We are pleased to announce that Absolute Travel’s Africa specialist, Daniela Bonanno, is back from maternity leave! The adorable Vesper Rosalia Romer-Lee was born on June 19, 2009. From her base in Cape Town, Daniela has kept her finger on the pulse; here are just a few noteworthy developments that Africa-bound travelers should keep in mind as they consider a trip.

• The World Cup will be held in South Africa in June and July 2010. Whether or not you are interested in soccer, keep in mind that hotel and lodge accommodations will be extremely tight during that time! Absolute Travel is still able to secure lodging at the more exclusive properties in those months but anyone planning to visit South Africa next summer should start planning now and expect strict minimum stay requirements.

• One of our favorite new tours in Cape Town is a day with “afro-gastronaut” chef Bruce Robertson. Foodies will love Bruce’s enthusiasm for his country’s cuisine and the options for a day of private touring with him are endless – learn about Cape Malay cooking, visit the wine country, find out about township culinary traditions and more!

• Daniela is enthusiastic about riding safaris in Kenya – guests travel by horseback during the day and retire to luxury mobile camps at night. Mobile safaris on horseback allow guests to travel further than walking safaris, seeing more of the landscape during their visit.

Please contact Daniela to plan a trip to Africa or to find out more about any of the above points. Please note that Daniela’s new Cape Town office address is as follows:

9 Surbiton Road
Rosebank, Cape Town
7700 South Africa
T: +27 76 802 1640

Her email address remains dbonanno@absolutetravel.com.
Welcome back, Daniela!