Botswana: Air Botswana launches flights to two regional destinations!

According the booking system on Air Botswana's website, flights to Durban in South Africa and Windhoek in Namibia are set to be launched next month. Direct flights between Sir Seretse Khama International Airport (GBE) in Gaborone and King Shaka International Airport (DUR) in Durban will commence on 01 December 2024, while a direct service between Gaborone and Hosea Kutako International Airport (WDH) in Windhoek will be introduced on 04 December 2024. Both direct services will be operated three times a week on Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

• Gaborone 07:30 > 08:50 Windhoek on Sundays & Fridays
• Gaborone 12:00 > 13:20 Windhoek on Wednesdays
• Windhoek 09:35 > 10:55 Gaborone on Sundays & Fridays
• Windhoek 14:25 > 15:45 Gaborone on Wednesdays

• Gaborone 11:40 > 13:10 Durban on Sundays & Fridays
• Gaborone 07:30 > 09:00 Durban on Wednesdays
• Durban 13:55 > 15:25 Gaborone on Sundays & Fridays
• Durban 09:45 > 11:15 Gaborone on Wednesdays

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Namibia: Road betterment works begin on critical route connecting Khaudum National Park!

The Namibian Roads Authority (RA), whose core business is to construct and maintain Namibia's road sector, has announced that the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Works and Transport, John Mutorwa, today (21 November 2024) officiated the groundbreaking for phase 1 of the road betterment works on District Road 3472 (Ndiyona to Djaradjara) in the Kavango East Region.  
District Road 3472 is a vital artery connecting the Khaudum National Park to Trunk Road 0804 (Rundu-Ndivundu) on the northern side and Shikerete Village and Tsumkwe Settlement on the southern side. It also links numerous schools and clinics in the Kavango East region. The project will be constructed over 12 months.



Khaudum National Park is one of Namibia's most remote and rugged wildlife destinations. Located in the northeastern part of the country, near the border with Botswana, the National Park covers an area of approximately 3,842 square kilometers and is part of the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA).

South Africa: CemAir introduces a new seasonal service to George!

South African domestic and regional carrier CemAir is set to introduce a new seasonal service between Cape Town International Airport (CPT) in Cape Town and George Airport (GRJ) in George. From 01 December 2024 to 19 January 2025, the airline will operate four weekly return flights on Sundays, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
Nestled in the heart of South Africa's Garden Route and at the foot of the Outeniqua Mountains, George lies between Cape Town (approximately 430 km west) and Gqeberha/Port Elizabeth (330 km east). It’s on the N2 national highway.

Sundays, Wednesdays, Fridays:

• Cape Town 15:45 > 16:45 George
• George 17:15 > 18:15 Cape Town

Mondays:

• Cape Town 16:15 > 17:15 George
• George 17:45 > 18:45 Cape Town

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Durban: Six beaches are currently closed for swimming due to water quality!

The eThekwini Municipality, the local government body responsible for governing and managing  Durban in KwaZulu-Natal, has released updated lists of beaches that are currently (as of 18 November 2024) open and safe for swimming, closed for swimming and of swimming pools that are currently open to the public. According to the lists, 17 beaches in Durban are currently open for swimming, while swimming at six beaches is prohibited due to water quality. 33 swimming pools in Durban are currently open to the public. 

The following beaches are open for swimming:
- operating hours 06:00 - 18:30 -

• Wedge
• uShaka
• Point Beach
• Addington
• North Beach
• South Beach
• Bay of Plenty
• Battery Beach
• Thekwini Beach
• Laguna Beach
• Country Club
• mDloti Main
• uMhlanga Main
• Bronze Beach
• uMgababa
• Brighton
• Winkelespruit

Beach(es) closed for swimming:

• Westbrook
• Anstey's Beach
• Reunion
• Toti Main Beach
• Pipeline Beach
• Warner Beach
  

Recreational activities other than swimming at beaches closed for swimming are allowed! 

Eastern Cape: Flight delays at King Phalo Airport (ELS) in East London! [update #2]

update (21 November 2024): Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) has informed passengers that weather reports for 21 November 2024 indicate clear visibility, with no interruptions expected. We'll keep you posted!

update (20 November 2024): According to Air Traffic and Navigation Services (ATNS), today's disruptions at King Phalo Airport (ELS) in East London were not due to the absence of instrument flight procedures for Runway 11, which was in use. The cloud base was at 100 feet and therefore below the acceptable minima. As a result, some flights were diverted toKing Shaka International Airport (DUR) in Durban and Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport (PLZ) in Gqeberha/Port Elizabeth. 

Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) has informed the public that King Phalo Airport (ELS) in East London in South Africa's Eastern Cape is currently experiencing flight delays. According to ACSA, this is due to inclement weather in the Eastern Cape. ACSA has also informed the public that some flights have been diverted to King Shaka International Airport (DUR) in Durban and that "delays are anticipated throughout the morning". The situation is getting closely monitored. We'll keep you updated!

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Namibia has the highest road quality infrastructure in Africa!

The Namibian Roads Authority (RA) announced that, according to Statista, Namibia has the highest road quality infrastructure in Africa. The country reached an index rating of 5.57 on a scale from 1 (lowest) to 7 (highest) in terms of road condition and extensiveness. Egypt and Benin followed with a score of 5.53 and five, respectively. South Africa has the continent's 10th highest road quality infrastructure with a score of 3.97.
Namibia boasts an extensive road network, spanning over 48,875 km (2017). 6,664 km are standard bitumen roads, 412 km are low-volume bitumen roads, and the rest are gravel. Major highways include the A1 freeway between Windhoek and Okahandja (74 km) and the B1 highway (1,522 km), which runs from the northern border with Angola at Oshikango to the southern border with South Africa at Noordoewer.

Statista is a global data and business intelligence platform with extensive statistics, reports, and insights on over 80,000 topics from 22,500 sources in 170 industries.

South Africa crowned "Most Desirable Destination for Wildlife & Nature"!

The readers of Wanderlust, a UK based independent travel magazine, crowned South Africa the "Most Desirable Destination for Wildlife & Nature" in the 23rd Annual Wanderlust Reader Travel Awards. The country was also voted 7th in the category of "Most Desirable Country". Cape Town in South Africa came in 5th in the category "Most Desirable City". Congratulations!
For the second consecutive year, Australia retained its crown as "Most Desirable Country (World)", while Italy was named "Most Desirable Country (Europe)". Tokyo sooped the award as the "Most Desirable City (World)" and the "Most Desirable City (Europe)" award went to Madrid in Spain.
According to Wanderlust, over 3.5 million votes were cast by their 168,000 readers for the annual travel awards.