Makgadikgadi Pans based Jack's Camp best in Africa

WANETSHA MOSINYI
Staff Writer | Tuesday May 12, 2009 00:00

 

Jack's Camp,which is a subsidiary of Uncharted Africa Safari was also voted by other tourism operators as the Best Safari in Southern Africa, Best Safari Guiding Team, and retained the Best Ecological Safari Camp award it won last year. 'We're absolutely delighted we won all these awards,' Uncharted Africa MD Catherine Raphaely said in an interview on Saturday at the Chief Albert Lithuli International Convention.'We didn't expect it but being voted Best Safari In Africa, literary means we are the best in the world.'

'It was outstanding and more meaningful because we were voted by other tour operators,' Uncharted Africa Safari operates mobile safari expeditions and offers traditional and spacious tents.

Apart from Jack's Camp, the company also operates the more recent San Camp and Camp Kalahari which are the first permanent camps in the Makgadikgadi Pans.

Raphaely said Best Ecological Safari Award was so important to them because it recognises their efforts to keep sensitive areas like the Makgadikgadi Pans preserved.
'Sometimes we compromise on profits to preserve our ecology,' she said.  

Uncharted Africa Safari was founded in 1993 by Raphaely and Ralph Bousfield in memory of his legendary - some say infamous - father, Jack Bousfield. Bousfiled senior, who is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for the dubious achievement of hunting 53,000 crocodiles, survivor of seven plane crashes, gored by elephants and stung by African killer bees.

At last year's Indaba five Botswana based tourism related services providers which include Phakalane Golf Estate and, Department of Wildlife scooped several awards.The Botswana Tourism Board, which has a stall here is accoumpanied by 45 tourism service providers.

The Indaba, which started on Saturday and ending today is one of the largest tourism marketing events on the African calendar and one of the top three 'must visit' events of its kind on the global calendar.

It showcases the widest variety of Southern Africa's best tourism products, and attracts international visitors and media from across the world. Indaba is owned by South African Tourism and organised by Kagiso Exhibitions and Events.