Safari Shore Excursions Are Fun Part of African Cruises

There are cruises available just about anywhere in the world, and the coastal waters of Africa are no exception. And what do you do when you touch ground on these trips? Why, take a safari of course.

It's no secret that one of Africa's national treasures is its wild game. The animals most of us will never see outside of cages in a zoo still roam freely here.

East Africa (Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda) and South Africa (Botswana and South Africa) are the two best areas for photo safaris. The Seychelle Islands, a popular destination on cruise itineraries, are great for bird watching. The clear blue skies and abundant wildlife offer wonderful shore excursions for birders.

The only downside with safaris is that they are usually multi-day trips, and many argue that African wildlife can't be adequately viewed on a one-day shore excursion. Because of this, you may want to consider a land tour add-on. This is when you add a 3-4 night safari adventure on at the beginning or end of your cruise trip.

KRUGER NATIONAL PARK, SOUTH AFRICA NATIONAL PARK

Kruger National Park covers roughly 18,989 square kilometres (7,332 sq mi) and extends 360 kilometres (220 mi) from north to south and 65 kilometres (40 mi) from east to west. Kruger National Park is the biggest in South Africa, and offers visitors a great range of attractions for those who are keen to see the mammals that are native to the South African savannahs, including the ‘big five’; lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant and buffalo, along with smaller mammals such as kudus, bonteboks, impalas, nyalas and all of the other animals that the England Rugby Travel tours are named afterKruger National Park offers a wildlife experience that ranks with the best in Africa. Kruger National Park is part of the Kruger to Canyons Biosphere, an area designated by the United Nations Education and Scientific Organisation (UNESCO) as an International Man and Biosphere Reserve (the "Biosphere"). The park has 9 main gates that allow entrance to the different camps. The names of these gates are Paul Kruger Gate, Numbi Gate, Malelane Gate, Crocodile Bridge Gate, Punda Maria Gate, Orpen Gate, Phalaborwa Gate, Phabeni Gate and Pafuri Gate.

Kruger is home to an impressive number of species: 336 trees, 49 fish, 34 amphibians, 114 reptiles, 507 birds and 147 mammals. Man's interaction with the Lowveld environment over many centuries - from bushman rock paintings to majestic archaeological sites like Masorini and Thulamela - is very evident in the Kruger National Park. These treasures represent the cultures, persons and events that played a role in the history of the Kruger National Park and are conserved along with the park's natural assets.

Kruger National Park established in 1898 to protect the wildlife of the South African Lowveld, this national park of nearly 2 million hectares, SANParks - Kruger National Park is unrivalled in the diversity of its life forms and a world leader in advanced environmental management techniques and policies.  

 A nearby waterhole would make this an exciting place to be in winter. 

Kruger National Park is characterised by combinations of savannah, thornveld and woodland eco-zones. Large African mammals are present. Kruger has 12 main rest camps, 5 bushveld camps, 2 bush lodges and 4 satellite camps.

Pafuri Camp is located in the Makuleke region of the Kruger National Park. The Makuleke community has granted a private concession to the camp's operators and shares in the profits.

The Luvuvhu runs red past the luxury tent on its way to the Limpopo. In the course of one day it rose from a trickle to a fast-flowing torrent.

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data source: http://www.sanparks.org

most photo source: http://www.ecoafrica.com

JOHANNESBURG, A TRANSIT POINT FOR CONNECTING FLIGHTS IN SOUTH AFRICA

Gold Reef City, Cassino, Eatery, Hotel and Theatre

 Johannesburg, South Africa

Johannesburg is one of the most modern and prosperous cities in South Africa. Due to its many different central districts Johannesburg would fall under the Multiple Nuclei Model in Human Geography terms. It is the hub of South Africa's commercial, financial, industrial, and mining undertakings. Johannesburg is part of a larger urban region. It is closely linked with several other satellite towns. Randburg and Sandton form part of the northern area. The east and west ridges spread out from central Johannesburg. The Central Business District covers an area of 6 square kilometres. It consists of closely packed skyscrapers such as the Carlton Centre, Marble Towers, Trust Bank Building, Ponte City Apartments, Southern Life Centre and 11 Diagonal Street.

 Johannesburg Botanical Garden

Parks and gardens in Johannesburg are maintained by Johannesburg City Parks. They are also responsible for maintaining and planting the millions of trees in Johannesburg. Johannesburg Botanical Garden, located in the suburb of Emmarentia, is a popular recreational park.

Johannesburg's largest shopping centre is Sandton City, while Hyde Park is one of its most prestigious. Other centres include Rosebank, Eastgate, Westgate, Northgate, Southgate, The Glen Shopping centre, Johannesburg South, and Cresta. There are also plans to build a large shopping centre, known as the Zonk'Izizwe Shopping Resort, in Midrand. "Zonk'Izizwe" means "All Nations" in Zulu language, indicating that the centre will cater to the city's diverse mix of peoples and races. Also a complex named Greenstone in Modderfontein has been opened and is intended to become the largest shopping complex in the southern hemisphere.

 INTERCONTINENTAL AIRPORT SUN
South Africa's first and only luxury hotel at an airport, the InterContinental Airport Sun is situated within walking distance from the terminals at Johannesburg International Airport.

Johannesburg has not traditionally been known as a tourist destination, but the city is a transit point for connecting flights to Cape Town, Durban, and the Kruger National Park. Consequently, most international visitors to South Africa pass through Johannesburg at least once, which has led to the development of more attractions for tourists. Recent additions have centred around history museums, such as the Apartheid Museum and the Hector Pieterson Museum. Gold Reef City, a large amusement park to the south of the Central Business District, is also a large draw for tourists in the city. The Johannesburg Zoo is also one of the largest in South Africa.

Johannesburg Art Gallery is the largest gallery in southern Africa with an outstanding collection of European and South African paintings

The city also has several art museums, such as the Johannesburg Art Gallery, which featured South African and European landscape and figurative paintings. The Museum Africa covers the history of the city of Johannesburg, as well as housing a large collection of rock art. The Market Theatre complex attained notoriety in the 1970s and 1980s by staging anti-apartheid plays, and has now become a centre for modern South African playwriting. The Johannesburg Civic Theatre is South Africa's foremost "receiving house" of live entertainment—presenting world class theatre, both local and international.

Etosha National Park - Namibia

Namibia's premier Game Park

Etosha National Park is one of Southern Africa's finest and most important Game Reserves.

Etosha Game park was declared a National Park in 1907 and covering an area of 22 270 square km, it is home to 114 mammal species, 340 bird species, 110 reptile species, 16 amphibian species and, surprisingly, one species of fish. The Etosha Park is one of the first places on any itinerary designed for a holiday in Namibia.



Etosha, meaning "Great White Place", is dominated by a massive mineral pan. The pan is part of the Kalahari Basin, the floor of which was formed around 1000 million years ago. The Etosha Pan covers around 25% of the National Park. The pan was originally a lake fed by the Kunene River. However the course of the river changed thousands of years ago and the lake dried up. The pan now is a large dusty depression of salt and dusty clay which fills only if the rains are heavy and even then only holds water for a short time. This temporary water in the Etosha Pan attracts thousands of wading birds including impressive flocks of flamingos. The perennial springs along the edges of the Etosha Pan draw large concentrations of wildlife and birds.


A San legend about the formation of the Etosha Pan tells of how a village was raided and everyone but the women slaughtered. One woman was so upset about the death of her family she cried until her tears formed a massive lake. When the lake dried up nothing was left apart from a huge white pan.


The game viewing in Etosha National Park is excellent, the best time being from May to September - the cooler months in Namibia. Visitors to Etosha Game Reserve can expect to see many buck species, elephant, giraffe, rhino and lions. More fortunate visitors will see leopard and cheetah. There is a network of roads linking the three campsites and subsidiary roads lead to various waterholes.



When it was originally proclaimed at the turn of the century the Etosha Park consisted of an area of 100,000 square kilometres. This was the largest reserve on earth but in the 1960's political pressure resulted in the Park being reduced to its current size.

Traditionally visitors to Etosha have had a choice of three rest camps - Namutoni, Halali and Okaukuejo - that are operated by Namibia Wildlife Resorts. Each camp has tourist facilities such as a restaurant, a shop (selling only basic goods), a motor garage for fuel and basic repairs, and a swimming pool, as well as various grades of accommodation and camping facilities. September 2008 heralded the opening of Onkoshi Camp a brand new lodge inside Etosha - this is the first development inside the park in several decades and looks set to offer an environmentally friendly luxury experience


Non-resident visitors to Etosha, i.e. those residing at one of the many private lodges and hotels around Etosha, can stop off at these camps for rest, recreation, and refueling. All three camps have floodlit waterholes, two of which provide excellent night game viewing. Rhino and elephant are often seen at the waterhole at Okaukuejo, while the newer waterhole at Halali is fast attracting more wildlife. However, Namutoni waterhole is disappointing, probably because there are so many other waterholes in the vicinity.


Because the quality of accommodation and service is higher at the private establishments, which can be found outside the Etosha PArk, visitors often choose to stay in them rather than within the camps. Many of these establishments offer private game drives, either in their own game reserves or in Etosha Park itself.

The main entrance to the park is called the "Andersson Gate" situated near Okaukuejo in the south. The eastern entrance is called the "Von Lindequist Gate" and is near Namutoni. The new "Nehale lya Mpingana Gate" gate, (King Nehale Gate) was opened at the beginning of 2003 in the north-east.


Visitors should note that the park is only open from sunrise to sunset. Outside of these hours, visitors either have to be in one of the camps, or completely outside the park - or sleep in their cars, surrounded by sharp-toothed prowlers and the sounds of bush at night!


Unlike many other African game reserves, Etosha does not have its own guided safaris. For those wanting a guided experience the options are either staying at one of the private lodges around the park which offer daily game drives, joining a scheduled guided safari to Etosha (usually starting in Windhoek), or custom making a private guided safari through the park.



Photo: Picture-Alliance