We received an overwhelmingly positive response from members with regards to our recent price increase for series 3 memberships. We would like to thank all members for showing such a remarkable and continued interest in spending your valued vacation time at our African and Indian lodges!

Please remember to book your safaris before your membership expiry date. Regrettably, we are unable to extend any memberships; so please ensure you travel before your membership expires. Please feel free to contact us if you are unsure when your membership is set to expire.

Warm Regards,
Brenda Lange,
Bateleur Club Reservations Manager

On a sad note, we announce that Bateleur Club Groups Consultant Angela Pretorius is leaving the CC African family! She has decided to become a stay-at-home mom, and spend more time with her family.

Angela has been part of CC Africa for over 5 years and has formed a very close bond with many of our Bateleur Club Members - who I'm confident will miss her dearly! Thank you again for everything Angela, we wish you well with your new task!

We wish a very warm welcome to Clare Costello who joined the Bateleur Club Reservations Team recently; she is full of energy and fun, and looks forward to assisting all our members and booking trips of a lifetime!

The Indian monsoon is well under way and the excellent rains promise a lush welcome back to our guests when we reopen our luxurious jungle lodges, Mahua Kothi and Baghvan on 1 October 2007. Set in the renowned wilderness of the state of Madhya Pradesh, in the heart of India, both lodges are looking forward to a successful second season! 

Banjaar Tola, Kanha National Park - Opening Soon!

Taj Safaris' third jungle safari lodge, scheduled to open 1 December 2007, will be situated along the banks of the Banjaar River, directly overlooking the heart of Kanha National Park. The luxurious, yet lightweight, ensuite tents have been designed in a contemporary style with pressed bamboo wall panels, gorgeous bamboo floors, and locally crafted timber furniture. The textiles have been designed in tones of delicate saffron and acid-washed green, with rich block-printed Madhya Pradesh cottons and silks.

• 2 elegant camps of 9 suites each
• Each camp with own intimate tented sitting area
• swimming pool
• Kanha is one of nine reserves in 'Project Tiger', launched to save the tiger
• home to the endangered hardground barasingha
• approximately 70 different tree species

Access to Banjaar Tola: Fly from Delhi to Jabalpur (Air Deccan) followed by a 4-5 hour chauffeured road transfer - OR - Fly from Mumbai to Nagpur (Kingfisher Airlines / Jet Airways) followed by a 5 hour chauffeured road transfer to the lodge.

Please note that all enquiries about our lodges in India will come through to the Bateleur Club in the interim, who will then forward it to our India Safaris & Tours Team in India to take care of. Please refer to the India bednight grid.

CC Africa and Africa Foundation Continue to Successfully Implement Community Empowerment Projects across the African Continent

CC Africa founded Africa Foundation in 1992 to help us better empower our communities through conservation. Operating as a not-for-profit, non-governmental organisation, Africa Foundation focuses primarily on generating income, education and health care. It is largely because of you, valued guests of CC Africa, that the Africa Foundation is able to implement all the successful community projects they initiate.

Read more about the recent developments that the Africa Foundation has carried out in the communities surrounding many of CC Africa's lodges and camps. Despite all that has been achieved since its inception, Africa Foundation's mission has only just begun. Ongoing support is needed to succeed in making a real difference to the lives of people in rural Africa, while simultaneously supporting land restoration and wildlife conservation.

A recent issue of Newsweek magazine (UK) features a special report on Luxury Travel, in which Michelle Jana Chan wrote an interesting article entitled "Capturing the Niche." The article aptly describes how "travelers are seeking focused, meaningful trips - and tour operators are happy to comply." CC Africa receives special mention for the fact that we "have been offering more than just vacations for over 10 years." "With more than 40 high-end camps and lodges across Africa and India, [CC Africa] is a leading operator in sustainable ecotourism, organizing tourists to take walking safaris in the bush and visit local schools and villages."

Ron Magill, a 47-year-old media director from the Miami zoo and a longtime champion of the company,
is just back from spotting tigers at Mahua Kothi Lodge in Madhya Pradesh, India. 'CC Africa is out there to save the environment. They believe if we give back to the local communities, those people will in turn look after the wildlife,' he says. 'That's the reason I choose them. They build their decks around trees; they don't cut down trees.' Don't discount the luxury, though, says Nicky Fitzgerald, marketing director
at CC Africa's Johannesburg headquarters. 'Of course, what attracts people to us in the first place is the bedrooms, the plunge pools, the 'best hotel in the world' by Condé Nast,' she says. "But then we stand out from the rest by our community work. Our guests can visit clinics and see rows of HIV-positive mothers. Often they return home with a new sense of commitment. "

Magill is currently raising money for a conservation project he witnessed on his India vacation:
'I'm getting ready to send $5,000 to a sloth-bear rehabilitation project that I saw when I was out there,' he says."

Condé Nast
CC Africa scores double GOLD again! Selected by readers themselves, Condé Nast Traveler's (US) 2007 Gold List pays tribute to CC Africa with Bateleur Camp at Kichwa Tembo, Ngala Private Game Reserve, Phinda Forest Lodge and Ngorongoro Crater Lodge all appearing in the world's best 700 hotels, resorts and cruise lines.

CC Africa is so proud to announce that both of our India lodges cracked the 2007 Hot List of the Year's 138 Top New Hotels and both Mahua Kothi and Baghvan were highlighted among India's top 5 hotels in May's edition of Condé Nast Traveler (US). Mahua Kothi has also been included in the Condé Nast Traveller (UK) 2007 Hot List of the "world's 65 cool new places to stay!"

Travel + Leisure
CC Africa is delighted to have been mentioned four times in the recent T+L 500 (the US Travel + Leisure's renowned Top 500 list) - this time for the World's Best Hotels. This is the definitive guide to the greatest hotels worldwide! Kichwa Tembo was named #1 in Kenya for its "tranquil location in one of Africa's most cinematic landscapes." Ngorongoro Crater Lodge was featured for its "architecture and design that nearly rival the extraordinary natural surroundings." Phinda Private Game Reserve's "unrivalled natural surroundings and seven distinct habitats" earned its nomination.

Tatler Travel Guide
Mnemba Island Lodge was listed as one of the world's 101 Best Hotels in the prestigious Tatler (UK) Travel Guide 2007.

Forbes Traveler
CC Africa has been included on ForbesTraveler.com's list of Exclusive Safari Companies!

Congratulations to all our Lodges! And to all our Guests for voting and caring so deeply about us and our commitment to caring for the land, the wildlife and the people!

We regret to inform our members that Bongani Mountain Lodge will no longer form part of CC Africa's lodge portfolio from 31 March 2008, when our current lease over the property expires.

We are unable at this stage to confirm who will be taking over the management and bookings for Bongani Mountain Lodge, but we will be sure to keep you updated as soon as we are notified.

We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience that this may cause you, so don't miss this last opportunity to visit this wonderful mountain lodge before March 2008.

• Kwandwe Private Game Reserve's plunge pools are now heated!
• Bateleur Camp at Kichwa has a brand new fleet of game drive vehicles.
• Due to the popularity and volume of enquiries for our Tanzania Lodges, Grumeti, Lake Manyara Tree Lodge, and Klein's Camp are now open from the 1st to the 15th of April and 16th to the 31st of May 2008. Book Now!
  
  

Self-Drive Tour:
4 days / 3 nights or 6 days/ 5 nights
Valid for travel until 31 August 2007

HIGHLIGHTS:

Day 01: Stellenbosch
On arrival at Cape Town International Airport you will be met by a CC Africa representative. The representative will hand over your travel documents and assist you with the collection of your rental vehicle.

Tucked away under centuries-old oak trees, Kleine Zalze offers luxurious accommodation, panoramic mountain & vineyards views and a world class golf course. Wine has been produced on this family-owned wine estate since 1695. Kleine Zalze Lodge is situated adjacent to the first fairway of the De Zalze Winelands Golf Estate, within walking distance of the clubhouse. The lodge enjoys panoramic views of the Stellenbosch Mountains in a variety of stylishly decorated units. The magnificent restaurant Terroir featuring French-Mediterranean cuisine blended with a local Cape twist, will be glad to serve you a memorable meal. Booking at the Terroir is essential.

Spend three nights at Kleine Zalze Lodge in a Superior Room. Accommodation is on a bed and breakfast basis and includes two rounds of golf at De Zalze Golf Course for two guests, a picnic for two guests and a wine tasting for two guests.

Alternatively spend five nights at Kleine Zalze Lodge in a Superior Room. Accommodation is on a bed and breakfast basis and includes two rounds of golf at De Zalze Golf Course for two guests, one round of golf at Erinvale Golf Course for two guests, one round of golf at Stellenbosch Golf Course for two guests, a picnic for two guests and a wine tasting for two guests.

Day 04/ 06: Depart
After a leisurely breakfast, you will check out of your hotel. Make your way back to the Cape Town International Airport where you will return your rental vehicle and proceed to check in for your onward flight.