#TravelTuesday Sneak Peak - Post WTMA18 Tours in South Africa!
Ostrich Capital of the World – Garden Route – “and, of course wine, there was always wine.”
***In addition to several privately owned Game Lodges & Guests Houses, I will be checking out several Protea Properties. As many of you may know, about five years ago, Marriott agreed to purchase the Cape Town-based Protea Hospitality Holdings. It is now time to see how the merger went!
Protea Hotel by Marriott Cape Town Mowbray
Mooiplaas Guest House Oudtshoorn
Garden Route Game Lodge Garden Route
Protea Hotel by Marriott Stellenbosch
#TravelTuesday Flyga Twiga™ Honored to Again be Asked to Attend World Travel Market Africa
Flyga Twiga™ is honored to once again be asked to attend the World Travel Market Africa. Taking place in Cape Town, South Africa, WTMA is one of 6 shows offered by WTM of Reed Exhibitions. WTMA sees “…nearly 5000 travel industry professionals attend Africa’s leading and only business to business (B2B) exhibition for inbound and outbound Africa travel and tourism markets.”
In addition to over 36 private one-on-one meetings Flyga Twiga™ is scheduled for the Speed Networking Session, exclusive lunch and aftershow tours hosted by Cape Town locals, and evening networking and entertainment events.
This year I’ll be staying at my favorite Westin Hotel - Cape Town! The staff at The Westin Cape Town is second to none. The food in the Club Lounge is delicious. Their laundry services are exceptional. And, the Westin is just an overpass walkway to the Cape Town International Convention Center.
Can’t wait and I will be blogging and posting on my social media some special tours that are in the works. So excited for WTMA 18 and to be back in South Africa!
#TravelTuesday Sleeping in Chiang Kai-shek's Bed & the Taiwan Travel Act
Chiang Kai-shek led the Republic of China (Taiwan), in various roles, from 1928 until 1975. During his long and successful leadership of free China he repeatedly reached out to the United States of America. One of his generous gestures was gifting an entire bedroom set to the Army Navy Club (ANC) in Washington, DC.
As members of the Club, my husband and I were offered a night’s stay in the ANC’s accommodations. My wonderfully foresightful, history-buff husband suggested we spend the night in the “Chiang Kai-shek Room.” Upon check-in we were informed that they were glad to see someone stay in the room. The reason, they stated, for the room going “without guests” is a lot of the older members refused to stay in the bed.
Hmmm…Chinese ghosts from the Chinese Revolution and Liberation was my first guess. The clerk behind the desk burst out laughing. “No, the bed is Chinese and therefore is completely enclosed save for only one, small opening. The older couples have to crawl over their spouse to get out of bed to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night.”
And, that is how I got to sleep in Chiang Kai-shek’s bed.
The Taiwan Travel Act, passed by the US Congress on 28 February 2018 and signed into law by President Trump on 16 March 2018, states:
(1) allow U.S. officials at all levels to travel to Taiwan to meet their Taiwanese counterparts;
(2) permit high-level Taiwanese officials to enter the United States under respectful conditions and to meet with U.S. officials, including officials from the Departments of State and Defense; and
(3) encourage the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office and any other instrumentality established by Taiwan to conduct business in the United States.
The Taiwan Travel Act is good news for US – Taiwan relations. I am sure Chiang Kai-shek would be pleased. And, it is of particular good news to me, having reposed in the great Chiang Kai-shek’s bed.
#TravelTuesday Chiang Kai-shek Memorial - Taipei, Taiwan - Coming Soon! How I (really!) slept in Chiang Kai-shek's bed!
Able Seaman Just Nuisance, the only dog ever to be officially enlisted in the Royal Navy. This picture is from the Simon's Town Museum, South Africa.
New FAQs - Traveling To The Middle East For The First Time? 10 Frequently Asked Questions For The Female Traveler.
Spring Cleaning! Made even better as a local business asked for my Middle East & Africa Travel Magazines.
Spring Cleaning 2018! © Flyga Twiga LLC
#ThrowbackThursday State Grand Mosque Doha 2017. If I had enough time, I'd love to visit all the Grand Mosques in the Middle East. I love ME architecture!
Looking forward to being back in Simon's Town, SA & seeing Just Nuisance AB again!
My article for Go Places Digital on the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics 2018 is online & will be in their Holiday Print Edition!
Traditional Guard Gyeongbokgung Palace © Flyga Twiga
Click here to read!
Travel Advisory - East Africa Tourist Visa
As Flyga Twiga has been covering, there seems to be quite a bit of change going on within the tourism regulations and procedures in the Republic of Rwanda. Earlier this year, the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) announced the doubling of Gorilla Trekking Permit Fees. This was discussed widely within the East African Tourism Industry (our reporting on this discussion). And, sparked a response from neighboring Uganda, who share the border and the few remaining Mountain Gorillas with Rwanda (Uganda Tourism Board Statement).
Now, Rwanda appears to be reinterpreting the much touted “East Africa Tourist Visa” (EATV). In a “Travel Tips Press Release” dated 2 August 2017, Coastal Aviation, one of the leading East African Safari Aviation providers, stated:
Visa Issues in Kigali
We have recently had a case where guests arrived in Kigali and were deemed to not have a valid visa. This caused us to be fined $3,000 by the Rwandan authorities. It transpired that the guests had an East African Univisa. They had applied through Uganda for this. The Rwandan authorities deemed this visa to be invalid as the guests should have applied to Rwanda, their first arrival point, rather than Uganda. Please ask you guests to double check this should it apply to them. We will no longer be responsible for any fines, should this recur. On Application for a Visa, the applicant is given a tracking number. It is important that we receive this tracking number, in order to be able to verify the visa, before flight.
This interpretation of the EATV was not a “one off” fluke, or misinterpretation by a rogue Rwanda Customs & Immigration Agent. Julian Edmunds, Managing Director of Coastal Aviation, only two days after the initial Press Release, sent out an email, subject, “Rwanda Visa Issues.” He stated in his 4 August 2017 email:
The Rwandese seem to interpret the multiple entry as that you may cross the borders between Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya...but that as soon as you leave these countries (ie to Tanzania) then the visa is deemed to have expired and a second visa is then required.
Yesterday we had another such incident. Guests had the East Africa Tourist Visa and used it to enter Kenya. They then left Kenya and then went to Tanzania; we then flew them from Tanzania to Rwanda. The immigration officers in Rwanda would not accept their East African Tourist Visa as they deemed it expired. Luckily the guests were American and therefore eligible to purchase a visa on arrival...had that not been the case, we would have been forced to repatriate them to Tanzania and fined $3000!
Nowhere in the documentation, in English and Korean, does it state that this should be the case. Rather, the document, titled, “Take advantage of the new East African Community Visa” states:
“The holder shall also be allowed to move out of the Republic of Kenya, the Republic of Rwanda, and the Republic of Uganda and return without having to pay for another visa. This will only be applicable for 90 days.”
What all this means for those traveling on the EATV is unclear. Hopefully the respective Tourism and Development Boards will issue clarifications on this matter. When they do, we will immediately provide the information here.
Until then, have a Happy Day! And, a Safe Safari!
#TravelTuesday Flyga Twiga Honored to Partner with Kenya Embassy KITS 2017
OVERVIEW
Title Korea International Tourism Show 2017
Slogan Light Up!
Dates and time August 24th (Thu) 2017 to August 27th (Sun) 2017 10:00AM ~ 6:00PM
Sunday, 10:00AM ~ 5:00PM
Venue IlsHall 7, Exhibition Center Ⅱ, Ilsan KINTEX
Capacity 11,290㎡ (Approx. 500 booths in total)
Hosted by Organization committee of Korea International Tourism Show, The Kookje Daily News, KyongbukIlbo, KyeonggiIlbo, JeonnamIlbo, JoongdoIlbo, KangwonDominIlbo, ChungbukIlbo, JeonbukDominIlbo, GyeongnamIlbo, HallaIlbo, The Korea Travel Times
Organized by Korea International Tourism Show Head Office l Universal Live Co., Ltd.
Sponsored by Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Korea Railroad Corporation, Korea Tourism Organization, Goyang City, Korean Food Foundation
Composition
- Opening Ceremony
- Domestic/International Pavilion
- Travel Information Pavilion
- Held together
- Special Hall
Special Event
- Global International Students Festival
- The World Alcoholic beverages Festival
- Travel talk Show
- Culture trip with tour commentator
See you there! Happy Day! Safe Safari!
Excellent analysis of the RDB increase in Gorilla Trekking Permits
The below has been reprinted with kind permission from Great Lakes Safaris & Uganda Lodges Ltd. The thoughtful analysis of the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) substantial increase in charges for the Gorilla Trekking Permits has sent shockwaves through the Rwanda and Uganda Gorilla Trekking Communities. My sincere thank you to Sheila for her thoughts and analysis.
Sheila Kogo Malinga
Marketing Manager
Great Lakes Safaris & Uganda Lodges Ltd - Where the journey into the wild begins…!
Differences in Gorilla Tracking : Rwanda vs Uganda
Gorilla Tracking in Uganda and Rwanda is pretty much the same experience although the factors that accompany the tracking are different.
One of the principle tracking difference in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda and Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda – is that Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is in a thicker rain forest, with steeper slopes and ridges, compared to Rwanda where the Volcanoes National Park, mountain forest is open and the hiking gradient more evenly spread, making it relatively easier to track the Gorillas in VNP Rwanda compared in BWNP.
The similarity is the Mountain Gorilla, all in rain forest- accessible by a mountain hike. It also the case that Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda is closer to Kigali, the Capital of Rwanda, compared to Uganda whose capital city Kampala is 495km away.
Our experience in tracking Gorillas both is Uganda and Rwanda is that different persons arrive at different conclusions in comparing the Gorillas- whereby the younger, stronger and more fit person experience a preference for Uganda where they feel they have worked for the eventual coming to the Gorillas experience as opposed to Rwanda, where they find it easier and more ‘zoo-like’ in their opinion although we do not share that opinion.
For the more elderly person- I would say above 50, whose principal interest is to see the Gorillas and do not necessarily have massive doses of energy to extend in that quest, they tend to have a preference for Rwanda. Also persons who desire to do multiple Gorilla treks also have a preference for the easier option but there is a general tendency for some people to believe that the Gorilla Tracking in Uganda is a more authentic quest in search of these ‘gentle giants’ of the forest.
Also for persons with very limited time, obviously Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda being so close to Kigali, within 2.5 hours drive is a big advantage. However for persons with more time, gorilla tracking in Uganda tends to be more appealing as they have many options of extending their tour in Uganda with her hugely more diverse tourism product as opposed to Rwanda where gorilla tracking seems to be the thing and there is nothing much else- meaning
Rwanda has failed to deliver as a standalone tourist destination.
For the budget sensitive person the lower price of gorilla permits $600 in Uganda versus $1500 in Rwanda, coupled with the hugely attractive low season rate in Uganda of $450 (April-May and November) and not available in Rwanda is a huge appeal.
All the gorilla habituated families in Rwanda are accessible from one starting point , although the distances to the various trail heads differ- while in Uganda the Gorilla families are divided between the Northern section of Bwindi
Impenetrable National Park called Buhoma and the Southern Section called Nkuringo and therefore the difference between the North and the South prohibiting and necessitate persons tracking gorillas in the North to also choose accommodation in the Northern section and vice-versa for the southern section.
This also gives the impression that tracking in Uganda has an added tendency to seem un-crowded.
In the end, Rwanda is Rwanda and Uganda is Uganda – two distinctively different countries. It is hard to really say which is better or not better rather that different persons comparing tend to arrive at different conclusions making it more an issue of personal choice/preferences.
Wine & Chocolate Tasting at beautiful Waterford Wine Estate in Stellenbosch, South Africa
Safari Travel Tip - Don't forget to turn off the lights in your tent!
Especially if you are staying in a Safari Camp run by Solar Power. If you don’t turn off your lights during the day – you won’t have any lights at night!
Happy Day! Safe Safari!
#WTMA2017 Flyga Twiga Selected as International Hosted Buyer for World Travel Market Africa 2017
Flyga Twiga Selected as International Hosted Buyer for World Travel Market Africa 2017 #WTMA2017
Flyga Twiga LLC has been selected by the World Travel Market Africa 2017 (WTMA 2017) as an International Hosted Buyer. The WTMA 2017 will take place in Cape Town, South Africa from the 19th through 22nd of April.
#TravelTuesday How safe will your Safari be? Click below to find out why we say "Happy Day! Safe Safari!"
#TravelTuesday 6 Safari Chic Essentials to Keep You Safe on Safari - Shopping Guide for Black Friday & Cyber Monday!
One of the most fun parts of an African Safari begins before you even leave home – shopping for your expedition! Black Friday and Cyber Monday are right around the corner. Here are six essential items which are not only Safari Chic, but can actually function to keep you safe while enjoying a majestic African Safari. Let’s start planning and shopping!
1. Sunglasses
While certainly chic, sunglasses are necessary in SubSaharan Africa. Being near the Equator, you want to protect your eyes from sun damage. It only makes your Safari more chic if your sunglasses are Chanel™ or Gucci™. Just make sure they have the proper Ultraviolet (UV) protection.
2. Boots
There are a lot of “creepy crawlies” in the Savannah. You want to protect your precious little toes from being bitten. There is no need to sacrifice fashion, just because you are in the wild. And, comfortable boots are an absolute necessity to keep you safe if you plan on taking a walking Safari.
3. Cargo Pants
Always a favorite with men, these will also be helpful to women on Safari. The pockets make for easy access to camera and video equipment. And, the pants protect your legs from sharp river grass if you are on a water Safari and from mosquitoes. They are so functional and fashionable that Michael Kors™ has a version of cargo pants in nearly every collection.
4. Safari Jacket
There is a saying among numerous tribes of SubSaharan Africa about how travelers do not believe, but they can, “freeze to death in Africa.” Realistically, unless you are summiting Mount Kilimanjaro, that is a bit of an exaggeration. But, the nights in the wild bush can get cold. A Safari jacket is the perfect piece of clothing to keep you warm, while insuring you still look good. And, like the cargo pants, the Safari jacket will help protect your arms from insects and sun damage.
5. Hat
Safari hats are iconic and synonymous with being in the African wilderness. While of course protecting your face from the harsh African sun, they also help protect your eyes. When taking all the wonderful photographs of your Safari, you may need to take off your sunglasses. You will still need to protect your eyes from the sun. A wide brimmed Safari hat does just that.
6. Scarf
The bushveld can be very dusty. Imagine your Safari Guide racing you through the Game Reserve, off to the next wildlife experience, and all the dust flying on the dirt roads. You may wish to have a scarf to keep from breathing in the dust. Fortunately, Hermes™ and Louis Vuitton™ have in recent years run Safari Collections. Stylish scarves are not only beautiful, they can keep your lungs clean and healthy on Safari.
One last note before you begin shopping for your adventure, all the items should be in what are known as “Safari Colours.” These are colors such as khaki, brown, linen or safari green, which will help you blend into the bushveld. These colours keep you safe by camouflaging you from the wildlife, allowing you to be part of the awe inspiring African bush, safely.
Enjoy shopping for your African Safari essentials. You will have pictures of magical Africa including many of yourself being safe, stylish and Safari Chic!
Happy Day! Safe Safari!