Mud Hut Travel Blog

South Africa is the grand old dame of safaris in Southern Africa – a beautiful and varied country with vast game parks, the world-renowned Kruger Park and the sort of infrastructure a novice safari traveller would appreciate.
However, South Africa has so much more to offer. There is an alternative Big 5 Experience to be had. Did you know that it is one of two countries in the world where Southern Right Whales, great white sharks, penguins, dolphins and seals can be seen along one stretch of coastline? The Aquatic Big Five.
The whales start arriving in June from Antarctica – the sole purpose of their annual migration north and to warmer waters is to give birth to their offspring.

Copyright: South African Tourism

The Cape Coast becomes the nursery for the young whales – mothers nurse and train their calves so that they can cope with the long journey back home in December. The sheltered bays of the Cape Coast are ideal for the young whales and provides fantastic opportunities to see them up close. No need to take a long boat trip out to sea – you can often see whales play from the side of the road! Hermanus, 150km east of Cape Town, is a prime whale-watching spot. However, there are more quiet, less touristy spots to base yourself a little further up the coast. Plettenberg Bay is a regular stop for a pod of orcas.
Gansbaai offers boat trips to see the aquatic Big 5, but it is mostly known for its population of great white sharks. Why? A few kilometres from shore is a small island that harbours a vast colony of Cape fur seals – the sharks’ favourite food. The waters around Geyser Rock are populated with great whites from April to October. The great white shark is the only species in a group of 201 listed as endangered who are actually protected in South African waters.

For Penguin watching Boulders Beach near Simon’s Town is an easy day trip from Cape Town.

Copyright: South African Tourism

They often share the beach with visitors and it’s a fantastic sight to see how these funny, clumsy creatures on land develop into elegant, agile and speedy divers. Penguins can be seen along various spots of the coastline, but only Boulders Beach affords such close interaction. Penguin populations are dwindling fast, due to the overharvesting of eggs as a source of food, guano mining which is taking away their habitat as well as raising temperatures are the main culprits.
Seals are almost unavoidable in South Africa. If you go down to the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town, you will see them swimming between the boats and frolicking in the water or on pontoons. They are oblivious to the busy shopping mall around them and just go about their business.

Lastly, pods of dolphins are constantly on the move along the coast.

Copyright: South Africa Tourism

One of the best spots to see them is Plettenberg Bay as the water here in the Indian Ocean is warmer. If you drive out to Keurbooms Beach between 4.30 and 5.30pm you will most likely get the chance to see a large number of dolphins enjoying the sunset surf.
The best time to view the aquatic Big Five is May to December.
So, if you are in South Africa for the World Cup 2010, are planning your honeymoon around the Garden Route , want to relax and pamper yourself in the beautiful Winelands around Cape Town or are simply on a Big 5 safari in one of South Africa’s glorious game parks – maybe you get the chance to see these wonderful creatures, too.
They are waiting for you - what are you waiting for?

The Mud Hut Tribe

What a fantastic three days it has been. It was Mud Hut Travel’s second WTM and my first. Just imagine, the whole of Excel London filled with travel industry representatives. Countries from all the continents, all shapes and sizes, had wonderful stalls, showcasing what their particular region or company has to offer. A feast for the travel-hungry professional.
It was fantastic to be able to meet some of the people we have been working with over the past year – representatives from lodges and management groups in Zimbabwe – especially as Victoria Falls has been really popular at Mud Hut lately. It’s an incredible destination, showcasing some of the best southern Africa has to offer, and it was fantastic to be able to learn much more about this amazing country. Victoria Falls, right on the mighty Zambezi River, is a firm honeymoon favourite for the adventure-loving. Zimbabwe has been in the news for all the wrong reasons in the last few years, and it was great to find out that the tourism industry there is still going strong and that there are funds flowing into a region that has so much to offer and needs support. A custom-made adventure trip to this amazing place is always a highlight for any trip to Southern Africa.

Some of Malawi’s stunning lakeside lodges, like Kaya Mawa, are getting a facelift this year, and it should continue to attract travellers who want to combine lake and land adventures.

Zambia, a Mud Hut favourite and all-round breathtaking experience on the Southern African circuit, is going from strength to strength. We managed to tie strong bonds with some of our trusted contacts in the South Luangwa and Lower Zambezi parks, like Norman Carr safaris

South Luangwa, Norman Carr Safaris

and Robin Pope Safaris, and their seasonal walking safari camps, Sausage Tree Camp and the beautiful lodges run by Sanctuary Retreats, Puku Ridge Camp and the Chichele Presidential Lodge. I spent Christmas in the South Luangwa last year, and it was one of the most memorable experiences of my life. The Zambian lodges are incredibly well appointed and attract honeymooners from all over the world.

We managed to make close contact with people from Explore Gorongosa – an amazing camp in Mozambique’s prime game reserve. They do fantastic specials combining game viewing with the breathtaking tropical beach lodges the country is famous for. Our honeymoon favourite, Flamingo Bay Water Lodge, was represented and it was good touching base in person again.

Namibia was a revelation – having been a regular winner or runner-up in Wanderlust’s Travel Awards Top Country category, this arid and stunningly beautiful country had a strong presence at the WTM. Showcasing lodges, adventure trips, sustainable tourism effort or cultural encounters. And if you have World Cup tickets or you are travelling to South Africa in general, it’s really easy to tag on an excursion to Namibia.
Our horseback safaris have attracted a lot of interest over the past few months, and we managed to secure great deals again, especially in Botswana’s Okavango Delta and the Limpopo Valley. I always thought this is the best way to see game – up close and personal, and the comraderie and down-to-earth atmosphere on these specialist safaris are incredible. We can now offer horseback holidays in southern Africa for all levels.

South Africa, of course, had a fantastically strong presence. It was all about the World Cup – a lot of the activities at the WTM were based around football. The Kruger Park is always a firm favourite on the safari circuit and we were lucky to be able to meet up with representatives from some of our favourite lodges there – Sense of Africa’s Lukimbi and Idube as well as finding new boutique hotels and self-catering apartments in Cape Town and the close-by vineyards of Stellenbosch and Franschoek. South Africa, as always, is going from strength to strength.

There were fantastic lectures, too – all about some of the latest efforts in sustainable and responsible tourism. Discussions around the future of adventure travel. Case studies into package versus custom travel. Of course we were lapping it all up, trying to figure out how to translate all of these ideas into our particular business, that of creating custom-made itineraries for travel in Southern Africa. I had been planning quite a few client honeymoons lately, and it was great to learn how to approach this specialist market more effectively.

Can’t wait for next year’s WTM!

If you want to get in touch … 

Above all, keep smiling!
Bettina

Mud Hut were out with some clients on the Zambezi River in August and had a superb couple of days. Take a look at the video below.

One of the clients had never been fishing…. well he hadn’t caught anything before!! And within 24 hours he had caught 7 fish… 6 small bait fish and in impressive Tiger fish weighing over 8 pounds!!

Our camp was situated down river from the Chirundu border post between Zambia and Zimbabwe; but you can also participate in tiger fishing off a houseboat in Lake Kariba. There is nothing like camping in the African bush and waking up to a pot of coffee on the fire, an early morning fish, big breakfasts, some beers out on the river and a mid afternoon nap before heading out again for some more fishing and sundowners…

Not only did we have some great fishing, but saw plenty of wildlife: a small herd of elephants plus a solitary bull swimming in the reeds, malachite kingfishers, ground hornbills, fish eagles, monkeys, baboons, crocodiles and plenty of hippos. A treat one evening was the roar of a male lion no more than 1km from our camp…

Anyway … enough talking… here is the video:
(footage by Mud Hut Africa)
Music: Wake up - Oliver Mtukudzi; Alane - Wes

Hope that whet your appetite for some custom travel to southern Africa. Take a look at our other options at the Mud Hut or get in touch….

Keep smiling,

Click to get in touch with the southern African specialists

Rob