us around to every spot in the park. We stayed at two different bush lodges, both very nicely situated. Very exciting to watch and listen to the animals at evening, night and morning. So, in total, everything was just fine and I can calmly recommend people back home to contact you if they need help with their stays."

Charlie and his colleague, Kevin hired a car and drove off to Madikwe Game Reserve - which was approximately 5 hours away - so they arrived in the late afternoon. They tell me they had a great time, enjoyed the lodge and the facilities, but would think twice before driving that long route again, as there is a 1-hour flight available. Madikwe Reserve has a number of lodges belonging to different owners, some are in small areas, having limited traversing rights to view the wildlife, but the two main lodges we use have traversing rights over more than 50% of the reserve - so excellent wildlife viewing whilst on safari is promised. Madikwe is also ideal for families, who are concerned about having their children exposed to anti-malaria medications, as it is a malaria-free region of South Africa - and there are special activities and staff trained to ensure children have a memorable and educational wildlife experience.
My good friends from the UK, Nik & Angela came out to South Africa again, during August and had decided to remain in one country for their holiday - and what a tremendous itinerary we planned with them. Some of the lodges were repeats, as they enjoyed the warm hospitality, wildlife and cuisine on previous visits - and then they wanted some new experiences - so we planned a super trip for them. "Well, this is now the fourth time I have given you feedback after organising a holiday to Africa for me. Your ability to understand what people want to see and do and where they can find it and still keep the cost of it within budget is second to none. The choice of reserves and different styles of accommodation you made was fantastic and there was not one place we didn't love staying at. This was by far and away the best holiday that either of us has ever had and we are already thinking about where in Africa we want you to organise for us in 2005, 2007 and 2009. Once again, thanks guys, you really are the best Africa has to offer. "
Well Nik & Angie, you know how much I enjoy you guys and your company, so whether your next trip includes Durban or possibly Namibia or Zambia - I have some super new ideas for you - and I know you have done the one trip to Botswana, but that was just for a few days - and you know that our Accommodation in Botswana website is now complete, and soon we shall have the Accommodation in Namibia website complete, so lots of super ideas there - let's talk! And thanks again for the super gift, which sits proudly on my mantle-piece, greeting everyone who arrives in my flat. Steve and Yuri, flew out from the USA, to spend a few months doing volunteer work in Zambia - and during their time off, we organise two different safaris for them - the first was to the South Luangwa Park - which is a fantastic wildlife reserve in the eastern park of the country - and then they flew to Livingstone to spend time there and also in Botswana at the Chobe lodges - to enjoy some spectacular wildlife viewing along the banks of the famous Chobe River and for a night in Savuti. After their volunteer work ended and they returned to the USA, Yuri sent me the following feedback on their trip. They are friends of John and Kitty, who had travelled with me before and were recommended to contact us for their arrangements. Always best to get a recommended Operator to plan your safari, than jumping in the deep-end and not knowing what you will receive!

"Thank you for your help in planning our trip. We had a wonderful time. We found your services exceptionally and reliable. We are very happy to have received this recommendation from John & Kitty. We loved our safari. We stayed at the Nkwali and Nsefu camps. The staff at both camps were amazing. The guides were knowledgeable and we enjoyed spending our time with them. We especially liked the small size/fewer number of guests. At both camps, the night game drives gave us a chance to see different animals and different behaviors. At Nkwali, we mainly did game drives. We saw a lot of elephants and hippos and many antelope species. When we arrived at the safari, we were not that interested in bird-watching . . . but by the time we left, we knew the names of several birds and found many of them beautiful. At Nsefu, we did a few mornings of walking safari, as well as game drives. Nsefu was even more amazing (if that was possible!). It seemed more "wild" than Nkwali (but there were definitely more tse tse flies there!). This is where we got to a bulk of our cats. We saw a leopard kill an impala, only to have that kill stolen by a lioness, who chased the leopard into a nearby tree. She was quickly joined by 2 other lionesses, only to have what remained of the impala taken by the male lion. Wow. We saw lions every night we were there. Our only regret was that we did not see any wildebeests and very few zebra while in South Luangwa. We are eagerly trying to find time to do another safari in Zambia. Our trip to Botswana was a different experience than our South Luangwa trip. The game viewing in Botswana was incredible. We saw more herds of animals. One night, we saw about 400 elephants on a plain just hanging out. The pride of lions were bigger. We saw more giraffes here. The landscape is different along the Chobe river as compared to the Luangwa river, and we were able to see many more animals on open plains. At our first lodge - the game lodge - there were wart hogs in the grass. This was a very nice lodge and they did an excellent job, but the large size was less of our style. We really enjoyed the savanna lodge just across the Chobe river on the Namibia side. The game viewing overlapped with what we saw at the game lodge, but the smaller accommodation was great. Savuti was a nice change of scenery. We unfortunately only had a night there. There were lions walking through camp. We also saw some ostriches off in the distance. And there were numerous elephants. However, we enjoyed the guiding at South Luangwa more. We thought the transfers were timely and excellent. The organization of our trip was wonderful. Dean - thank you for helping us get this trip together. We look forward to working with you again in a future trip to Zambia. We were very impressed at the timeliness and everything you were able to help us with. ) - Yuri ***

Steve and Yuri, I look forward to keeping in touch with you guys and being involved in your next safari J

Lydia and her fiancé from Nigeria, flew to Johannesburg and we organized a super stay for them at one of the luxury Johannesburg hotels for a number of nights, so that they could go sightseeing and enjoying the attractions in and around 'The City of Gold' - before they were transferred to The Palace of The Lost City to spend the remainder of their holiday there. Lydia's cousins also decided to join her, so they to flew out from Nigeria and enjoyed a number of nights at Sun City, before they all returned to Sandton in Johannesburg for a few nights, before flying back to Nigeria. I did have a couple of phonecalls from them whilst they were in Johannesburg or at The Palace, and they were certainly having a great time.

John, Kitty and Devin did arrive in Johannesburg, but not all together as planned, as Devin was scheduled to depart from New York when that massive power failure hit the city, so she was delayed by a day - and caught up with her folks the following day, after I had to make last minute changes to her flights and schedule. They spent a few nights in Chobe area, before flying off to Chief's Island and the Mombo concession in the Okavango Delta - to have fantastic days of game-viewing - before they all flew back to Johannesburg for a final night - and then John had to return to the USA for work and Kitty and Devin continued, first to Londolozi Lodge and then Mala Mala lodge, both in the Sabi Sands reserve, in the greater Kruger Park. Devin wrote to me, giving some super feedback and observations from their trip - and I really appreciate the time you took to send the information Devin: "Dear Dean - we had a FABULOUS trip. To start off with, flying out a day later because of the black out in New York City turned out to be no problem at all. Due to the time differences, by the time I got up the day I was finally going to fly out, my father had already called you, and you had already rebooked my flight into Zambia and the multiple ground transportations. Imagine my relief. I actually enjoyed traveling by myself through parts unknown in Africa, since on my previous trip all of my time had been spent with Mom and Dad. I really felt like I had no idea where I was going or what was happening, but everyone always knew exactly where and when I was supposed to be headed. From Johannesburg through Zambia, across a river and into Botswana, everything worked like clockwork.
Chobe was a great area, and we saw herds and herds and herds of elephants, but I was glad we didn't spend any more time there. The transfer to the savannah lodge in Namibia was great, involving a half hour speedboat ride. Namibian immigration turned out to be a sandy bank with a tree and a garbage can, and instructions from our boat driver to 'head up there and he'll stamp your passport'. Sure enough at the top of the hill there was a building with a hand written sign that said 'Namibian immigration', and a guy waiting to stamp our passports. It turned out that Chobe game lodge had as many waterfront activities as the Chobe savannah lodge, so the savannah lodge stop was slightly redundant. (With the exception of the fun transfer.)
Chobe had great game viewing, although the terrain was periodically really ugly. The only early morning drive I did there we saw a pride of 8 lions hunting a buffalo herd. There were about 10 cars watching, and although they didn't kill, it was very exciting. The buffalo eventually chased the lions away, and they passed about four feet from our truck. Apparently our driver was worried that the buffalo would stampeded after the lions and we would be in the way. Fortunately this didn't happen.
Chief's camp was great... really relaxing and just full of nice people, AMAZING food, we loved the tents, and our guide was great. It was great to spend three days there, and the little plane flights were fun. The game at Chief's was really amazing. One of my favorite sightings was a herd of twenty giraffes all running in the same direction, plus, we saw more lions. One pride sleeping, another three males sleeping right near the lodge, and then later those same three male lions had killed a buffalo, and we saw them eating, from about four feet away. The smell and the visuals were a bit much at times, and Mom has some amazing photos! We also saw two cheetahs at chief's camp. We were sad that Dad couldn't continue on with us to Londolozi and Mala Mala, but we enjoyed ourselves anyways. Londolozi was absolutely amazing. The quality of pretty much everything was just top notch. Our ranger had just handed in her 800-page masters thesis on the socialization of leopards, so she really knew what she was talking about. We saw leopards every day that we were in Londo and Mala Mala. We also saw more lions, along with all the usual fun stuff.

Kirkmans camp was my least favorite of all the places we went. However, we did have our most exciting game viewing there. Our last morning we saw two bull elephants fighting for about half an hour, which was really great, and really close! We had to keep moving as they got distracted and would flap their ears at us, and right at the end of the drive we tracked a leopard, then followed some vultures, and eventually saw a young leopard that had killed a kudu. Then the older leopard and a hyena appeared, and chased the young one off. Then those two proceeded to fight (about three feet from our truck) off and on for about half an hour, with the hyena mostly winning. In the middle of all of this, the guy who films the national geographic videos in Mala Mala appeared, and started filming. That was when i realized, hey, this is the real thing! Not just something I'd see at home. Eventually the hyena took a piece of meat and ran off, and the leopard ate for a while and then we had to leave.

I hope that answers your questions. :) Our cat sighting were certainly plentiful and amazing, and very very very close up at times! I liked the variety of the places we went, and I would definitely head back in a second to chief's camp and londolozi. I'd love to see more of Botswana, and I think Namibia is definitely next on my list! I really want to see the skeleton coast, and some of the deserts. Thank you thank you thank you for yet another successful trip through southern Africa! Love Devin.

Thanks so much for you feedback and exciting recall of the encounters with the leopards, lions and hyenas! I think there are so many people who dream of having such wildlife experiences, and it certainly pays to stay at the better establishments where the wildlife is prolific and such encounters are more likely.

Richard and his family arrived in Pretoria, where Richard had a conference to attend, and then they flew down to Port Elizabeth, where we rented them a car and they followed our itinerary to the various wildlife lodges and tourist attractions in the Eastern and Western Cape, along the Garden Route, eventually ending in Cape Town. Richard had to continue to Iraq for business, whilst the family returned to the USA and home. Richard sent me some feedback from Iraq: I am just back to Iraq from Cape Town and it all went very well thanks to you both. Scotia and Addo were fine, rain got us indoors a bit too much in Knysna, Jim was great in Hermanus, we did a day in town, one wining, and one beaching in Cape. Given our limited time we could not ask for more All three of us think it worked out very well. Many thanks. Richard

It was about this time that Damien and 3 of his friends from France arrived in Johannesburg to go on a camping trip to Kruger Park. Due to their flight arrival time, we could not fit them onto on of our colleagues scheduled trips, so they had a private camping trip with just the four of them and a Guide - spending the first night at a private game lodge and then the following two camping in Kruger Park. Here is the feedback from Damien after they returned home: Everything went perfectly during the Safari and Jackie was a great Guide. She was very attentive to our needs and spotted animals perfectly! We were lucky enough to see the Big Five (almost, as we saw a white Rhino, not a black one..) and so many other great animals ; we all did enjoy the Safari. regards, Damien.

Danie and his wife from Gauteng, drove to Chitwa Chitwa Lodge in the Sabi Sands reserve, for a break-a-way weekend, and we were able to offer them a special price. We do try to give South African residents a discounted price where possible, so it makes it worthwhile for the South African residents to book through us and not direct with the lodges !! We had a fantastic weekend with great leopard and lion sightings! The camp personnel and game ranger went out of their way to make us feel at home and making sure we enjoy every moment. We will definitely return in the near future! Regards Danie.

One of our regular USA clients, Dave, and his wife, Linda, recommended that David and Anita contact us for their planned holiday and safari to South Africa. David and Anita's son was in Cape Town on a 6-month study period at the University and so it was ideal to come and visit him, plus see something of our wonderful country. So, we planned a super holiday, starting in Cape Town - then off to two different game reserves for some superb wildlife viewing, before returning to Cape Town for the final few days of their holiday and time with their son, John. As always, it is really appreciated the effort that so many people take to write to us after a trip and tell us the high's and lows of their holidays. Generally I do not enjoy publishing the lows as this can be very bad for the establishments, especially if it was a once off and unfortunate experience. If I have a number of lows about the same establishment, and having enquired directly for the other side of the story, I would normally stop supporting such an establishment. I am just mentioning this now as I thought of it now; David and Anita did not have any complaints! Here is their feedback: "Dear Kalendri and Dean, Thank you, thank you, thank you. We had such a wonderful time. All the details of the trip went so smoothly it was almost scary. Your country is beautiful, but very hard for an outsider looking in to understand. But I suppose that understanding another country in two weeks is a bit much to ask. More specific to the travel details - the drivers were timely and interesting, the V&A was lovely and delightfully close to fun shopping, the wonderful aquarium, places to eat and easy access to the City Bowl. The service was efficient yet delightfully friendly. The Bay Hotel, while somewhat better appointed, and having a gorgeous view, was less to our liking. Just personal preference though, as we discovered that we are not "destination resort, sit -by-the-pool tourists". The service staff was excellent there, too. We found Tshukudu a wonderful introduction to the animals by some very knowledgeable guides. Food and accommodations were good. Also enjoyed meeting and visiting with the other guests. Vuyatela was a lot less hectic than Tshukudu and really comfortable - physically and mentally. The staff seemed laid-back, but were very accommodating. Our guide was not talkative, but knew so much when asked. For us, the lack of chatter allowed us to really enjoy the beauty of the land. If only you weren't so far from home, we would love to return. Kind Regards David & Anita.

Oscar and Caroline got married and had planned their Honeymoon for South Africa - and we were thrilled to be part of their Honeymoon, and had booked them into two fabulous lodges for a number of nights each. Here are extracts from their feedback: "…. finally back down to earth with a bump after the most amazing time in SA - with a great big thanks to you. Your suggestions of Cleopatra's Farm House in the Drakensberg and Cliff Lodge in Gansbaai were inspired and just perfect :) Cleo's was out of this world and the perfect start to our honeymoon so relaxed and welcoming - the setting, ambience and friendliness enabled us to go straight to `chill mode` which was most welcome after a rather hectic run into our wedding and the big day itself - amazing as it was! You were right when u said Cleo's was in the heart of the Drakensberg - what stunning views, the peace and quiet and feeling of freedom - so good for the soul.
As for the food -I know you gave us prior warning but nothing could have prepared us for what we encountered at dinner - words fail me but here goes `the most sumptuous, wonderful, exquisite food we have tasted that was prepared with such love, dedication and passion that it felt an honour to eat at the table of Richard & Mouse. All I can say is I wished I had packed a pair of elasticized trousers. ……..
Then onto Gansbaai and Cliff Lodge the drive there was one of the most scenic drives I have ever done - (memories of coastal Route 1 in America from Las Vegas to San Francisco) we turned up at Cliff Lodge in the dark so did not have any idea of exactly where we were actually situated - but when we woke to the most amazing view we had to pinch ourselves to make sure we were not dreaming! Can you imagine having breakfast on a veranda as you look out with your naked eye you see whales and not just one 4 or 5 blowing air, showing their tail flukes and generally playing in the bay below you - no, nor could we till we saw it for ourselves. Cliff Lodge must surely have one of the most enviable positions in the world for whale watching!
We would like to send you all at African Bundu Safaris our most heartfelt thanks for helping us have the most wonderful time in your amazing country and rest assured when we come back our first port of call will be your most excellent company and it's spot on advice. Thank you so much :) Oscar & Caroline

It makes a huge difference when a Tour Operator has personally visited or stayed at the different establishments that they recommend, as then you are getting first hand experience and reference - compared to so many "Tour Operators" that just make websites with 1001 different establishments listed, very often not even getting permission to use information or photos from those establishments to copy onto their mega-information website - and thus like lots of travel agencies around the world, they sell a product from a brochure or written information only. We are very proud of selling products that our guides or we have personally experienced - and as you can see from our clients' comments, it gives that special service!!

Ray & Wilma flew out from the USA, to spend some time in the Eastern Cape before they flew to Johannesburg and then went on a wilderness camping trip in the Kruger Park wilderness area. Wilma had then decided that they fly to Vic Falls to spend some time there, before returning to the Eastern Cape and continue their holiday there. Ray sent a few words after they returned home: "My wife and I had a great time and enjoyed the Ultimate Bundu Safari you booked for us. The experience in the bush was more than what we expected. We saw all the big five in that 3 nights and 4 days experience. Janni the Park ranger and Neil Du Preez our driver and cook was great. So long till the next trip, Ray.

Richard and Brenda flew to Cape Town - to start their holiday there, before flying off to Hoedspruit to enjoy a wildlife safari at a private game lodges - and then they flew off to Mauritius and Seychelles for the next two weeks, to have a fabulous beach island holiday. We had a brief e-mail a day or two after their return - and look forward to some feedback from their fabulous holiday :" We had a great time, I will write you when I get caught up and have more time other then the game park was a great choice."

One of our past clients, Jamie, came out with her husband Donald, on an exciting trip that included Lake Malawi, South Luangwa Park in Zambia and then ended in Vic Falls, Zimbabwe.
Dear Dean and Kalendri, The trip was fantastic! A few things to note and points on the places we stayed: Chinteche Inn in Malawi was great. The inn is beautiful, peaceful and the rooms are clean and nice and look right onto the lake. The staff was attentive and gracious and we enjoyed the manager's company very much. They really cater to you and, as we were staying on a full board basis, we could order anything off the menu at any time. Very good food. We went scuba diving one day with a nearby outfitter and the Chinteche Inn manager took us for a tour of some rubber and tea plantations another day. The only bad thing was that it was a four drive from the Lilongwe airport. I don't know if there is a closer airport? Pam was RIGHT that we should not have stayed at Nkhata Bay -- it was disgusting there. I wouldn't recommend that anyone stay at any hotel right in Nkhata Bay -- dirty with a lot of marijuana smoking locals and backpackers and hippie wannabees. We were so happy to be at Chinteche Inn (especially after we drove through Nkhata Bay). Then off to Zambia we went and to the Kafunta River Lodge that was so was beautiful. The rooms at the lodge are separate thatched chalets with electricity and hot water that comes directly from a hot spring. (No Aircon, but there were fans). Laundry was included too. The pool and natural hot springs spa overlook a watering hole. The guide we had wasn't so great and focused so much on every bird present that we never got too far into the national park -- we were probably the only people who stayed for 5 nights and didn't see either a leopard or lion.
(Dean comments: - from my guiding experience, where there are not many animals visible, one does show your clients birds and insects and flora then, to try and keep them interested in their surroundings and enjoy their holiday.) We wanted to change guides also because he never stopped talking but they put you with one guide when you arrive and they don't switch you. I heard that the lodges that are located inside the park are better to see game -- especially since we kept arriving at the entrance of the game park at least 30 minutes after it opened. I do not recommend the Kafunta bush camp -- especially in September/October. It was a long bumpy 2 hour drive to the bush camp and the comfort level was very low at the camp -- especially given the extremely high price of the place!!!! The chalets had no air circulation whatsoever -- the thatching came down over the walls and the mosquito nets were made of lace or something and let no breeze through. When we went to sleep each night, it was about 37 to 38 degrees Celsius and we were sweating profusely. We did two walking safaris at the bush camp, but it was very hot and we saw virtually no game (probably because our guide was so loud and kept making animal noises and scared them all away). We were there with another couple - some Germans - and they hated the bush camp. They couldn't wait to get back to the lodge. The food was good at both places. Bottom line: The Kafunta River Lodge was very nice, beautiful and clean, but next time I would stay at a lodge inside the game park such as Robin Pope. I would not recommend the Kafunta Bush Camp to anyone.
Then off to Vic Falls where our hotel - the A' Zambezi Hotel. Dean, this place was AMAZING!!!!! We loved it! I honestly believe it was nicer than other hotels in Vic Falls especially considering the lower price and because it was located right on the Zambezi River. It was first rate -- with cable and air conditioning in the rooms, a huge buffet for breakfast. Also, a huge buffet with live entertainment for dinner each evening. They were very accommodating. There were warthogs that grazed on the grass all day and an elephant even came into the hotel grounds and knocked down trees the first night we were there. In Vic Falls town there were gangs of thugs roaming the town ripping tourists off who tried to change their money with them on the street. Make sure you tell everyone not to change their money with the boys on the street. ALL IN ALL - IT WAS A WONDERFUL TRIP!!!!! WE CAN'T WAIT TO GO BACK TO AFRICA!! Hopefully the year after next. We'll have you book a tour to Namibia with two or four of our friends. Thanks for everything. You are wonderful! All the best, Jamie & Donald

Thanks for the feedback guys, I could not edit too much of your feedback as I wanted to include it all, but then I also have to consider the length of Dean's Diary, which some folks say is too long! Another client from the USA, Michael, flew to Cape Town, spending a few days there, before jetting off to Mauritius. Whilst in Cape Town, we organize a day trip to a new game reserve a few hours away - and Michael enjoyed the day outing there.
Hi Dean, I returned home safe. I had a great time, especially in Cape Town; I really wish I had stayed there longer. My trip to Mauritius wasn't as fun. The safari was great, the place was new and has its best days ahead of itself, but I would feel comfortable recommending it to others. On the way home the guide had dropped some others in Winelands (Franshoek). It was beautiful but the driver recommended I go whale watching instead being that i was traveling solo. That is why I cancelled the Winelands tour, although I am sure I would have enjoyed it as well. Table Bay hotel was great Ii would feel very comfortable recommending it to others very safe and central. I hope to visit Cape Town soon since there was much I didn't see. I will contact you soon, thank you. Regards, Michael

We look forward to hearing from you again in the near future, to plan a longer holiday to SA - and we shall include a bigger game reserve and a longer safari there, much better than just a day trip Michael.

On of our regular clients from the USA, Dave, was in Johannesburg again for business - and had the one weekend free. Being an athletic chap, we flew Dave down to Cape Town for the Gun Marathon - a popular road running marathon. It was just a short visit and we were pleased to hear from Dave that not only did he enjoy his stay, but he did rather well in the race!!

Mark and Marlene arrived for their 10th wedding anniversary vacation, starting in Cape Town, traveling up the Garden Route, before flying to Durban and then to Phinda Game Reserve in Zululand. It is always great to have Canadian clients, as I have cousins and other relatives in Canada, so I get that special feel for such clients. A few days after they returned home, Marlene sent us a couple of paragraphs on their travels: "We had such a great holiday and already feel like we want to go back to South Africa. It's such a wonderful country. Thanks also for making all the arrangements. Everything turned out perfectly. Cape Town was stunning and Les Cascades des Bantry Bay was a very beautiful guest house. We would highly recommend it to anyone. Hermanus was very special and we did get to see the whales in the bay - in fact, we could see the whales from our veranda at Auberge Burgundy. We had a wonderful dinner across the street from the hotel at their restaurant called Auberge Restaurant. On to the garden route, it was a long drive but we were well rewarded once we got to the coast. Knysna is such a pretty place and we were quite comfortable at the Overmeer guest house. We did find it slightly out of the way and not quite our style of décor, but the staff were outstanding and the rooms were very comfortable. Tsala, near Plettenberg, was the stuff of dreams. It was a beautiful place to spend a night - but sooo expensive! That day we went to Monkeyland near Plett. It sounds like a touristy thing to do, but we actually found it incredibly interesting. We also went to Bloukrans Bridge and Mark was very brave and did the bungi jump there. We then back-tracked to Wilderness and stayed at the most stunning place called Wilderness Manor. It was gorgeous, inexpensive and the hosts were great. We had a very memorable dinner at Serendipity which is owned by a young couple that had opened up their home to dinner guests. Serendipity is a two minute walk from the guest house and we can't say enough great things about the meal we had there that night. We later found out that Serendipity was voted one of the 100 best restaurants in South Africa in 2003.
A quick flight from George to Durban on SAA and onwards with the Zululand Flying Service to Phinda. Phinda was incredible. On our first night at Rock Lodge we were quite fortunate to see a female leopard in a tree, trying to get away from her admiring male leopard that was busy munching away on the kill he had stolen from her. We saw all the big 5, and we also saw cheetah right outside the lodge. The three nights at Rock Lodge and two nights at Vlei Lodge were a perfect combination. The staff, the lodges and the game drives were all outstanding.
Thanks again for everything. Best regards, Marlene & Mark

During this same period, a past client of mine, Dick (friends of Elly and Arne who I guided on the Mystery Tour of 2 years ago) - arrived for a self-drive holiday. Dick's local travel agent in the Netherlands, cancelled his Australian holiday at the last minute, and so we organized a super holiday for him and a friend of his, Henk. They have only recently returned home, but Dick did call me from Johannesburg, the day before they flew back home, and said what a marvelous trip they had. I look forward to hearing from Dick, once he has unpacked and got back to work!

David and Anita enjoyed their trip so much to Tshukudu Game Lodge, that they treated their son, John and his friend to a few nights there, and so we were thrilled to be able to organize it for them. Thanks John for the feedback - and glad that you have had a chance to experience some wildlife during your studies here in SA. "Great trip to Tshukudu game reserve in Northern Prov. I'd recommend Tshukudu to people who only have a few days but who want to see all of the big five (plus a surprisingly large quantity of birds). Lucky young travelers may even encounter hordes of girls from elite European prep schools. The plane flight in and out of Hoedspruit was so easy, I didn't even feel like I had traveled. Thanks for arranging the trip. Cheers, John."

Paul and his brother and a mate, all from the UK, had decided to travel around the world for 6 months, and their first 'port of call' was South Africa. After spending some time in Cape Town, they flew to Johannesburg to participate on a camping safari into Kruger Park. Before they left for their next leg of their round the world trip, Paul sent us an e-mail on their camping trip: "Hi Kalendri. We all had a fantastic time. Even though the weather wasn't the best we managed to see the "Big 5" all in one day! From the first point of contact with African Bundu we found you extremely helpful and very efficient in your responses. Our guide, Neil was excellent and his knowledge was superb. In all we had a great time, probably the best trip we'll be likely to do in our 6 months around the world. Only problem is we're only in the first two weeks of that trip! We'll definitely be recommending you to anyone we know who wants to go to Kruger. Keep up the good work! Best wishes, Paul."

Well, those are the vast majority of our clients since July - all having had a marvelous holiday and very happy with our Fast, Friendly and Efficient service!

FUTURE SAFARIS:
Like every year, this is now a quiet season - 95% of our clients are from outside of Africa, and so their holiday seasons to Southern Africa are typically from February to October, with November, December & January, they seem to stay at home. AS you will have seen, we have had lots of different clients over the past 4 months - and these next 3 months looks like a quiet period. Ideal time for us to do our filing, admin work and to hopefully answer new enquiries for folks planning 3 to 6 months in advance for their safari to Southern Africa.
Philip is a traditional & ceremonial chief & leader from the USA and is on a safari in the Kruger Park area at the moment - his first trip to Africa. He is I know already planning for his next trip, as he wants to interact with the San (Bushmen) people. Once Philip returns to the USA, I am certain we shall hear from him and start the planning for the next trip!

Keith, our one Guide, shall be showing Alan & Pat, from the UK, the beauty and splendor of our beautiful country. Starting in Johannesburg, they then move off to the Drakensberg Mountains, before arriving in Durban for a night and then up the north coast and into Zululand, before driving through Swaziland to spend time wildlife viewing in Kruger Park and the Sabi Sands reserve - and then after exploring the Panoramic Route, Keith shall bid them farewell at Johannesburg Airport. As Alan and Pat are a retired couple, we have planned the route so it is in a restful and leisurely manner, with seldom more than 4 or 5 hours sitting in the vehicle. I do realize that some folks feel that their first visit to South Africa could be their only and so they rush around to see as many places as possible, and I know that the international flight is an expensive cost - but to rush around and try and see everything in 8 or 10 days is really not justice. Recently we have received a number of large group tours - and their agents or organizers from wherever they come, want them to arrive in the one destination between 4 & 5 in the afternoon and after an early breakfast, they are on the coach again to the next destination. Sorry, but that is not a holiday. They do not seem to want to listen to my suggestion and explanation of how rushed their suggested itinerary is. When you are on a self-drive, that is fine, but to rush 15 to 30 people around, that is not professionalism and I would rather not organize such a tour than get a bad reputation for tiring people out on a whirl-wind 'tour'. So, I am glad Alan and Pat decided to have a Guided tour, and they love my first suggested itinerary - with plenty of time to relax and enjoy each establishment and area.

Also in November, we have Nicolas and Sandra coming out from Switzerland. They arrive for their first night in Johannesburg, then off they go to Kruger National Park on a camping safari for 4 days, before returning to Johannesburg and the rest of their holiday. Three couples who are living and working in Saudi Arabia, and friends/colleagues of Megan & Charlie, will be arriving in Johannesburg before enjoying a scenic road transfer to Madikwe Game Reserve for a wildlife experience - and then they fly off to Cape Town, having fun exploring the Cape Peninsula, Winelands and Waterfront with Eric, our one Cape Town Guide - plus they are having a fun train trip to the Spiers Wine Estate for a picnic lunch, before they return to Cape Town for their final night. Maryann has been the organizer and coordinator and they left Saudi Arabia a few days ago and ahead of the other two couples, as they enjoy a Round-the-World journey!

Sybrand and Celeste will be getting spliced (married) in December, and then they drive from their home in Cape Town to Mkuze, where we fly them off to Kosi Bay for their start of their Honeymoon at Kosi Forest Lodge, after which they get transferred to Lake Sibaya, for a few nights there and then our plane will collect them from the airstrip there and fly them back to Mkuze - so they can return to Cape Town - in time to start work before the old year ends and they move into their new home together then.
Jack & Nancy will be arriving in Durban during December, and they shall spend time with family here, before driving off to the Hluhluwe-Imfolosi game reserve to enjoy a wildlife experience. Kim arrived in the Eastern Cape a few days ago, having a wedding to attend and family to visit - and then she will be flying between different cities, using our service, but staying with family and friends most of the time.

Well, that is it - for the future confirmed bookings - but I am sure, like every year, we will still get those last minute bookings, where we are expected to work miracles, after hours and to give discounts as well !! As I explained to one client a few weeks ago, most larger Tour Operators work strict office hours and so if you were to phone them after-hours or on weekends, you would either just get a ringing phone or an answering machine. When you call African Bundu Safaris - it gets through to either the office or the house. This is not an invitation to phone at any hour of the day or night, but we do answer the calls and answer the questions as best we can, after-hours - an added service that we cannot charge extra for - but it is the service that we are proud of - a Fast, Friendly and Efficient Service!

GENERAL NEWS:

Our past & regular clients would have noticed our new look website. I decided that after so many years of having the same the same basic website, it was time for a total revamp and I am proud of our new ABS website. Lots of extra information and user friendly - even though we received so many compliments about our previous website. We launched the one accommodation website at the beginning of the year - www.accommodationinafrica.co.za and this has proven to be very successful and useful to so many tourists at the moment, so we decided and launch a website dedicated to accommodation in Botswana - and just over a month ago, we launched :
www.accommodationinbotswana.co.za and likewise, it is already proving popular with tourists seeking accommodation in Botswana and being found on the popular search engines as well. Next month we shall launch a similar website on accommodation AND safaris in Namibia - and the URL for that website shall be www.accommodationinnamibia.co.za The website addresses might be long, but they work well with the search engines and are descriptive in what they are offering. As I have tried to mention on all the websites, we do NOT mark up the prices of the establishments we feature. All these establishments include a commission in their public rates for us Tour Operators - so we can charge you the advertised public rate and still earn a living. If you book your whole itinerary through us - i.e. all your accommodation and transfers etc - then we can even offer you discounts. If you are shopping around and only book one or two places through us, then sorry, no discounts! Our guestbook is an excellent testimony to our excellent service and hundreds of very happy and satisfied clients.

I attended two different travel workshops recently in Durban - the one was solely on Botswana, which was great as it was shortly before the launch of our website on that country, and then the other was on one of the large hotel groups in Southern Africa and a great chance to meet the managers from all the hotels and lodges and chat with them. I really appreciate these workshops, as it is impossible to get to visit all the hundreds of establishments every year to update yourself, so by meeting the owners or managers, you can get brought up-to-date with the latest information. Very important! I have another workshop to attend this coming week, hosted by SA Tourism - on the USA & European travel market. So I am looking forward to that workshop, at The Hilton Hotel in Durban. At the end of November, I have another tourism workshop on the Eastern Cape to attend, at the Elangeni Hotel. The tourism workshops are very useful as I mentioned earlier as it is not possible to visit every establishment every year - so ideal to be brought up to date with the latest information.

I am very happy to report that Kalendri has really settled in well with African Bundu Safaris and is a huge asset to the company. She is a real pleasure to have in our office and we get on so well. Her skills and abilities are being put to excellent use, as she has been such a help with the new websites, record keeping, answering enquiries and keeping in touch with prospective clients. Karly, may your stay be long, happy and prosperous!! Nafisa has settled in well with her other company she went to, and we still keep in touch. Her boyfriend has moved to the UK and she will possibly follow him in a few months time, but I suspect there shall be a wedding first :)

Tourism is a huge industry world wide - and following Sept 11, the Iraq war and SARS, the international tourism figures have declined drastically, except for Southern Africa - which is a safe destination and people would not feel threatened when they come here. South Africa is one of the few countries in the world whose Tourism visitor numbers are increasing and we have a growth I believe of over 10%!! This is great for us, as we are an Inbound Tour Operator and so business is growing. However, there are a lot of South Africans who have decided to become Tour Operators, have no experience nor knowledge of the products they are trying to sell - and thus do not provide a service fitting to International Standards. This is bad, as it is a reflection on us experienced and qualified Operators. I do realize that one has to start somewhere in a business - but when they profess to being "experienced" or "reputable" and they have possibly one or two past clients, and those clients are possibly ones supplied by a government marketing body - that is misleading the prospective client, who is spending a lot of money on their holiday. We deal very little with other Agencies or Operators in your home country, and thus we can keep our overheads down and thus offer you lower prices. Those Operators we do deal with - are specialists and thus we customize the safaris to suit their needs and thus there is no set price for such trips.
One such Operator is Weldon Lee, a professional photographer, who has a special Yellowstone Park Photographic - Winter Wildlife Safari planned from February 8 to 14 2004. Weldon has slashed the price by US$300 so this is a real bargain now. If you visit his website, you can get all details of his unique Winter Wildlife Safari:
http://www.rockymountainphotoadventures.com/yellowstone_winter_wildlife.htm
Weldon is bringing a small group of enthusiastic photographers to Botswana in June of next year - to have a photographic wildlife safari from Chobe, through Savuti and Moremi to the Makgadikgadi and Maun. Very exciting and we look forward to some stunning photographic results. Contact Weldon from his website, if you are interested in have a professional photographer accompany you on a wildlife camping safari!

Last month, Kalendri, Merle and myself were invited to the new uShaka Marine Park at the new Durban Waterfront. This multi billion rand project is still under construction and what we had seen already was mind-blowing! The whole park is themed and built around a 1950 ship wreck - with lagoons, ponds, pools - filled with fish, dolphins, penguins, seals and sharks - plus a variety of restaurants, retail shops and then all the water adrenalin activities that you could imagine. It is planned to open phase one in April 2004 - so we cannot wait to be one of the first customers!! On the news yesterday was that the famous Durban ICC (International Convention Centre) is going to have massive expansions, making it the largest in Africa. Already we have been hosting many very important conferences, which I have discussed in the past - but since it opened, both Johannesburg and Cape Town have built magnificent conference centres, to compete with the Durban ICC, so this new bigger version, which will be able to seat 12 000 people, will certainly attract more large conferences, and means that Durban will also have to increase the number of hotels and lodges in the area, to be able to accommodate everyone. When we have very large conferences, some of the participants are having to stay over 100 kms away, which is a tiring and time-consuming exercise to get to and from the meetings.

In Southern Africa, we have a large number of different seasons - some parts of the region have a low season over the July and August period, others have a low season over the Nov to March period - and during these low seasons, they have reduced rates or specials - so if you are interested in picking up bargain priced trips, be sure to ask us for the specials. Weekly we get e-mails from different lodges, informing us of their specials.

FAMILY & FRIENDS:

The saddest news was the passing away of my good friend Joe. You will recall that he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease last year, and his health slowly deteriorated but I felt he was not showing all the signs of the disease. Well, he and his wife, Elma, went over to the UK and Europe in May this year and a few days after he returned, he was admitted to hospital, in great pain and totally disorientated. Doctors diagnosed a brain tumor. Unfortunately, they could not operate on Joe and his health declined rapidly. He was admitted to a frail care centre nearby, as Elma was unable to provide 24/7 attention - and in August, my very good friend, Joe, passed away. I was thrilled and honored to be a pallbearer at his funeral and have visited Elma a few times over the past few months - enjoying lunches and good company together. She has moved into a nice cottage nearby to her old house, which she managed to sell recently. I miss Joe a lot, as we used to spend every Thursday with each other and we both enjoyed each other's company so much. I do have some fond reminders of him, as Elma gave me some of his lovely clothing, which I wear with great pride and dignity now.

The big news about my family is that we seem to all be on the move! My brother Sean with Monica and children have settled nicely now in Auckland, renting a lovely house and also building another house - which they will rent out. The children have settled in nice in their schools and made some super new friends, with Katie even having a boyfriend already, who incidentally comes from Cape Town! Sean travels quite a bit between home in Auckland and Christchurch for business, and so is seeing quite a bit of the countryside. We exchange e-mails frequently and have phoned each other a couple of times - so super to be able to use modern technology to keep in touch.
Gail, my older sister, has moved from Kestell (small town in the Free State) to Johannesburg. She has a great new job at a retirement village as a nursing sister. She looks after the health of the residents and assists them where necessary. She has introduced a few innovative changes and is already well liked by the residents and staff there. So nice when you can settle in so quickly. She has a friends retired father staying in her Kestell house and looking after her dogs.

My friend Liz, who lives in Luderitz, went on a wonderful expedition a few months ago - to Uganda, where she had an awesome experience trekking into the forest to have encounters with the gorilla's. Well done Liz, it certainly sounds as though this was a trip of a lifetime.
My friends who set off last year to go sailing around the world - well, they arrived in Cape Town and are stuck there! Tom has a great job and doing well with it, and Dominic is also doing well with her schooling. So, I gather, they will remain in Cape Town for a few more years - and then they might continue sailing around the world? Johness got so sick on the portion of the trip through the Cape seas, she has the intention to only join Tom once he has reached the other side of the Atlantic.

During August, I hosted two couples for a braai - first was Nik & Angie - a lovely couple who are now great mates, from the UK. We sat under my carport and enjoyed some great steaks, salads and other food. A few nights later, Arno and Annemieke arrived from the Netherlands, and we also had some super food around the fire.

Due to other commitments, I have not been able to continue my weekly attendance at our Bible study cell group - but remain in good contact with most of my friends there - and see a few of them at Sunday church services. At our church, I operate the computer which projects the words for the various worship songs on the overhead screen for the congregation to see - and sometimes, the pianist or choir decide to skip a verse or change the order of the songs, without telling me, can be quite embarrassing and annoying! After church, I am fortunate to be able to attend a local gym - where I do various exercises - to try and keep me healthy, and reduce the stress levels from last minute bookings :)

Somebody was asking me the other day about my fish. Well, I had 6 large and bright Comet goldfish. The largest decided to turn yellow and a little while after that - two of them disappeared. Yip, totally disappeared - no trace of them anywhere. And over the last few weeks whilst cleaning the pond and trying to find traces of the two missing ones, I have discovered I have 3 baby fish. They are still black, so difficult to see - but all the same, very exciting! We still get occasional visits from a frog or two. The dogs quickly alert me to the frogs croaking and we go to the pond to look for them. I end up putting them into a bucket and then next day, take them for a drive to a stream or swampy area a few kilometres away, where I am sure they will live a more peaceful life! (At least my life will be more peaceful, as the pond is outside my bedroom window!!)

That’s all my news folks

Take care and God Bless

Cheers

Dean

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