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2007 Black Pot Safaris Newsletter

Black Pot Safaris have enjoyed another wonderful year guiding our adventurous clients throughout southern Africa and we are ready to take you even further in 2009!

OUR PHILOSOPHY

Black Pot Safaris specialise in providing fully-supported and personally tailored, private self-drive safaris throughout southern Africa. We cater specifically for people who want:

1. to actually drive a 4×4 vehicle and discover Africa for themselves
2. help creating their own route and personal itinerary while leaving the bookings to us
3. to relax in comfortable, stylish campsites
4. their own private bush chef to prepare and serve delicious food straight from the fire
5. to be accompanied, supported and catered for throughout their safari
6. to pay one price with no hidden extras which includes vehicle hire, equipment, camping fees, park entrance, fuel and food

At Black Pot Safaris we pride ourselves on providing indulgent touches not offered by any of our competitors – stylish camp equipment, twinkling lanterns, an array of games and reading materials – and an attention to detail and service that will ensure that your main role is to sit back, relax and enjoy the experience of a lifetime.

RECOMMENDED DESTINATIONS

Central Kalahari Game Reserve, Botswana

The Central Kalahari Game Reserve is the largest game reserve in the world. Its remoteness, unforgiving climate and harsh terrain have kept it pristine. This is untamed Africa at its best. After the summer rains arrive, the vast plains burst with sweet grasses and it becomes one of the prime game-viewing areas in Botswana.

Golden Gate Highlands National Park, South Africa

Nestled in the rolling foothills of the Maluti Mountains of the north eastern Free State lies the Golden Gate Highlands National Park. The park derives its name from the brilliant shades of gold cast by the sun on the park’s sandstone cliffs. This is a true highland habitat, providing home to a variety of mammals and birds, including the rare bearded vulture (Lammergeyer).

Lake Malawi, Malawi

Lake Malawi is one of the Great Rift Valley lakes and the third largest lake in Africa. Lake Malawi’s sub-aqua life is plentiful and some compare it to snorkelling in an aquarium. A section of the lake at Cape Maclear in the south has been declared the world’s first freshwater National Park and includes the peninsula of land and several islands. Private island destinations offer bare-foot luxury and total exclusivity.

Mana Pools National Park, Zimbabwe

Mana Pools National Park is a true wilderness area with one of the highest dry-season concentrations of animals in Zimbabwe along the Zambezi River. Canoeing along the Zambezi is a specialty of the area and is a real ride on the wild side ensuring you have something to talk about when you get home!

Namib-Naukluft Park, Namibia

The Namib-Naukluft Park is the largest conservation area in Namibia and one of the largest in the world. Parts of the park resemble a lunar landscape while other places rise with the purple-hued rocky mountains of the Naukluft Mountain massif. Just as tall and certainly as impressive are the stunning orange sand dunes of Sossusvlei, blown into razor sharp ridges and peaks by the wind.

South Luangwa National Park, Zambia

The South Luangwa National Park is wild and remote and so full of animals that it would be hard to exceed the safari experience found here. It is one of Africa’s most unspoiled places with enormous spaces, a wide diversity of habitats and uncommon wildlife rarely seen in other game reserves. The survival of the valley depends on the winding Luangwa River, crowded with hippos, crocodiles and wading waterfowl, and its numerous tributaries that course through the park.

DELICIOUS BLACK POT DISHES

Easy Chicken Hotpot

These succulent little de-boned chicken thighs gently absorb the flavours of the pancetta, garlic, spring onions and rosemary that have already been frying in the pan. After a short simmer, over as few coals as possible, the white wine, tomatoes, sugar and bay leaves are added followed by some cannellini beans. This is a deliciously light supper, packed with wonderful flavours, and is best enjoyed with a light crispy white wine.

Roasted Red Pepper, Tomato and Marscapone Pasta

The secret to this flavour-packed sauce is to fry the garlic until golden brown and then add the tomatoes (only the best Italian plums!) and continue to fry over hot coals for 15 minutes, seasoning well. This breaks down the tomatoes into a rich thick sauce. Once roasted and blackened in the black pot, the peppers are tender enough to whisk (no blenders in the bush!) into the tomato sauce. Finished off with some creamy Marscapone and sharp mature parmesan cheese, the sauce is finally turned into a large bowl of steaming penne pasta. All that’s needed to complete this perfect pasta pot is a glass of chilled Sauvignon Blanc from the Cape.

Quick Fillet Stroganoff

The trick to this excellent dish is to use the best fillet of beef possible; no stewing tough old beef cuts here! This supper takes minutes. The sweet onions, the smokey paprika, the mushroom, sour cream and parsley create a simply sumptuous sauce. To keep the fillet strips as tender as possible they are flash-fried and added at the last minute. Best served on a scoop of wild rice and washed down with a slightly chilled Cabernet Sauvignon.

Braised Venison

Once the cubed venison has been dusted with seasoned flour and browned off in oil and butter, the pot is deglazed with redcurrant jelly and red wine. When the stock, winter vegetables and a handful of fresh thyme are added, this makes for a hearty stew. Cooked over the coals whilst you’re out on a game drive, all you’ll need to add on your return to camp is a large glass of Shiraz. This is the perfect bush dinner!

Peposo

Cooked in a fruity red wine over just a few coals for six hours, the beef just falls off the bone. Spiced with rosemary, bay leaves, a mound of black pepper and a handful of garlic cloves, this stew has an almost curry-like flavour and is best served with char-grilled Polenta. A Merlot or Chianti will refresh the palate perfectly. This dish also works fantastically on toasted ciabatta drizzled with olive oil for brunch, washed down with an ice cold Tafal (Namibian beer).

Hungarian Goulash

Hungarian country cooking works perfectly in a black pot on a fire in the African bush! This is a classic one pot dish. The cubed ‘thick flank’ of beef is browned off in the bacon fat to release the sugars in the meat. Add fried bacon, cubed potatoes, tomatoes, garlic, a heap of paprika and bay leaves to the pot and simmer over the coals for a couple of hours until the beef is tender. Add some peas for green and the sour cream at the last minute. Sprinkle with some more paprika to finish. This is guaranteed to cut through the chill of any Kalahari winter’s night!

BLACK POT SAFARI VEHICLES

At Black Pot Safaris, we recommend the Land Rover Defender for all of our safaris. Ever since the first Land Rover was assembled in 1947, Land Rover has continued to design vehicles that are built to drive anywhere and everywhere. Today over three-quarters of the vehicles ever produced are still in service. This is testament to their legendary durability and sound engineering, and why they’ve earned the reputation for being ‘The Best 4x4xFar’. The Defender is exactly what you want when travelling in remote Africa where the most scenic areas and finest game reserves are only accessible by gravel roads or 4×4 tracks. It is the only true iconic expedition vehicle in the world and the number one choice for adventurers and explorers. We only use the best equipped and newest Defenders available. We subcontract them from a leading provider in South Africa and ensure that they are fully serviced before your safari. Each vehicle is air conditioned and supplied with all the necessary equipment.

OTHER NEWS

In last year’s newsletter, we announced the forthcoming launch of “21 on 12th“ – an exclusive, private address in Johannesburg catering for the discerning traveller. Sadly the purchase of this property fell through in July this year and we are currently searching for another suitable location in South Africa. For further information, please e-mail Amanda at amanda@genesisroom.com.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Amanda and Patrick Bond GunningPhone: + 27 (0) 13 733 3124
Fax: + 27 (0) 13 733 3155
Mobile: + 27 (0) 82 479 9700
E-Mail:amanda@blackpotsafaris.co.za
Web:www.blackpotsafaris.co.za