In this newsletter:

• Wonders of South Africa's Eastern Cape

• Golfing in Africa - Part II

• Namibia Desert Dreamscapes

• Uyaphi News: Our Latest Travels

• Featured Newsletter Specials

1) Our Africa travel consultants have the knowledge and expertise in all the products and destinations we offer.

2) We are accredited by SATSA and ATTA.

3) With our offices based in Cape Town, South Africa, should a problem arise, we will be able to respond to the relative issue in the same time zone as you are located. We are contactable 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

4) Since all products and services are pre–paid through Uyaphi.com you are never surprised with any additional costs, with this in mind you can budget properly for your Africa safari.

5) We do not charge Visa & Mastercard surcharges.br>

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Greetings First name from Uyaphi Headquarters in Cape Town!

If you have ever dreamt of visiting Kenya, perhaps January 2010 is the time to do it! On 15 January 2010 Kenya will witness the full wonders of a solar eclipse. The eclipse path is tight and in the early hours of 15 January it will be visible from Kenya and Uganda. This is a rare treat as the eclipse will be visible for 9 minutes – the next eclipse of that length will be in 3043!

We talked about South Africa’s golfing treasures a few months ago and in this newsletter we take a look at golf in other African safari destinations. The colonials brought with them a passion for golf and in many southern and east African countries golf is still a popular pastime amongst expats and locals alike. Golf courses in Africa face their own set of challenges, but wherever you go you can rest assured that your golf game will be a great experience and there are likely to be plenty of willing opponents.

Read on for more on Southern Africa’s less famous gems. We bring you a not-to-miss list of Eastern Cape highlights and then turn our attention to the variety of spectacular settings in the oldest desert in the world – Namibia’s Namib Desert.

Happy reading!

Regards,
The Uyaphi.com Team

Uyaphi.com’s service shines bright as the African Sun...

“ ...The walking safari was one of the best trips I have ever been on. The guides were great and I really enjoyed everyone on the safari. The best part was that there were no other groups on the property we were on -- we saw animals but no other tourists. The shuttle pick up at my hotel was right on time and I appreciated their willingness to make an additional stop. Thanks again for arranging this trip. You will be hearing from my friends soon and me in the next few years....”

WONDERS OF SOUTH AFRICA’S EASTERN CAPE

The Eastern Cape, South Africa's second-largest province, is a wonderful mix of beach and bush ... a land of amazing scenic diversity from the southern slopes of the Drakensberg Mountains to the swathes of Tsitsikamma indigenous forest; the lush beauty of the Wild Coast in the east to the arid landscapes of the Great Karoo in the west. Eastern Cape jewels not to be missed:

• Malaria-free game reserves, from Shamwari in the verdant bush along the Bushmans River, to Kwandwe, the Mountain Zebra National Park or try an elephant back safari at Addo Elephant Park.


• At 216 metres, the highest bungi jump in the world is a 180 metre freefall from the Bloukrans Bridge on the Storms River. Even the rebound is higher than the bungi jump at Vic Falls!
  


• Beautiful East London, South Africa’s only river port, makes an ideal base to explore the area’s rich frontier history and the remote beauty of the Wild Coast.
  


• The gloriously named Camdeboo Karoo district is home to historic towns like Graaf-Reinet (which alone boasts over 300 historic monuments) and the isolated farming town of Nieu Bethesda made famous by the reclusive Helen Martin and her Owl House inhabited by the fantasy concrete and glass creatures she spent her life creating. Nearby are geological wonders like the towering cliffs in the Valley of Desolation.


• The Eastern Cape is birthplace of Nelson Mandela, Steve Biko and many other luminaries from South Africa’s journey to democracy.


• There is a wealth of beach destinations to choose from along the Eastern Cape coast. From St Francis Bay with her canals and white sand beaches, to beach and bush experiences at Kenton on Sea or the untamed rural splendor of the Transkei Wild Coast.


• Eastern Cape Day Tours from Port Elizabeth.

GOLF IN AFRICA - PART II

Golf was an important part of sporting colonial life in many parts of Africa, so there are plenty of challenges awaiting the adventurous golfer.

On many golf courses you can expect to share the fairways with the local wildlife – here hazards take on a new meaning! Avid golfers can rest assured that their African Safari adventure need not take them away from their favourite game.

KENYA

• Kenya has a long history of golf and boasts over 35 golf clubs in beautiful settings. Nairobi has plenty to offer the golfer. Muthaiga Golf Club, home of the Kenya Open Golf Championship, underwent a complete reconstruction in 2003 by course architect Peter Matkovich.
  
  Windsor Golf Hotel & Country Club is a large luxury hotel overlooking its own golf course amidst a coffee plantation. The course has some of the trickiest holes in Kenya. Established in 1906, Royal Nairobi Golf Club is Kenya’s oldest golf course, while Karen Country Club provides another colonial golfing experience. Founded in 1937 on the former coffee estate of “Out of Africa” Karen Blixen, the club has strong traditions and a strict dress code.
  
  Mombasa is Kenya’s premier beach destination and golfers will not be disappointed. Leisure Lodge Beach & Golf Resort to the south is a championship 18-hole course where irrigated fairways run through Palm, Cashew and Casuarina Pine trees. To the north is 18-hole Nyali Golf and Country Club. The first 9 holes were completed in 1956, with a second 9 added in 1980.
  
  Vipingo Ridge is a new golfing development on a former sisal estate. Two 18-hole international standard golf courses have been planned. Scenic Lake Naivasha is home to the Great Rift Valley Lodge & Golf Resort. At 598 metres, the 18^th hole of this course is the longest in Kenya. Not the toughest course in the country, but this is more than compensated by its charm and beauty.

TANZANIA

• Capital, Dar es Salaam has an 18-hole course at Dar es Salaam Gymkhana Club offering sweeping views over the Indian Ocean. Arusha is not only the gateway to Mount Kilimanjaro, but the district is home to two golf courses. Arusha Gymkhana Club golf course offers 18 holes and is located in town. Ngurdoto Mountain Lodge lies between Mount Meru and Mount Kilimanjaro. The resort has a 9-hole golf course amongst other guest leisure offerings. Also in the Kilimanjaro region, Moshi has a fairly unexceptional 9-hole golf course first built in 1920.

ZAMBIA

• Zambia has 20 golf courses, most of them situated in the main commercial centres of the copper belt. Visitors to Victoria Falls and Livingstone will enjoy the old colonial Livingstone Royal Golf & Country Club. Originally built and opened as a 9-hole course in 1908 the course is now 18-holes and boasts a fine Edwardian Clubhouse.
  
  Zambia’s capital Lusaka has three golf courses – there’s the 18-hole championship Lusaka Golf Club, 9-hole Chilanga Golf Club and the 18-hole Chainama Hills Golf Club 18 kilometres from the city centre on the Great East Road. The 18-hole Ndola Golf Club will host the 2010 Zambia Open.

ZIMBABWE

• Zimbabwe has a great golfing tradition stretching back before the turn of the last century when the first official golf club, Bulawayo Golf Club, was founded in Bulawayo. Capital Harare is home to Zimbabwe’s premier course, the Royal Harare Golf Club situated close to the city centre. Founded at the turn of the century, this 18-hole championship is set in wooded parkland. In virtually every center around Zimbabwe you will find challenging courses and willing opponents.
  
  Victoria Falls boasts the 18-hole course Elephant Hills Golf Club. The course was reconstructed on the original site which became derelict after the hotel was rocketed during the liberation war. The new course layout provides a major attraction to residents of the imposing Elephant Hills Hotel, as well as to local players. Towards the east of the country another great golf course can be found, Mutare’s Leopard Rock Hotel . This course has recently been redesigned and constructed by Peter Matkovich and Dale Hayes. The result: a championship 18-hole golf course winding its way through undulating hills, lush sub-tropical foliage, sparkling dams and lakes.

NAMIBIA DESERT DREAMSCAPES

Namibia gets its name from the world’s oldest desert, the Namib, which covers most of the country. This is a fascinating place of geological wonders, the world’s tallest sand dunes and an amazing array of plants and animals uniquely adapted to survive in these harsh desert conditions. Visitors are spoiled for choice when it comes to quality Namibian Desert locations.

Fish River Canyon
To the south you will find the second largest canyon in the world after the Grand Canyon. The Fish River Canyon is an impressive 550 metre deep gash in the landscape stretching 160 kilometres. Ais-ais hot springs are a welcome retreat at the entrance of the canyon.

Luderitz
The last thing you expect when you arrive in this remote desert town is the chocolate-box German colonial architecture perched on the rocks above the harbour. Attractions include the ghost town of Kolmanskop, once a thriving diamond town now reclaimed by the desert sands and vast breeding colonies of Cape Gannets, African Penguins and Cape Fur seals.

Namib Naukluft
Namib Naukluft Park covering much of the central Namib is home to the world’s tallest sand dunes, many standing over 300m high. The red hued dunes of Sossusvlei are the most photographed and picturesque desert locations in the world.

Skeleton Coast
The desolate coastline of the Skeleton Coast makes for one of the most inhospitable and least visited places on earth. Here hot desert sands meet the frigid waters of the Atlantic Ocean creating treacherous conditions that resulted in the numerous shipwrecks that dot the shoreline. A truly unique desert destination.

Damaraland
Damaraland lies in the north of Namibia. To the west you will find a wealth of desert-adapted animals, elephant, rhino, giraffe and ostrich who somehow manage to survive the harsh waterless conditions. Further inland sparse grasslands are dotted with granite koppies; and geological wonders like the Spitzkoppe, Brandberg, a Petrified Forest and Bushmen rock art.

UYAPHI NEWS: OUR LATEST TRAVELS

When it comes to our client’s conferencing, large group travel, team building and special events requirements, Nerissa Lategan is the person to speak to. Nerissa has recently returned from an educational tour of the Eastern and Western Cape.

Read more about her trip here.

Featured Newsletter Specials

1 STAYS FREE! Kalahari Migration Pay for 1, Go as two Free for One Valid only for departure 18 November 2009 * Terms and conditions apply

BUSH & CAPE TOWN 5 Day Combo From R4,490 per person sharing Valid May - September 2010 * Terms and conditions apply

NEW YEAR Kenya Safari 5% discount If booked & paid by 30 November 2009 Travel in January 2010 * Terms and conditions apply

* Terms and conditions apply to all specials and promotions.

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