Festive Safety Tips to Travellers

Hello guys heres a little note from us this December to all those who will be travelling either on vacation or at Home. Please be safe out there, drive with caution and if you feel tired just park your car at a safe spot and rest. If you are flying out or leaving the country double check your passport and all necessary documentation before you leave the House. Check for your ATM card and Money , you dont wanna be stuck somewhere with no money. Tell someone close where you are going and ensure you give them contact details when you get on the other side. Yeah we still talking to those crossing boarders. Also Avoid asking for help from random people, rather look for a security official or go into the nearest store to ask. And if you are going out for fun. Never leave your drink or food unattended by someone you truly trust, otherwise get a new drink, Moreki(buyer) must organise. One also important fact we always forget is Airtime. Always ensure you have enough airtime at all times. Otherwise from the Etla Gae girls, enjoy your festive season and travel safe. God be with you.

WIN A DAY TRIP TO SUN CITY!

Etlagae Travel and Tourism Blog together with Rea Vaya travel company are giving an opportunity to you and a friend to win a day trip to Sun city. All expenses paid. To find out how to WIN just like our facebook page Etla Gae Travel and Tourism Blog and follow the posts. Thank you and Good Luck. Terms and Conditions apply.

ETLA GAE FOR Southern Africa Women In Tourism Conference #SAWIT

#MondayMotivation

It is with great honour and humble hearts to announce that we have been invited to be one of the speakers at this year's Southern Africa Women In Tourism Conference to be held in Johannesburg, South Africa at Velmore Hotel Estate from the 28-30th this month. We are overwhelmed and proud to be part of an event of such high caliber. Selection by God's grace.

#TourismistheFuture #EtlagaeIsThefuture #TravelandTourismBloggers#BotswanaTourism

HEADLINES: SOUTHERN AFRICA WOMEN IN TOURISM CONFERENCE COMING UP

From the 28th to the 30th of November 2016. The Regional Tourism Organisation of Southern Africa (RETOSA) will host one of its biggest and prestigious conferences, The 3rd Annual Southern Women in Tourism conference at Velmore Hotel Estate in Johannesburg, South Africa. The event will be Under the theme "Building Confidence, Capacity and provision of Capital to our women Enterpreneurs-Southern African Tourism Will never be the same again".   This conference is expected to host close to 300-500+ delegats from all over Africa, including Women Tourism Entrepreneurs,  Women employed in tourism in Rural and Urban Areas, Tourism Ministers, Ministries of Gender Equality, Tourism Scholars etc and the Participants will not be limited to women only, there will be men from relevant tourism organizations and key stake holders to allow for a more comprehensive platform for the discussions. A lot of topics under discussion in the 3 day event, from Access to Markets using Digital Marketing in the Tourism sector and Access Funding Opportunities for SAWIT. This is an event not to miss. 

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Etlagae: Style Nomination Interview with Tsholo Dikobe

We recently had a chat with award winning Motswana fashion artist Tsholo Dikobe to catch up on her dealings and to get more juice on her recent nominations at the prestigious Abryanz style & Fashion Awards. Please enjoy our interview with her and find out how you can support and vote for her below.

 1. Please give us A brief outline on who Tsholo Dikobe is what is it your brand does.

My name is Tsholo Dikobe an renowned, award winning fashion artist (a stylist, fashion writer and style curator who sensitized the community of Botswana about the world of fashion. Together with the Voice On fashion column in The Voice Newspaper, I give an overall forecast of the world of fashion. Furthermore, together with my partner, Gaone Mothibi, we feature established and upcoming local talent from in and around Botswana, and also around the world.

2.What have you been nominated for and when are the awards

I have been nominated for 2 fashion and style awards from Uganda, to be held on the 9th December 2016. The nominations are for "Best Dressed Celebrity" of the year ( Southern Africa) . Moreover, together with my business partner Gaone Mothibi we have been nominated for "best stylist of the year" award (Southern Africa).

3. How can the people vote for you and when does voting close

To VOTE for me use any picture of me or my official banner(pictured) and then post it with the caption,

#iVoteTsholoDikobe #asfanominee2016  #asfa2016 "Best dressed Celebrity" in Southern Africa.

VOTING ONLY DONE on INSTAGRAM and TWITTER. You can vote as many times as you want!

To Vote for GaTsh Fros; use a picture of ourselves together with the hashtags  #IVoteGaTshFros #asfanominee2016 #asfa2016 Best Stylists of the year ( Southern Africa).

Or you may vote on the website link here : http://abryanzstyleandfashionawards.com/myvote/

4. What does this mean for your brand and for the country as a whole.

This means we are on global scale with the world. It can also mean our work is regarded as one of the best,  as we are nominated alongside Africa's fashionable Giants.  We need support from Batswana, and just about everyone residing in Botswana to bring these awards home. So please vote, vote, vote!

5. A word of encouragement to other young women out there.

It might sound as a cliche, but anything Is possible if you believe! You have to believe in yourself. Your confidence is your God given talents. Open that gift. I mean, Take a cue from Donald Trump!

 Follow me on Instagram @thekhoi_fro, Twitter at @thekhoi_fro

#FASHIONTOURISM #BOTSWANATOURISM #TSHOLODIKOBE #GATSHFROS #BOTSWANA #UGANDA #TRAVELANDTOURISM #TRAVELBLOGGERS #FASHIONBLOGGERS #ETLAGAE

HAPPY FRIDAY

Happy friday from Maun, Botswana. #Waterlilies #Travel #BotswanaTourism #Africa #Flora #etlagae#Okavango

photo cred: Kabelo Jenamo

Weather Today in Botswana: 07/11/2016

If you visiting Botswana , in any of the towns below. Please check the weather below to make necessary preparations. #EnjoyBotswana #Etlagae

Gaborone,Botswana today Weather Mostly Sunny 31°C Precipitation: 3% Humidity: 29% Wind: 23 km/h

Kasane Weather Mostly Sunny 35°C | °F Precipitation: 0% Humidity: 19% Wind: 11 km/h

Maun Showers 37°C | °F Precipitation: 60% Humidity: 31% Wind: 14 km/h

Francistown Mostly Cloudy 34°C | °F Precipitation: 10% Humidity: 28% Wind: 24 km/h

Lobatse Mostly Sunny 29°C | °F Precipitation: 10% Humidity: 41% Wind: 23 km/h

Ghanzi
Partly Cloudy
33°C | °F
Precipitation: 10%
Humidity: 36%

Wind: 16 km/h

Weather forecast source: weather.com

BOTSWANA URBAN TOURISM : Gaborone Hotels

This past weekend we got a chance to stay over at 2 hotels which we took a liberty of seating down and appreciating their different unique factors. Our first stop was The Grand Palm | Hotel, Casino & Convention Resort

 Situated a few mins from the city center of Gaborone and 12kms from the Sir Seretse Khama International Aiport lies this lovely Hotel. Grandpalm Hotel is one of the busiest hotels in Gaborone and if you are an outgoing person like us you will meet a lot of African celebrities even just in the hall ways. We got lucky to run across The Legendary Micasa and next into DJ Buckz.

with Micasa

with DJ Buckz

Our stay in Grandpalm was a stress free one, the staff is friendly and offer at hand assistance and hospitality. The guest rooms are lovely and very well kept. Also We realised that the favourite on this resort for most of its guests has to be the Pool side and the Pool side bar, where resident just go to chill and unwind in the pool or just enjoy a cocktail by the greenery of the pool side area.

cocktails by the pool.

If you are travelling for leisure or business, mostly leisure, we would very much recommend you try out this hotel and rate it for yourself. We dont want to oversell or undersell , we write these blogs to motivate you our reader to try out these places for yourself and have first hand experience. 

Our Next Stay in the city, was at 

Lansmore Masa Square Hotel Gaborone Botswana

Located in one of the two towers in the iconic Masa Square in Gaborone, the Lansmore Masa Square Hotel is also one of the luxurious Hotels in the greater Gaborone area. The first experience you will have when you walk into the reception area is the smiles of the friendly staff at your assistance. The most exciting thing about this hotel has to be its affordability because of its low price specials. You get to experience luxury at an affordable price. The rooms are very beautiful and spacious , also very clean and well kept. One of the best features of the hotel is that it is situated in the CBD area and is surrounded by great restaurants and other service providers. 

 We loved the artsy touch in this room. 

Lansmore Hotel is perfect for business travellers. Because of the business atmosphere around it and exlusivity , its also very convinient because many areas in the city are easily accessible from this hotel since is situated in the city center.

All in all we enjoyed our stay in both Hotels and highly recommend them to you our readers. Dont hesitate to call them any day and make a booking and do get back to us and tell us all about your experience, we would definately love to hear all about it. For more detailed information on these hotels, please Visit their websites.

#Etlagae #UrbanTourism #EtlaBotswana #VisitBotswana #Hotels

Southern Africa GOLD Certified Experts!

We are SUUUPER excited to announce that we have officially qualified as Southern Africa Certified Experts :)  after enrolling in the official travel specialist programme by RETOSA (Regional Tourism Organization of Southern Africa).

As a form of professional and personal development we are on a mission to keep learning about the amazing world of Tourism.  This initiative of 'non-stop learning'  propelled us to enroll into an amazing course that we ACED!
The course was made up of modules detailing  the 15 countries of the Southern African Development Community region, and their major tourism selling points.

To find out more about the Southern African regions' World Heritage Sites, natural attractions, stunning beaches, diverse cultures, amazing, warm people and infrastructure- you now know who to follow, trust and call. We are only a click away!

 

BOTSWANA TO HOST THE 2ND ANNUAL SOUTHERN AFRICA YOUTH IN TOURISM CONFERENCE

CALLING ALL YOUTH!!! 

Are you a Tourism Student, Enthusiast or maybe you just have an interest in learning more about Tourism in Southern Africa? Then you are in Luck today. We are excited to invite you to join us as we will be attending the 2nd Annual SAYIT Conference this year.

The Southern Africa Youth in Tourism Conference is a 3 day event which will be taking place from the 7th-9th December 2016 in the peaceful Gaborone,Botswana!! The will be a lot of activities to learn from and also The Tourism Junior Minister and Miss Tourism Southern Africa 2016 will be chosen at the Conference. So Please join us and learn more about Tourism in Southern Africa,and also just to network and socialize, you will never know who you shall meet. Opportunities are everywhere, we just have to place ourselves in their favor. See you there.

For more information email please rpd@retosa.co.za or just visit RETOSA website

Hamptons Jazz Summer Fest, Gaborone

We are excited about 29/01/2016 do you have your ticket ready? Hamptons Jazz Summer fest.@HamptonsJazzBW #MusicTourism #Music #Jazz #Botswana #Travel #SouthAfrica
The Hamptons Jazz Festival, takes place in Gaborone on the 29thOctober 2016 at Duma Grounds. Each year sees a variety of Jazz musicians, well appreciated by the local and the travelling discerning Jazz patrons playing live. The atmosphere in the sun is dismal for the multitudes that descend to witness this once in a year astounding festival. This event is the brainchild of Debbie Makabe Smith and Starr Ngwenya
Hamptons Festival continues to keep tourists on tenterhooks. Summer in Gaborone should be brimming with Jazz Jazz Jazz….. Any event that the Hamptons organise is one that is filled with fun and long lasting memories that are just too good to forget. We only specialise in live events with live artists singing, aiming to captivate the mature, savvy Jazz audience who appreciate an open air Jazz atmosphere. This annual gathering has become more of a reunion – a celebration with friends, family, culture, music, and a way of life in our mother country BOTSWANA- HOME OF THE OKAVANGO…HOME OF THE DIAMONDS!!!! PULA!!

BOTSWANA GAE LA DITLOU "Home of Elephants"

 Photo by: etlagae

Botswana houses the biggest population of Elephants in Africa.Great Elephant Census estimates this number to be 130,451 and in 2016 and its going down.Okavango Delta like the highly elephant populated Chobe region sees high concentrations of elephant due to the permanent water source.  Elephants are such endangered yet treasured animal species in Botswana, they have always been targets for poachers because of their tusks which poachers steal inorder to sell for making ivory. The Government of Botswana has taken great initiatives to protect wildlife.  Botswana's President His Excellency Lieutenant General Dr Seretse Khama Ian Khama is the founder of the Botswana Anti-Poaching Unit. Which he founded in the late 90s when he was the then head of the Botswana Defence Force Botswana.Among many other measures Botswana has since adopted a "shoot to kill" measure as a response to the growing numbers of poaching of wild animals in the region. We urge you our beloved readers to take time to explore the beauty of the peaceful and serene Botswana to see all this beauty. #EtlaGae

AIR BOTSWANA BANS SAMSUNG GALAXY NOTE 7 DEVICE FROM ALL FLIGHTS

AIR BOTSWANA BANS SAMSUNG GALAXY NOTE 7 DEVICE
FROM ALL FLIGHTS

Air Botswana wishes to inform members of the travelling public that the
airline has taken a decision to ban all Samsung Galaxy Note 7 devices
from all its flights for an indefinite period with immediate effect.
The airline has been monitoring the situation closely following a spate of
reported incidents involving the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 device. The
problem has now escalated to levels which pose a serious threat to flight safety. It has been reported that the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 devices havea battery cell that has a risk of exploding or catching flames when in use, including even on the replaced Smart phones.
Air Botswana apologizes for the inconvenience that may result from this
decision however, cooperation by members of the travelling public will
be greatly appreciated as the move is intended to ensure that the safety
needs of our customers is adequately safeguarded.

For More Enquiries Contact
Marketing Department
Tel: +267 3688419/420
marketing@airbotswana.co.bw

This above letter is a statement released by Air Botswana marketing team, this comes after the U.S banned the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 device last week. Now other Carriers in Australia, Asia and Europe have also gone and prohibited the device as well, the bans are spreading all over the world as we see now Botswana following suiting on the ban to ensure the safety of its customers. This means the devices will not be carried onto the aircrafts, and in no luggage. This is highly advisable for all the passengers to be safe. May we all abide and be safe. Wishing safe travels for all our readers, we hope to see you in the beautiful and peaceful Botswana soon. Etla Gae.

#EtlaGae #BotswanaTourism #Botswana #AirBotswana #SouthAfrica #SouthernAfrica #Tourism #Technology #SamsungGalaxynote7

pic source:forbes.com

Etlagae on twitter

Our Twitter page is up. Please follow us on twitter for more real time updates. @Etlagae

FULL LION ADVENTURE "True Story"

Ever heard of the saying. "A Lion's work hours are only when he is hungry,once he is satisfied the predator and the prey live peacefully together" I believe it is very true. Let me narrate to you a true story. Hi my name is Laninah by the way glad to have you read this, Im writing this from Kasane,Chobe,Botswana the capital of wildlife and tourism in Botswana.

So these lions you see in this picture above were taken on the date 2016/09/2014 by my mother and her colleagues, in one of the camps they went to in the Okavango Area, Botswana. For now let me withhold exact location. When my mom told me this story , I believed her because she is my mother, but it was difficult to really really believe until her colleague came and narrated the story the same way she did. So listen to what apparently happened in this here scenario,.
So my mom and colleagues had gone to the Luxurious  Okavango camps for work purposes, yeah some people have nice jobs hey. So while they were there they had to travel to another camp from the other and they asked for a tour guide to go with them and show them the roads since the area is very remote with very sandy roads. So as they were , driving they encoutered a heard of Lions, these ones you see in the picture. So the tour guide and his assistant suggested that they all make a stop there so that they can take proper pictures of the lions up close and personal and at that point the lions were sleeping, I mean its not everyday you see a lion right infront of your eyes especially from an open safari tour car. (See pic below for an example of the car im talking about) (pic taken from google) but its a similar car.

 So they stopped to take pictures and as they were about to start the car and go on with the journey. The car refused to start, Hehehehe you "guyses". Imagine, And my mom says she was sitting in the front seats the lower ones, I dont even want to imagine mxaah. So one of the other tour guides the older one said, This car does this sometimes "goraa gore battery e somogile ko pele" which means the battery of the car is loose so it needs someone to go tighten it. Heh! mind you the Lions are just there and that time they were sleeping, so everything had to be done so swiftle and so quietly because one trigger anything could happen.. Lord Jesus Christ my mom was in all this. So that went on and the younger tour guide guy climbed up to the front, silently opened the bonnet and tempered with the battery and hit it with a spanner, and all this time everyone is dead quite, so stiff and my mom's colleagues the one who was narrating this story to me says He was even afraid to breath lest he wakes up the Lions, Hahahaha. So by God's grace the car started and that is when everyone started to come back to life and breath. They turned the car around and came to take proper pics again of the now awaken up lions you see in the picture above, what a relieving turn of event. So from my whole understanding and what the tour guide said to them is that, The Lions were probably full. They had eaten enough and when a lion is full it can just sit under the shade with its prey and not make attempts to chow ;) . I dont wanna lie all this made my adrenaline levels rise and im planning to ask my travelling partner and co blogger Olerato to ask our other friends to go on an adventure with us in the Okavango. These are things I only see on TV...
Thank you very much for reading this , give me you comments, if it was you how would you have reacted?

#Botswana #Okavango #BotswanaTourism #Africa #Lions #EtlaGae #VisitUs