Powerdown and travel January 24, 2008
Posted by Ralph Pina in : Climate Change, Conservation, News, Sustainability, Tourism , 1 comment so far
The CEO of the Southern African Tourism Services Association (SATSA), Michael Tatalias, attracted the ire of both Eskom, South Africa’s power utility, and FIFA, world football’s governing body, when he stated that Eskom’s rolling blackouts are threats to both tourism and the 2010 World Cup.
Predictably, the local media latched on to these statements, which I agree are rather sensationalist, and trumpeted them loudly, but failed to even mention the other half of his statement which asks what we as citizens and businesses are doing to curtail our consumption of energy. (Also see my post on this subject recently)
Free Energy – 1st in Commonwealth Vision Awards January 2, 2008
Posted by Clarissa Hughes in : Climate Change, Community, News , add a comment
Nestling between the sweep of False Bay and the dragonback Helderberg Mountains near Cape Town (and not far from the ecoAfrica Travel offices) lies Khayelitsha. This sprawling shanty town was the setting for the winning film of the 2007 Commonwealth Vision Awards presented last week in London. Made by Jacqueline van Meygaarden and Luke Younge, the theme for this year submissions was “The Commonwealth – Changing communities, greening the globe”.
There are no words spoken in the film. “I wanted to choose images which are simple and visually based”, said van Meygaarden. The storyline? Well see for yourself. (more…)
The Kalahari: A Queen of a Desert December 6, 2007
Posted by Salomi in : News, Safari , add a comment
If you love nature, traditional South African food, and a good and funny host, this Kalahari Tour is for you!
I arrived at Upington at 08h00 and we set off immediately to the Kgalagadi National Park - a dream came true! I had wanted to visit the Kalahari since I was 14 years old.
The Soul of the Wilderness September 12, 2007
Posted by Lizanne in : News , add a comment
Ever since I’ve come to know about Dr Ian Player’s Wilderness Trails and the very positive effect those few days in wild nature had on the human psyche, I decided to delve a bit deeper into the concept of ecological spirituality. I came upon some thought provoking insights, but also found that there are quite a few different views and opinions regarding this matter. The ones that caught my attention were ideas on eco-therapy and the mystic experiences of nature. (more…)
Zimbabwe: eco-tourism pariah or a case for compassion? August 1, 2007
Posted by Clarissa Hughes in : News, ecotourism , 2comments
With the news of the revocation of the law that would force all imports of fuel and essential food stuffs to be done by the Government of Zimbabwe, (it was scheduled for midnight last night and repealed at the 11th hour), the tourism industry and, indeed, the country heaves a sigh of relief. Enforcement of this law in Zimbabwe’s uncontainable economic plunge would have, no doubt, brought things to a political head but would also have caused untold suffering.
In the Company of Man Eaters July 16, 2007
Posted by Clarissa Hughes in : News, Safari , 1 comment so far
Conjure up a marriage between “Out of Africa” style camping and hunter-gatherer game tracking and you get the Great Walk. Taking place in Kenya’s largest national park, Tsavo, the walk covers a comfortable 153 kms in 12 days.
Situated in south eastern Kenya Tsavo is approximately 12,000 km2 and was designated in 1948 by the colonial government. Divided into East and West the boundary between the two sections of the park is formed by the Mombasa-Nairobi highway and the railway line that connects hinterland to the coast.
Great Walk in Tsavo National Park: Google Earth track and photos July 14, 2007
Posted by Ralph Pina in : News, Safari , add a comment
Well, I’m back from the Great Walk of Africa. It was truly one of those “experiences of a lifetime”. But Clarissa will write a descriptive piece about the Great Walk. I have, as promised, prepared a Google Earth track of the Great Walk (it downloads an eventual 2.2MB target kmz file). Also our photos are here and here. Enjoy.
Vote for our Blog Name July 5, 2007
Posted by AJK in : News , 3comments
Tell us what you think of these ideas for a blog name. If you don’t like our options, give us your suggestions in the comment section.
Help us to select our Blog’s Name
- ecoAfrica’s Blog (42%)
- The Rhino Horn (32%)
- The Bongo Drum (16%)
- Nature Watch (11%)
Total Votes: 19
Loading …Great Walk in Tsavo National Park June 3, 2007
Posted by Ralph Pina in : News, Safari , add a comment
Tomorrow I leave on the Great Walk of Africa, traversing 200km of West and East National Parks in Kenya. Can’t wait. We follow the Tsavo and Galana rivers across this great African wilderness. The place has a fascinating and infamous colonial history, mostly revolving around the legendary “man-eaters” of Tsavo who preyed on the labourers who built the Lunatic Express railway that runs north-south across the park.
I have built a preliminary map of the route (its a gross approximation) but will be taking my GPS to log the track and publish on Google Earth and Google Maps.
Update: Impressions of the Great Walk
Got to go…
We reap what we sow June 1, 2007
Posted by AJK in : News , add a comment
Some ideas are nurtured long before you ever have the opportunity to taste their fruits. Change is not seen in the moment, but over a period of time and to make things worse, our current human condition loves the expression of “living for the moment”. But what about tomorrow? Do we notice the footprints we leave behind?
