The South African National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) issued a new official malaria advisory!

South Africa, Namibia, Swaziland, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Zambia and Malawi are currently experiencing the annual malaria season and as expected there has been an increase in transmission due to the rise in ambient temperature, rainfall and humidity as compared to the same period in 2016. The South African National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) has therefore issued a new official malaria advisory (April 2017) to remind travellers visiting any of the malaria areas within or outside of South Africa to take additional precautions and maintain a higher index of suspicion.

MALARIA ADVISORY APRIL 2017

Southern Africa is currently experiencing the annual malaria season and as expected there has been an increase in transmission due to the rise in ambient temperature, rainfall and humidity as compared to the same period last year.

Eastern Cape: Discover the Wild Coast! (video)

The Emfuleni Corridor Tourism Association (ECTOUR), an umbrella body of tourism associations from various tourism nodes across South Africa's Eastern Cape, has released a new image video highlighting the various attractions of the Wild Coast. The Wild Coast, which stretches from the Mtamvuna River in the north to the Great Kei River in the south, offers incredible views of the dramatic coastline, jagged cliffs, sheltered bays, wild beaches and rolling hills and valleys.

Fair Trade Tourism certifies Cascade Country Manor in the Cape Winelands!

Fair Trade Tourism (FTT), a South African NGO that encourages and monitors fair and responsible practises in tourism establishments and activities, has added the Cascade Country Manor to its portfolio of tourism businesses in South Africa. Once the South African home of the 12th Duke of Bedford, this 4-star establishment is located outside Paarl in the Cape Winelands with the Klein Drakenstein mountains as its backcloth. Cascade Country Manor has 15 rooms and offers a range of activities including abseiling, mountain biking, hiking and wine-tasting tours. The boutique hotel is also a spa and wellness centre. The neighbouring olive farm ("Buffet Olives") is South Africa's biggest table olive producer and a tour of the factory can always be arranged on request.Cascade Country Manor has had an enduring commitment to sustainability and is invested in the local communities of Paarl. The management team apply strict environmental disciplines, including waste and water recycling initiatives, and reduce energy consumption as far as possible. Fresh produce is grown on the property with the ultimate aim of supplying all fresh produce needs from the garden.

Cape Town: Chapman's Peak Drive closed due to routine road maintenance

Planned maintenance work on Cape Town's famous Chapman's Peak Drive on 04 & 05 April 2017 could not be completed due to bad weather conditions. The required work will now take place on the following days:

• 18 April 2017 (Tuesday) - Single lane closures with Stop & Go in place
• 19 April 2017 (Wednesday) - Full road closure from 09:30 to 15:30
• 20 April 2017 (Thursday) - Single lane closures with Stop & Go in place
  

The above work and closures will all be weather dependent.

Chapman's Peak Drive is a scenic 9km route between Noordhoek and Hout Bay along the western flank of the Chapman's Peak, a mountain on the western side of the Cape Peninsula, located about 15 kilometres south of Cape Town.

Supermarket prices in South Africa!

To give you an idea on the supermarket prices in South Africa, we have set up a list of what we think are the most typical items travellers usually buy. It hopefully helps planning your holidays in South Africa. Safe travels! [exchange rates in the daily news update]

• bread - from R8.00/loaf (600g)
• Rama Margarine - from R8.00/125g
• eggs (large, free range) - from R17.60/6ea
• mixed fruit jam - from R13.00/290g
• peanut butter - from R20.00/250g
• Nutella - from R34.00/180g
• Bovril - from R25.00/125g
• Marmite - from R25.00/125g
• baked beans - from R7.00/can (410g)
• bacon - from R30.00/200g
• milk (full cream) - from R17.00/1l
• muesli - from R33.00/750g
• porridge oats - from R18.00/1kg
• yoghurt (plain) - from R15.50/500g
• cheese - from R18.00/125g (gouda/cheddar)
• potatoes - from R11.00/kg
• tomatoes - from R11.00/750g
• onions - from R9.00/kg
• mushrooms - from R22.00/250g (white mushrooms)
• cucumber - from R11.00 (english cucumber) 
• lettuce - from R15.00 (crisp lettuce)
• avocado - from R40.00 (4ea)
• pasta - from R10.00/500g (macaroni)
• pasta sauce - from R30.00/440g
• instant soup - from R11.00 (4ea)
• biscuits - from R7.50/200g
• rusks - from R17.00/200g
• chewing gum - from 8.00/pack (Orbit)
• boerewors - from R46.00/600g
• steak - from R100.00/kg (T-bone)
• chakalaka - from R12.00/can (400g)
• chutney - from R26.00/bottle (Mrs H.S.Ball's Hot Chutney, 470g)
• hot sauce - from R18.00/bottle (125g)
• tomato sauce - from R13.00 (375ml)
• potato chips - from R6.00/30g
• bottled water (still) - from R4.30/500ml 
• Coke - from R10.00/500ml
• orange juice - from R13.50/350ml
• beer - from R9.50/330ml (Hansa)
• beer - from R10.00/340ml (Castle Lager) 
• beer - from R11.00/330ml (Amstel Lager)
• beer - from R12.00/330ml (Windhoek Lager)
• cider - from R13.00/330ml (Hunters Dry)
• cider - from R14.00/330ml (Savanna Dry)
• wine - from R30.00/750ml (White)

The list above is probably missing some items. Let us know what you think is missing & we will add it! 

|Ai-|Ais/Richtersveld Transfrontier Park: Tatasberg Wilderness Camp has been closed indefinitely!

The Tatasberg Wilderness Camp, one of just two wilderness camps in the |Ai-|Ais/Richtersveld Transfrontier Park, has been closed indefinitely due to a fire which broke out on 8 April 2017. The water supply and solar power system were largely affected by the fire, so that the Tatasberg Wilderness Camp had to be closed. Fortunately the rest of the camp's facilities have not been affected by the fire. We'll keep you posted!



The |Ai-|Ais/Richtersveld Transfrontier Park is a Peace Park located on the border between South Africa and Namibia. The park was formed in 2003 by combining the |Ai-|Ais/ Hot Springs Game Park in Namibia and the Richtersveld National Park in South Africa.

Addo Elephant National Park: Main Gate is currently inaccessible!

update (13 April 2017): Addo Elephant National Park's main gate is fully functional again.

The main gate of Addo Elephant National Park is currently inaccessible. A group of employees of the Cattle Baron Grill & Bistro, dismissed last week, are burning tyres in protest at this entrance. South African National Parks (SANParks) advises travellers intending to visit Addo Elephant National Park to either enter through the Gate at Camp Matyholweni near Colchester or the Nyathi Gate, which is about 5km further down the road from the Main Gate, towards Paterson. Members from the South African Police Service (SAPS) are on the scene at Addo's Main Gate monitoring the situation. We'll keep you posted!