Namibia: Damara Mopane Lodge opens two new hiking trails

The Damara Mopane Lodge (from R650/pax sharing), located close to Khorixas in Namibia and ideally suited for excursions to Twyfelfontein, the Petrified Forest and the Vingerklip rock pillar, recently opened two new hiking trails.

• The Mountain Top Route (4 km) requires some climbing, over a total altitude of 118 metres, to reach a hilltop in the vicinity of the lodge. For the scramble over sharp rocks you can borrow protective gloves from reception. This is a challenging tour and the reward for your mountaineering effort is the gorgeous view of the surrounding Damaraland scenery. The trail is lined by some interesting trees, including the large-leaved Sterculia, the Moringa and Maerula.
• The Valley Walking Trail is a leisurely 4-km-walk through diverse vegetation such as Mopane forest, grassy plains and thickets of Trumpet Thorn. There are many different birds to observe: Monteiro’s Hornbill, cardinal wood peckers, babblers, robins, Guinea fowl and weavers, to name but a few. Lively little sunbirds are particularly active in spring and summer. Ecologically speaking they are Africa’s counterpart to the Kolibri (hummingbird) in the Americas. Sunbirds are not quite as agile, however, and they cannot hover in midair for quite as long. 

South Africa's most punctual domestic airlines in November 2011

Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) has published the on-time performance results of domestic airlines’ flying out of OR Tambo in Johannesburg, Cape Town International Airport, and Durban's King Shaka International Airport in November 2011.
On-Time Performance is measured by comparing the actual off-block time (when aircraft pushes back) against the airline schedule time for a departing flight. The measurement is done in accordance with the IATA (International Airlines Transport Association) universal standard benchmark with considers a 15 minute deviation from the scheduled time as an on-time departure.

OR Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg - 15 Min on Time Performance November 2011 (airport target 85%)

1. South African Airways - 88.81% (Oct. 91.01%)
2. 1time - 88.01% (Oct. 82.77%)
3. Mango - 87.78% (Oct. 83.97%)
4. British Airways Domestic - 85.44% (Oct. 80.59%)
5. Airlink - 85.01% (Oct. 87.12%)
6. South African Express - 82.75% (Oct. 78.54%)
7. Kulula.com - 77.96% (Oct. 72.22%)

Cape Town International Airport - 15 Min on Time Performance November 2011 (airport target 87%)

1. Airlink - 96.34% (Oct. 96.97%)
2. South African Airways - 93.20% (Oct. 87.98%)  
3. 1time - 91.56% (Oct. 87.87%)
4. South African Express - 90.58% (Oct. 93.94%) 
5. British Airways Domestic - 87.21% (Oct. 78.70%) 
6. Mango - 86.50% (Oct. 81.19%)
7. Kulula.com - 77.03% (Oct. 75.50%)

King Shaka International Airport, Durban - 15 Min on Time Performance November 2011 (airport target 89%)

1. South African Airways - 91.57% (Oct. 92.01%) 
2. South African Express - 89.50% (Oct. 91.99%)
3. 1time - 88.10% (Oct. 86.24%)
4. Airlink - 86.87% (Oct. 94.40%%)
5. Mango - 85.78% (Oct. 79.74%%) 
6. British Airways Domestic - 85.03% (Oct. 78.82%)
7. Kulula.com - 75.04% (Sept. 75.00%)

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Velvet Sky adds more flights over festive season

South Africa's latest budget airline, Velvet Sky,  has added an additional 22 flights ahead of this year's festive season.

On peak days, such as the following, Velvet Sky added several flights:

• 22 Dec 2011 - three additional flights Cape Town <> Durban
• 23 Dec 2011 - three additional flights Cape Town <> Johannesburg
• 23 Dec 2011 - three additional flights Cape Town <> Durban
• 27 Dec 2011 - six extra flights spread across Cape Town, Durban & Johannesburg routes

Also read Velvet Sky to increase flight schedule from 11 Oct 2011.

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Video: Cape Town to Tulbagh drivelapse

Tulbagh, located about 150km or about 2hrs north of Cape Town in the Tulbagh Valley, is one of South Africa's fastest growing and most succesfull (in terms of (inter)national awards) wine-producing villages in the country. The village nestles in amongst the Witzenberg, Obiqua and Winterhoek Mountains, which surround it on three sides and provide one of the most beautiful settings in South Africa's Western Cape.
Those who are planning to drive to Tulbagh from Cape Town by car might like to watch the follwing 2min-drivelapse-video as it shows the entire route from Cape Town to Tulbagh filmed from the front seat's perspective of a car. Thx to Rory Allen, who also did the Cape Town to Struisbaai drivelapse video that I posted on the blog last month.

Dec/Jan issue of "Travel News Namibia" digimag out now

The Vol. 19 No. 11 Dec./Jan 2011/12 digimag issue of Namibia's travel magazine "Travel News Namibia", published by Venture Publications, is out now. The magazine hast been around for 20 years and is currently mailed (printed edition) to 76 countries and is in average reaching around 4000 international recipients.
The current issues covers stories about Namibia's international tourism industry relations, local tourism news, camel adventures in Damaraland, about a trip from Windhoek to Sossusvlei via the mountain passes, about the Mesosaurus Fossil Camp in Keetmanshoop and much more!

New "Hermanus Wine Route R320" launched

Hermanus is now home to a new wine route named "Hermanus Wine Route R320" that runs along the R320, with 15 wine producers on the 20km route.
The R320, a regional road that connects Hermanus with nearby Caledon in the Overberg region, is leading wine lovers to the tasting rooms of estates in the aptly named Hemel en Aarde (Afrikaans for "heaven and earth") Valley.
Between wine tasting and whale watching, locals and tourists can also participate in a range of activities which include walking and hiking in the Fernkloof Nature Reserve and its fynbos covered mountains, as well as fishing in the Walker Bay or shark cage diving in nearby Gansbaai.


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To mark the re-launch, wine producers along the new wine route have collaborated in the production of a special red blend also known as (Hermanus Wine Route) R320, sales of which will go towards a charity registered to give educational assistance to pupils in the Hermanus area.
Bottles of the (Hermanus Wine Route) R320 red blend are available from restaurants and retail outlets in the area, and each costs about R100.

Boeing 787 Dreamliner touched down in Africa for the first time

The brand-new Boeing 787 Dreamliner touched down in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa on 11 December 2011 to kick off the Africa portion of Boeing's 787 Dream Tour – a six-month worldwide tour featuring the Dreamliner. This is the first time the Dreamliner has visited the African continent. The next stop of the tour will be Nairobi in Kenya, where the aircraft is expected to arrive on 14 Dec 2011.
Ethiopia's flag carrier, Ethiopian Airlines, will be the first airline in Africa to operate flights with the new Boeing aircraft. The airline ordered a total of 10 Boeing 787. The other African airlines that bought Dreamliners are Kenya Airways (9 B787-8) and Arik Air from Nigeria (7 B787-9).
Japan's Nippon Airways is currently the online airline which got (two) Dreamliners delivered.
Made from composite materials, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner is the first mid-size airplane capable of flying long-range routes and will allow airlines to open new, non-stop routes preferred by the traveling public. As a result of innovative technologies, the airplane offers unparalleled operating economics, fuel efficiency and passenger comfort. More than 800 787s are on order by more than 50 airlines, a testament to the airplane's unique capabilities.