NEWS BLOG

Kruger Park Day Safari 14th Nov 11

2011-11-22T05:40:00.000-08:00

Hamilton's Tented Camp, Kruger Park - 2012 Special

2011-11-21T05:06:00.000-08:00

Hamiltons Tented Camp – Kruger National Park

Named after Colonel Stephenson Hamilton, who was instrumental in establishing the world famous Kruger National Park, Hamilton's Tented Camp reflects a safari adventure of the early twentieth century, where grace and style were the epitome of luxurious living. Hamiltons Tented Camp allows indulgence in pure luxury, combined with the sounds and smells of the African bush. Six magnificent canvas tents complete with teak floorboards, dreamy mosquito nets, slipper baths, outdoor showers and a superb view of the seasonal river are linked to the main lodge area by raised timber walkways amongst ancient Jackalberry trees. Uncompromising elegance and breathtaking beauty indentifies Hamiltons Tented Camp.

Start 2012 off in style with the below specials

Valid for 01 January – 29 February 2012

R 2,490.00 per person sharing per night and R 3,730.00 single per night

Rates include accommodation, three meals and 2 safaris

Valid for 01 – 31 March 2012

R 2,740.00 per person sharing per night and R 4,105.00 single per night

Rates include accommodation, three meals and 2 safaris

Rates exclude gate entry fees, beverages and items of a personal nature

Standard Terms and conditions are applicable

Kruger Park 05 Oct 11

2011-10-06T02:08:00.000-07:00

Awesome sightings in Kruger yesterday despite the terrible weather! 12 lions on a kill, with bellies so full they couldn't move! One lion actually fell asleep on the neck of the giraffe they killed! Another on his back with his legs in the air like a puppy! 6 Rhinos lying in the middle of the road, huge herds of buffalo & elephant and a leopard. At Sunset Dam there was a huge pod of hippo, one with an heron on his back, surfing across the dam! And about 15 really big crocs. Greg thinks that the river may come down if they are moving into the dams.

And of course the usual eejits who think it's cool to drive off road into the bush to disturb nature just because they can't take a good enough photo with their cell phones!

Will post some photos later

Bye for now,
Tracey

Pestana Stay 4 Nights & Pay for 3 Deal

2011-09-26T15:39:00.000-07:00

From US$280 per person per night sharing

including accommodation, breakfast, lunch & dinner,

selected water sports & taxes

Children 1-4 Free
Children 5-12 get an additional 5% off
Children 12-18 get an additional 5 % off
Pay stay deal is not applicable to children

TERMS AND CONDITIONS:

• Valid until 12 Dec 2011 • Subject to availability

Amakhosi Safari Lodge Special

2011-09-14T03:32:00.000-07:00

Amakhosi Safari Lodge is a 5 star, big five, safari lodge situated in the heart of Zululand, on the Mkuze River, in a 12,000ha beautiful private game reserve, where royal treatment is part of every day life!

Save R1100 per person per night in a High for Low Season exchange.

Rate includes:

Accommodation in luxurious River Suites
3 meals per day excluding drinks

2 game drives per day with qualified guides

Special is valid until 31 Oct 11 for stay in October only

Min 2 nights stay

Subject to availability and specified dates

Go Ahead Group Kruger park 9/11/2011

2011-09-12T02:12:00.000-07:00

We had a great day yesterday, 32 excited Americans on game drive, We were in 4 open safari vehicles driven by myself, Doug, Gavin and Dave. We had 2 Lion sightings one on Watergat and one on Napi Road. We also had a distant leopard sighting at Transport Dam, unfortunately we could not sit too long at this sighting because Mr Leopard was definitely eyeing the Impalas and not to dance with!

Awesome day , all I missed was a rhino! oh well.

My group want me to guide them in Tanzania in 2013, can"t wait. Please send the photos guys.

Our guide Robbie Williams is in New Zealand watching rugby world cup, lucky devil.

Chat soon........ SEND PHOTOS & please "Like" our Facebook Page

The Bearded One!!

Panorama Tour

2011-09-08T08:01:00.000-07:00

Hello Tracey

On August 20 Helen & I were delighted to be escorted on your Panorama tour. It was great to be in a car and your Guide, Doug is an interesting and informative person. We are not sure which was the best, Doug's "potted history of South Africa" of the tour itself. Anyway we certainly learnt a lot and enjoyed both greatly.

Thanks again,

Hugh & Helen Hamilton

Thanks

2011-09-08T02:58:00.001-07:00

Hi Tracey

I just wanted to drop you a line to show our appreciation of the service we received from Cheryl & Moira during our 5 days in Hazy View

Ross, my son, and I just got back from our once in a lifetime trip to South Africa which was made even more special by the
outstanding friendliness and experience of Cheryl and Moira during our visit. Their knowledge and passion for what they do is outstanding
and we had an exceptional time made even more special by these two fantastic guides.

Thank you for ennsuring our visit was everything we expected, and more, please pass on our thanks and appreciation again to Cheryl and Moira

Wishing you all the very best

Debs & Ross Gillham

Day Tour & Kruger Safari

2011-06-02T06:13:00.001-07:00

Hi, Tracey,

YES!! We had a wonderful, memorable time with Moira escorting us on the Panorama Tour Saturday and the Kruger Safari Sunday morning.

Saturday the curtains were open for us to see the wondrous sights of the Blythe River Canyon, the many waterfalls, the Three Rondovals, and God's Window. Which was more spectacular?!? The views were breath-taking and the wonder of creation left us awestruck! Moira was very informative and conversational which made our day both interesting and fun. She is full of so many special details and very professional.

Sunday started very early, and the rain did too. Though is was cold, Moira fitted us all with blankets and rain ponchos. We kept going and kept finding animals. We saw all the Big Five except the rhino. We stopped often to relax and just watch animals and for short lessons about things we would certainly have missed if we had toured on our own. Again, Moira was very knowledgeable about the animals and their habits, as well as details about the park. In short, we made many memories and got lots of pictures to help us savor my birthday celebration. I turned 60 on Sunday. Thanks for making it so very special!

Many thanks,

Dennis and Linda Sheehan

Kruger Under Canvas

2011-05-14T07:27:00.000-07:00

We have just come back from South Africa's annual travel show, Indaba, which I felt was one of the best we have had in years. There were less visitors but the ones who were there seemed to be of a high calibre. You know what they say, it's Quality that counts not Quantity!

Anyway, we launched a new safari, Kruger Under Canvas, apologies if we have stolen the name from someone else, but at 2am one Wednesday morning it was the only name that came to mind!! We did a private camping safari for a family of 6 in April and as it went so well we decided to see how popular it would be as a scheduled tour. It's ideal for families and small groups but even individual couples will enjoy it.

We are using the smaller camps such as Balule near Olifants and our tents are the big safari tents, 5m x 3.5m x 2m with a 1.5m veranda. We set up the tents so that they look out onto the bush and there are resident hyena who stroll around the perimeter all night, looking for food. For guests who have never seen a hyena before, let alone this close, it is very exciting. Our camp assistant lights the fire before we get back from game drive and the guide prepares the evening meal. We have a camping trailer with a built in kitchen and we set up a separate gazebo for dining. All we ask the guests to do is to keep the guide company while he's cooking!

We can offer a 3 night or a 4 night safari but personally I would go for the 4 night safari if you have enough time. We only arrive late on the first day and if guests are there for 4 nights they have 3 full days in which to explore the central section of the Park. It gives us the opportunity to travel further afield. We need a minimum of 2 guests for the tour to run and we can take a maximum of 8.

Our guides are English speaking but also speak German & Afrikaans. They are excellent chefs and specialist birding guides. Guiding is not a job, it's their passion and their ability to share that passion and knowledge is, we think, what sets our safaris apart from the norm.

Prices start from R5215 per person and the safari starts & ends in Hazyview or Hoedspruit. We include accommodation in twin bedded safari tents, open vehicle game drives, daily conservation fees, brunch & dinner daily, teas & coffees and mineral water.

Kruger Park 20 Jan - 03 Feb

2011-02-08T12:44:00.000-08:00

It's me again! As promised here are a few photos of the Kruger during our safari with Cathy & Edmond from Reunion. They stayed at Skukuza, Lower Sabie, Letaba & Punda Maria before going to Bushwillow.

Bushwillow Photo's Feb 11

2011-02-08T10:04:00.000-08:00

Dear All,

We recently had guests from Reunion staying at Bushwillow, the lovely camp we use for the Greater Kruger Private Safari. Prior to that they had 10 days with us in the Kruger. They said it was the best holiday they had ever had. They loved Bushwillow and elevated Anne's (owner & chef extraordinaire) status to that of Saint! Here are a couple of photos of the camp, it's so green after all the rain. I'll post some of the Kruger just now.

Cathy at the Olifants River

Anne, Cathy & Edmond looking over at the Kruger Park

Anne serving sundown snacks & wine

Camp

Out on a walk near the camp

Elephant leaving the waterhole

Relaxing in the pool

Main area with boma, lounge/bar/kitchen & dining area

Spring is Here

2010-09-22T03:24:00.000-07:00

Spring is here in the Kruger,our migratory birds are arriving,we have seen Wahlbergs eagles (including the rare White Phase) and the full range of Cuckoos are making lot's of noise. Game viewing has been fantastic,big 5 every single game-drive. On Saturday Juan saw big 5 as well as African Wild dogs with little pups, what a great sighting! Doug has been on game drive this morning with guests from beautiful Clivia stream lodge. Elephants were everywhere and they had a good lion sighting at Delaporte water-hole, AWESOME day.
chat soon
The Hairy One

Quick update

2010-08-26T09:54:00.000-07:00

Hi all,soorry to have been so slack at updating the blog, my only excuse is that we are really busy and at night I just collapse in front of the dreaded TV(sad is'nt it) Well the good news is we have upgraded the fleet, we have a new Quantum AND (i'm so thrilled) our new Landrover game drive vehicle is here at last, it is built to the Kruger Park specifications on the 130 long wheel base chassis,lovely looking vehicle! when I took it to the Kruger to get the permit,everyone stared! so please get ready for lots of Game Drive news and photos, I will post a photo of the vehicle as soon as I can. Tracey is putting in lot's of hours in the office making sure that everything is running smoothly.Douglas took our first Maputo day tour today,he is not back yet but told me on the phone that the day was a great success,please check our website for information on this stunning tour.
Chat soon
The hairy one

2010-07-14T11:30:00.000-07:00

Masorini - big bull elephant with magnificent tusks seen near Letaba on full day game drive during our Greater Kruger Private Safari

All photos taken by Doug Wagner, guide extraordinaire!

Beautiful cheetah seen near Satara

Our first Mexican group on the Greater Kruger Private Safari at Bushwillow Camp, Balule Reserve, 13-17 July, seen here with Scott, our chef and Simba, camp assistant

Our second group, 18 - 21 July, having sundowners by the Olifants River, Balule Reserve

Hazyview update

2010-07-14T10:08:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,

Well the World Cup has come and gone, the safari madness which had us on game drive in Kruger Park all day and everyday has suddenly come to a grinding halt! Doug and I are quite relieved for a short break though! Our Spanish is quite good after looking for animals with Mexicans, Argentinians, Chileans & Hondurans etc etc we're not even sure where some of the folks came from!! We battled some days to find cats because the Kruger was so busy but we saw loads of elephants & rhinos and the zebra and wildebeest starting their winter move for better grazing.

I now have a nervous flinch in reaction to the braying of the Vuvuzela!

We had a great time however and are hoping for lots of repeat business. EVERYONE told us that they want to come back to South Africa.

We will be launching a few special packages with affordable rates, so please watch THIS SPOT. Tracey has worked really hard to get excellent prices for you so please book with us.

BFN
The Bearded One

Accommodation Special

2010-07-01T03:14:00.000-07:00