7 Guiding is a key factor in a guest's safari experience, and all top quality operations ensure that they have well trained and knowledgeable guides. Chiawa Camp's Grant Cumings is a born leader and his guiding team has been noted internationally, winning the ' Best Guiding Team' Award, closely followed by the fantastic team at Kwando Camps. Cuisine undoubtedly plays a significant role in the overall safari experience. Singita's standards are high and their consistency across the group has won them the ' Best Safari Cuisine' Award. Congratulations go to Mozambique's Londo Lodge, standing alone with only 5 villas, which managed to place itself firmly on the map of good food by scooping the Runner Up Award for Best Safari Cuisine. This year the Good Safari Guide Awards also included some awards in non- accommodation categories: Best International Airline, Best Charter Airline, Best Wildlife Reserve and Best Tourist Board. Particularly worth a mention for their efforts in promoting Zambia as a tourist destination is the Zambian Tourist Board. Their good work has been duly recognized by the trade and has resulted in the Zambia Tourist Board winning the ' Best African National Tourist Board' Award. Thanks go to everyone who took part in the 2008 Awards, with special thanks to all those who nominated, and our judges; Kate Bergh ( Cedarberg Travel); Primrose Stobbs ( Abercrombie & Kent); Albee Yeend ( Steppes Africa); Marc Gastaud ( Akorn); Sandy Wood ( Pulse Africa); Tony Clegg- Butt ( Travel News East Africa); Jane Durham ( Okavango Tours & Safaris).

8 The Good Safari Guide Awards process relies upon the nominations of experienced travel professionals. These guidelines are to ensure that all voting travel professionals are ' on the same page', resulting in awards that actually mean something. Please note, only one nomination per category, per candidate will be accepted from any individual i. e. you cannot nominate the same candidate twice in the same category. Basic nomination criteria • the property must be located in a wildlife reserve ( national or private), or within an hour's travel from extensive wildlife ( game, bird or marine life) • the property must offer wildlife tourism viewing, unless it is a waterside property where it must offer marine wildlife tourism viewing • the property must offer wildlife viewing ( if it is a waterside property is can offer marine wildlife viewing or birding) Best Safari Property in Africa • this award honours the overall best property from all regions in Africa. It is selected from the highest scoring of the winners of the Best Safari Property ( East Africa) and Best Safari Property ( Southern Africa) taking into account all aspects of the accommodation, for example guiding, cuisine or atmosphere. All properties nominated for ' Best Property Southern Africa' or ' Best Property Eastern Africa' are automatically put forward for the ' Best Safari Property in Africa' Award. Best Property Southern Africa • all properties nominated for the ' Best Property in Southern Africa' Award can be nominated from the following countries: South Africa, Lesotho, Namibia, Botswana, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Zambia, Malawi and Angola Best property in Eastern Africa • all properties nominated for the ' Best Property in Eastern Africa' Award can be nominated from the following countries: Ethiopia, Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania, Zanzibar, Uganda, Burundi and Rwanda Best Safari Accommodation Group in Africa • a safari accommodation group must own/ manage three or more properties • the nomination is for the group as a whole, not the individual properties Award Nomination Guidelines Best New Safari Property in Africa • the property must be more than one year old and under three years old • the property can be termed ' new' if it is resurrected, having not been in operation for 3+ years Best Community Property in Africa The property works in collaboration with local community, and is likely to, amongst other things: • provide employment for the local community • provide education about the local community • share the management of the property with local people • share the economic benefits of the property with the local community • work on community projects Best Ecological Property The property takes an active part in minimizing its environmental impact, and is likely to, amongst other things: • work to protect local flora and fauna • work to reduce non- biodegradable waste • work to reduce usage of non- renewable energy • work to process waste in an environmentally-sensitive manner Best Beach Safari • the property must be located by water, in natural surroundings, and near to wildlife ( land- based or marine) • the property must provide excursions to view wildlife ( land- based or marine) Best Safari Property Guiding Team • this category is for properties ( rather than property groups) which have an outstanding guiding team ( an individual guide can be named although the guide alone cannot win the award) • a great guiding team is one which is knowledgeable and which is able to communicate to the client not a wealth of information but the feeling of joy and excitement that wildlife- viewing brings Best Safari Cuisine • from 2009 this award will honour only individual properties rather than groups. The award honours outstanding cuisine, whether it is cooked in an oven in a kitchen or on a fire on the beach