Africa Travel Association urges ‘rational decision making’ regarding Ebola

“Now, more than ever, ATA hopes you will join our association in supporting, and standing in solidarity with Africa. ATA calls on travelers to make educated and rational decisions and cautions against the influence of sensationalized media”
Africa Travel Association

The Africa Travel Association (ATA) is a leading global trade association promoting travel and tourism to Africa and strengthening intra-Africa partnerships. Established in 1975, ATA serves both the public and private sectors of the international travel and tourism industry. ATA members include African governments, tourism ministers, tourism bureaus and boards, airlines, cruise lines, hotels, resorts, front-line travel agents, tour operators, and a media. ATA partners with the African Union Commission (AU) to promote the sustainable development of tourism to and across Africa.

ATA issued the following statement concerning Ebola:

ATA remains concerned about the Ebola virus and its far-reaching effects, and related perceptions, on the travel and tourism sector in Africa. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the most severely affected countries are Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, however, the Africa tourism industry has felt stark repercussions across the continent through economic losses, cancelled flights and bookings, closed borders, and negative perceptions. These impacts reach far beyond the borders of those affected countries.

ATA urges the travel industry and traveling public to remain cautious, however, to acknowledge the immense size of the continent and to continue to travel to the vast majority of the countries that remain safe. With a landmass of 30.2 million square kilometers, the African continent is larger than China, India, and the United States combined, with its 54 independent countries.

ATA does not support the cancellation of flights to Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone as this creates further isolation, impeding the delivery of critical medical supplies and travel by aid workers, which can exacerbate the situation. According to the WHO, the countries affected “have very weak health systems, lacking human and infrastructural resources, having only recently emerged from long periods of conflict and instability.”

Now, more than ever, ATA hopes you will join our association in supporting, and standing in solidarity with Africa. ATA calls on travelers to make educated and rational decisions and cautions against the influence of sensationalized media. Africa has always suffered from challenges of perception relating to ignorance and a lack of understanding of the continent by citizens from around the world.

Despite these challenges, ATA remains optimistic about travel and tourism to the African continent. In 2013, Africa welcomed over 65 million visitors, consistently increasing its share in the global travel marketplace. Africa is an exciting travel destination, one of world’s most dynamic travel destinations for tourists seeking for adventure, exceptional cultural exchange and heritage tours, diverse culinary experiences, unparalleled safari and wildlife opportunities, first-class beaches, and a wealth of investment opportunities. In pursuit of its mission, ATA believes that tourism is a powerful tool for promoting economic growth, job creation, investment and cultural exchange.

Additionally, ATA encourages travelers to find the most up-to-date information here:

World Health Organization (WHO): www.who.int/csr/disease/ebola/en

Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola

For more information on ATA, visit www.africatravelassociation.org or call 212.447.1357.

 

 

Four Seasons Safari Lodge Offers New ‘Walk in the Wild Serengeti’; Hosts Serengeti Lion Project Exhibit

Stop by the Discovery Centre for a viewing of the new Serengeti Lion Project Wildlife Photography Exhibition, August 1-31 by Serengeti Lion Project researcher Daniel Rosengren.

Proceeds from sales of photos will support the Serengeti Lion Project Research, the world’s most extensive daily mammal monitoring project, which has gathered detailed data on more than 5,000 lions since the 1960s. Rosengren, a Swedish biologist and senior field researcher who is passionate about travel and nature, traded in his globe-roaming bike for a Land Rover in 2010 to study the daily habits of the Serengeti’s lions. The exhibition will feature 40 or more of his most stunning images.

Inspired to follow in Rosengren’s photographic footprints? Visit The Lodge now and be among the first to experience its new Walk in the Wild Serengeti, a transformative 90-minute guided walk where you’ll help install a “camera trap” that digitally records the Serengeti’s majestic animals on the move. Elephants, cheetahs, lions and even notoriously hard-to-spot leopards are known for their cameos.

This guided walk shines a light on the wildlife sanctuary’s most subtle and unusual characteristics. Led by the Resident Naturalist at Four Seasons Safari Lodge Serengeti, Masai guides and national park rangers, you’ll explore the beautiful landscape of Serengeti National Park as your guides point out animal tracks, interesting insects and useful plants.

Guests can also help The Serengeti Lion Project classify the different animals found in images caught by over 200 remote camera traps that have been set up in the Serengeti by visiting the Snapshot Serengeti website.

The Walk in the Wild and the Serengeti Lion Project Photo Exhibition are among the many innovative experiences undertaken by Four Seasons Safari Lodge and its pioneering Discovery Centre.  Part museum exhibit, part lecture theatre, it’s the first lodge-based conservation research and education platform in Serengeti. Chat with Lodge experts and explore a series of displays, exhibition boards and interactive presentations, or attend periodic talks by guest speakers. Participate in special research projects with local experts closely involved with Serengeti’s wildlife research and conservation projects.

Make your base camp in The Lodge’s two-story great house, with guest rooms and suites that all offer stunning views of the Serengeti landscape.

A more private escape can be had in one of the five freestanding villas. Ideal for couples and families, The Lodge is one of the first on the continent to welcome children ages 8+, a significant milestone for families with young ones and teens. The entire property is accessible via raised wooden walkways making short excursions into the bush not a far venture from the Lodge.

In addition to taking your exploration to an intimate new level during the Wild Walk in the Serengeti, The Kijana Klub offers children their own opportunity to learn about local culture and wildlife through a series of planned activities including short walks in the bush with a Maasai guide and learning basic wildlife research skills such as radio tracking and camera traps.

Other memorable guest experiences include sundowners at the infinity pool while elephants gather at the watering hole below, private romantic dinners in the bush, the Lodge’s celebrated Boma Grill and signature spa treatments featuring Africology spa products at purpose-built Spa.

For more information, visit www.fourseasons.com/serengeti

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Join Conservation Efforts for Endangered Cheetah in Serengeti at Four Seasons Safari Lodge

The Four Seasons Safari Lodge, Serengeti, as a supporter of The Cheetah Watch Campaign run by the Serengeti Cheetah Project and the Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute enables its guests to participate in this important project.

Imagine being able to contribute to conservation efforts to track and identify endangered cheetah in the Serengeti.

The Four Seasons Safari Lodge, Serengeti, as a supporter of The Cheetah Watch Campaign run by the Serengeti Cheetah Project and the Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute enables its guests to participate in this important project.

The Cheetah Watch Campaign aims to involve visitors in the monitoring and conservation of cheetahs, whose numbers are slowly declining due to poaching and loss of habitat. Visitors to the Serengeti are encouraged to submit their cheetah photos and, with the help of their guide, notes on location and behavior to the Project.

The Project’s 30-year study of these endangered cats has resulted in much of what we know today and developed our understanding of these majestic creatures.

Through its Discovery Centre, the Lodge encourages its guests to load their cheetah photos onto its iMac, which are then sent to the Cheetah Project, which uses each cheetah’s unique spot pattern to identify the individuals that were sighted and then send the guests a brief history of that cheetah.

Since starting the Campaign at the Lodge in late 2013, guests have submitted more than 30 cheetah sightings, resulting in the identification of 10 new individual cheetahs to the Project.

“At the Discovery Centre, guests are able to contribute to this essential research, as well as gaining a deeper understanding of cheetah ecology,” Discovery Centre Manager Oli Dreike says. “The Cheetah Watch Campaign plays a vital role in helping researchers to understand and conserve these beautiful cats, and it is really easy for guests to take part in if they are lucky enough to see cheetahs during their stay in the Serengeti. It’s incredible that our guests have helped to identify so many new individuals for the Project in such a short period.”

Four Seasons Safari Lodge Serengeti

The 77-room Four Seasons Safari Lodge Serengeti opened in December 2012 and is particularly well-suited for first-time safari travelers, extended families and groups. It includes 12 suites with plunge pools, five free-standing villas with private swimming pools, a spa with six treatment pavilions, three restaurants, a Kijana Klub for kids and teens and meeting facilities. Two active watering holes on the property allow for magnificent animal viewing at peak times of day and every room has an elevated open-air sundeck providing direct views over the Serengeti. Suitable for guests of eight years and above, Four Seasons Safari Lodge is also home to its own Discovery Center featuring museum quality exhibits and a lecture hall for guests to learn about the local wildlife, environment and culture. (For more information visit: www.fourseasons.com/serengeti; follow Four Seasons Safari Lodge Serengeti on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.)

Founded in 1960, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts has followed a targeted course of expansion, opening hotels and residences in major city centers and desirable resort destinations around the world. Currently with 90 properties in 35 countries, and more than 50 projects under development, Four Seasons continues to lead the hospitality industry with innovative enhancements, making business travel easier and leisure travel more rewarding (www.fourseasons.com).

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andBeyond Introduces ‘WILDChild’ Program to Family Safaris

andBeyond, a company specializing in luxury experiential travel, is introducing a new children’s program, WILDchild, at the company’s lodges and safari camps throughout Southern Africa and will also be offered at its East African properties from the end of August.

WILDchild is designed to create opportunities for families to engage not only with each other but with their environment, in a new and stimulating way that will change the way they see the world. With a growing trend for multi-generational travel, andBeyond believes in giving adventurous families the reare privilege to see the world through different eyes, encouraging them to grow and learn through unforgettable experiences.

Carefully thought out and presented by rangers trained to share their knowledge in a way that sparks the enthusiasm of even the youngest guests, WILDchild is designed to do more than just keep children occupied while their parents enjoy their safari. While it is essential that the program remains entertaining enough to capture youngsters’ imaginations, it also has a strong conservation message at heart.

“The WILDchild program is just another way that andBeyond is encouraging family travel. We have also provided additional family suites at select andBeyond lodges in South Africa, as well as in Tanzania. Whether at our own lodges and camps or throughout the African countries where we operate, andBeyond has the ability to put together specialized family itineraries designed to help travelers create life-enriching experiences for themselves and their children,” says Jacky Humphries, andBeyond Chief Marketing Officer.

andBeyond’s safari experiences offer the luxury of a leisurely pace, ideal to reconnect and renew relationships among families, as well as to form new connections between the children and the land, animals and people of Africa. Through the relationship created between younger guests and their ranger or guide, the WILDchild program is filled with interactive activities that offer opportunities to learn and discover new experiences and cultures. Deeply rooted in the love for the African bush, it not only creates a series of unforgettable moments for the whole family, but forges strong bonds between the children, our planet and its people.

As part of the WILDchild program, each  young  traveler  receives a WILDchild backpack with a scrapbook and a gift, such as a flash light, a magnifying glass or a compass. Throughout the safari, the family’s ranger helps the child to fill up the scrapbook with notes, drawings, stickers, dog tags and badges that the youngsters earn for completing a series of bush-related activities that are selected for them according to their interests and age. The activities attempt to tie in with the lodge’s environment, as well as the local heritage of the region. For example, children staying at andBeyond Klein’s Camp in Tanzania might be taught how to shoot with a bow and arrow or how to build a fire in the Maasai way. Meanwhile, at andBeyond Phinda Private Game Reserve in South Africa, they may be taught tracking skills by a local Zulu tracker or set out on a fishing expedition on the Mzinene River.

andBeyond lodges that specialize in children’s programs, creative menus and have child-minding facilities are: andBeyond Phinda Mountain Lodge, Ngala Safari Lodge and Kirkman’s Kamp in South Africa; Sossusvlei Desert Lodge in Namibia; Kichwa Tembo Tented Camp in Kenya; Ngorongoro Crater Lodge, Serengeti Under Canvas and Mnemba Island Lodge in Tanzania; and Xaranna Okavango Delta Camp, Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge and Nxabega Okavango Tented Camp in Botswana.

The WILDchild program is included in the rate at the lodges at which it is offered. The starting rate is $490 per person, per night at Ngala Private Game Reserve.

Established in 1991, andBeyond has become one of the world’s leading luxury experiential travel companies, designing personalised luxury safaris in 16 African countries, as well as India, Bhutan and Sri Lanka. The company also owns and operates 32  lodges and camps in Africa and India’s wildlife high spots.

For more information, visit www.andBeyond.com.

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New Guest Camps Open in Kenya in time for Great Migration

New guest camps (including Richard Branson’s new property) are opening this summer in Kenya in time for the Great Migration to give more travelers up-close views of one of the world’s most exciting natural phenomenon.

This month, travelers can watch in awe during one of the greatest animal shows on Earth, the Great Migration.  Each year from July through November, approximately 1.5 million wildebeest, 200,000 zebras and Thomson’s Gazelle venture from Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park to Kenya’s sprawling Maasai Mara National Reserve, making way for one of the most amazing natural spectacles in the world.

New camps opening this summer include:

Mahali Mzuri, a Virgin Limited Edition property – Opening in August 2013

Virgin chief Richard Branson is building a property on the Motorogi Conservancy in the Masai Mara. The property, Mahali Mzuri, part of the Virgin Limited Edition portfolio, is slated to open next year. Situated within the Motorogi Conservancy in the Maasai Mara, Mahali Mzuri – meaning “beautiful place” in Swahili – will feature 12 tented suites, exclusively catering to a maximum of 24 guests at any one time.  Opening this August, rates will start from $580 per person per night, fully inclusive of all meals, drinks and daily game drives within the Olare Orok and Motorogi Conservancies. For more information, visit www.mahalimzuri.virgin.com

Speke’s Camp – Opened July 15 

A sister camp to Maasai Trails’ Jan’s Camp, Speke’s Camp is a delightful new private camp in the Maasai Mara that is opening this month. Located just outside the Maasai Reserve on private land – Speke’s Camp offers an exclusive and secluded experience. With a rack rate of just $305 per person sharing per night, this quaint camp is part of the more affordable circuit of camps in the Mara. With eight comfortable rooms, Speke’s Camp offers game drives and the option of an epic-walking safari through the Loita Hills. For more information, visit www.maasaitrails.com. 

Elewana’s Sand River Masai Mara Camp – Opened July 1

Located on the banks of a river from which it has taken its name, Sand River Maasai Mara is located within the famed Maasai Mara National Reserve, close to the Tanzanian border.  Situated on a secluded and picturesque site, the Camp replicates the heyday of exclusive permanent tented camps of the late 1920’s. Featuring 16 exclusive tented  suites each with a private sun deck area, the camp offers daily game drives, bush meals, a billiard room, library, and swimming pool for guests. For more information, visit elewanacollection.com.

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Rwanda Hosts Mountain Gorilla Baby Naming Ceremony, Events Open to Visitors

Rwanda will celebrate the birth of baby gorillas through “Kwita Izina,” the annual naming ceremony in Kinigi, Musanze, on June 22, 2013. This and other events will be open to visitors.

Rwanda will celebrate the birth of baby gorillas through “Kwita Izina,” the annual naming ceremony in Kinigi, Musanze, on June 22, 2013, which is open to visitors,  Rica Rwigamba, head of Tourism and Conservation at the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) announced.

This year’s theme is “Celebrating Nature, Empowering Communities.”

“This is the 9th edition of Kwita Izina. On this occasion, we are going to name 12 baby gorillas and 1 family. This is a celebration of these wonderful animals but also a way to thank all those who take care of them, starting from rangers, vets, and the community living near their habitat,” Rica said.

Through the tourism revenue sharing scheme, RDB funds various community projects throughout the country.

This year, Maize Grinding Plant, a maize production cooperative near Nyungwe National Park will be launched. This women’s cooperative used to cut trees from the park to curve mortars for maize crushing. Today, with the support of RDB, they have a modern grinding machine that has increased their production. They now supply maize flour throughout their area.

While unveiling this year’s Kwita Izina program, Rica Rwigamba said that this will be more than just one event but a series of events which will include community celebrations, the launch of community projects, as well as the Kwita Izina Caravan. This tour will go from Kigali to Kinigi passing by the different touristic attractions and community projects on that route.

All these activities are open to the public and more details are available at the Kwita Izina website www.kwitizina.org and on various social media platforms including Twitter, Facebook, and Flickr.

Professor Geoffrey Lipman, President of the International Coalition of Tourism Partners (ICT)P said: “We are honored to support this unique initiative with our friends in Rwanda. It is one of the most thoughtful engagements of a local community in conservation and tourism on the planet and the essence of a green growth strategy.”

The CEO of the Rwanda Development Board made the announcement of the gorilla-naming competition in partnership with ICTP. Rwanda is a Council member of the International Coalition of Tourism Partners (ICTP).

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ET African Journeys Mama Hope Fund-Raising Trek up Mount Kilimanjaro Features Gourmet Feast by Chef Pierre Thiam at World’s Highest Pop-up Restaurant

African safari and tour provider ET African Journeys has partnered with Mama Hope, a non-profit organization that invests in projects that bring food, security, clean water, education and health care to African communities in need, to offer the Mama Hope Kilimanjaro Expedition, a hike to benefit Moshi, Tanzania’s St. Timothy’s School. Departing on Tuesday, July 30th, this one-of-a-kind trek up Africa’s highest mountain boasts an amenity that no other tour provider offers: a gourmet feast prepared by world-renowned African Chef Pierre Thiam at the world’s highest-altitude pop-up restaurant. Chef Thiam will open the temporary restaurant at a base camp at 12,500 feet above sea level exclusively to celebrate the fund-raising climb. After summiting Mount Kilimanjaro via the scenic Machame route, climbers will descend to the base camp restaurant to dine on Chef Thiam’s specially-prepared African regional cuisine, while enjoying views of the surrounding forests and grasslands.

Following the hike, travelers will spend two days volunteering at St. Timothy’s School, a school and children’s home built by Mama Hope and partnering organization, The Tanzania Children Concern, to educate Tanzanian orphans. Mama Hope’s community-centered development approach enabled St. Timothy’s to employ over 600 workers from the local community in the construction of the school.

“We are now focused on funding the construction of a boarding house on the St. Timothy’s compound, which will give the region’s orphans a home as well as an education,” said Mama Hope founder Nyla Rodgers. “This trip is a wonderful way to get Americans to come to Africa and get involved with a very worthy cause.”

“Adventurers who want to climb Mount Kilimanjaro don’t typically need much enticing, but this trip offers so much more than the satisfaction of the climb,” added ET African Journeys Vice President of Business Development Gilad Goren, who conceived of the trip concept with Rodgers. “It’s a chance to raise funds for a great cause, volunteer at a school and meet the children they are helping and, as an added perk, enjoy possibly the most unique dining experience of their lives, forgoing trail mix for a gourmet meal prepared by Chef Thiam.”

The Mama Hope Kilimanjaro Expedition is available for $3,500, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting St. Timothy’s School. Price includes lodging, Kilimanjaro climb and gourmet meal. For more information, call 800-662-5406 or visit www.etafricanjourneys.com/mamahope.

Mama Hope works in close partnership with local African organizations to connect them with the resources required to transform their own communities. The organization’s projects are managed for and by partner communities themselves to ensure sustainability. With a mission to fund the completion of schools, health clinics, children’s centers, clean water systems and food security projects.

ET African Journeys is a joint venture by Ethiopian Airlines and Group IST to create exciting, original, thematic, educational and cultural travel programs to Ethiopia and beyond. Working with the most experienced providers in the region, ET African Journeys is able to offer a diverse range of quality tour products at competitive prices to both the individual traveler and the group organizer. Ethiopian Airlines is the only non-stop service between the East Coast of the United States and the East Coast of Africa and is one of the largest and most modern air carriers on the African continent.

1,000 Places to See Before You Die® Author Patricia Schultz to Guide Tour to Ethiopia

Veteran travel journalist and author of 1,000 Places to See Before You Die® Patricia Schultz will be a one-time host of ET African Journeys’ popular “Imperial Ethiopia” tour, from April 25 – May 4, 2013.

Schultz accompanies this “one-of-a-kind” tour of destinations featured in her best-selling travel books. The tour features stops in Ethiopian regions rich in old imperial dynasties and ancient royal and religious architecture. A land filled with historical, natural and cultural treasures, Ethiopia has a long-documented history that stretches back to approximately 1000 BC. “Imperial Ethiopia” introduces travelers to the customs and beliefs of ancient and modern Ethiopian society.

“It is surprising to me that with its mix of rich history, gorgeous scenery and beautiful people Ethiopia isn’t positively overrun by tourists,” said Schultz. “Africa’s best kept secret is hiding in plain sight! Stunning UNESCO sites in the north, and the remote and inaccessible Omo Valley to the south, a whole other world of ancient tribes and fragile cultures visited by very few. I’m excited to get to host this tour with ET African Journeys and introduce more people to this incredible part of the world.”

The tour includes visits to three UNESCO World Heritage Sites. In Gondar, travelers will visit the seven churches and six castles built by Emperor Fasilides in the mid-1600s, as well as Debre Birhan Selassie Church and the Falasha Village and Synagogue. The tour next takes travelers to Axum for visits to Stealae Park, St. Mary Zion Church and the Sanctuary Chapel, the reputed resting place of the Ark of the Covenant. The third UNESCO site on the itinerary is Lalibela, built as a “New Jerusalem” by Emperor Lalibela in response to the Muslim capture of Jerusalem in 1187. Lalibela is the site of twelve majestic rock-hewn churches, which are still used as places of worship today, and the Nakuto Le’ Abe Monastery, a church carved into a cave.

“Imperial Ethiopia with Patricia Schultz” includes round trip airfare from Washington DC to Addis Ababa, 7 nights of accommodations, all inter-country transportation and flights and all meals.

For more information about “Imperial Ethiopia with Patricia Schultz,” visit http://www.etafricanjourneys.com/1000places

Patricia Schultz is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller 1,000 Places to See Before You Die®. The books have sold close to 4 million copies in the English language market, with 25 translations available around the world. A veteran travel journalist with 25 years of experience, Schultz has written for guides such as Frommer’s and Berlitz and periodicals including The Wall Street Journal and Travel Weekly. She also executive-produced a Travel Channel television show based on 1,000 Places to See Before You Die®.

ET African Journeys is a joint venture by Ethiopian Airlines and Group IST to create exciting, original, thematic, educational and cultural travel programs to Ethiopia and beyond. Working with the most experienced providers in the region, ET African Journeys is able to offer a diverse range of quality tour products at competitive prices to both the individual traveler and the group organizer. Ethiopian Airlines is the only non-stop service between the East Coast of the United States and the East Coast of Africa and is one of the largest and most modern air carriers on the African continent.

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Gift of Travel that Gives Back: Travcoa Offers Series of African ‘Hand-to-Hand’ Itineraries that Give Back to Community

From education to cultural awareness and preservation, travel enriches the lives of everyone it touches. This holiday season, Travcoa, the world leader in luxury travel, is presenting a series of African itineraries that belong to the ‘Hand-to-Hand’ portfolio – journeys which showcase the abundance of African hospitality while contributing to communities throughout each journey.

“Our Africa ‘Hand-to-Hand’ journeys contribute to social enterprise-supported projects that fund education, health, self-reliance, and conservation initiatives,” stated Jerre Fuqua. “These trips are ideal for couples and families interested in sharing a meaningful experience as a holiday gift this year.”

Each of the finely-crafted journeys to Africa feature world-class accommodations and support organizations that contribute to community building projects:

Grandeur of Zimbabwe & South Africa Independent Journey – 18 days from $18,995 per person
In Zimbabwe, Singita Pamushana supports the Malilangwe Trust, an organization that feeds 19,000 children per day in adjoining villages. In South Africa, guests visit the inspiring Uthando Project in the townships of Cape Town, and participate in an interactive tour on a range of topics, including the environment and the care and protection of children, women and the elderly.

Travcoa makes a contribution to Uthando’s projects on behalf of each guest. Also, Singita Sabi Sand sponsors the “Growing to Read” program, which enhances early education efforts, and Singita Lebombo supports the School of Cooking, an organization that develops culinary skills in communities bordering Kruger National Park.

Pure Kenya Independent Journey – 11 days from $5,695 per person
This journey visits the Kalama Wildlife Conservancy where guests stay at Saruni Samburu. The lodge uses all guest revenue to cover operating costs of the conservancy and fund community projects. Guests also visit the African Fund for Endangered Wildlife and the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, which rescues orphan elephants and rhinos and reintroduces them to the wild. Travcoa adopts an elephant in each guests’ name.

Grand Safari: Kenya & Tanzania Escorted Journey – 15 days from $10,990 per person
During this journey, guests stay at Governors Camp in the Masai Mara Game Reserve. The camp built the region’s first Bio-Gas Project to help the Maasai people conserve the woodlands, rather than use resources for cooking fuel. Travcoa provides a contribution to this project on behalf of each guest. This journey also visits the African Fund for Endangered Wildlife, the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, as well as the Amboseli Elephant Research Project.

For more information on Travcoa’s Africa ‘Hand-to-Hand’ journeys, to request a brochure, or to make a reservation, please contact a travel agent or a Travcoa Journey Consultant at 1-800-992-2003, email info@travcoa.com or visit www.travcoa.com.

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Zegrahm Expeditions offers Voyage up the West Coast of Africa Visiting 9 Nations

Zegrahm Expeditions, a leader in small ship cruising and overland adventures, is offering a captivating voyage up the West Coast of Africa. Starting in Douala, Cameroon and ending in Dakar, Senegal, the journey visits nine nations and explores the region’s intriguing cultural heritage, storied history, and numerous natural wonders.

In addition, a highlight of the trip is a visit to Greatest Goal Ministries (GGM), a non-profit organization dedicated to helping Sierra Leone’s war-affected disabled and amputee community. Trip participants will have the opportunity to enjoy a lively soccer match with the amputees.

“Because of the positive feedback we received from guests on our inaugural Tracing the West Coast of Africa expedition in April 2012, we decided to offer the itinerary again in November 2013,” stated Jon Nicholson, President of Zegrahm Expeditions. “Many of our guests said visiting the GGM clinic and watching the soccer match was the highlight of the trip and was truly inspiring.”

Priced from $13,980 per person, the 18-day Tracing the West Coast of Africa expedition also visits historic ports of call, rich in local culture and colonial architecture, as well as pristine natural areas where guests can search for the abundant animal and bird life that call this region home. Highlights include the lush volcanic islands of São Tomé & Príncipe, the vibrant markets in Benin and Togo, and crossing Africa’s only suspended walkway in Kakum National Forest in Ghana. Guests will also visit Abidjan in Ivory Coast, known as the “Paris of West Africa,” as well as the beautiful beaches of Sierra Leone.

To learn more about the Tracing the West Coast of Africa expedition, to request a brochure, or to make a reservation, please visit www.zeco.com or call 800-628-8747.

 

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