Nomad Blog and News

Weak Exchange Rate = Your dream Holiday! While the fluctuating exchange rate might be a nightmare for anyone in South Africa, it certainly holds strong advantages for our International travellers hoping to see Africa for the first time; or that long promised returning visit. At this stage you can book Nomad Operated Tours at near 2008 prices. We did the maths! In 2008, the average EUR/ZAR Exchange rate was ZAR12.04 for 1 Euro. An accommodated… … Read More »

Weird and Wonderful #5 - Elephant Shrew Now have a look at these little fellows... These tiny mammals get their name from their snout, which at first glance, resembles the trunk of an elephant. The four species of giant elephant shrew prefer to live in forests, closed-canopy woodlands, and thickets, usually with a floor densely covered by leaf litter. The checkered elephant shrew is found in Central Africa; the golden-rumped elephant shrew is endemic to Kenya;… … Read More »

Weird and Wonderful # 4 - The Shoebill Stork This prehistoric, menacing looking bird is the Shoebill or Shoebill Stork. Although it has a somewhat stork-like overall form and has previously been classified in the order Ciconiiformes, their true affiliation with other living birds is ambiguous. [gallery ids="21909,21910,21911,21912,21913,21915,21906,21907"]   They can be found living in tropical east Africa, in large swamps from Sudan to Zambia. The adult is mainly grey while the juveniles are browner. The… … Read More »

The Mantled Guereza The mantled guereza (Colobus guereza), also known simply as the guereza, is a type of Old World monkey. It is native to much of west central and east Africa, including Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Chad. It has a distinctive appearance, which is is where it got its name; the long white fringes of hair that run along each side of its black trunk are known as a… … Read More »

The Okapi The Okapi (Okapia johnstoni), is a giraffid artiodactyl mammal native to the northeast of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Central Africa. Although the okapi bears striped markings reminiscent of zebras, it is most closely related to the giraffe. The okapi and the giraffe are the only living members of the family Giraffidae. The okapi stands about 1.5 m (4.9 ft) tall at the shoulder and has an average body length of… … Read More »

Grandpa Cecil  Great news came from Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe this week. Cecil the Lion lives on, even if it only is through his Grand-cubs who were spotted in the Park. They are estimated to be at least 4 months old and were birthed by one of Cecil's first daughters, Xanda. The cubs have not been named to prevent anthropomorphizing them. Photo by: Sam Mushandu/ Wilderness Safaris Lion cubs are born with brown rosettes (spots) on… … Read More »

Weird and Wonderful - #1 the Gerenuk Africa is probably best known for its wildlife and for good reason, the majestic and powerful Big 5; Lions, Elephants, Rhino's, these are the images that flash through your mind as you think of the wildlife grazing and stalking the wide open plains of Africa. However, there are thousands of other creatures that sometimes slip through the cracks and are not as well-known or widely publicized as the… … Read More »

Botswana - Lonely Planet #1 Travel Destination 2016 Botswana has been announced as the Lonely Planet no1. Travel Destination 2016, closely followed by Japan and the USA. Botswana is a landlocked country in Southern Africa, has a landscape defined by the Kalahari Desert and the Okavango Delta, which becomes a lush animal habitat during seasonal floods. Luxury safari camps are common, and in the Delta’s, dug-out canoes (mekoro) are used to navigate past birdlife, hippos… … Read More »

2016 Brochure Launch We officially launched our 2016 Brochure last night, 22 October 2015, and it was a massive success! We'd like to thank everyone who attended as well as our whole team who made this evening possible. We are looking forward to 2016, many more tours and memories in Africa! If you'd like to order your brochure, simply fill out the form below and we'll get it to you.   [gallery ids="21246,21247,21248,21255,21256,21257,21258,21259,21260"] [gravityform id="6"… … Read More »

A very special Nomad, Faye. Working for Nomad Adventure Tours you get to meet a lot of interesting people, they come from different countries, cultures and backgrounds but every now and then someone who stands out from the crowd comes along. Faye Anderson has travelled with us many, many times and with her 10th tour coming up we wanted to share some of her stories and photos taken over the years. Faye holds a very… … Read More »