South Africa: Free Spring 2013 digital edition of "Wild" out now!

The Spring 2013 (#24) digital edition of "Wild", Wild Card's free wildlife environment and travel magazine is out now. The current edition contains stories and reports about the Little Karoo, South Africa's best game reserves for kids, 4x4 trails in the Kruger National Park, hiking in the Golden Gate Highlands National Park and much more. Enjoy!

Click here for the issues #22 (autumn 2013; Garden Route tips & tricks, 4x4 trails in the Tankwa Karoo National Park, Mapungubwe National Park in bloom etc.) and #23 (winter 2013; Table Mountain hikes, Swaziland, Addo Elephant Park, how to spot leopards in the Kgalagadi National Park etc.)!

Ulendo Airlink: Daily flights between Lilongwe & Blantyre (Malawi)

Ulendo Airlink has launched daily flights between Lilongwe and Blantyre in Malawi. From today (16 Sept 2013) the airline operates an early morning shuttle service between the two destinations. Flights from Kamuzu International Airport in Lilongwe to Chileka Airport in Blantyre depart at 07:15am and arrive at 08:00am. The return flights depart Blantyre at 08:30am with a scheduled arrival time in Lilongwe of 09:15. The route provides opportunity for tourists travelling to Malawi to cover what would otherwise be a 6 hour drive, in just 45 minutes. In case the market demand for flights between Lilongwe and Blantyre is increasing, Ulendo Airlink is considering to introduce additional afternoon and evening flights as well as a larger aircraft.
Ulendo Airlink is the aviation division of Malawi's Ulendo Travel Group, a local company, which has been operating in the regional tourism and travel industry for over 16 years.

online flight booking on TravelComments.com >>

South Africa: 635 rhinos killed by poachers so far in 2013

According to the latest statistics released by the Department of Environmental Affairs, South Africa has lost 635 rhinos to illegal poaching since the beginning of 2013. Of the rhinos poached, 396 rhinos were killed in the Kruger National Park, 64 in Limpopo, 63 in KwaZulu-Natal, 62 in North West, 43 in Mpumalanga, 3 in Gauteng and 2 in the Eastern Cape and in the Marakele National Park respectively.
To date 194 alleged rhino poachers have been arrested in South Africa since the start of 2013.

Latest rhino poaching figures (as of 13 September 2013):  

• Kruger National Park (SANParks) - 396 rhinos poached
• Marakele National Park (SANParks) - 2 rhinos poached
• Gauteng - 3 rhinos poached
• Limpopo - 64 rhinos poached
• Mpumalanga - 43 rhinos poached
• North-West Province - 62 rhinos poached
• Eastern Cape - 2 rhinos poached
• Free State - 0 rhino poached
• KwaZulu Natal - 63 rhinos poached
• Western Cape - 0 rhino poached
• Northern Cape - 0 rhino poached

The Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) is urging members of the public to report incidents of rhino poaching or any tip-offs to the anonymous tip-off lines 0800 205 005, 08600 10111 or Crime-Line on 32211.

Proflight Zambia to launch flights between Lusaka & Dar Es Salaam (Tanzania)

update (16 Sept 2013): Proflight Zambia will operate its three weekly flights between Lusaka and Dar Es Salaam on Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays.

Mondays/Fridays:

• 08:00 Lusaka > 12:20 Dar Es Salaam
• 13:00 Dar Es Salaam > 15:20 Lusaka

Wednesdays:

• Proflight Zambia is awaiting confirmation from regulators on timing.

An additional Lusaka <> Dar Es Salaam flight will be operated on Thursday, October 24, to mark Independence Day (Zambia).

Zambia's only domestic scheduled airline, Proflight Zambia, has announced the introduction of its second international destination. Starting on 23 Oct 2013, the airline will operate three weekly flights between Lusaka and Dar Es Salaam in Tanzania.
From its base in Lusaka Proflight Zambia currently flies to Livingstone, Mansa, Ndola, Kasama, Chipata, Mfuwe, Lower Zambezi, Solwezi as well as to Lilongwe in Malawi.

online flight booking on TravelComments.com >>

Video: The Karoo National Park (South Africa)

Have you ever thought about visiting the Karoo National Park, but you have never been there? Well, the following video has some very good reasons to visit South Africa's largest ecosystem:

The Karoo National Park is located in the Karoo area of the Western Cape, about 12km from Beaufort West. Cape Town is about 500km south along the N1, while Johannesburg is situated about 1 000km north of the Park.
The 400m Fossil Trail starts about 200m from the main camp of the Karoo National Park. Along the trail, which was put together by South African National Parks (SANParks) and experts from the Wits University in Johannesburg, you'll find a good selction of the over 26,000 fossils that have been found in the Karoo Basin, as well as information boards showcasing the geological history of the area.

Video: The Biedouw Valley in the Cederberg mountains

There are regions in South Africa's Western Cape that are still almost completely off the main tourist tracks. One of these regions is the wild and unspoiled Biedouw Valley in the Cederberg mountains. Enjo Nature Farm, located close to Wupperthal and about 40km from Clanwilliam, offers flights over the valley and the Cederberg area, the Kagga Kamma Nature Reserve, the Tankwa Karoo National Park and over the West Coast in their Yak-18T aircraft. Availability of trips is depending if pilot and plane are on the farm. Kudos Missing Piece Films for the video!

FLIGHT OF THE YAK - 18T, filmed in the Cederberg South Africa from Missing Piece Films on Vimeo.

Video: Surfing in Angola

update (28 Nov 2013): DanTheDirector (Dan Mace) just uploaded part two! KUDOS!

I am not much into surfing, but the video below tells even me that the waves in Angola are wild. According to youtuber DanTheDirector (Dan Mace), who shot the video while travelling down the coast of Angola, they acutally found "one of the best waves in the world" along their way. Kudos Dan, Benji and Davey! I going to add part two of the video as soon as Dan has uploaded it! Enjoy!