Wednesday 26 October 2016

Mad about Mana Pools

One of my best safaris ever! I was lucky enough to visit Mana Pools in early October.  We arrived after a 2,5 hour flight from Victoria Falls and were picked up by our guide. I was blown away right from the start! Why ? Because I drove through the bush with different types of trees and shrubs. I was quiet surprise that there is no grass in some area and it is only this beautiful ochre sand.

The mighty Zambezi River is the boundary of the park with Zambia and it is a paradise for hippos, elephants, crocodiles and birds, especially the carmine bee-eaters. On my boat cruise, always having the beautiful view of the Zambezi Escarpment in the background,  I had the chance to experience the carmine bee-eater flying around me and to see their nests on the bank of the river.

I only spent a few nights in this beautiful national park. I stayed at the unique Kanga Bush Camp and the amazing Ruckomechi. Both camps are totally different and both are special and definitely worth a visit. I was lucky when I arrived in Ruckomechi to see a breeding herd of elephants with very small baby elephants crossing the river. For seconds they disappear under the water, is that not amazing to see this kind of behaviour?

During the dry season, some lodges pump water for the animals. Water is the source of life as we all know. It was great to see all the different species coming to have a drink. We had baboons playing around, elephants and warthogs mud bathing, impalas, zebras, kudu drinking…When the sun is down, some others species will come for a drink such as leopard, civet, genets and hyenas. 

Mana Pools is captivating with the landscape, all the different species and the excellent guiding. I will definitely come back.

 

Monday 24 October 2016

Spot The Bus

Maun Town Residents: The Community Bus is doing its rounds. Snap a Picture, Share it and you could Win!

Wednesday 28 September 2016

Community Hours Update

 

By now I’m sure almost everyone following our blogs are aware of our 10FOR50 campaign, celebrating our 10^th and Botswana’s 50^th anniversaries.  A key component of our campaign is to donate 500 Hours to Community Service.

Our Team has been working hard on achieving our goal – so much so that in only four months we’ve already completed an impressive 305 Hours!

Our late August and September activities comprised a makeover of the reception at WAR (a local NGO offering safety and support to victims of gender based violence) and continued home visits to needy Elderly, identified by AGLOW (a local NGO providing support to the elderly).  We also participated in local fundraisers and education campaigns: the Golden Groups Fashion Show and the Maun Global March for Rhino’s Elephants and Lions.

This month, we thought we’d share some feedback from our activities with WAR and AGLOW as related from behind the scenes by our staff members Angie and Chantal.

Chantal participated in Elderly visits with AGLOW. She writes the following moving description of what such visits entail:

“The things we take for granted in our lives were sorely lacking as Lesang the AGLOW coordinator took us to the first port of call.  A dark hut, no windows, a few breeze blocks allowing in tepid light.  A mattress on the floor being the only furniture, bar an old tin trunk.  No modern conveniences here at all.  An elderly lady in residence – semi paralysed by a stroke and with limited eyesight and hearing, greeted us from her bed clashing some metal sticks together, thinking that we were there to steal her things. Lesang patiently held her hand, and explained to her that we were here to clean her house, help her bath and wash her clothes, that we were there to help and not steal.

These are all simple activities to do, and yet difficult in an environment of dust, sand and no running water.  We set about the tasks of fetching water from the office, sweeping an incomplete concrete floor crumbling to sand, and Resego breaking a broom in trying to air the bedding.  All of us learning to speak loudly so that we could be heard and understood.  Our elder helped to a seat outdoors, sat and ate the nutri-meal porridge which is one of her daily meals provided by AGLOW. She chivvied us on, strong and fierce in spirit despite the frailty of her body.  Bathed, body lotion applied to the softest skin, and changed into fresh clothes, our elder gave thanks for feeling so much better after the bath.

We took small gifts – toiletries, sweets, biscuits – all were stashed away in a “safe” place and a hot meal eaten with relish.  These were all simple things we did, and yet Lesangs’ patience and caring, her conversation and gentle touch reminded me of how much our elderly miss out on each day.  AGLOW are striving to provide dignity, respect and care for a generation lost in the speed and demands of today’s’ world.  I am proud that we, as Safari Destinations, support AGLOW. I have the greatest respect for what they are achieving and am humbled to have been able to assist in some small way.”

Safari Destinations is a proud supporter of AGLOW. In addition to assisting them with home visits, we also provide AGLOW with substantial monthly funding through the TFI Bed Levy. They will also benefit from free transport through the SD/TFI Community Bus, when launched in October.

Assisting and supporting vulnerable woman in our community is another core project in SD’s Social Responsibility Agenda. We were recently requested by WAR to renovate their reception area. Ops Manger Angie reports:

“On Saturday 20^th August 2016, accompanied by our Director Lorraine, 10 of our staff members (the 1^st of 2 Groups) took on the then barren walls of the WAR Reception area.  With masks on our faces we sanded and scrubbed the walls tirelessly, interchanging tools, while others went on breaks to catch their breath.

As much as the day was filled with laughter and catching up with each other, this day was not about making up hours but about reflecting on the broader purpose of why we were gathered at Woman Against Rape. It was at the forefront of everyone’s thoughts that we were in actual fact making the environment, atmosphere and space for those who used this Reception area a brighter, happier and safe place.

The experience of working together as a Team towards one goal is priceless and the sense of accomplishment is very gratifying. When all was done and dusted and the paint was left to dry, our contribution for the day will forever resonate in our hearts as we gave way to our colleagues who completed the makeover the following day…

Every time I walk away from such acts of benevolence, I am reminded that serving with even the smallest tasks can make a difference in people’s lives and broadens my awareness to the next person in my community.”

We look forward to the coming months which will see us donating more hours of community service to other projects including: MAWS Halloween Fundraiser, Bana Ba Letsatsi Fun Day and the AGLOW Christmas party.

#ItTakesAVillage

Tuesday 27 September 2016

Bed-night Bank

Announcing the arrival of Bed Bank For Charity – a ground-breaking, fund raising initiative by Travel for Impact and Safari Destinations.

Travel for Impact (TFI) and Safari Destinations are very excited to announce the ‘Safari Bed Bank’ – an exciting and innovative new venture to help raise awareness and funds to local community projects in Northern Botswana.   The Safari Bed Bank complements the already existing work of Travel for Impact. TFI helps local communities on the ground, partnering with the safari industry to create a social responsibility fund which is administered through an advisory board comprised of community activists along with the private sector1. Not only do TFI provide financial support for community initiatives, they also add value by offering a dynamic range of mentoring services, strategic development and by sharing thier experiences to encourage these wonderful charities to meet their goals and to ultimately flourish through sustainability and growth.

Travel for Impact encourages the concept of ‘the wilderness supporting communities and communities supporting the wilderness’, driving conservation from beyond the immediate boundaries of tourism activity. Through generous donations from wildlife industries such as Safari Destinations, TFI already holds an impressive track record of helping and nurturing charities in making an impact.

The Bed Bank encourages suppliers to donate bed nights to Safari Destinations, who in turn sell these bed nights on, passing the proceeds to Travel for Impact to support charities with their core costs.  As a Destination Management Company, Safari Destinations promotes Botswana’s accommodation and tourism services to the global market. Our position puts us in contact with both suppliers and agents. The ‘Bed Bank for Charity’ grew naturally out of these relationships and is an initiative which will have a lasting and meaningful impact.

Lorraine and Ruth, Managing Director of Travel for Impact, both recognise that this concept is only possible with the support of suppliers. Both companies would like to express their gratitude to the following companies for their generous support of the Bed Night Bank: &Beyond; African Bushcamps; Bushways Lodges; Belmond; Footsteps in Africa; Ghoha Hills Savuti Camp; Machaba Camp; Meno A Kwena; Wilderness Safaris; Ngamiland Adventure Safaris; Sanctuary Retreats; Uncharted Africa; Mack Air; Okavango Expeditions; Capture Africa; Letaka Safaris; Safari Life; Great Plains; Safari Guides Services.

Follow the hand and make sure you have a positive impact in Botswana!

Friday 26 August 2016

The wheels of the bus go round and round…

 

The wheels of the bus go round and round. Round and round. Round and round. Do you remember that childhood song? It’s one of those little tunes that seem to get into your head and go round and round in a loop.

The reason for the song buzzing around every one’s heads in the 10FOR50 Team though, is because we are incredibly excited about our most significant donation ever!

A Community Bus!
That’s right; SD and TFI (though utilisation of SD derived bed night funding and our 10FOR50 contribution) have purchased a Community Bus.

A common thread out of our recently held presentations from NGO’s, and consultation with stakeholders, was the lack of reliable scheduled, free transport in Maun. Our bus is going to fill that void by solving the transportation challenges faced by Orphaned and Vulnerable Children (OVC’s) and the Elderly.

Jointly managed by SD and TFI the bus will perform scheduled morning runs delivering nutritious meals daily to Elderly Members of our community, as well as providing them with transport to collect pensions, medical necessities etc. In the afternoons the bus will collect OVC’s from their schools and transport them to Bana Ba Letsatsi and then back to their homes in the evenings.

We are so happy to be able to provide this service, which will provide mobility and independence to both the Future of our country by assisting our children as well as to the History of our country by assisting the Elderly.

This donation would not have been possible without the hard work, kindness and generosity of our Agents supporting the TFI Bed night Donation. A massive Thank You for your continued support!

Watch this space as we transform a bland 16 seater Mini-Bus into an awesome people moving, community supporting, Super Bus!

One last time…the wheels of the bus go round and round. Round and… (okay we’ll shut up now)!

Friday 19 August 2016

Giving Back for our ’10 for 50′ Campaign

 

Mid August. This is the time of year when the winds come howling though town, filling the air with dust whipped off the Makgadikgadi Pans 100km away. It’s also when intrepid SD staff members Storm and Karen trek across the Pans as Maun Moonwalkers to raise funds for breast cancer awareness. While they’ve been out training, we’ve been sensibly hunkered away out of the weather, busy on several fronts…

In light of the significant funding raised for TFI along with our 10FOR50 commitment of 500 man hours and a whopping P100,000.00 donation – we saw fit to arrange a series of presentations from TFI supported organisations, to hear from them how best to distribute funds.

In partnership with TFI, a representative panel was formed and presentations were requested from AGLOW; committed to caring for the Elderly, WAR; an Organisation providing counselling and refuge for victims of Gender Based Violence, Banna Ba Letsatsi; providing care and education for Orphaned and Vulnerable Children, MAWS; providing veterinary sterilisation and care to domestic animals and The Bush Ways Foundation, operating several social responsibility programmes in the Khwai Area.

The NGO’s were invited to pitch for core ongoing funding and once off donations comprising both time spend and financial requests. Unfortunately our panel proved to be so enthusiastic in the Q&A sessions that all of the allocated times over ran. This resulted in a traffic jam of sorts in our reception area! Our sincere apologies again for the delays, however it was great to see the panels interest and eagerness to understand the NGO’s requirements. As we plan on holding these assessments annually, we’ll ensure that we allocate longer time slots next time!

Following on the presentations, we also visited the sites of the Maun based NGO’s to gain a better understanding of their set up and daily operations. These sessions have been very useful in enabling TFI to strategise and streamline their core-funding as well as allowing us to identify crucial areas which will benefit from our 10FOR50 commitments.

Calculators have been rattled, pencils sharpened, hair pulled and now the results are in. Starting October 01 and continuing for a year, the following organisations will receive ongoing funding from TFI for their requested projects:

Banna Ba Letsatsi will receive funding to employ a full time, qualified councillor to head up their psychosocial unit along with contributions to food and fuel. WAR will receive funding to support their shelter matron – a key member of their staff

AGLOW will receive funding for the continued support of their current assistant as well as funding for two new assistants, food and fuel.

MAWS will continue to receive funding for the support of their two clinic volunteers.
Bush Ways Foundation will continue to receive support for their Trauma Care Counselling Courses.

For our 10FOR50 Hour Pledges, we are including the following projects to get involved with: 

WAR Reception: We are renovating the reception area at WAR over this coming weekend. We have solicited donations of material from the public and over and above this we will be donating the paint and painting material as well as the labour! Watch our FB page for pics and more info!

WAR Woman’s Economic Empowerment Project: We are putting together a team to build a sustainable start up enterprise to provide employment for women who are assisted by WAR. The intention is for these ladies to be employed and financially empowered to assist them in breaking free from the cycle of violence they find themselves in. This will be a long term project by SD and it is envisaged that it will encompass all areas of our operations. It’s a big task but one we are looking forward to!

Banna Ba Letsatsi Fun day: We are in the process of scheduling a fun day for SD staff to throw a party for the kids at BBL. We’re planning a day full of fun and games – what all kids have a right to enjoy.

AGLOW Visits: We’re in the process of scheduling visits to the Elderly around Maun. Sometimes the most important gift we can give is time. The idea is for volunteers to visit isolated elderly members of our community for companionship visits and assistance with household chores.

MAWS Halloween: Every year MAWS puts on a fantastic Halloween fundraiser. They desperately need volunteers to help out – SD will be there to assist!

We had a great response to our Winter Bundle Donations earlier this month. SD staff was invited to collect a blanket and warm jersey to deliver to whoever they felt needed it. It was fantastic to hear back from staff about their donations and wonderful to be able to effect random acts of kindness. Check out FB page to read some of the personal stories.

Last but not least, getting back to those brave (crazy?) Moonwalkers… as this is posted The Maun Moon Walkers will have finished off their epic 56km/90km treks across the Makgadikgadi Pans to raise funds for breast cancer awareness. Congratulations to all the participants, especially our SD ladies Storm and Karen!!

 

Wednesday 21 November 2012

On Safari at Meno A Kwena Tented Camp

 

For those of you who have not been to Meno a Kwena Tented Camp – a plan must be made to go! It is not just a traditional safari experience. It is a unique insight into how tourism does succeed in embracing community and culture, as well as wildlife and the wilderness, as an integral part of the tourism environment.

We were met by Jeff and other ‘Meno’ team members at the camp after a brisk 2 hour drive from Maun and we spent the afternoon in camp at the floating hide viewing wildlife. Elephants, zebra, fish eagle and wildebeest kept us occupied and our cameras clicking.  As sunset fell and the landscape transformed into a mirage of colours a rogue steenbok sprang out from nowhere, catapulting us from our seats in a desperate attempt to keep it in eyeshot while it sprinted along the river bank and made a gigantic leap into the river and swam across! We managed to get a photo of it – somewhat blurred, but despite of all our scanning around the vicinity we could not find any evidence of what could have made this steenbok ‘jump out of its skin’ and into water! Later we were told that there had been a leopard sighting in the area… Meno is definitely a camp that does not require you to go out on activities to be lucky with sightings. That night we also got to witness bush babies playing- chasing each other up and down the trees and the roof of the dining tent!

The next morning we went for a nature walk with Xao and members of his family and village, Xaixai. Any scepticism that I had had prior was immediately and totally eradicated! This was not culture put on a stage – it was natural, interactive, educational and extremely fun. They taught us some games which we played together, as well as song and dance. Besides entertainment, these activities were directly related to enhancing skills and attributes necessary for traditional hunting, care of the environment and family life. We ‘walked away’ with some great wilderness survival tips, a better understanding of the bushman culture, new friends, some light exercise and very happy faces.

After lunch it was time for a game drive! In the very safe hands of Cell our impressive guide, a short boat transfer along the Boteti River took as to the Makgadikgadi National Park. Our game drive vehicle was waiting for us and within our first 30 minutes we were blessed with wild dogs, white backed vultures, wildebeest, elephant, and getting stuck in thick sand. Being a lady, I found a cool spot under a raintree and equipped with an icy bottle of water and perched on a fallen tree trunk I proceeded to provide moral support to the boys as they proceeded to get the vehicle out of the sand. I even offered them some tips.

We continued our game drive along the western part of the park and the Boteti River and took in more delights with tawny eagle, honey badger, steenbok, giraffe, magpie and more…a portion of this drive runs along the fence /boundary of the national park that was erected to prevent the cohabitate of wildlife and cattle. This was necessary to prevent the spread of anthrax as well as other potentially fatal variables that can negatively affect wildlife, cattle and surrounding communities. This portion of fencing, however, as it cuts the river off from the park and thus access to water for wildlife, has resulted in wildlife forcing their way through the fencing – and not only opening up the fence to the free movement of cattle and wildlife across the boundary of the park, but also sometimes animals get entangled in the fencing causing fatalities.

The surrounding communities have culturally lived a pastoral farming lifestyle and thus access to some part of the Boteti River was deemed necessary for them to continue with their traditional life. However, with the emergence of Meno A Kwena and their close relationship both economically and sociably  with surrounding communities as well as government empowerment initiatives, the  communities now see the benefits of tourism as well as the destruction caused by the proximity of the fencing to the river. As we speak now, it is the communities that are now humming for the relocation of the fence. It is indeed a true sign that communities are‘owning’ their surroundings and proudly so. We look forward to the news of the movement of the fence. But in essence, visitors do need to be sensitised to this history in order that they may appreciate that change can be a process and that the protection of wildlife and the environment is key to the ultimate goal.

Yet another great experience that Meno A Kwena has to offer is an overnight pan trip. As it is quite a lengthy drive to the pans – to avoid disappointment book a 3 night stay at Meno and indicate that you would like to go there! I experienced the night out with Meno and amongst colleagues and family of Safari Destination earlier this year in June. It is an experience that is hard to describe and unforgettable – I felt like I was floating, with the endless panoramic views – a feeling of weightlessness. I understood then the cliché often used… ’sleep under a canvas of stars’. There is no other way to say it… and don’t forget to take your camera to get shots of you looking like you have special powers… but bring your thermals as it is cold at that time of year, and as much as you feel like a super hero when you are there – sadly, you are still prone to the elements… You may even be lucky and see a family of meerkats on your journey. This activity is not possible in the rainy season as the pans are flooded and it is impossible to get near them!

And of course a visit to Meno is often portrayed in photos against the background of a contrast of black and white stripes surrounded by a sea of soft dust… The Zebra Migration! The larger concentration of zebra is best experienced outside of the rainy season- perhaps between June-September (dependent on the weather maker).

Meno A Kwena is a great way to start or end your visit to Botswana and get a feel of the country with its complimentary offering of wildlife, culture and community in an intimate environment.

We have several itineraries that include Meno a Kwena, one of the most popular is our “10 night BEST VALUE Safari”, a combination Livingstone, Chobe, Delta and Makgadikgadi. You can download the details from our agent’s corner.