In This Edition:

• Africa News Reference
• South Africa - Location & Geography
• Top 10 Reason For Visiting South Africa - Reason # 10
• Kruger National Park & Singita Lebombo
• Knysna & Pezula Resort Hotel & Spa
• South Africa Video Guide
• African Safari Program Proposal
• Another Perfect AfricanMecca Customer Experience
• Newsletter Notes

1. Incredible Elephant Balance At Lower Zambezi

2. Zambia - the land where wildlife reigns

3. The Tiniest 17ft Convoy Experience In South Africa

4. Conservation Groups in Coastal Kenya Work to Save Endangered Turtles

South Africa - Location & Geography

Situated at the southern tip of Africa, South Africa has a landmass of 1 233 404 km² edged on 3 sides by a nearly 3000km coastline washed by the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic. It is bordered in the north by Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique, and also wraps itself around two independent countries, the Lesotho and Swaziland. The low-lying coastal zone is narrow for much of that distance, soon giving way to a mountainous escarpment that separates it from the high inland plateau. In some places, notably the province of KwaZulu-Natal in the east, a greater distance separates the coast from the escarpment. South Africa has a total land area of slightly more than 1.2-million square kilometers, making it roughly the same size as Niger, Angola, Mali and Colombia. It is one-eighth the size of the US, twice the size of France and over three times the size of Germany. South Africa measures some 1600km from north to south, and roughly the same from east to west.

Click here for a complete guide to South Africa

South Africa Travel Guide

Top 10 Reason For Visiting South Africa - Reason # 10 As Experienced By AfricanMecca

Reason # 10 - Family Destination

South Africa Offers Family Themed Destinations & Attractions In Places Such As Sun City, Cape Town, Durban, Kruger Etc - Perfect To Experience During Your South Africa Vacations & Holidays

Click here to review all Top 10 Reasons For Visiting South Africa

South Africa Safari Guide

Kruger National Park

Where nearly 2 million hectares of unrivalled diversity of life forms fuses with historical and archaeological sights this is real Africa. The world-renowned Kruger National Park offers a wildlife experience that ranks with the best in Africa. Established in 1898 to protect the wildlife of the South African Lowveld, this national park of nearly 2 million hectares, Kruger National Park is unrivalled in the diversity of its life forms and a world leader in advanced environmental management techniques and policies. Truly the flagship of the South African national parks, Kruger is home to an impressive number of species: 336 trees, 49 fish, 34 amphibians, 114 reptiles, 507 birds and 147 mammals. Man's interaction with the Lowveld environment over many centuries - from bushman rock paintings to majestic archaeological sites like Masorini and Thulamela - is very evident in the Kruger National Park. These treasures represent the cultures, persons and events that played a role in the history of the Kruger National Park and are conserved along with the park's natural assets.

Click here for complete guide to Kruger National Park

South Africa Safari Guide

Singita Lebombo Lodge in Kruger National Park
AfricanMecca Tier 1 Accommodation. Click here for details on Safari Tier™

Like the Lebombo Euphorbia tree after which it was named, the design of Singita Lebombo Lodge is one of a kind. From the sweeping wooden decks, you can watch the theatre that unfolds before you, while the lap pool beckons to enjoy a relaxing afternoon. The fifteen suites feature contemporary finishes with beds dressed with Egyptian cotton and silky-soft throws.

Click here for complete information on Singita Lebombo Lodge & complete guide to Kruger National Park

Indian Ocean Beach & Africa Coastal Guide

Knysna

If you're looking for South Africans' most popular small town, go to the end of the Garden Route in the Western Cape to Knysna the 'elegant lagoon'. It's easy to get the 'Knysna Spirit' as you drive in on the N2 Highway from Cape Town. The town is well developed these days, but you still feel you're traveling in woodcutter country. Knysna has, for many, become the pot of gold at the end of the Garden Route. It's famed attraction is the Eastern and Western Heads, a cavenous expanse where many a ship has met its doom. Today the Featherbed Nature Reserve pays homage to the richness of fauna and flora that Knysna has to offer. The Knysna Elephant Park is where you can interact with and feed the relocated jumbo families. It's a favorite with the youngsters. If they're still in the mood for a 'creature feature', then whip them down the N2 to Monkeyland for a visitation with some of the loveliest lemurs in southern Africa. But the real wildlife activities in these parts is to go out to sea and find the dolphins and the southern right whales that seasonally visit the shores of the Paradise Coast. To find yourself in the middle of a 4 000-strong pod of common dolphins leaping through the waves is a unique experience you will carry with you for years.

Click here for complete complete guide to Knysna

Indian Ocean Beach & Africa Coastal Guide

Pezula Resort Hotel & Spa in Knysna
AfricanMecca Tier 1 Experience. Click here for details on AfricanMecca Rating

Africa's first truly luxury resort, located on the Eastern Head of Knysna on the exquisite coastline of the Western Cape, is a sanctuary of privacy and indulgence created to reflect the natural beauty of its surrounds. Set on a stunning 1,000 ha estate, known for its secluded beach, sweeping fynbos landscapes and ancient indigenous forests, the Pezula Resort has breathtaking views of the Indian Ocean, the Knysna Lagoon and the Outeniqua Mountains. Pezula Resort Hotel & Spa is the culmination of the vision of Pezula Group Chairman Keith Stewart whose dream was to create a luxury resort in one of the most exquisite locations in the world. The property is bordered by the rugged cliffs of the Southern Cape coast, the Sinclair Nature Reserve and the Eastern Head of Knysna. It has panoramic views of the Indian Ocean and Knysna Lagoon

Click here for complete details on Pezula & complete guide to Knysna

1. Proud to be an African - Click Her To Watch Video
2. Cape Town Overview - Click Her To Watch Video
3. Getting High in Soweto - Click Here To Watch Video
4. Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg - Click Here To Watch Video

7 Days - Showcasing South Africa Safari & Tour

AfricanMecca's Showcasing South Africa Safari & Tour selects South Africa's 3 key destinations - Kruger National Park, Cape Town & Franschhoek Winelands by superbly delivering a showcase of the country in one awesome program.

AfricanMecca guests visit Kruger National Park for a safari experience where nearly 2 million hectares of unrivalled diversity of life forms fuses with historical and archaeological sights - this is real Africa within South Africa. The world-renowned Kruger National Park offers a wildlife experience that ranks with the best in Africa. Truly the flagship of the South African National Parks, Kruger is home to an impressive number of species: 336 trees, 49 fish, 34 amphibians, 114 reptiles, 507 birds and 147 mammals. Man's interaction with the Lowveld environment over many centuries - from bushman rock paintings to majestic archaeological sites like Masorini and Thulamela - is very evident in the Kruger National Park. Your safari will be experienced in Sabi Sand on the South Western border to Kruger National Park, this immense and diverse tract of land is home to The Big Five (lion, leopard, rhino, buffalo and elephant) and much much more. Thereafter, your program is combined with a visit to Cape Town which many attractions have made it a famed destination for many Hollywood movies and global travelers alike. Guests can take a trip to the Cape Winelands and taste South Africa's homegrown wines; see the world from your vantage point on the top of famed Table Mountain; dine like a king at any of South Africa's fantastic restaurants and celebrate the great outdoors even during the winter months. You can visit the famed V&A Waterfront - a super spot shopping and eating, and its attractions include the Two Oceans Aquarium, a craft market and an amphitheatre where local artists perform. Additionally, AfricanMecca guests can also take a harbor cruise or strike out for Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela spent many years in imprisonment. The treacherous Cape Point promontory a witness to many a shipwreck enhances Cape Town's reputation for dramatic scenery. It's a trip well worth making, the last part up to a lighthouse completed by funicular. Cape Town is an ideal vacation spot for those seeking adventure, relaxation and entertainment. After your Cape Town stay, AfricanMecca guests will experience Franschhoek Valley located in the heart of the Cape Winelands which nestles between towering mountains. Franschhoek is the food and wine heartland of the South Africa, where splendid wines are grown and its top chefs create international cuisine. Guests can experience breath-taking scenery, warm hospitality, world class cuisine and the finest wines. Spectacular vineyards cover these mountain slopes settled more than 300 years ago by the Huguenots, who brought with them their age-old French wine and food culture. This is a valley rich in history centered around a picturesque village of friendly, welcoming people. Click here for Showcasing South Africa Safari & Tour itinerary

Click here to review other Africa & South Africa recommended safari programs.

HI Raza/Altaf and the rest of the AfricanMecca team,
 
We just returned from our trip to Africa.  The planning for this trip started over an year ago, however i got in touch with Africanmecca about 6 months prior to my time.  From day 1, i've received nothing but exceptional service from this group.  It was not an easy task, which at first I thought was never going to be planned perfectly.  We had a group of 10 people, going to 4 different countries (Livingston, Zambia/ cape town, south Africa/ Zanzibar, Tanzania/ and Masai Mara, Kenya).  Our trip to all those countries was to be completed in 2 weeks.  The amount of planning and more planning that went into this was unbelievable.  However, with the guidance and expertise of Raza  not one thing went wrong.  I had mentally prepared going into this trip that there would be things going wrong and we would just have to make the best of it.  After all, there was 10 individuals, with 20 different pieces of luggage, and 14 different flights we flew on through our journey.  This was definitely a very complex trip to plan which required someone who had great knowledge, experience and patience.  It was an absolutely perfect trip, not one thing went wrong.  Raza had put together the most time efficient trip for us taking into consideration every possible thing someone can.  These people know what they are doing!  Every single aspect of the planning was perfect.  All the transfer agencies were polite, friendly, timely and very helpful.  Being thousands of miles away from home in a completely foreign country, we never felt help was that far away.  All the transfer companies did an exceptional job of leaving you with more than enough information on anything and everything you need.  They were literally a phone call away, anytime of the day.  All the flights booked were well spaced with no delays/missed or cancel flights experienced through the whole trip.  We had picked our own hotels and had Raza make reservations for us. Everything that was said that was going to happen, happened!  The communication was very open and 2 sided from the beginning.  Everything was clearly explained and dealt with in a step by step manner.  I can go on and on about what an amazing job Raza and his team did to make this trip a trip of a life time for 10 individuals.  Thank you very much for all your hard work and amazing planning you had put together for us.  I am and will continue to highly recommend your services to anyone looking to travel. 
 
Pappu Patel
United States