NEW Nomad blogs

Read all the news from the bush via Nomad's new blogs:

Chada Katavi

Greystoke Mahale

Kiba Point

Serengeti Migration Update

The migration is scattered, many herds still seen around Moru, but many on their way down to Ndutu, in the Naabi Hill and some have gone across to the Gol Kopjes.

Rains in Ndutu and surrounds have meant lots of green grass and good grazing.

Cats are everywhere: Chediel and his clients saw a spectacular cheetah kill, mother feeding her cubs. Sylvanus watched a leopard and older cubs take down a young zebra. Everyone is in the Christmas holiday spirit and enjoying their safari – Happy Christmas to all from Nomad Tanzania

Nomad Tanzania - policy on travel disruption caused by weather problems in Europe (December 2010)

All of us at Nomad are looking on with great concern at the difficulties some of your clients are currently experiencing with their travel from or through Europe. 

We place great importance on the quality & reliability of our ground handling service and we are doing all we can to assist at the Tanzania end by maintaining maximum flexibility over what is already a very busy period.

By way of broad guidance and notwithstanding the comprehensive assistance we automatically provide in response to more minor delays & travel complications, please consider our stance on the below scenarios.

If your clients flight to Tanzania is cancelled or delayed by more than 2 days:

      A.     Nomad will help to reschedule your clients existing travel plans within Tanzania as satisfactorily as possible within current availability. If additional costs are incurred, Nomad will pass these on at its lowest wholesale rate.

B.     Alternatively your clients can postpone their entire trip and reschedule for travel any time before 30 June 2011, subject to availability. Nomad will make all arrangements, charging ONLY unrecoverable Government fees and/or 3^rd party cancellation costs. 

If your clients return home from Tanzania is delayed:

      A.     Nomad will make any arrangements necessary for your clients EITHER to stay close by the airport in the best available accommodation of their choice OR (subject to availability) to continue ‘on holiday’ until the first available flight home - passing on Nomads lowest wholesale rates on any arrangements made on your behalf, with no handling charge

.

We regret that once travel plans have been booked & confirmed within our normal terms & conditions, we cannot postpone or refund any element of the cost until or unless your actual plans are disrupted as above.

Please contact your sales consultant for any clarification or Lizzie Farren Titley on lizzie@nomad.co.tz

We much look forward to welcoming your clients to Tanzania, where the only snow they’ll see is on the summit of Kilimanjaro - well out of trouble for most people!

All of us at Nomad Tanzania - December 2010

Seacliff's new Zanzibar resort

The Seacliff Hotel has just opened it's new Seacliff Resort and Spa on Zanzibar.

Located on the west coast of the island in Mangwapani, the resort has 120 rooms, with 96 rooms offering panoramic ocean views and private balconies. They also have a fully equipped gym, tennis courts, volleyball courts, squash courts, and bicycles as well as Spa facility offering a selection of treatments.

More information at www.seacliffzanzibar.com or via reservations@seacliffzanzibar.com

Precision Air suspends flights to Arusha Airport

Suspension of Operations to Arusha Airport

Precision Air has suspended operations to and from Arusha Airport due to the shortening of the available runway to 1200 meters.

This follows a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) ref B0112/10 dated issued 8th December 2010 by the Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority (TCAA) and received by us 11th December 2010.

The NOTAM takes effect from 15th December 2010 and remains until further advised by TCAA.
In the meantime all our airport operations have shifted to Kilimanjaro International Airport until further notice.

Nomad Trust Update

MORE NEWS...Nigel Palmer has managed to get a 5th laptop for the Trust - well done and thank you so much!!!!!!

Nomad Trust News: Guest Nigel Palmer is donating 4 laptop computers to the Nomad Trust, for use in our Loliondo schools project. Ian Parsons, a Nomad guests who stayed at Mahale, visited Katumbi school during his visit. He wants to sponsor a teacher there, two secondary students and assist one of the pupils through university. We thank these two generous chaps very very much for their support!!!

Christmas / New Year space in Nomad camps

We have the following space in our Nomad camps - please contact your sales rep, or info@nomad.co.tz for more information.

Serengeti Safari Camp - 24 & 25 Dec (1 tent)

Nduara Loliondo - 30 Dec to 1 Jan (2 tents)

Sand Rivers Selous - 23 -29 Dec (1 tent)

Chada Katavi - 30 Dec onwards

Green Katavi - by Philip Pendaeli, Guide - Chada Katavi

Visit our guide blogs - Chada Katavi and Greystoke Mahale 
Weekly updates from Matt Rogan, our camp manager at Kiba Point 

Katavi National Park has been getting drier and drier, just what we wanted to make sure the action in the shrinking hippo pools was good.  This lack of water was causing serious fighting between big male hippos, sometimes resulting in fights to the death.  This is not easy for some people to see, but it is life and death in the bush and it is happening even if people don’t want to watch it. 

Many of our game drives and walks led us to the pools of mud, where even the crocodiles were all forced to move into caves because the hippos were taking all the space.  Then when we were all starting to feel bad for the animals because they were really struggling from lack of clean water, the rains came.

Elephants were trumpeting just from being happy, at least according to some of our guests, and I was tempted to believe them.  They didn’t have to dig with their forefeet and tusks any more to find clean water in the riverbanks.

Hippos and crocodiles returned to the river that is starting to fill with water and will be flowing again soon.  Even some species of terrapins (like turtles) appeared like magic from where they were cased in dried mud for almost six months.  Now we see them walking on the tracks and we try very hard not to drive over them.

Even though dry season is our most popular and busy time at Chada Katavi, somehow I think it is a blessing to look at how green and beautiful the park has become.  And not many people complain about a cloud covering up the hot sun in Katavi occasionally.

Migration Update

Nomad guides are reporting seeing the migration stretched between Naabi, Moru and down to Ndutu. There has been some rain so the whole area has greened up nicely, especially around Ndutu where there has been quite a bit of rain.  Lions are definitely on the viewing menu, as well as elephants and some great bird sightings.

Kwihala Camp - special offer

Kwihala Tented Camp in Ruaha, has a special introductory low season offer of 4 nights for the price of 3.

Offer valid between the following dates:

1st November - 20th December 2010 inclusive
16th February - 24th March 2011 inclusive

Please contact info@adventurecampstz.com for more details on the offer.

Fundu Lagoon - New Offers

New offers from Fundu Lagoon:

From 15th June 2010 to 14th April 2011

- all Standard Hillside room bookings of 5 nights or more - stay 7 nights, pay for 5, certain dates not applicable.

From 15th June 2011 to 14th April 2012

- All bookings of 6 nights or more (in all room types) only pay for 5 nights, certain dates not applicable.

From 15th June 2011 to 14th April 2012

- Special Honeymoon Package - 20% discount for the bride, private beach dinner, his and hers massage, bottle of champagnoise in the room on arrival


Please contact reservations@fundulagoon.com for more info on the specifics of the offers. 

Asilia - Rekero Camp

Asilia have some new offers for Kenya and Tanzania to mark the start of their management of sales and marketing of Rekero Camp. They are launching their new product, as well as Naboisho Camp, with some great 'Early Bird' offers. Please contact gordie@asiliaafrica.com for more info.

Airstrip closures

Kleins airstrip in northern Loliondo remains closed for the foreseeable future. Ikuu airstrip, the airstrip nearest to Chada Katavi, also remains closed and we are using the Sitalike airstrip until further notice.