Dear Traveler,

The semi-arid dessert called the Karoo in South Africa is a place of beauty and splendor. It does not possess the post-card pretty scenery of the Cape neither has it the glitzy glamor of a city like Johannesburg. It instead offers something far more profound – endless serenity, peace and the type of rugged, untouched landscapes as God intended. And here, in the middle of nowhere you will find a very special place known as the Karoo Theatrical Hotel. Home to a wonderfully eccentric couple, the hotel offers cabaret and burlesque shows over week-ends and people flock from far and wide to see the owners Mark and Jacques in action on stage.

Also in this issue of Africa Travel, James Wilson takes us into the wonderful world of Albert Ndereki who first started working at Chobe Game Lodge in Botswana in 1971,when beers were a mere $0.04 cents each. Over the years Albert understood that the lodge had a responsibility to the environment and dreamed of changing how things were done. The lodge now actively works towards benefitting the environment and boosting the local Chobe community. Albert now oversees the ecotourism initiatives at Chobe Game Lodge, inviting guests to explore the lodge on an ecotour and discover what goes on behind the scenes.

We also look at the Hilton Worldwide Group who announced the expansion of Hilton Huanying (huān yίng) – a program that offers Chinese travelers a customized hospitality experience during their stay – to more than 110 Hilton Worldwide properties globally. As Chinese citizens make up the world's largest outbound travel market and are continually evolving in their needs, Hilton has updated the Huanying program amenities and service standards. These offerings meet the needs of the modern day Chinese traveler, while maintaining the comforts that harken back to home. With this expansion, Hilton Huanying – deriving its name from the Chinese word for 'welcome' – will now greet guests at participating hotels under brands including Hotels & Resorts, Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Conrad Hotels & Resorts and DoubleTree by Hilton in more than 30 countries and 65 cities popular among Chinese travelers.

And last but not least, we celebrate South Africa's oldest wine route, the Stellenbosch American Express® Wine Routes, which was voted the Best Promotional Body at the Wine Tourism Awards 2015 of the authoritative Drinks International magazine, one of the most trusted and respected global drinks journals, for the second consecutive year.

We hope you enjoy this issue of Africa Travel. See you in Africa soon!

Bon Voyage

Jo Kromberg,

Editor