Monday, June 11, 2012

“I NEVER LEAVE HOME WITHOUT MY… BRADT TRAVEL GUIDE”: FOUR BRADT BOOKS AUTHORED BY CHRIS MCINTYRE


Pieces of Africa are still being explored and are slowly opening up to tourism, which makes a good guidebook on these countries hard to find. This is why Chris McIntyre, a man familiar with up-and-coming destinations and managing director of Expert Africa, one of the leading designers and operators of personalized tours to Southern Africa, was chosen to author four guides on countries in Southern Africa: Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zanzibar.

Bradt Travel Guides are known for strong detailed information on the natural environment, and Chris’ books are known for really detailed lodging camp reviews – a stellar combination for a first-time traveler. With each new edition Chris puts out, new discoveries are featured. There are huge updates of information on existing and emerging destinations, as well as lodges. And, as always, the edition will include history, suggested itineraries, maps/photographs and information on things you didn’t even think to prepare for. Many of the included photographs are from Chris’ own collection.

Chris taught in Zimbabwe for almost three years and traveled extensively before co-authoring his first guide in 1990. He now writes Bradt Travel Guides and updates them with months of travel and research every year. Chris also runs a highly knowledgeable team who organize high-quality trips throughout Africa for individual travelers, and regards extensive travel for everyone on the team as an essential part of Expert Africa – to keep up-to-date on specific regions and give the best advice possible.

The editions:
l     Guide to Zambia – Chris is author of all five editions; Ed. 5 was published in Jan 2012.
l     Guide to Namibia – Chris is author of all four editions; Ed. 4 was published in Jan 2011
l     Guide to Botswana – Chris is author of all three editions; Ed. 3 was published in Jan 2010
l     Guide to Zanzibar, Pemba & Mafia – Chris is co-author (with his wife, Susan) of the most recent two editions; the next edition (Ed. 8) is due out in January 2013.

Bradt Travel Guides are co-published by a US company, Globe Pequot Press Inc., making the guides readily available in local bookstores, including Barnes & Noble. Rates start at $23.99, depending on the guide. For more information email info@expertafrica.com, call 1-800-242-2434 or visit www.expertafrica.com.


 Reviews:

“Both thorough and authoritative”
~Travel + Leisure

“Bradt Travel Guides simply have the best wildlife coverage of any of the popular guide books.”
~ BBC Wildlife

Review on the Botswana Safari Guide:
“There can be few people better qualified to write a travel guide on Botswana than Chris McIntyre…Like all good guide books, this is packed with all kinds of practical and wide-ranging advice – from driving near elephants to maps with GPS references and how to shake hands Botswana style…What’s more, even the nuts-and-bolts sections are well-written and make enjoyable reading. In particular, the region-by-region chapers on the country’s reserves, camps and lodges had me longing to jump on the first plane to Maun. Each area is painstakingly described – clearly the result of meticulous first-hand research…If you can take only one book to Botswana, make sure it’s this one.”
~BBC Wildlife

HIS SERENE HIGHNESS PRINCE ALBERT II AND HIS PRINCESS CHARLENE OF MONACO ARE FIRST GUESTS OF MONASTERO SANTA ROSA


The first guests of Monastero Santa Rosa Hotel & Spa (MSR) on the Amalfi Coast were Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene of Monaco, fresh from Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II’s Jubilee Luncheon at Windsor Court, and before heading on to the 70th Grand Prix in Monaco.  The Prince and Princess kicked back at MSR to relax with friends, including Byron Kelleher, the renowned New Zealand rugby player and veteran of three World Cups, at a retreat where they could recharge their batteries between two very public events.

Before the royal couple entered MSR, the princess rang the Arrival Bell, a tradition dating back some 500 years, when a bell was used to alert the cloistered order of nuns that occupied the monastery to a pilgrim’s visit.  A nun would then look through a peephole to ascertain identity before allowing admittance. 

Not surprisingly, the Princess, a member of the South African women’s 4x100 meter medley team at the 2000 Summer Olympics, swam laps in the infinity pool at Monastero Santa Rosa, which enjoys breathtaking views of the Bay of Salerno.

The couple ventured off the property to have lunch in Amalfi, and word is they had a great time.

Before they departed Monastero Santa Rosa, the Mayor of Conca dei Marini, Gaetano Frate, the Chief of Police, Cosimo Andretta, and General Manager Flavio Colantuoni, wished them farewell and thanked them for their visit.  The Conca dei Marini preschool Scuola Primaria “Luigi Espoito” sang the Italian national song:  Inno di Mamelio.

*****



GEN Y AFRICA: EXPERT AFRICA'S TOP TEN FOR 20- TO 30-YEAR OLDS


Explore. Excite the senses. Exult in the exotic. For the energetic and soul searching 20-something year old, Southern Africa offers the kind of experiences travelers dream about and then brag about. Expert Africa, one of the leading designers and operators of personalized tours to Southern Africa, has centered in on the top ten places and activities in Southern Africa a Generation Y individual would traverse the Atlantic Ocean for:


1    Devil’s Pool: Zambia
Victoria Falls is one of the seven natural wonders of the world. For a real thrill, jump in Devil’s Pool, which is literally on the lip of the falls. From September to December, this natural rock pool is shallow enough for adults to safely swim in. You can even peer over the edge as the waterfall drops more than 300 feet. Nearby is luxurious Tongabezi Lodge, that offers ‘houses’ with one side completely open to the river and tours to the island where Devil’s Pool is located.

    Mana Pools National Park: Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is being re-discovered. Mana Pools National Park is perhaps Africa’s best park for really close encounters with relaxed big game. This is the place where old-Africa guides, like Stretch Ferreira and Nick Murray, can walk you within a few meters of wild bull elephants, or crawl with you up to a pack of wild dogs (Africa’s rarest large predators thrive here!). Of course, there’s also magical scenery– open areas and long curving pools – with great plains game.

3     Biking safari: Zambia
Yes, there are game drives, walking safaris and river safaris – but bike safaris? Amid the lush rift valley enclosed by steep escarpment walls in South Luangwa is Tafika Camp, which offers one of the more adventurous safari options: mountain-bike safaris. A small group - no more than four - is led by a highly experienced cyclist and accompanied by an armed National Park scout.

4     Saltpans: Botswana
Take the leap and leave behind your cell phone; it won’t work in the vast open expanse of the Northern Kalahari. Take out a quad-bike across the vast, silvery-white Makgadikgadi Pans – where it’s said that the silence is so complete that you can hear your own blood flowing. Then stop to pick up pre-historic flint tools, arrow-heads and axe-heads which litter the ground. Use San Camp as your base - a small, tented camp with a real sense of place.

        Big game canoeing: Zambia
For a sense of involvement as well as some adrenaline, head out on a canoeing trip beside the Lower Zambezi National Park. The current will gently press you along as your guide in the lead canoe helps you navigate around hippo pods and browsing elephants – you can be sure to spot monster crocodiles on the great Zambezi River. Base yourself for this at Chiawa Camp; it’s not just a premier safari camp – some of the best guides on the river can be found here.

6    Trek with Bushmen: Namibia
Culture is a huge reason to travel, and it’s a true education to visit the Bushmen – the oldest inhabitants of Southern Africa. Nhoma offers one of the most authentic cultural immersions with the Bushmen. Here they are able to share their traditions, teaching guests how to gather food, track game and make arrows and snares. Energetic guests are able to head off on a hunt that will often last most of the day and requires a good level of fitness. Time can also be spent with the villagers where evening celebrations will sometimes include trance-dances.

7    Diving: Mozambique
The 2,000km coastline of Mozambique not only has fine white sand, turquoise waters and vibrant coral … but also many largely unexplored islands, and thousands of unknown dive sites. Much of the diving that has been done is excellent with outstanding marine life. And, many of the good lodges here are remote and have their own fully-equipped dive centers with qualified instructors – like the tiny coral island of Quilalea where you can dive from the beach.

8    Gorillas: Rwanda
Though on the pricier side, sitting with the mountain gorillas in Rwanda is an experience that you’ll remember for the rest of your life. Set out on a gorilla safari, and trek to one of the ‘habituated’ groups where you can spend an hour in the midst of a group of wild mountain gorillas – often you will be sitting within a few feet of these amazing primates.

9     Seeing the great migration… on foot: Tanzania
The great Serengeti wildebeest migration circles the Serengeti ecosystem in an annual pattern, and many will try to see it from a vehicle. Now there are several places within Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park where Expert Africa can arrange a private walking safari. You need an expert guide to make the most of this – but to stand and look down over the vast herds is a very sobering moment.

       Camp out from a dug-out canoe: Botswana
Another offbeat take on a conventional safari is to venture out on a ‘mokoro trail’ in the Okavango Delta. On the Kanana Mokoro Trail, you’ll leave a remote safari camp with just a few mokoros (dug-out canoes), and poles for power. Your expert guides will then paddle you around the delta’s waterways, camping on islands (with the tents set up for you!) and observing the area’s prolific game at close-quarters.


Contact Chris McIntyre, managing director, Expert Africa for customized itineraries that will hit one or more of these places. Email info@expertafrica.com, call 1-800-242-2434 or visit www.expertafrica.com.