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Safarilink News & Updates The Link Magazine - Issue 7
The Link Magazine for JUN 2012 - AUG 2012 Is Out . Follow this link to view - The Link
Increase in Departure tax in Kenya and fuel surcharge in Tanzania It has been brought to our attention that in a recent gazette notice, the Government has increased domestic and international departure taxes by Kshs. 200 for domestic travel and $ 20 for international travel, effective for travel from 01 July 2012. As a consequence, we regret but we have no other recourse but to implement these increases for all existing and new bookings for travel from 01 July.
Please note, the additional charge of $ 3 for domestic travel will be added to existing taxes onlyfor departures ex Wilson, Lamu and Diani, and the additional $ 20 charge for international travel will only be added from Wilson to Kilimanjaro. Please contact our Reservations or Marketing departments for any clarification. There has also been a recent notice sent out by Coastal Aviation of an increase in fuel surcharge to 7% on all their flights. Please note that these surcharges are therefore applicable on all our through fares to Tanzania, particularly via Migori. We have however agreed with Coastal that we could charge a flat rate of an additional amount of $ 7 per sector effective for travel from 01 June 2012. Coastal will add this surcharge to all existing bookings, so please be forewarned. If you wish to avoid the surcharge on existing bookings, please contact Coastal Aviation directly and seek a waiver in writing, copied to us, or cancel your bookings with us and re-book directly with Coastal. We sincerely regret the inconvenience and would appreciate your co-operation and understanding. Please do not hesitate to contact us for any clarifications. Yours sincerely , Anu Vohora , Sales And Marketing Director. SAFARILINK WINS ECO-WARRIOR AWARD 2011 Safarilink are proud of winning the Eco Warrior award 2011 for the second year running! Safarilink won the Airline category for the Ecotourism Enterprise of the year 2011. MARA SHIKAR AIRSTRIP This is to inform you that effective from 12th September 2011 we will stop operating into Mara Shikar airstrip and instead will operate into Mara North Conservancy airstrip (formerly Mara Buffalo airstrip). The main camps affected by this change are Elephant Pepper Kicheche Mara Camp Explorians Mara Rianta Royal Mara Serian Karen Blixen Saruni Camps and David livingstone. In addition there are other nearby camps such as Richard's Camp and Duma Camp etc. that could use MNC airstrip as an alternative to Shikar or Ngerende but we urge you to confirm the preferred airstrips with all the respective camps and make any changes with our reservations immediately. Please note if we do NOT hear from you ALL reservations we hold from 12th September onwards for Shikar will automatically change to Mara North Conservancy. Please do not hesitate to contact our Reservations or Operations for any clarifications. NEW LINK FROM MASAI MARA TO MIGORI RETURN Safarilink is pleased to announce yet another destination to our network of services. The long awaited native link from Masai Mara to the northern circuit in Tanzania will now be accessible via Migori near the border point of Isebania. Commencing 1st July 2010 the daily Masai Mara to Migori service will operate as follows: Masai Mara to Migori Dep. 1130 Arr.1200 while Migori to Masai Mara Dep.1215 Arr.1245 Please note that agents and operators must ensure vehicles are at Migori strip to meet or passengers as lounge or waiting facilities are not available and the aircraft and pilot cannot delay departure for clients who are not met. Please contact our marketing department for any clarifications. NEW LINK TO TSAVO EAST AND AMBOSELI AFTERNOON SERVICE Safarilink is pleased to announce another destination to our expanding network! Commencing 1st July 2010 Safarilink will operate a daily afternoon service to Amboseli and Chyulus (Ol Donyo Wuas) extending to Voi (KWS airstrip in the park). Passengers off our Laikipia to Wilson and Mara to Wilson flights will be able to connect to this service. The Voi strip will service several camps and lodges in Tsavo East as well as the Taita/Salt Lick areas. All stops will be subject to minimum 2 passengers being booked. This service will initially operate during the high seasons only and our current morning schedules to Amboseli and Tsavo West will also continue to operate. In the low seasons only the morning services will operate to Amboseli and Tsavo West. Timings WILSON TO AMBOSELI Dep.1400 Arr.1440 AMBOSELI TO OL DONYO WUAS Dep.1445 Arr. 1505OL DONYO WUAS TO VOI Dep.1510 Arr.1535 VOI TO AMBOSELI Dep.1540 Arr.1625 AMBOSELI TO WILSON Dep.1630 Arr.1710 . All timings are approximate as the service could operate into all or only one strip depending on passenger loads. Due to the distance between Amboseli and Voi there could be a significant difference in timings of up to one hour if Voi is not a stop on a particular day. As a consequence we strongly recommend you alert your clients of a possible time change on this service and that you re-confirm actual timings with our operations 24 hours before the flight. When booking this service please indicate the lodge they will be staying at especially for passengers going into Voi strip. We trust this service will enable you to offer more diverse safaris or an extension to current itineraries. Please do not hesitate to contact us for any clarifications. SafariLink Helps Protect Diani's Primates. As part of its ongoing corporate social responsibility programme SafariLink Kenya's premier safari airline has announced that it will donate $2 to the Diani Beach based Colobus Trust for each passenger it flies into or out of the Diani airstrip. In addition it has sponsored the purchase of a 'tuk-tuk' which will be used by the Trust to collect tourists from their hotels and take them to their headquarters where they will be able to learn about the Coast ecosystem and the work of the Trust. The airline which commenced daily flights to Diani on the 1st July 2009 has taken the decision to assist the Trust which runs the primate conservation and rescue centre on the south coast of Kenya. The Colobus Trust was founded in Diani in 1997 initially to come up with a way to prevent the high number of monkey 'road kills' on Diani Road. Today the Trust has expanded to become a wildlife rescue and rehabilitation centre focusing on primates with both Kenyan staff and international volunteers. The Colobus Trust also helps to educate local schoolchildren gives guided eco-tours and provides a rehabilitation programme for monkeys that have been kept illegally as pets.  Safarilink's Managing Director John Buckley hands over the keys to the tuk-tuk donated by SafariLink to Eirik Jarl Trondsen Manager Colobus Trust. "The rapid growth in tourism infrastructure and growing human population in the area has had a significant negative impact on the remnants of a once large and rich coastal forest ecosystem and hence a decline in the primate population" said John Buckley Managing Director SafariLink Aviation. "For more than ten years the Colobus Trust has been dedicated to the conservation and welfare of primates living in the Diani area. SafariLink as a socially responsible company is therefore happy to help the Trust in order to help safeguard the environment for the remaining primates and hopefully thereby stop the decline in their numbers." In support of the donation Raymond Matiba Chairman of The Colobus Trust said 75 % of the Trusts core revenue comes from tourism. But sadly the Kenya Coast has suffered a decline in tourists in recent years and hence our income from visitors to the Trust has decreased. We are therefore particularly delighted that SafariLink have made this very generous donation to the Trust and their pledge of long term financial support will help us plan for the future." "In addition the introduction of the SafariLink daily flights to Diani is in itself a very positive move which we believe will result in an increase in tourists as well as being beneficial to the residents in the area" added Matiba. Famous Flyers
LEWA MARATHON SafariLink was proud to be associated with co-sponsorship of the Lewa Marathon by providing discounted tickets for the runners and free tickets for the organizers of the Lewa Marathon. In 2008 & 2009 Safarilink and Kobo safaris entered a joint team  Safarilink Participated in the Lewa Marathon 2009 BATA INCENTIVE Safarilink was proud to be chosen as the preferred carrier for The BATA Groups' Senior Management's meeting in the Masai Mara. Safarilink flew Mr Bata and a total of 93 staff from around the world to experience the wonders of our world famous Masai Mara Game reserve. BEIJING MAYOR  Beijing Mayor before his flight to Masai Mara - Safarilink STING SafariLink was once again proud to be chosen to provide internal charters around Kenya for world renowned singer Sting and his family whilst on a recent holiday. EWAN MCGREGOR After a grueling overland ride from the U.K to Cape Town actor Ewan McGregor took some time off with his family to enjoy Kenyan hospitality. VIRGIN LAUNCH SafariLink was proud to be involved with the recent launch of Virgin Atlantic's flights to Nairobi by providing charter services for Sir Richard Branson and Virgin's V.I.P guests to the Masai Mara . STUDIO 53 M-NET SERIES GROUP Studio 53 M-net Series Group before their Flight to Masai Mara.  |