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Dear Friends of Pemba, ( Zanzibar )

The start to 2008 has been momentous and exciting. So much has happened in Pemba that I am forced to write this from my stand in the BOOT show in Germany . It is much harder for me to write this from cold dark Germany while looking at these latest images of azure blue water, endemic birds and the beach!

We had a very quiet Christmas with a few select repeat guests. Kevin Degeeter flew all the way from New York and literally walked in the door. “Raf, You have space I presume” he asked coolly. Indeed we did. Mike Eggers, another American flew down from his life in Istanbul ( Turkey ) and joined Mario Almeida our jobbing dive master. Mario’s real job is to build BBC transmitters around the world. In his dive life Mario was trained to be DM by us and comes back every year for many weeks to keep his skills and knowledge current.

Between us, Kevin Mike and and I were able some excellent and relaxed dives with no crowds. (As usual) . We even found a new dive site which mike insisted on leaving abruptly, and so we called it “Eggers Ascent” a bit like Hillary’s step in the Himalayas but a tad less dramatic.

Cisca’s Kayak Tours have really taken off with some amazing new channels being discovered right up to the edge of the NGEZI forest. As one previous guest to Pemba called it: “ Pemba is like Jursassic park- you expect dinosaurs at any moment!”
On the conservation scene we rescued an owl from the clutches of an illegal trader and had a turtle lay its eggs on our beach. We now have a permanent guard on the turtle eggs. We hope that they will hatch in February.

The entire west coast of Pemba is a conservation area and we have seen an increase in Government patrols recently. The departments of tourism and fisheries are making huge leaps forward in understanding the effects of conservation on tourism and revenue collection.

Hagai and Hila from Matembezi safaris came over to visit us with their delightful children Shai and Dana. While we get very few children in the Kervansaray, the resort has special early meals and child care for kids.

The upshot of Hagai’s visit is that he offered us a “once in a lifetime” tailor made safari. Of course because the safaris are tailor made, we cannot list them here. But if you have always wanted to go on safari and want to have a truly unforgettable experience with no cars, no hassle and pure, un-adulterated Africa, then let me put you in touch with Hagai.
There is so much more to tell, (the 2008 photo competition for one….) I could go on for ever, but as usual I have to shut up at some stage. I will leave you with an image, one I took when I last flew in to Pemba . It is taken from the window of a Cessna caravan over the southern reefs of Pemba . With my best wishes to you all and for an enjoyable and peaceful Safari. (journey)

Raf