Wilderness Safaris Rebrands Rocktail
After more than 25 years of managing and operating Rocktail in the Maputaland Coastal Forest, Wilderness Safaris has decided to rebrand this old favourite. From end May 2018 Rocktail will join Gugulesizwe Dive Camp and Gugulesizwe Research Camp in falling within the tourism portfolio of Maputaland Travel. Although Wilderness Safaris retains ownership in a continued partnership with the local Mpukane Community this rebranding will allow a revision of the business model for this joint venture in a way which the company believes will further enhance the local community and conservation impact.
Wilderness Safaris first invested at Rocktail Bay as long ago as 1993. It was at Rocktail that we pioneered some of our initial community partnership models. It was through Rocktail that we won our first Tourism for Tomorrow Award in 1999. And it is at Rocktail that we will be evolving and innovating our long-running partnership with the Mpukane Community into something beyond Wilderness Safaris”, said Wilderness Safaris CEO, Keith Vincent.
The location of the lodge, the primary clientele, the guest experience and the nature of the joint venture partnership are such that some changes will be made to the booking process. While Wilderness Safaris will continue to own, promote, and book Rocktail as an associated product, Maputaland Travel will launch an online booking portal in order to streamline the booking process. Relationships with long-standing travel trade supporters will equally be strengthened and streamlined.
Maputaland Travel is staffed by the same personalities who have represented Wilderness Safaris for the last 25 years and thus there is strong continuity in both the operation of the lodge, and the community partnership.
According to Patrick Boddam-Whetham from Maputaland Travel, “We will ensure that all the underlying philosophies and practices that have underpinned Wilderness Safaris’ involvement in Rocktail will be continued. We also look forward to giving Rocktail the individual sales and marketing attention it requires in order to increase business to this remarkable region and to continuously evolve our guest offering so that Rocktail remains one of South Africa’s premier diving destinations and ultimate beach getaways”.
Should you have any further queries, please contact your Journey Specialist.
For more information on Rocktail, Gugulesizwe Dive Camp and Gugulesizwe Research Camp, please see below or visit www.maputalandtravel.co.za.
About Rocktail: www.maputalandtravel.co.za
- Rocktail Camp lies in the heart of the Maputaland Coastal Forest in the iSimangaliso World Heritage Site, along the northern KwaZulu-Natal coastline.
- Comprising 14 en-suite rooms set in a lush dune forest, the camp offers a pristine beach holiday experience, ideally suited for families.
- Rocktail is considered the premier dive site in South Africa, situated in a protected Marine Reserve. In partnership with Mokarran Dive Charters, Rocktail offers an incredibly exclusive diving experience along spectacular reefs – home to approximately 1200 tropical reef species. Other adventures include a unique Ocean Experience, as well as snorkelling, birding, forest walks, quad biking and a cultural village visit to Gugulesizwe – a joint venture with Rocktail’s neighbouring community.
- Rocktail is also renowned for offering the most exclusive nesting turtle viewing in southern Africa. Seasonal highlights include turtle nesting from mid-October through to January, with hatchlings making their way to the ocean from around January to March. Whale shark viewing usually occurs more in the summer months between October and April but sightings can be year round and humpback whale viewing between mid-June and October. Dolphin sightings are good all year round.
About Gugulesizwe Dive Camp: www.maputalandtravel.co.za
- The self-catering Gugulesizwe Dive Camp aims to be an extension of the rural KwaMpukane community.
- It consists of eight tented rooms, together with a swimming pool, communal kitchen, braai facilities, a fully stocked bar, hammocks and ‘chill’ areas.
- Access to the beach and Mokarran Diver Charters requires a 4×4.
About Gugulesizwe Research Camp: www.maputalandtravel.co.za
- A secluded self-catering private beach camp nestled in the rolling palm grasslands of Maputaland.
- It consists of four rooms, a swimming pool, kitchen, service staff and outdoor living spaces.
- Access to the beach and Mokarran Diver Charters requires a 4×4.
