Recommend December 2012 - (Page 43)

KENYA TOURIST BOARD Both photos: Kenya is home to Cottar’s 1920’s Safari Camp (opposite page). For years, the continent has offered ample opportunity for travelers seeking adventure, culture, and a brush with wildlife as well as foodies and architecture buffs. And 2012 was no different, with a trove of new lodges and itineraries popping up, additional countries welcoming tourists and a plentiful supply of travel agent tools and training for those unfamiliar with the destination or just looking to learn more. uber-luxe kenya In Kenya news, there were a number of new lodge openings in 2012 across the country’s vast, wildlife-rich plains. Included in these are the Impala Eco Lodge (impalaecolodge.com) on the shores of Lake Victoria, Segera Camp in Laikipia (segera.com), and Ekorian’s Mugie Camp (bush-and-beyond.com) in the Mugie Sanctuary near Mount Kenya. Other notable lodge openings included Mara Toto Camp, which set up in November on the forested bend of the Ntiakitiak River in Kenya’s famous Masai Mara Game Reserve. The camp is designed to cater to independent travelers and is perfectly situated for optimal game viewing with traversing rights of both Mara North Conservancy and the Masai Mara (greatplainsconservation.com). Last but not least, Richard Branson is in the process of building a Virgin Limited Edition property called Mahali Mzuri (mahalimzuri. virgin.com) on the Motorogi Conservancy in the Masai Mara, slated to open in early-2013. Mahali Mzuri, which means “beautiful place” in Swahili, will feature 12 tented suites and includes daily game drives within the Olare Orok and Motorogi Conservancies. And there are high hopes for Hemingways Nairobi (hemingways-nairobi.com), a luxury boutique hotel in the exclusive suburb of Karen, which opened on Nov. 17. Each of the hotel’s 45 spacious suites include valet service, plus access to the property’s wellness center, pool, gym, spa and dining room, whose head chef, Barry Tonks, is the only Michelin-starred chef in East Africa. The hotel, a member of the prestigious Small Luxury Hotels of the World, offers sweeping views of the lush valley before it and the Ngong Hills. Representatives from luxury tour operator Abercrombie & Kent (abercrombiekent.com) who visited the property this fall compared it to the exquisite Saxon Hotel in Johannesburg. Aside from new property openings, a few well-known existing lodges have received signiﬁcant refurbishments or additions. Governors’ Private Camp (governorscamp.com), for example, has recently updated its look with new soft furnishings in six tents and a new bar tent on the oxbow overlooking the Mara River. In addition, Cottar’s 1920s Safari Camp (cottars.com) has opened the exclusive Cottar’s Private House bordering the Masai Mara and with views of the Olderekesi Hills. The house was built by Kenyans with the use of indigenous and eco-friendly materials. With more than 9,000 sq. ft., it includes ﬁve en-suite bedrooms, a large living room, dining room and viewing deck. As owner Calvin Cottar says, “Cottar’s Private homestead represents the best of all of our experience over the last hundred years and meets traveler’s modern needs and safari expectations.” uganda & tanzania developments Due west in Uganda, the Uganda Wildlife Authority lowered gorilla permit prices to $350 (that’s $150 off the regular price of $500) for foreign non-residents last month and will do so again in April and May 2013. For your clients who’ve been yearning to track mountain gorillas (a must on many people’s bucket lists!), this is the ideal time to do so. The reduced permit price combined with the fact that Marasa Africa (one of the largest diversiﬁed private sector investors in Uganda) has just added Silverback Lodge (silverbacklodge.com) to its portfolio of quality tourism products in East Africa will make this an easy sell. Silverback is located in the Buhoma section of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, a UNESCO site and home to half of the world’s remaining population of mountain gorillas. Moving south to Tanzania, increased air access from the U.S. has played a signiﬁcant role in the steady stream of American december 2012 43 http://www.abercrombiekent.com http://www.governorscamp.com http://www.cottars.com http://www.impalaecolodge.com http://www.segera.com http://www.bush-and-beyond.com http://www.greatplainsconservation.com http://www.mahalimzuri.virgin.com http://www.hemingways-nairobi.com http://www.silverbacklodge.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recommend December 2012

Editor's Notes
Hotel Desk: Indie Boutique Hotels & Resorts
Tour Talk: Apple Vacations
16th Annual Recommend Readers' Choice Awards Winners
Cruising 2012
North American Splendor
Tantalizing Tallahassee
New Beginnings
Hard Rock Hotel Cancun
For Asia and the South Pacific, 2012 was a Vintage Year
Europe Always Astounds
Six 2012 Trends That are Here to Stay
Africa Rising
Checking-in to Latin America

Recommend December 2012