Category: News

The very best innovations and inventions that are working towards the regeneration of our ecosystems and saving lives were placed front and centre at The Earthshot Prize 2024! Here’s what to know about this prestigious event.

What is The Earthshot Prize and How Does it Work?

It’s no secret that our world is in dire straits on the environmental front, with climate change not only impacting our natural world but also negatively affecting many people and communities.

In an effort to encourage solutions, The Earthshot Prize was created. Launched by Prince William in 2020, The Earthshot Prize travels around the globe in search of innovations that will help us repair and regenerate our planet in the next decade.

After 5,342 nominations and 60 finalists, the very best five solutions of the year will each receive a £1 million reward to scale their work and make an even bigger impact.

There are five categories – or Earthshots – that were developed with leading environmental experts as goals to aim for before irreversible damage happens.

What are the Five Earthshots for 2030?

Protect and Restore Nature

The Protect and Restore Nature category aims to rehabilitate and preserve the habitats that wildlife need to live – from rainforests and grasslands, to wetlands, lakes, and rivers. One of the finalists in this category is Nature Metrics, a company that improves biodiversity monitoring and nature impact reporting.

Clean Our Air

So many people around the world are breathing in toxic air on a daily basis, negatively impacting their health. In fact, according to the UN Environment Programme, air pollution is the greatest environmental threat to public health and accounts for eight million premature deaths annually.

To combat this and help more people breathe clean air, The Earthshot Prize has recognised GAYO, one of the finalists in the Clean Our Air category, for their work in providing solutions to environmental issues through youth empowerment and skills development.

Revive Our Oceans

Coral reefs are vanishing, and many species that call the ocean home are disappearing. Meeting the challenge of the dwindling health of our oceans needs to be a top priority! Many organisations are working hard to offset the damages brought by warmer temperatures, pollution, and harmful fishing practices.

One organisation that’s been recognised by The Earthshot Prize in the Revive Our Oceans category is MiAlgae, a biotechnology company producing omega-3-rich microalgae grown using by-products from whisky distillation.

Build a Waste-Free World

From single-use plastics to food waste, many societies’ throw-away lifestyles are damaging our planet. The need for solutions to this is great!

Thankfully, organisations are rising to the challenge, such as Green Spot Technologies, nominated in the Build a Waste-Free World category. Their product, Ferment’Up, uses the process of fermentation to change commercial food waste into nutritious alternative ingredients.

Fix Our Climate

Cutting out carbon and reducing greenhouse gases is an essential part of saving our planet from future environmental disasters.

In the Fix Our Climate category of The Earthshot Prize, pioneering organisations making an impact on climate change have been nominated, including Build Up Nepal.

Providing a sustainable, resilient, and low-carbon alternative to traditional clay-fired bricks, Build Up Nepal is helping people build eco-friendly, earthquake-resilient homes.

How Can You Watch The Earthshot Prize 2024?

The Earthshot Prize 2024 award ceremony was held in Cape Town, South Africa, at The Earthshot Prize Dome, a purpose-built venue beside Cape Town Stadium, on the 6th of November.

Hosted by singer and actor, Billy Porter, and media personality, Bonang Matheba, the event included performances by Davido, Diamond Platnumz, and the Ndlovu Youth Choir. High-profile guests such as Heidi Klum and Nina Dobrev presented awards to the winners.

You can watch the event on The Earthshot Prize YouTube channel.

Cape Town has won the bid to host the WordPride event in 2028! The Mother City will make history as the first African city to host this event, marking a pivotal milestone in the history of the continent.

A delegation consisting of LGBTQ+ advocates and a Cape Town city councillor travelled to Medellín, Colombia, in October 2024 to successfully state the city’s case at InterPride’s General Meeting.

So, what is this event, and what can you expect from it in 2028?

What is WorldPride?

WorldPride is an international flagship Pride event that occurs annually in a different city each year and celebrates LGBTQ+ pride and shines a spotlight on human rights.

InterPride owns this event and was the organisation that awarded Cape Town the licence to host WorldPride. Hundreds of pride organisations from around the globe are partnered with InterPride and are involved in this event. The values that are embedded in InterPride include trust, respect, accountability, diversity, multiculturalism, kindness, and bravery.

What Can We Expect from WorldPride 2028?

Cape Town is already gearing up for the event with the introduction of the new non-profit, the Queer Initiative for Africa. This organisation was set up to oversee the planning and execution of WorldPrice 2028 to ensure transparency and efficiency.

Queer Initiative for Africa will work closely with local LGBTQ+ organisations, Cape Town Pride, InterPride members, and other stakeholders to create a memorable, impactful event.

The 17-day-long, 471 event-strong Sydney WordPride saw art events, sport tournaments, and a Mardi Gras festival. Over one million people attended the event from all over the world. A human rights conference was also held to discuss the journey towards equality for all.

Of the upcoming event, Cape Town Tourism’s CEO, Enver Duminy, said: “Our city embodies the spirit of diversity, inclusivity, and the belief that love transcends all boundaries. This event is more than a celebration; it is a statement of solidarity and inclusion for LGBTQ+ individuals across Africa and the globe. We look forward to sharing Cape Town’s beauty, hospitality, and warm embrace with the world.”

Start planning your Cape Town holiday now to attend the event so you don’t miss out!

Discover Africa has won the 2024 World Luxury Travel Awards as Southern Africa’s Top Safari Company! This sees us win our third award in three years in the esteemed World Luxury Travel Awards.

What are the World Luxury Travel Awards?

Established in 2020, the World Luxury Travel Awards go around the globe in search of the best of the best in the travel industry. Guests, travellers, and industry players vote for the experiences and establishments that have won them over and left a lasting impression. Annually, over 100,000 international travellers select winners for the awards over a three-week period.

There are a number of travel categories, based on location and experience, in which companies can stand out. Winning a World Luxury Travel Award not only inspires the confidence of travellers but also motivates all within the travel and tourism industry to go above and beyond, contributing to a robust sector.

Discover Africa: 2024 World Luxury Travel Award Winner

We are so pleased to announce that Discover Africa is the regional winner in the Southern Africa Safari category for 2024!

The safari tours we plan and facilitate across Southern Africa stood out for a number of reasons, including:

HerdTracker

Our Africa Migration Tracking platform, HerdTracker, provides live updates from rangers and guides in safari destinations about the wildebeest migration across Kenya and Tanzania.

This allows us to secure last-minute accommodations and experiences for travellers who want to witness the exodus firsthand and have the best migration safari possible.

High-Quality Accommodations and Experiences

We pride ourselves on creating bespoke experiences for our clients, so all our safari tours are quality-assured, lodges and accommodations are vetted, and safari partners are evaluated using our six-point safari rating system.

When you choose Discover Africa, you know you’re booking a safari that ticks all the boxes, including wildlife, location, value, sustainability and ethics, setting, and overall experience.

Knowledgeable Team

A huge reason why Discover Africa is able to provide travellers with unique and awe-inspiring safaris is because of our team. Our African Concierge Experts have travelled extensively throughout the destinations we work in. As such, they’re able to curate trips based on first-hand knowledge and their own experiences in the countries.

The team also seamlessly weaves in clients’ own unique requirements and needs to ensure that their African safari adventure is everything they want it to be.

Find out more about why you should book with us.

We are ecstatic to be recognised once again as a provider of some of the best safaris in Africa!

Contact us today to start planning your dream African safari!

Shared emotions

Relais & Châteaux’ annual meeting was held in Turin from 4 to 6 November. It brought together more than 500 Owners, Maîtres de Maison, and Grand Chefs, from almost 60 countries, to discuss the important issue of ‘Shared Emotions’.

Above: Relais & Chateaux New Members. Photo by Daniele Ratti

After Lisbon in Portugal in 2011, Jaume Tàpies, Chairman of the Board of Relais & Châteaux, invited the men and women who are the ‘backbone’ of the Association to Turin, from 4 to 6 November.

This reunion provided the opportunity to take stock of what has been a particularly busy year: the entry into the Guide of 36 properties, 12 new Grands Chefs and 5 new destinations with the creation of new Routes to Bonheur, gastronomy that is celebrated more than ever before (Dîner des Grand Chefs au Gotham Hall à New York, Lunch on the Lawn, pop-up restaurant at the 26th Biennale des Antiquaires), a new-look guide which brings the paper and online versions closer together, the creation of new Lys offers. What unites all this is a desire to share excellence and emotions. And that is what happened at this 38th congress.

All the ingredients were there to ensure that the theme, ‘Shared Emotions’, elicited heart-felt and in-depth discussions and the sharing of experiences: a plunge into the heart of the culture and gastronomy of Italy with, as its culmination, a gala dinner given at the Venaria Reale with 15 Italian chefs, Fine Dining by Relais & Châteaux with contributions by Grands Chefs Thomas Keller (New York City), Andrew Fairlie (Scotland) and Jacques Chibois (Grasse), a meeting with Salvatore Ferragamo, Owner of Il Borro and 2013 Ambassador, the experience of a company director of what is a jewel in France’s luxury crown in the person of Yves Carcelle, CEO of Louis Vuitton, the passionate enthusiasm of Angelo Gaja, one of Tuscany’s most famous winegrowers, the vision of the world’s top economic authority, Christine Lagarde, former French Economy Minister and now Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund.

This wealth of experience, these discussions and these moments of exchange gave food for thought and inspiration to the 500 members of Relais & Châteaux who had come from all around the world. And the promise that our guests will share with us, in 2013, original and intense new experiences.

<!–Discover Africa’s South African Relais & Chateaux accommodation options:Ellerman HouseThe Marine HermanusTsala Treetop LodgeThe PlettenbergKurlandCamp JabulaniSingita Ebony LodgeSingita Boulders LodgeSingita Sweni Lodge–>

Africa is the second most populated continent but its air traffic only accounts for 3% of the global total. That doesn’t mean the Dark Continent is lacking its share of weird and wonderful airliners. In this post, guest contributor, Russell Jarvis breaks down a few of the African airline invalids as well as the movers and shakers.

Afriqiyah Airways

It’s onwards and upwards for the national carrier of Libya which used to have 9.9.99 arranged in a square formation as its logo. The numbers stood for the date the African Union was founded, but since Gaddafi’s fall, it’s thankfully rebranded. The name “Afriqiyah” comes from the Arabic word for African.

Air Austral

Reunion’s flag carrier doesn’t even fly to Australia… or Austria for that matter. Air Austral takes its name from the French/Latin word for “Southern”. Why you ask? Well Reunion is in the Southern Hemisphere and it’s an “overseas department” of Northern Hemisphere located France.

Air Bourbon

Founded in Reunion in 2002 and ceased operations in 2004, Air Bourbon’s existence was short lived but that’s not to say the pilots were too busy sipping on the fine whiskey that bears the same name as their airline. Financial problems forced Air Bourbon to liquidate and their sole aircraft (an A340-200) was re-commissioned to fly under a new name – Air Comores International. Sadly, this venture never came to fruition.

Bellview Airlines

Sounds more like a dodgy neighbourhood than a credible carrier but Bellview Airlines was the name of a Nigeria based carrier that started as a Lagos travel agency in 1992. It had a pretty good run even flying to London and Johannesburg but it’s since gone bust (1999).

Benin Golf Air

The now defunct Benin Golf Air never did transport avid golfers to dream courses around the globe. Rather it took its name from the Gulf of Guinea – the region in which it operates in West Africa (“Golfe” is French for gulf). Even when it was operational it was on the blacklist of carriers banned from operating in EU airspace.

fastjet

It might be unknown to you for now but that’s about to change as fastjet (yes it’s with a small ‘f’) is set to launch in South Africa in the very near future with nonstop flights between Johannesburg and its base; Dar es Salaam.

Fly540

Taking its name from the low-priced Sh5, 540 flight deals it launched with, Nairobi based Fly540 boasts a current fleet size of 16 aircraft. The airline was sold in 2012 to form the basis of the new Pan-African airline fastjet, and its services are expected to be migrated to fastjet.

Gambia Bird

Oddly enough, Gambia Bird is a German owned carrier functioning from its hub at Banjul International Airport in Kanifing, The Gambia since 2012. Their fleet of two aircraft is leased from FlyNext and they operate scheduled flights in West Africa as well as flights to London and Barcelona.

Jubba Airways

I won’t blame you if by now you’re thinking “Huh?!?” but I can promise you the curiously named Jubba Airways is real. It was founded in 1998 by Canadian based Somali entrepreneurs and it’s still going strong with its fleet of four aircraft and ten destinations.

Marsland Aviation

The Sudanese carrier with the celestial sounding name doesn’t offer intergalactic flights like Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin. Their fleet of four planes offer scheduled flights in Sudan as well as East Africa (Nairobi).

Starbow Airlines

If you were thinking they also sell cider, flour or pilchards you’d be wrong. But don’t be down on yourself; after all, their name does seem fitting of some random consumable. Starbow is a Ghanaian airline flying from their hub in Accra to domestic destinations in Ghana. They won’t be launching in South Africa anytime soon but they are looking at branching out to more destinations in West Africa.

TAAG Angola Airlines

Portuguese carriers are no stranger to shortening their long names to more functional acronyms and TAAG Angola (commonly referred to as “TAG”) is no different to the likes of TAP Portugal and LAM Mozambique. Based in Luanda, the airline operates domestic services within Angola, as well as medium-haul services in Africa and long-haul services to Brazil, Cuba, China and Portugal.

Some of these airlines cease to exist which is why they are African airlines that you’ve probably never heard of. Fortunately a handful of them have gone on to succeed and take on new heights, so consider them the next time you plan a trip into Africa.

About the author:
Russell has lived all across South Africa, but chose the Mother City as his home. He is passionate about Cape Town and enjoys sharing all that the captivating city has to offer. Russell also enjoys writing which is why deciding to work at Travelstart as a content strategist was the perfect match.

Listen to Rula's review of Saruni Rhino and being the first ever guest to stay and take part in black rhino tracking on foot. 

 

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The Great Wildebeest Migration is undoubtedly one of nature’s most spectacular events, encompassing the trials and tribulations of millions of wildebeest and other migratory animals on their quest for lush, green grass and fresh water. It’s the ultimate journey of life and death – so why would you want to miss it?

Going on a migration safari can be costly, and naturally, you want to make sure that you get full value for your money – and that’s where HerdTracker comes in.

HerdTracker is a Google map giving you accurate, weekly updates of where the wildebeest herds are at this present time. We receive our updates from pilots who fly over the Serengeti and Masai Mara, safari guides, Tanzania National Parks Authority rangers and lodges.

The HerdTracker map giving you the precise location of the wildebeest herds.

Created by Discover Africa, HerdTracker is the ultimate prediction tool to help you see the wildebeest herds live.

It hasn’t taken long for HerdTracker to be noticed. British news organisations such as The Daily Mail and The Telegraph have both featured HerdTracker in their online publications.

You can also follow HerdTracker on X Social Platform (Formerly Twitter) – spearheaded by Conrad, world’s first tweeting wildebeest. Conrad will give you weekly updates of where you can find him and the wildebeest herds as he shares life experiences during the great wildebeest migration

Follow Conrad the tweeting wildebeest daily by using the Twitter handle @HerdTracker

You can also find a migration map with monthly predictions by our East Africa expert Carel Verhoef – who used previous years’ migratory patterns and real-time updates received from pilots, rangers and safari guides in the Serengeti to estimate where the wildebeest herds will be in the future.

The Migration Map with monthly predictions courtesy of our East Africa expert Carel Verhoef

If you’re interested in seeing the wildebeest herds during the great migration, then HerdTracker is the perfect tool for you. There’s no reason why you should miss it!