Drumbeat Winter 18

Where will you travel this year? If Africa is on the list – and of course we hope it is – we have got plenty to tempt you. Alice has been to Malawi and proves yet again what a wonderful choice a safari is for a family holiday, Francis has unearthed some gems in Southern Tanzania, and Richard Preston, our finance director, has enjoyed a familymoon in the Seychelles. As I write, Jo has just returned from South Africa, Louisa from Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya, Lucinda from Zambia, and Francis is about to depart for Botswana. Too much to report on here but we’ll keep you abreast of all the latest news from these travels via the website. Elsewhere, a handful of outstanding new camp openings, along with some revamped favourites have caught our eye, our travel doctor feature illustrates the breadth of safaris we can organise, and we take a look at what to find where on a family safari. We’re also introducing a new ‘Aardvark Safaris recommends’ feature – you’ll find our first suggestion inside. If we can transport you to Africa and the Indian Ocean with some ideas for an exciting African adventure we’d be delighted to chat. Welcome to Aardvark Safaris’ Winter 2018 Newsletter www . aardvarksafaris.co.uk l P1 Richard Smith Southern Tanzania – superb wildlife viewing in glorious isolation P13-14 New look Botswana P5-6 Highlights: The Aardvark Safaris Travel Doctors P9-10 I’m often asked if I get to travel as a benefit of working for a travel company. As I’m involved in the finances rather than sales, I’m some way down the pecking order so the answer has always been ‘no’. REPORT BY RICHARD PRESTON Seychelles Familymoon On this occasion though I was getting married and I needed to impress my new wife and 18-month old daughter Sienna, with a fantastic familymoon. I was guided by Francis who recommended the Seychelles for the climate in June. We went for a two location, two week stay, using properties he had been to with his family. Our first stop, Constance Lemuria on Praslin, was selected for being toddler friendly with a very high level of service. It was the perfect place to unwind after travelling and didn’t disappoint. The variety and quality of food made meal times with a toddler very easy. The stand out for me was the friendly, attentive staff: from the beach bar waiter who entertained Sienna feeding the local birdlife whilst we ate lunch, to the plate of her favourite food, avocado, that would miraculously appear on the table as we sat down each day. They were small touches but still very impressive. Francis suggested stretching the budget for Denis Island for the second week. It had a very different feel, more coral desert island than the boulders and palm trees of Praslin. It was definitely the highlight; so tranquil, so beautiful and the food simply amazing. We felt like we had the island to ourselves which was just what we wanted for the second week of our familymoon. We’d heard many stories about the stresses of travelling long haul with a toddler. There were moments, but it was all much easier than we thought. We loved the Seychelles and have many unforgettable memories.