Mud Hut Travel Blog

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

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,

Rob

Take a look at these fantastic pictures of Cape Town’s stadium for the FIFA 2010 World Cup. Last night the nights went on in the Mother City… and what a show.

Cape Town’s Green Point Stadium near Granger Bay lit up all 360 of its lights to show what fantastic progress they are making and what an incredible stadium. The 68,000 seater stadium is due to host 6 games during the tournament including one of the semi finals!

Cape Town had the whole package before hand, but now this… imagine the views of the stadiums on TV!!

And next day (today) the new South African coach will be announced. As is custom in SA, the speculations and rumours are rife…and it’s assummed that Carlos Parreira will be reinstated before the day is out.

For those wanting tickets to the World Cup, there are still tickets available, but the big rush on accommodation will happen on 4 December when the final World Cup draw will take place.

Mud Hut Travel will be able to offer fantastic packages to southern Africa during this time. So throw in a short break up to the Vic Falls in Zimbabawe, or to the beaches of Mozambique in between your teams games.

Get in touch or subscribe to our newsletter for more offers.

Keep smiling,

Sam

Sustainable Africa
One of our clients last week told asked me what the difference between sustainable tourism and eco tourism was. The wiki entries were both a bit formal and put the practices into fairly rigid boxes.

Thus I set aside some time this week to have a look at what we at Mud Hut Travel believe and follow. This has been posted to our site, but thought it would be appropriate to put it here too.

Eco-tourism and sustainable tourism are not the same thing, but the two do sit hand in hand. Eco-tourism is focused on minimizing the impact of the travel experience whilst providing travelers with an experience in an area of outstanding natural beauty.

Sustainable tourism is to ensure that the travel process is a positive experience for local people, the environment and tourists themselves. Most importantly, the whole process encourages sustainable economic growth and that any impact on the environment is sustainable and low impact. In otherwords, creating an eco-friendly experience, whilst assisting in the development of the local communities.

Africa is a magical place that has been a huge part of the Mud Hut Tribe’s lives. Our directors have spent many months living amongst and exploring the high mountains, the low lying valleys and plains, the tropical beaches and the backwaters.

We want everyone to experience southern Africa, but if we all went to the same beaches, stayed in the same big branded hotel, travelled the same routes, ate at the same globally owned chain and rented the same brand of car… what would southern Africa look like in 10 years time?

Hence we want to preserve the uniqueness, the custom and the diversity of the region.

Mud Hut Travel promotes owner-managed businesses aligned to sustainable tourism in all of our itineraries. This way the money directly spent by you will go into the local communities, and assist in the development of the area.

Thus when you return in ten years time, the same small owner managed lodges will be there – but they will be managed by the son’s and daughters of the previous owners; and there may be another one up the road. Where perhaps last time there was only one dive operator, there will now be three different operations along the coast - all owned by previous employees.

And this is the development we support in southern Africa. Sustainable development is not a Chinese built 2 lane highway through the bush, Italian owned air-con hotels and super fast internet connections; it’s the economic upliftment and empowerment of the communities where we spend our money and the preservation of the environments we visit.

Hope that helps with whatever you were looking for, but if you want, get in touch with me through Mud Hut or send us enquiry below.

Keep smiling,

Rob

Victoria Falls is undoubtedly one of the most breathtaking sights in southern Africa, if not the world. Seeing gallons and gallons of Zambezi water thunder over the edge, standing in the spray and feeling so small in the presence of such elemental power is an almost spiritual experience.

A custom-made trip to Livingstone or Victoria Falls is an essential addition to any honeymoon package. Who could resist the lure of romantic , luxurious lodges right on the banks of the Zambezi, the opportunity to have picnics on a private island, go canoeing on the Zambezi while watching hippos and crocodiles and being looked after by the some of the friendliest and warmest people you will ever meet?

But Livingstone is not just for the romantically inclined. The town is a true African adventure playground. If you are after an adrenaline rush, little can beat a white-water rafting trip down the Zambezi. Or you can bungee jump down the bridge connecting Zambia with Zimbabwe, right above the Zambezi River - nothing for the faint-hearted. If you prefer your thrills to have a scenic aspect, you can always do a micro-light trip over the falls. Travelling in one of these flimsy flying machines, which vaguely resemble a lawn-mover with a set of wings strapped on it, is not only an adventure but also one of the best ways to see the entirety of the Falls. And for a few months of the year, there is a chance to walk along the rim of the falls to get to Livingstone Island where you’ll get a chance to get the closest you’ll ever get to the falls – a soak in the Devil’s Pool. After a short swim, you will literally sit on the edge of the falls, with the water thundering underneath you and the Zambezi rushing around you. An amazing and thrilling experience.

And if you like your adventure a little tamer, you can do a 4×4 or horseback safari and see the animals (no big cats in the park though) from up close. Livingstone truly offers something for all travels and tours, for all inclinations and age-groups, for the more adventurous as well as the family holiday seekers.

For those who like to give something back and want to engage in responsible tourism, there are plenty of community projects to get involved in and be exposed to the local customs. A visit to local villages and schools is a real eye-opener and will afford glimpses into African life rarely seen on the average holiday. Your adventure trip will take on another dimension and get you much closer to local customs and local needs.

Whether you book your Livingstone trip as part of a Southern African tour or a short independent custom trip, Mud Hut Africa can sort it all out for you.

And one thing you can be sure of - it will be a trip of a lifetime, an adventure you will never forget.

Ever dreamt of going on a safari through in southern Africa, seeing the big 5 in the African bush but worried about the sweltering heat? A wet-season custom adventure to Zambia’s South Luangwa Park might be the answer.

Having been on plenty of safaris before and always been stunned by the amazing sights of the dry savannah, I was absolutely blown away by the lush beauty of the southern African bush during the wet season. The South Luangwa Park (and it’s lesser known neighbour North Luangwa) is generally known for its dry-season walking safaris and tours, but it offers an entirely different experience. 

Now that ski packages in Europe have become so expensive, a customised African travel package is an affordable and warmer alternative for the northern hemisphere’s winter months. The greenest greens, plenty of water for hippos and elephants to play around in and temperatures of up to 30C are only some of the advantages of the wet season. The pure air quality guarantees the most vibrant photos with none of the haze and washed out colours you often get when taking pictures in sunny countries.

The wet season coincides with spring and when many animals have their offspring. This increases the number of animals, but also the activity of the big cats and predators - and it’s a fantastic sight to see little impalas, warthogs, giraffe, zebras and buffalo play around the herds; and the increased chance of seeing big African predators in action. We were very fortunate to see an elephant family traveling down to the river with a very young baby elephant in tow -  which according to our guide, could only have been a couple of days old! And a few days earlier on Christmas Eve, we were rewarded with a pack of lions lounging on the path – 3 generations of lions all within a few metres!

During the dry season it’s easy for the animals to travel around through the whole park – once the water comes in it gets too boggy and the wildlife tends to stay closer to the paths and concentrates in the south, close to the lodges - a very convenient outcome for the tourist!

The Big Five is incomplete by the lack of rhinos in the park, but the Luangwa Conservation Society is working on reintroducing this species. As with the Zambezi Valley (Mana Pools in Zimbabwe) further to the south, rhinos have been poached to extinction. But what Luangwa lacks in rhinos, it makes up for with the densest population in Africa of leopard, the most elusive of the Big Five – and when rhinos are reintroduced, there will soon be a very good chance of seeing The Big Five in Luangwa!

Christmas in Zambia was an experience I will never forget. I had never spent Christmas in a warm climate, and was a little worried that the traditional customs would not translate. But assembling under a huge boabab tree and singing traditional Carols, interspersed with African songs, dancing and local custom was an amazing experience.

The bush, the animals, the locals, the weather and the sunsets are a complete package that I was so privileged to experience.

I can’t wait for my next African adventure and travels – once you start you will always want to come back for more. For any more questions, get in touch with the experts on custom adventures to southern Africa - Mud Hut Travel