History and Culture of Botswana

The history of Botswana is characterized by migrations of peoples into the country from the north and west and particularly from the east and south, as well as internal movements of groups of people. The group which eventually emerged as most numerous, and dominant, were the Batswana. Their pattern of dividing and migrating saw the formation of numerous Tswana tribes, and they eventually occupied all areas of the country.

First Inhabitants

The earliest modern inhabitants of southern Africa were the Bushman (San) and the Hottentot (Khoe) peoples. They have lived an almost unchanged lifestyle in the country since the Middle Stone Age.

The physical characteristics of the Khoe and the San are similar. Both tend to have light, almost coppery skin color, slanted, almond-shaped eyes, high cheekbones, thin lips and tufted, tightly curled hair. Both speak click languages, though there are major differences between them. Both hunted and collected wild foods and neither grew crops.

Approximately 60,000 years ago, the peoples of sub-Saharan Africa were of one tribe, probably of Khoe/San type. It is believed that the Bantu-speaking people were an offshoot from the Khoe/San tribe. This occurred in the tropical rain forests of equatorial Africa about 10,000 years ago. The Bantu-speaking people gradually developed darker skin pigmentation and different physical attributes because of the different environments they eventually occupied.

The origins of the Tswana tribes

In Botswana, about 1,000 years ago, large chiefdoms began to emerge in the area between Sowa Pan and the Tswapong Hills. Large settlements developed on hilltops. These people are known as the "Toutswe", after the first of their capitals, which was excavated on Toutswemogala Hill. Soon these communities were eclipsed by the Great Zimbabwe Empire, which spread its domain over much of eastern Botswana.

Around 1300 AD, peoples in present-day Transvaal began to coalesce into the linguistic and political groups they form today. This resulted in the emergence of three main groups: the Bakgalagadi, the Batswana and the Basotho, each of which had smaller divisions. Each group lived in small, loosely knit communities, spread widely over large areas of land. They spoke dialects of the same language and shared many cultural affinities.

Two central features of the history of the Batswana are 

fission and fusion. Groups of people broke off from their parent tribe and moved to new land, creating a new tribe and absorbing or subjugating the people they found there. This is how a single group of Batswana living in the Magaliesberg Mountains in northern Transvaal evolved into the numerous Tswana tribes, which exist today.

Breathtaking wildlife of South Africa

South Africa is one of the world's natural gems, a treasure nestled at the southern tip of the abundant African continent. Visitors from all around the world descend on the country to take advantage of the stunning climate, accommodation, game reserves, natural attractions and of course, the huge variety of wildlife.

 

South Africa's big 5

 Elephant

 The African Elephant is the largest living land mammal, one of the most impressive animals on earth.

Buffalo

 Buffalo are extremely large, ox-like animals. Standing approximately 65 inches at the shoulder.

Lion

 Lions are the second largest members of the feline family in the world. Lion are tan in colour and have a slightly white under-body, with a tuft of black hair at the end of their tails

Rhino

 The rhinoceros is a large, primitive looking mammal that in fact dates from the Miocene era millions of years ago. In recent decades rhinos have been relentlessly hunted to the point of near extinction.

Leopard 

The most secretive and elusive of the large carnivores, the leopard is also the shrewdest. Pound for pound, it is the strongest climber of the larger cats and is capable of killing prey far larger than itself.

The landscapes of South Africa offer the full spectrum of habitat types (from dense green forests to arid deserts, and everything in-between), making them ideal for thousands of species. These include exciting predators, birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians and a huge variety of fascinating insects. These different species are found in plentiful abundance in the game reserves and national parks of the country, as well as in the wild and natural countryside, where they live free.

 

Real Colinial Elegance The Victoria Falls Hotel

Built in 1904, The Victoria Falls Hotel was the very first hotel to be built in Victoria Falls. The hotel exhudes original colonial Edwardian charm but recent refurbishments offer guests the modern comforts one would expect from a luxury hotel.

The Victoria Falls Hotel perfectly depicts the era of grand travel. The corridors of the hotel reflect the historical link to the era in which is was created with drawings, paintings and photographs of the major political figures of the day adorning the walls.

Victoria Falls Accommodation:

 

The rooms at the Victoria Falls echo its rich colonial heritage and are decorated accordingly. All the rooms have air conditioning, digital satellite television and a safe.

There 161 rooms which are broken down as follows:
37 Standard rooms,   58 Traditional rooms,  48 Deluxe rooms including 2 interleading rooms for families

7   Junior suites, 4   Honeymoon suites, 1   Royal Suite.

 Facilities in each room include:
 Digital satellite television, A safety deposit box,  Bath, basin and shower,  Bar fridge (in deluxe rooms and suites only ), Hairdryer,  Air conditioning,  Smoke detectors & sprinkler system,  Telephone,  Shaver socket
 Complimentary early morning tea & coffee,   En-suite bathroom ( toilet, bathtub and shower)

 

Top Activities to enjoy around the Victoria Falls Hotel:

 

Visit the Victoria Falls rainforest, Zambezi River Cruise, Hogh Tea at the Stanley Terrace at Victoria Falls
Beauty Salaon, Elephant back safari, white river rafting, Bungy jumping, Zip line, Helicopter flight of Angles
Steam Train Trip

Amazing Waterfalls in Africa

                                               Victoria falls

 

 Augrabies Falls

 Epupa Falls

Lisbon Falls

Lumangwe Falls

For More info: info@namibiaresrvations.com

Namaqualand Flower Power

One of the spectacles in Africa is the flowering of a 600-mile strip of coastal desert in Namaqualand. Once a year it becomes carpeted with blooms, in a similar way to the phenomenon of Flowered Desert in Chile. Plants compete to attract their pollinators with colour, as the water is scarce and the show will not last long.

The sole issue is predicting the best time to be in Namaqualand, as the flowers bursts into life depending on rains.

These lands have a high concentrations of succulent plants, the ones that are thicker and fatter to retain water, like cactus.

Even the hills are literally paved in blooms.

Interisting facts to know about Beira - Mozamique

Beira is the second largest city in Mozambique. It lies in the central region of the country in Sofala Province, where the Pungue River meets the Indian Ocean.  It holds the regionally-significant Port of Beira which acts as a gateway for both the central interior portion of the country as well as the land-locked nations of Zimbabwe, Zambia and Malawi. Beira was originally developed by the Portuguese Mozambique Company in the 19th century, and directly developed by the Portuguese colonial government from 1947 until Mozambique gained its independence from Portugal in 1975. 

 Portugues Rule

*  The city was established in 1890 by the Portuguese and soon supplanted Sofala as the main port in the    Portuguese-administered territory.
* Originally called Chiveve, after a local river, it was renamed to honor the Portuguese Crown prince Dom Luís Filipe who, in 1907, was the first member of the Portuguese royal family to visit Mozambique.
 *  Traditionally the Portuguese Crown prince carried the title of Prince of Beira, a historical province of mainland Portugal. The Portuguese built the port and a railway to Rhodesia, Portuguese families settled in the newly founded locality and started to develop commercial activities.
* With the growth of the village, in 1907 the Portuguese Crown elevated Beira to the status of city (cidade). Headquarters of the Companhia de Moçambique (Mozambique Company) from 1891, the city's administration passed from the trading company to the Portuguese government in 1942.
* In 1966, the construction of a new railway station was completed. Before Mozambique's independence from Portugal, as a city of Portuguese Mozambique, Beira was noted for its well-equipped seaport, one of the major facilities of its kind in all East Africa, tourism, fishing and trade.
* The city prospered as a cosmopolitan port with different ethnic communities (Portuguese, Indian, Chinese, Bantus such as the Sena and Ndau) employed in administration, commerce, and industry. A large English-speaking population was the result of being a favourite holiday destination for white Rhodesians. One reminder of this is the Grande Hotel, built by the Portuguese, near the shore of the Indian Ocean. By 1970, the city of Beira had 113,770 inhabita.

After Independence

After independence from Portugal in 1975, many white ethnic Portuguese left the city. Mozambique was ravaged by a civil war from 1977 to 1992, opposing Marxist FRELIMO, which controlled the government, to the rebels of RENAMO, descending to near total chaos in a couple of years. The famine, disease and poverty-stricken country collapsed. In Beira, the famous Grande Hotel was occupied by around 1,000 homeless Beirans, and by the end of the civil war it was in near-ruins.

The 2000 Mozambique flood devastated Beira and the surrounding region, leaving millions homeless and severely damaging the local economy.

Table Bay sets High Tea benchmark

Sun International’s Table Bay Hotel lounge provides the perfect location for a social encounter over a teacup. And now, setting a new benchmark for High Tea, the hotel is believed to be one of the first in South Africa to offer TWG Tea, which is said to be the finest luxury tea brand in the world.

With over 1 000 single-estate harvest teas and exclusive tea blends, TWG Tea claims to have the largest collection of teas in the world.

In order to produce the optimum selection of teas for South African consumers, TWG Tea has joined forces with The Table Bay Hotel to create a tea pairing selection. These creations seek to enhance the public’s appreciation of fine teas and create a luxury experience for first-timers and tea connoisseurs alike.

Offered throughout the afternoon, High Tea at the Table Bay is an event to be enjoyed at leisure.

Tea pairing, says the hotel, allows epicureans to experience “molten potions with the best selected desserts and savoury dishes.”

The Table Bay High Tea experience is a three-course affair and each course is paired with a complementary loose-leaf tea. The first course offers savoury creations paired with light-bodied teas to enhance the flavours. The mushroom and ham quiche is paired with Pai Mu tan, a white tea from China. Cucumber sandwiches, a staple of any High Tea, are paired with Imperial Pu-Erh, a matured Yunnan tea, also from China.

There are several other savoury dishes and each is paired with blended teas from Darjeeling and China.

The second course is devoted to scones – from plain scones with strawberry jam and clotted cream, to currant scones served with lemon curd. The selected English Breakfast, French Earl Grey and Good Hope Teas enhance the buttery texture of the scones.

The third course features Bain de Roses Tea, a black tea blend; South African Rooibos Red Tea; Chocolate Tea, another black tea; Pink Flamingo Tea, a green tea blend; and Number 12 Tea. Each is paired with desserts for dessert lovers.

High Tea is served between 14h30 and 17h30

Info Received by Hotel & Restaurant

For more info please contact us at:info@namibiareservations.com