28 February 2013

South Africa: 128 rhinos killed by poachers so far in 2013

According to the latest statistics released by the Department of Environmental Affairs, South Africa has already lost 128 rhinos to illegal poaching since the beginning of 2013. Of the rhino poached, 92 rhino were killed in the Kruger National Park, 12 in North West, 12 in KwaZulu-Natal, 8 in Limpopo and 4 in Mpumalanga. Of the 46 people arrested in connection with rhino poaching this year, three were couriers. A total of 24 alleged poachers have been arrested in the Kruger National Park, 9 in Limpopo, 8 in North West and one each in Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal.

Latest rhino poaching figures (as of 28 February 2013):  
  • Kruger National Park (SANParks) - 92  rhinos poached
  • Mapungubwe National Park (SANParks) - 0 rhino poached
  • Gauteng - 0 rhino poached
  • Limpopo - 8 rhinos poached
  • Mpumalanga - 4 rhino poached
  • North-West Province - 12 rhinos poached
  • Eastern Cape - 0 rhino poached
  • Free State - 0 rhino poached
  • KwaZulu Natal - 12 rhinos poached
  • Western Cape - 0 rhino poached
  • Northern Cape - 0 rhino poached

The Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) has urged members of the public to report incidents of rhino poaching or any tip-offs that could lead to arrests and prevention of illegal killings to 0800 205 005. 

South African Airways wins (continental) On-time Performance Service Award

Flightstats, a leading provider of international flight and airport information, has named the winners of the FlightStats 2012 On-time Performance Service Awards (OPS Awards). The OPS Awards program recognises airlines around the world that achieve sustained operational excellence by delivering the highest percentage of flights to their arrival gates within 15 minutes of the scheduled arrival time.
South Africa's flag carrier, South African Airways (SAA), won Flightstats' On-time Performance Service Award in the Middle East & Africa Major Airlines category with an on-time performance of 91,17%. Congratulations! Etihad Airways, Gulf Air, Qatar Airways and Saudi Arabian Airlines were the other four finalists in the category. The Middle East & Africa Major Airlines category includes airlines based in the Middle East & Africa that are operating at least 30,000 scheduled flights annually within the Middle East and Africa. The flight status coverage threshold was set at 80%.
The most punctual Major International Airlines in 2012 was Japan Airlines, followed by All Nippon Airways (ANA) and Scandinavian Airlines (SAS). The Major International Airlines category includes airlines that fly a significant number of trans-oceanic or international flights.

27 February 2013

South Africa: Buccaneers Lodge has been accepted as a responsible travel hostel by Responsibletravel.com

Buccaneers Lodge & Backpackers, located in the small coastal town of Cintsa, the gateway to the Wild Coast of South Africa, has just been accepted as a responsible travel hostel by Responsibletravel.com, the largest business promoting and selling responsible/eco travel globally. Buccaneers Lodge & Backpackers is a family owned and run hostel offering a wide range of rooms for any travelling style: from luxury travellers to backpackers. If you want to know more about the hostel and its take on responsible tourism, check out their brand-new page on Responsibletravel.com. Congrats Buccs!


Fastjet to expand its network in Tanzania

Tanzanian low-cost airline Fastjet has announced some great news for travellers in Tanzania. The airline will launch daily flights between Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) and Abeid Amani Karume International Airport (ZNZ) on Zanzibar as well as between Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) and Mwanza Airport (MWZ) on 18 March 2013. Both flights will be operated on board a Airbus A320.
Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) serves the cities of Arusha and Moshi near Mount Kilimanjaro in Northern Tanzania , while Mwanza Airport is a regional airport located near the shores of Lake Victoria, serving the city of Mwanza.

IUCN releases rhino statistics (Africa)

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has released some interesting (African) rhino statistics in a recent press release. A sum up:
  • number of Black Rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) in Africa: 5,055
  • number of  White Rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) in Africa: 20,405
  • number of rhinos poached in Africa 2012: 754
  • number of rhinos poached in South Africa 2012: 668
  • number of rhinos poached in Africa since 2006: nearly 2,400
  • increase of rhino poaching between 2011 and 2012: 43%
  • loss of rhino population in 2012: 3%
  • frequency of rhino killings so far in 2013: 1 in every 11hrs
Experts predict that if poaching continues to increase at this rate, rhino populations could start to decline in less than two years’ time.


The IUCN is the world’s oldest and largest global environmental organisation, with more than 1,000 government and NGO members and almost 11,000 volunteer experts in some 160 countries. IUCN's work is supported by over 1,000 staff in 60 offices and hundreds of partners in public, NGO and private sectors around the world. The organisation publishes the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™, which assesses the conservation status of species.

26 February 2013

Uganda Tourism Board: "Destination Uganda 2013-14" (free digimag)

If you are planning to visit Uganda, don't miss out "Destination Uganda 2013-14", an official annual publication of the Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) about tourism in the country. "Destination Uganda" is available online and can be downloaded for free. Keep in mind that it is no travel guide or so, but a promotional publication about the "pearl of Africa". Anyway, enjoy the mag and your next trip to Uganda!

25 February 2013

Malawi: Air Malawi is no longer operating

Malawi's national airline, Air Malawi, ceased operations. The airline, which was placed under voluntary liquidation since November 2013, did obviously not find a strategic partner for co-investments into its operations. Air Malawi's main base was Chileka International Airport in Blantyre.

22 February 2013

Hostel Awards 2013: The Backpack (Cape Town) named 2nd best hostel in Africa

One of Cape Town's original backpacker hostels, "The Backpack", was named second best Hostel in Africa in Hostelworld's 2013 Hostel Awards (2012: 3rd). Congratulations! The successor of last year's winner Atlantic Point Backpackers, also from Cape Town, as the Best Hostel in Africa is the Hostel Riad Marrakech Rouge in Marrakech, Morocco.


The annual Hostelworld "Hostel Awards", formerly known as "Hoscars", honour the top hostels in the world, as voted for by Hostelworld.com customers. These are based on reviews that users leave after staying in a hostel, rating hostels on Character, Security, Location, Staff, Fun and Cleanliness. 

Book The Backpack & Africa Travel Centre, Cape Town, South Africa  with Hostelbookers.com >>

KLM to operate daily flights to Entebbe (Uganda) via Kigali (Rwanda)

The flag carrier of the Netherlands, KLM, will soon operate daily flights between Amsterdam and Entebbe in Uganda via Kigali in Rwanda. From 05 April 2013, the airline will add flights on Tuesdays to the already existing six weekly flights between the three destinations. KLM is the first European airline to operate daily flights to Entebbe and Kigali.
The Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij, or just KLM, is the world's oldest airline still operating under its original name. The airline is currently operating worldwide scheduled passenger and cargo services to more than 90 destinations. KLM merged with Air France in 2004 and created Air France-KLM, but both airlines continue to fly under their distinct brand names. Air France-KLM is a member of the SkyTeam airline alliance.

Kenya Airways & Etihad Airways signed codeshare agreement

Kenya's flag carrier, Kenya Airways, has signed a new codeshare agreement with Etihad Airways, the United Arab Emirates’ national airline.
Kenya Airways will also launch a new three times a week service between Nairobi and Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, effective June 2013.
Kenya Airways will initially code share on the already existing Etihad Airways-operated daily service between Nairobi and Abu Dhabi, and onwards to 32 destinations on Etihad Airways' global network. This will provide passengers with connections over Abu Dhabi to destinations across North Asia, South East Asia, the Indian sub-continent and Australia. In return, Etihad Airways will code share on flights operated by Kenya Airways from Abu Dhabi to Nairobi, and owards to 27 destinations across Kenya Airways' network in East, West and Southern Africa.
Kenya Airways has, including the new agreement with Etihad Airways, currently 18 strategic codeshare agreements with other international airlines, while Etihad Airways has now 42 codeshare agreements, that are providing the airline with a combined network of 349 destinations worldwide.

20 February 2013

South Africa: 102 rhinos killed by poachers so far in 2013

According to the latest statistics released by the South African National Parks (SANParks), South Africa has already lost 102 rhinos to illegal poaching since the beginning of 2013. Of the rhino poached, 70 rhino were killed in the Kruger National Park, 11 in North West, 10 in KwaZulu-Natal, 7 in Limpopo and 4 in Mpumalanga. A total of 40 alleged poachers, among them three alleged couriers, have been arrested since the beginning of the year.

Latest rhino poaching figures (as of 20 February 2013):  
  • Kruger National Park (SANParks) - 70 rhinos poached
  • Mapungubwe National Park (SANParks) - 0 rhino poached
  • Gauteng - 0 rhino poached
  • Limpopo - 7 rhinos poached
  • Mpumalanga - 4 rhino poached
  • North-West Province - 11 rhinos poached
  • Eastern Cape - 0 rhino poached
  • Free State - 0 rhino poached
  • KwaZulu Natal - 10 rhinos poached
  • Western Cape - 0 rhino poached
  • Northern Cap - 0 rhino poached

The Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) has urged members of the public to report incidents of rhino poaching or any tip-offs that could lead to arrests and prevention of illegal killings to 0800 205 005. 

Alitalia might return to South Africa from September 2013

Good news for Italian travellers planning to visit Southern Africa. As part of the reorganisation of its long haul route network, Italy's flag carrier, Alitalia, is currently considering to resume flights between Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport in Rome and South Africa (OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg?) from September 2013. According to Alitalia, South Africa has become a "highly requested intercontinental destination" and the carrier is therefore "evaluating the possibility of increasing its intercontinental network" to South Africa. The airline last served South Africa, and Johannesburg in particluar, in the early 2000s.
Alitalia is Italy's biggest airline, and the world's 19th. The SkyTeam member's main hub is Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport in Rome.

19 February 2013

Cape Town: Video recap of the Hunter's Extreme Ultimate X 2013

South Africa's premier action sports event, the Ultimate X Games & Concert (Hunter’s eXtreme Ultimate X), took place at the V&A Waterfront Gateway Canal in Cape Town on 16 February 2013. If you missed out the one-day festival full of bmx, fmx, wakeboarding, skateboarding, music and party, make sure you get yourself there in 2014! Need some good reasons? Watch the recap video below made by WorldofHeroesZA and their GoPro cameras! Kudos & enjoy!



Music by Sibot (soundcloud >)

Video: South African Tourism's & National Geographic Channel's "Through the Lens" campaign

South African Tourism teamed up with National Geographic Channels International and three renowned National Geographic photographers to launch their latest promotional "Through the lens" promotional campaign. The campaign, which is getting aired on National Geographic Channels around the globe since January 2013, aims to take the viewer on a journey, delving into three of South Africa's most landmark destinations: Drakensberg, Durban and Cape Town.


The three short films are made by National Geographic Channel and photographers Lola Akerstrom (Durban), Stephen Alvarez (Drakensberg) and Heather Perry (Cape Town). Kudos & enjoy!

Airlink enhances service between Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport (South Africa) and Livingstone (Zambia)

South African airline Airlink will enhance its service between Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport (KMIA) in Nelspruit and Harry Mwanga Nkumbula International Airport in Livingstone (Zambia) by using one of its 13 Embraer ERJ 135 jets from 22 March 2013. This will shorten the flying time between the two destinations.
Airlink will operate flights on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Flights will depart KMIA at 11h35 and arrive in Livingstone at 13h10. The return flights depart Livingstone at 13h45, arriving in KMIA at 15h25.
Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport is situated just 25km north-east from Nelspruit, 14km from the town of White River and approx. a 30min drive from Kruger National Park. Harry Mwanga Nkumbula International Airport is situated on the northern edge of Livingstone. It's the airport closest to the Victoria Falls.
Airlink's route network services 32 destinations of which 16 are over-border, operates up to 3,000 flights per month, carrying just over 1 million passengers per annum through its network. As a franchisee of South African Airways (SAA), Airlink is able to interface seamlessly with SAA and its global Star Alliance partners’ networks.

18 February 2013

Video: How African rock pythons hunt & eat Springbok

The African rock python is one of the largest snakes in the world and Africa's largest snake. Specimen can get as long as 6 m (20 ft). Subspecies of the snake can be found throughout the whole of sub-Saharan Africa, from Ethiopia and Somalia west to Senegal and south to Namibia and South Africa. The nonvenomous snake is usually found nears sources of water in a variety of habitats, including savanna woodland and grassland, forest, savanna, semi-desert, rocky areas. If you ever wondered how and what African rock pythons hunt, watch the video below. Kudos National Geographic!

15 February 2013

South Africa: Four shark attacks resulted in three fatalities in 2012

The Ichthyology department of the Florida Museum of Natural History has released the annual International Shark Attack File (ISAF) report. According to the report, 118 alleged incidents of shark-human interaction occurred worldwide in 2012. 80 of the 118 incidents represented confirmed cases of unprovoked* shark attack on humans. The 38 incidents not accorded unprovoked status in 2012 included 16 provoked attacks, eight shark-boat interactions (motorised and non-motorised vessels), five incidents regarded as not involving a shark ("doubtful"), one "air-sea disaster," three "scavenge" incidents involving post-mortem bites, and five cases in which available evidence was insufficient to determine if an unprovoked shark attack occurred.
Most shark attacks occurred 2012 in the United States. A total of 53 alleged incidents of shark-human interaction were reported. Australia ranked second with 14 attacks, four attacks took place in South Africa, three in Reunion and one in Indonesia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Tonga and on the Canary Islands.
Globally, seven fatalities resulted from unprovoked attacks in 2012. Three of the seven occured in South Africa, two in Australia, one in the United States (California) and one on Reunion.
The four attacks in 2012 in South Africa equal to the country's past ten-year average of four attacks, while the three fatalities were higher than its recent yearly average of one per year. Within the past ten years South Africa has had years with as many as eight attacks (2010) and four fatalities (2009) but also a year (2006) with not a single reported attack.

*"Unprovoked attacks" are defined as incidents where an attack on a live human by a shark occurs in its natural habitat without human provocation of the shark.

Table Mountain Cableway: Sustainability & responsible tourism (video)

The flat-topped Table Mountain is, besides the V&A Waterfront, Cape Point, Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens and Robben Island, the most prominent landmark of Cape Town. Being such an remarkable landmark and important contributor to the city's tourism industry, the main service provider at Table Mountain, the Table Mountain Cableway, is putting its focus not only on providing transport up and down the mountain and on its service facilities on topof Table Mountain, but also on sustainability and responsible tourism. The following video, released by Table Mountain Cableway, is providing some basic info about the company's efforts towards waste reduction, water and electricity usage reduction, as well as about the heart of Cableway's corporate social responsibility: the principle of access for all! Kudos! Enjoy!


In 2011 the Table Mountain Cableway was the overall winner in the Imvelo Awards for Responsible Tourism and in 2012 the company was a finalist in the waste management category.

14 February 2013

South African Airways been awarded 4-star rating by Skytrax for the 11th year running

South Africa's flag carrier, South African Airways, has earned a 4-star ranking from Skytrax for the 11th consecutive year. In a statement issued on 12 Feb 2013, Skytrax chief executive, Edward Plaisted, said: "South African Airways have managed to maintain quality levels throughout the past year and are delivering a solid project and service standard to their customers, making their 4-star ranking well-deserved."



Skytrax is an aviation research organisation specialised in quality audit and research work for commercial airlines and airports throughout the world. It's star-rating is based on professional evaluation conducted by Skytrax' in-house airline audit specialists and not on customer feedback or reviews. The Skytrax star ranking audit examines more than 800 areas of product and service delivery, across all areas of the airport operations and the cabin experience and provides the world airline industry and it's customers with a professional, unified quality classification system that is the internationally recognised symbol of airline product and service standards.Congrats South African Airways!

Namibia lost 78 elephants to poaching in 2012

Namibia's Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET) announced that 78 of the country's estimated 20 000-strong elephant population have been illegally killed by poachers in 2012. Poaching almost exclusively took place Namibia's northern Caprivi Region due to its high elephant population. Most of illegal killings occured betwenn April and October 2012. The last poaching incident in Namibia was reported in November 2012 and no cases have been recorded so far this year. Only an estimated number of 10 elephants got poached in Namibia in 2011.