Win a 2-night Safari at Nyala Safari Lodge - South Africa

You can win a 2-night Safari at Nyala Safari Lodge in the Kruger area, South Africa. Have a look at www.lodgesinafrica.com and click on the *** Win a 2-night Safari *** icon to enter this fabulous competition. The winner will be announced in on our website and in our July newsletter. There will be a special feature about Nyala Safari Lodge in our June newsletter.


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Nyala Safari Lodge - Kruger Family Safari Experience

Nyala Safari Lodge is a family game lodge in the Mohlabetsi Private Game Reserve. This lodge is ideal for families or couples. You will have a wonderful game viewing experience in the private reserve and you have an optional ekstra to visit the Kruger National Park and/or Moholoholo Rehabilitation Centre. The lodge offers accommodation in en-suite chalets. The staff is friendly and will make your stay worth while. The rates are also extremely good value for money as you pay 3-star rates for a 4-star experience. Do yourself a favour and visit this lodge for your Kruger Safari experience.

Juan is teething

It has been a looooong week. Juan is teething and it is quite painfull. He doesn't sleep a lot during the evening so we are also not sleeping. And to think it is only 4 down and 20 teeth to go!!! I'm sure it gets easier after a while. For all mothers and fathers out there - keep faith and stay calm!!! It is difficult, but it will also pass. One day they won't even remember the pain of getting teeth. Just enjoy every day with your precious child...

Game Lodges in Zambia - Kafue, South Luangwa, Victoria Falls

We are currently busy adding game lodges in Zambia to our website Lodges in Africa as there are quite a few good lodges in Kafue National Park and South Luangwa National Park.

We will be adding the following lodges: Busanga Bush Camp, Kapinga Camp, Lunga River Camp and Shumba Camp in the Kafue National Park; Kalamu Tented Camp in South Luangwa National Park; The River Club in Victoria Falls.

These lodges should be ready by next week so look out for these exciting new lodges!!!

Namibia Desert Game Lodges - Africa

We are in the process of adding desert game lodges in Namibia on our website Lodges in Africa.

We are adding Damaraland Camp, Doro Nawas, and Palmwag Rhino Camp in Damaraland; Little Ongava, Ongava Game Lodge, and Ongava Tented Camp in Etosha; Serra Cafema Camp in the Kunene Region; Skeleton Coast Camp in the Skeleton Coast Park; and Kulala Desert Lodge, Kulala Wilderness Camp, Little Kulala, and Sossusvlei Wilderness Camp in Sossusvlei.

These lodges should be available on our site by next week so look out for these exciting desert game and cultural lodges in Namibia.

Weekend away to Franskraal

Dawie, Juan and I went for a trip to Franskraal over the long weekend and it was absolutely stunning!!! Franskraal is just 5 minutes past Gansbaai (where you can do the famous White Shark Cage diving) and about 30 minutes past Hermanus along the coast. My in-laws has a beautiful, little holiday home in Franskraal and a stone-throw away from the beach. The beach is awesome for swimming, tanning, kayaking, surfing, and fishing. Dawie loves to kayak in the sea and go fishing on a rubberduck boat. I love the walks along the beach. It was also Juan's first time playing in the sand. It was great watching him explore and feel the sand in his hands. I think he loved it. By the end of this year he will be able to run and play in the sand. I can't wait to see that. We also had a lovely fish-braai. We had geelstert fish while we were there. It is so relaxing and rejuvenating that we think it might be a good idea to move to Franskraal. We are also thinking of adding beach holiday homes along the coast of South Africa on our website as a lot of people would like to rather rent a home close to the beach and stay for a week or two. We will be looking into this and updating www.lodgesinafrica.com soon.

Honeymoon safaris in South Africa, Africa

The most amazing experience in life is sharing a life with another person. Celebrating the start of your lives together is something special and something that you will always remember and treasure. In order to have such a memorable experience, I recommend a safari in Africa's bushveld. Sharing wildlife and the bush together is certainly a great way to start off and you will never forget this experience.

I highly recommend the lodges in the Kruger area, but the private game lodges in KwaZulu Natal is also great for a honeymoon. I suggest you have a look at our Honeymoon Packages for your dream honeymoon safari. You can also have a look at our website Lodges in Africa for more destinations to choose from.

Let us help you choose the best honeymoon safari or beach destination for you and your partner.

Honeymoon safaris in South Africa, Africa

The most amazing experience in life is sharing a life with another person. Celebrating the start of your lives together is something special and something that you will always remember and treasure. In order to have such a memorable experience, I recommend a safari in Africa's bushveld. Sharing wildlife and the bush together is certainly a great way to start off and you will never forget this experience.

I highly recommend the lodges in the Kruger area, but the private game lodges in KwaZulu Natal is also great for a honeymoon. I suggest you have a look at our Honeymoon Packages for your dream honeymoon safari. You can also have a look at our website Lodges in Africa for more destinations to choose from.

Let us help you choose the best honeymoon safari or beach destination for you and your partner.

Falaza Game Lodge - Elephant Coast, KwaZulu Natal

Falaza Game Lodge is extremely good value for money. You will have a great game viewing experience, great tented accommodation and exceptional friendly and professional staff. It will feel like a 5-star experience, but you won't pay a 5-star price.

Falaza is privately owned and offers a Spa and wonderful bush experiences. Falaza is near the Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Game Park and next to the World Heritage Site of St Lucia. Falaza offers Big 5 game viewing.

Don't miss out on a safari at Falaza!!! The rate is about R1, 650 per person sharing per night - fully inclusive of accommodation, all meals, and game viewing activities. Please send me an email to anza@lodgesinafrica.com for availability, rates and bookings. Thank you.

Family Safari at Akeru Game Lodge in South Africa

Akeru Game Lodge in the Timbavati Private Game Reserve, South Africa, offers great family safaris. Tammy Mclintock owns this small, intimate camp and it is ideal for families. Akeru is a family orientated lodge and they offer an educational programme specifically for the children. Children receive a package (CD with games, quizzes, loads of information, colouring books and crayons). The lodge has a designated area where the children can sit with one of the Rangers and learn the secrets andsurprises about wildlife and their bushveld environment. The children also goes on short bushwalks around the waterhole. Your family safari will surely be an unforgetable experience!!!

Juan is becoming a little boy!!!

It is really so amazing watching Juan develop and growing into a little boy. He is definitely not a baby anymore. I've made a space in our living room for him to play, but do you think he restricts himself to this space. No, he explores everything and anything!!! Besides from sitting, crawling and moving around quite a lot, he also pulls himself up against the coach. I wonder when he will start walking. I think he is going to be a quick walker. I have to say that I was a bit concerned due to the fact that he only started sitting late, but now he is developing at such a speed that I don't think he is behind with anything. He also claps his hands - it's so cute. He knows when we are watching and then tries to impress us with everything he can do - like clapping hands. I have to say that I feel very fortunate to be able to work from home. For you that don't know yet, I've started an internet-based tourism business www.lodgesinafrica.com in order to work from home. We represent a variety of game lodges and beach resorts in Africa (South Africa, Botswana, Mozambique, Kenya, and Tania). It is still very much work in progress, but we are getting there. I feel very positive about LODGES IN AFRICA and look forward to this very chanllenging process.

Decorex Cape Town - Bamboo Flooring

It is time for the Cape Town Decorex at CTICC from 26 - 29 April 2007. The entrace fee is R45 per person. Interior designers, architects and the public are welcome to view products in the home building industry. My husband started his business - SNYMAN BROS - with a stall at the Cape Town Decorex. He and his brother showed their bamboo floors at Decorex 4 years ago and so introduced the product to Cape Town. They are still going strong today - importing, selling, and installing bamboo floors in South Africa. They have sold the most bamboo floors in the WesternCape as far as we know. You are welcome to have a look at www.zhulin-bamboo-flooring.co.za and www.madeiraclassica.co.za for detailed information about bamboo flooring. It is really as stunning and eco-friendly product.

Kruger Safari - Viva Safaris

I highly recommend the Kruger Safari with Viva Safaris. The price includes your transportation from/back to Johannesburg. The accommodation is at Tremisana Game Lodge which is very neat, clean and comfortable. On this safari you will have the opportunity to view game in the famous Kruger National Park, as well as in the private game reserve where Tremisana is situated. For rates and more information, please visit www.lodgesinafrica.com and look under the Kruger Safaris section. It is really great value for money and worth your while. You can choose from 3, 4, 5 -day safaris as well as a fly-in safari. I suggest you book your safari for this winter (May - Sep) as soon as possible.

Elephant Plains Game Lodge - extremely good value for money

Elephant Plains Game Lodge is situated in the northern Sabi Sands Private Game Reserve and next to the world famous Kruger National Park. Elephant Plains is by far the best deal you would find in that area. Comparing to other lodges, you really get more for what you pay for. The staff is really very friendly and helpfull and the atmosphere at the lodge is warm and inviting. The accommodation is neat, clean and very comfortable. The game viewing is also very good in that area. I have been to Elephant Plains Game Lodge a few times as it is really one of my favourite lodges. They also accept children at the lodge and will do everything in their power to make it a wonderful safari for children as well. There are two types of accommodation - standard & luxury. The luxury accommodation is just a little bit more spacious and has a raised wooden verandah. Both accommodation options are good value for money. To have a look at rates for this lodge, go to www.lodgesinafrica.com and view the game lodges in the Sabi Sands South Africa section.

Ballet at Artscape Theartre Cape Town

The 28th March was my 30th birthday and my husband spoiled me to go watch the ballet piece, Giselle, at the Artscape Theatre in Cape Town. It was performed by the Russian Ballet School and truly a lovely show. When I was younger (in school) it was my dream to be a prima ballerina. In the end it didn't work out that way, but I still love ballet - it is such a gracious dance. The Russian Ballet Group is also performing Swan Lake during their South African tour, but we will have to wait until next time before we see another show.

Meetings with God

My husband dragged me with to a course offered by our church last night - 'Meetings with God' - and boy am I glad that I went. It was really an eye-opener for me.

I started understanding how important it is in all of our lives to have a purpose. We all have a calling and a greater purpose in life. This calling helps us understand the purpose of life, gives us energy and hope, helps us carry on during difficult times and helps us understand that our relationship with the Lord should be a personal relationship. We really need to know the Lord. It doesn't help if we only know of the Lord.

We are all called by our names to do something for the Lord. It is not necessarily church work, but work in our everyday lives - at work, at the gym, with friends. It is our responsibility to really meet the Lord and find out what our calling is.

It is my calling to be the best mother and wife that I can and to learn my little boy about the loving God that I know, but I am called for something more and I am yet to find out during the following weeks to come. I am really excited to really meet God and hear what He wants me to do for Him.

Juan's first outing to the Zoo

We took Juan on his first outing to the Zoo yesterday. He is 6 months and really transforming into a little person now. He is adorable and a very friendly littly boy.

The Tygerberg Zoo is the only Zoo in the Western Cape and approximately 39 km from Cape Town and 20 km from Paarl. Stellenbosch is about 15 km to the south east.

They specialize mainly in the breeding of rare, endangered and seldom seen wild life. They have about 150 enclosures which vary in size from large antelope camps to small aviaries. They don't keep larger animals such as elephant and rhino and their largest hoofstock species are zebra. There are 61 mammal species - 307 specimens, 160 bird species - 800 specimens, 63 reptile species - 320 specimens. They also have a large collection of primates - 22 species, ranging in size from marmosets to chimpanzees.

We had a very nice outing at the Zoo and enjoyed the primates playing on the ropes quite a lot. Even Juan enjoyed them playing around with each other. It is sad though to see the king of the wilderness (the Lion) in a cage and not free to roam in his natural surroundings.

There is also a lovely outdoor restaurant where we had a scrumptious lunch. For the younger children there is a farm yard with sheep and chickens, etc. - Juan is still a little bit too young to have enjoyed the farm yard, but hopefully when he is a little bit older we will be able to take him to a true wilderness area and teach him to respect and love the wildlife.

Shinde Camp - The Okavango Delta

On arrival at Shinde Camp, after a 2-hour power-boat ride from Camp Okuti, we were met by the singing camp staff. They gave us a warm wet hand towel and a glass of orange juice to freshen up and quench our thirst.

After settling in our en-suite tents, we had a scrumptious lunch in the main dining area - set high between the trees on a raised wooden deck. Lunch, as at all lodges, was more than sufficient and we got to meet the management couple of the camp.

I was very lucky to stay in the honeymoon tent. It is the tent furthest away from the main area. There is a local elephant that stay around that area and many honeymoon couples have seen this ellie from their tent. When I was there, the local ellie decided to come around at night time so I could hear him move and eat while I was laying in my bed - quite adventurous!!!

In the afternoon we could choose between going on an open vehicle safari or a boat ride on the permanent waterways. The guests who went on the boat ride could also catch fish in the delta on a catch-and-release basis. I ofcourse opt for the game drive.

When I go on game drives, I get quiet and absorb all the sights and sounds of the bush. It feels like moving into a different world - a world of peace and tranquility. A world where you can get close with the creator of nature. The Okavango Delta is also very special as there are no other game drive vehicles to be spotted on your game drives. All the camps are situated quite far from each other so you have a huge portion of the wilderness all for yourselve - no sharing with guests from other camps.

After our game drive, we returned to the camp for a boma dinner. We sat around the outside camp fire and exchanged stories of our day. Our rangers and the camp management couple joined in on the dinner and boy did they have some interesting bush stories. We could hear lions roar not too far away from the camp - there was a killing and the lions were feasting. The roar of a lion at night time is the most awesome powerful sound that there is in the bush!!!

The following morning I did a mokoro ride in a dugout canoe on the lilly-padded channels of the Okavango Delta. It was truly an amazing experience. The polar boy rowed us through the waters - pink, lilac, and blue water lillies were everywhere to see. The papyrus lined channels were still and quiet, but at times we were moving fast in order to avoid the crocs and hippos. Yes, a bit of adnrenaline flowing through the vains at these times. We could see all sorts of birds from the mokoro - it felt like a birders paradise.

Shinde is one of Ker & Downey's camps and high recommended. The camp offers land and water activities. I would recommend at least a 3 night stay at this lodge. Shinda Camp is a wonderful honeymoon destination.

The Okavango Delta - a true unspoilt wilderness

I had the opportunity to spend a few days in the Okavango Delta - a place of ultimate serenity. The Okavango Delta in Botswana is the world's largest inland delta. Botswana encourages low impact tourism and therefore the wilderness resource remains unspoilt and uncrowded - a true African wilderness!!! The perfect destination for a memorable honeymoon.

I visited the following camps: Shinde, Kanana, Camp Okuti, Chief's Camp, and Stanley's Camp. I will write about my experiences at each of these lodges in the following days. It was an unforgettable experience!!! All these lodges are perfect honeymoon destinations.

I will also share the most amazing experience in my life with you - a walk with the Elephants. I spent 4 hours walking and interacting with 3 elephants (Jambo, Tembi, and Marula) in the heart of the Okavango Delta.

Honeymoons in Africa / Honeymoon Safari / Game Lodges in Africa

Lodges - the perfect way to luxuriously unite man with nature and where better to experience this meeting between creation and its keeper than Africa - the birthplace of Mother Nature

Exceptional year: Wedding, honeymoon, baby, and a new tourism business

My husband and I had a spectacular year in 2006!!! The year was filled with many special days, happy occasions and wonderful memories. It was definitely the biggest year of our lives.


2006 started with our wedding in January. It was the most special day in our lives and the beginning of our lives together. We were blessed to share this wonderful day with our family and friends at a guesthouse in Durbanville. We had a lovely garden wedding and a real South African braai at our wedding reception.


We had the opportunity to go to the Cedarberg for our honeymoon. We stayed at the Elephant Leisure Resort and spent almost every day in the jacuzzi on our verandah overlooking the Cedarberg mountains. We ended our honeymoon in Franskraal in the Overberg region (close to Hermanus). My husband spent most of his time kayaking in the sea whilst I was lazing in the sun on the beach.


We were also fortunate to be blessed with an adorable little baby boy (Juan) in 2006. He has changed our lives for the better in so many ways. Just to see him smile and laugh brings warmth into our hearts. Every day we spend with him is a gift from God.


In order for me to stay at home and look after Juan, we've started an Internet-based Tourism business - Lodges in Africa. We sell honeymoon destinations within Southern Africa and represent a variety of game lodges and beach resorts. We have a passion and deep appreciation for nature and pride ourselves in selling the no. 1 honeymoon destination in the world - Africa!!! Imagine an African Safari Honeymoon or a Bush & Beach Honeymoon in Africa.


We look forward to the year 2007 and trust that it will be as exceptional as 2006. We will share our knowledge and expertise with our valued guests here at Lodges in Africa and help plan the most exceptional honeymoons in the world.