Dear Travel Partners
Reflecting on 2023 reveals many insights and offers our travel industry the perfect window to assess the challenges faced and consider aspirations for what lies ahead. The world is inspired by sustainable endeavours and purpose-driven initiatives. At the heart of this, it’s warming to know that travel plays an important role in ensuring that communities and environments are nurtured.
This is a time for fewer updates, announcements, flyers, or brochures; and to simply immerse ourselves in warmth, joy, and peace from our crew to yours! In light of, this we share with you our latest accolades, milestones and achievements to celebrate.
And so, as the year draws to a close, we wish to express our warm appreciation for your loyalty and valued support and extend our very best holiday wishes to you and your loved ones.
Enjoy this magical season, and we’ll see you in 2024!
Yours in Travel
The Extraordinary Team
Angels View Graskop scoops a KLCBT Annual Award
Angels View were thrilled to announce the winners of the KLCBT/PricewaterhouseCoopers Emerging Entrepreneur Award 2023 at this year’s Annual Awards Dinner. This prestigious award focuses on newly established businesses, recognising unique business enterprises that focus on innovation and job creation.
Owners Dr Reuel and Ms Mumsy Khoza were present to collect the award personally.
“It is a great honour to be recognised by the Lowveld Business community,” commented Dr Khoza who is a well-known author and director of several prominent companies.”
The Kruger Lowveld Chamber of Business and Tourism is the leading voice of organized Business and Tourism in the Lowveld, which not only supports the business and tourism sector through a range of services but has, through a number of strategic relationships, positioned itself to ensure that it achieves its vision of developing and promoting the Kruger Lowveld region of Mpumalanga as the primary tourism and investment destination in the Province.
The KLCBT’s Annual Awards Banquet is the Kruger Lowveld’s most prestigious business function of the year and is the only platform in the Kruger Lowveld which specifically honours outstanding accomplishments in business and tourism operations as well as business and tourism leadership in this region.
What a Leopard Sighting on Mabula
Lately, we have been spoilt with leopard sightings on the reserve. There are currently two leopard hotspots on the reserve, if we spend enough time, we eventually get great sightings of leopards, these areas are Mokaikai West and Modjadji North. It is one thing seeing a male or female leopard, but finding a den with two cubs and a mother is really an experience not to miss, an opportunity like this does not come around very often. Seeing leopard cubs in the wild is something else and magical. Especially finding them in the den where they were born.
Although the morning we set out to explore the southwestern reaches of the reserve looking for a known male operating in the area, we had no guarantee that we would see or find them. However, we were rewarded big time with a mother and two cubs sitting right on top of a rock. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw these two tiny leopards looking at us surprisingly. What made it even more special is how relaxed they were at seeing a vehicle for the first time. They were so relaxed that they started playing together totally ignoring us being there. For our guests, it was an entertaining moment that was going to last for a very long time. Since then, this female and her cubs have been producing amazing sightings for our guests. We had another beautiful sighting of them in the Modjadji area close to Nyathi dam. It was only the cubs which looked like their mother had left them alone so she could go hunting. Finding them by themselves, they carried on playing with each other making it even more difficult to get good, clear pictures of them.
Playtime is very important for young leopards and starts at a very early age in their lives. Playtime consists of stalking, pouncing, biting, or tugging on mom’s tail. Siblings will often play together, as well as start exploring away from the den when mom is out hunting. Play is a very important activity in a cub’s life because it teaches them the necessary skills they would need to survive later when they have to face life on their own without their mother.
Our guests were very fortunate to have such a beautiful sighting.
Exciting New Look at Victoria Falls Safari Lodge
African Albida Tourism were thrilled to announce the refurbishment exercise at Victoria Falls Safari Lodge is now complete, and to share with you a selection of stunning photographs showcasing the lodge’s brand-new look!
Months of meticulous planning and dedicated efforts by our Operations Manager Andy Conn and the various teams involved in the project have culminated in a truly remarkable enhancement of Victoria Falls Safari Lodge, offering an even more extraordinary experience for our valued guests.
In the refurbishment exercise, which covered our rooms and central areas, we worked with local suppliers and artisans, some of whom work with recyclable materials, and reintroduced the strong and vibrant colours for which the lodge has always been known, and which convey the warmth of Zimbabwean hospitality.
Imbali Safari Lodge Shines with Dual Win at 17th Annual World Luxury Hotel Awards
The World Luxury Hotel Awards, a globally recognised benchmark of excellence in the luxury hospitality industry, recently concluded its 17th Annual Awards ceremony. We are thrilled to announce that Imbali Safari Lodge received top honours in not one, but two prestigious categories: Luxury Eco Safari Lodge (Global) and Luxury Safari Lodge (Global).
Imbali Safari Lodge is part of the Extraordinary portfolio – a collection of luxury lodges and hotels in Southern Africa. Kate Davidson, Head of Sales and Marketing for Extraordinary says, “The World Luxury Hotel Awards are known for rigorous evaluation criteria, and these awards are a significant testament to the lodge’s commitment to offering an exceptional and eco-conscious safari experience for guests.”
Situated within the pristine private Mluwati Concession in the heart of the Kruger National Park, Imbali Safari Lodge combines the magic of a bygone era with contemporary luxury and a strong African design narrative. What sets Imbali Safari Lodge apart is its dedication to eco-friendly practices and commitment to the preservation and conservation of the environment and wildlife.
Imbali’s management team and staff diligently uphold the best environmental practices, including strict water management, innovative greywater initiatives, plastic monitoring, and comprehensive educational programmes for both staff and guests. The lodge has maintained its eco-friendly ethos and remains at the forefront of regional sustainability efforts.
Ursula Montgomery, Resident Manager of Imbali Safari Lodge says, “We are incredibly honoured to be recognised with not one, but two global awards from the World Luxury Hotel Awards. Our team at Imbali is dedicated to delivering a one-of-a-kind experience to our guests, and these awards only inspire us to continue raising the bar even higher. A special thank you to the organisers of the awards and everyone who voted for us, and of course to our staff who make it all possible.”
Angels View Wins Three Prestigious World Luxury Hotel Awards
Angels View, a world-class luxury hotel located just 5km from the picturesque village of Graskop in Mpumalanga, has won three coveted accolades at the 2023 World Luxury Hotel Awards: Luxury Scenic View Hotel (Continental category), Luxury Country Hotel (Regional category) and Luxury Conference & Event Hotel (Country category). These awards recognise the hotel’s excellence in providing an exceptional experience to a diverse range of travellers, and the proprietors, Mumsy and Reuel Khoza, couldn’t be prouder.
“We are ecstatic! Dreams, particularly dreams we dream awake, do come true, because they morph into compelling visions,” says Reuel Khoza. “Sequent to co-investing in one of South Africa’s leading hotel groups for several decades, we thought it was time we invested in one iconic one of our own. The late Dr Robbie Nel of Hazyview introduced us to the breathtaking view some eight years ago. The rest is history. Our imagination of what is now Angels View was aided by the creativity of architect Gerhard Jooste from Nelspruit. The vision is now reality.”
Reuel and Mumsy are quick to point out that even the biggest dreams need many hands and a collaborative effort – and they acknowledge Extraordinary, for having done an excellent job of putting Angels View on the map.
The Angels View story has deep roots, closely linked to the lives of the owners. Mumsy and Reuel were both born in Mpumalanga and are thrilled to be giving back to the province after many hard years spent in the corporate world in Gauteng.
Mumsy points out that visitors are always blown away by the combination of incredible natural attractions, wildlife, and first-class hospitality in the region. She says, “The allure of the Panorama Route boasting God’s Window, The Three Rondavels, The Potholes, Mac Mac Falls, are irresistible for our guests. We are delighted that we have invested in this part of the world so that God’s own artistic work is showcased against the backdrop of our warmth, luxury and hospitality.”
Brand New Decks at Clifftop Exclusive Safari Hideaway
The Clifftop team have been hard at work enhancing the safari deck spaces to optimise that legendary view. The project was completed recently, and we are delighted with the fabulous new look created by treating sustainably grown softwood in a process incorporating thermos heat and cell pressure impregnation using non-toxic compounds. The good news is that no natural hardwood forests are used in the production of this long-lasting decking, and it looks gorgeous.
Kingfisher Villa’s Jolly Christmas Stuffing
Ingredients
- 2kg pork sausage mince
- ½ cup raw Tastic rice
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 apple cubed
- 1 garlic clove crushed
- Pinch dried sage
- Pinch salt & pepper
- 1tbsp Mrs balls chutney
- 2 eggs
- 1tsp Worcestershire sauce
Method
- Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl
- Take tinfoil and butter it.
- Shape the stuffing into the size of a sausage.
- Let it stay in the fridge for two hours
- Bake in oven at 180°C for 40 min.
- Take off foil, slice and serve with turkey, chicken or gammon
