Tanzania & Zambia: TAZARA receives new locomotives & passenger coaches!

update (16 Dec 2015): A trial run for TAZARA's new coaches

Be the first to ride this train:Monday 7th Dec, Dar es Salaam to New Kapiri-Mposhi, Departing 3:50pmSaturday 12th Dec, New Kapiri-Mposhi to Dar es Salaam, Departing 4:00pm
Posted by TAZARA Tanzania Zambia Railway Authority on Sunday, 6 December 2015

The Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA), which links Dar Es Salaam in Tanzania  with New Kapiri Mposhi in Zambia's Central Province, has received four new diesel-electric mainline locomotives as well as 18 new passenger coaches valued at US$22.4 million. The new equipment was purchased through the 15th Protocol of Economic and Technical Cooperation, a trilateral loan agreement signed by the three Governments of China, Tanzania and Zambia. The four new mainline locomotives raise the current daily availability of TAZARA's mainline locomotives from 12 to 16. Aged between 25-30 years, most of the old mainline locomotives that are currently in operation have outlived their lifespans and are frequently breaking down. TAZARA expects that the new locomotives and passenger coaches will increase the availability and reliability of its struggeling passenger train service significantly.

TAZARA's new locomotives

TAZARA's new passenger coaches

Botswana: Botswana Railways (BR) set to reintroduce a passenger rail service!

update (22 Feb 2016): According to Botswana's transport and communications minister, Mr Tshenolo Mabeo, the new daily passenger train service will operational by the end of March 2016. Regarding the refurbishment of train stations, Mr Mabeo said they were focusing on six stations being Gaborone, Francistown, Palapye, Lobatse, Serule and Mahalapye.

The President of Botswana, Ian Khama, confirmed during a State of the Nation address on 09 November 2015 that Botswana Railways (BR) will reintroduce a passenger rail service in the country. The service will run between Lobatse, located 70 km south of the capital Gaborone in South-Eastern Botswana, and Francistown, located about 400 km north-northeast from Gaborone in eastern Botswana. The plan is to operate a daily scheduled night services from each end, with additional services during holidays. The passenger rail service in Botswana is expected to commence in March 2016.

Lonely Planet ranked East Africa third in "Best Value Destination for 2016"!

Great news for East Africa. Lonely Planet has ranked the region third in the "Best Value Destination for 2016" category in the 2016 editon of Best in Travel. Congratulations! The travel guide book publisher names the following reasons for selecting Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and the rest of the region as the third best destination to stretch your travel budget in 2016:

The outbreak of the Ebola virus in West Africa has, unfortunately for other areas of the continent, had a knock-on effect in terms of bookings for 2015. So listen up: London, Madrid and Paris are hundreds of miles closer to the outbreak in West Africa than East Africa's tourism heartland. Africa is a massive continent (the United States would fit in the Sahara Desert) so you’ll be doing yourself and tourism in East Africa a favour if you take advantage of the cracking deals on offer to Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and the rest of the region. And in the process experience some of the world’s great wonders, from gorilla encounters to Rift Valley scenery to squeaky-sanded beaches. [src.]

Best in Travel is produced annually as a guide to the top destinations, trends and experiences for the upcoming year. Other countries on Lonely Planet's list of Best Value Destinations for 2016 include Estonia (#1), Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi in Vietnam (#2), New Mexico in USA (#4), Bosnia and Hercegovina (#5), Galicia in Spain (#6), Québec City in Canada (#7), Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast (#8), Timor-Leste (#9) and Western Australia (#10).

Video: The stunning beauty of "Namibia"!

Matt Porteous, a professional photographer based in the UK, visited Namibia in 2014 and shot a stunning film simply named "Namibia" while travelling the country. Switch the settings of "Namibia" to fullscreen, put your headphones on, sit back and enjoy the beauty of Namibia. Kudos Matt, kudos!

Namibia from Matt Porteous on Vimeo.

Matt visited Namutoni Rest Camp, Khowarib Lodge & Safari, the Khowarib Himba tribe, Sossus Oasis Campsite, Namibrand Nature Reserve and rented his car from Asco Car Hire.
The locations he visited include Etosha National Park, Damaraland, Khowarib, Sossusvlei, Skelton Coast, Fish River Canyon and the Kalahari.

Mountain Zebra National Park welcomes two new lionesses!

Two lionesses have been introduced to South Africa's Mountain Zebra National Park. The two sisters were brought into the National Park, which is situated just outside Cradock in the Eastern Cape, from the Kwandwe Private Game Reserve near Grahamstown. One of the lionesses is fitted with a satellite tracking collar, as they will most likely move together while exploring the Mountain Zebra National Park. The collar will allow park management to monitor them so that rangers and researchers can observe what habitats they use, their proximity to the males and other predators and which species they prey on. The two lionesses are about two years old and are now sharing Mountain Zebra's 28 000 hectares with the two five-year-old male lions. The males were introduced into the National Park in April 2013 – becoming the first free-roaming lions in the area after an absence of over 130 years.

Two time-lapse videos about Cape Town that will blow your mind!

Brendon Wainwright, a self taught photographer from Cape Town, calls the city's Table Mountain National Park his "playground". For the last two years he has been exploring the National Park "in pursuit of capturing its beauty like never seen before in a Time-Lapse video". His first two (of hopefully many more to follow) time-lapse videos are online now. Switch the videos to fullscreen, put your headphones on, press play and enjoy! Kudos Brendon!

Fair Trade Tourism certifies the Oude Werf Hotel in Stellenbosch!

Fair Trade Tourism (FTT), a South African NGO that encourages and monitors fair and responsible practises in tourism establishments and activities, has added South Africa's oldest hotel, the Oude Werf Hotel in Stellenbosch, to the family of FTT-certified businesses. The hotel is run with a "living green" ethos which sees it recycle most of its waste, generate solar thermal energy and use energy and water efficient devices. In addition, it actively sources eco-friendly and ethically produced goods and produce from local entrepreneurs and emerging businesses. Together with its sister hotels, Townhouse Hotel and Vineyard Hotel, the Oude Werf Hotel is the founder of Kids of the Cape Fund, a social investment initiative that supports nine children’s charities spanning education, health, HIV/Aids and feeding schemes.