Henneke, Karoly and Ingrid from Holland

Karoly, Ingrid and me are so happy and we have enjoyed absolutely 300 % our lovely time in LL, it was far beyond expectations and I can tell you these were already quite high!

It is all very professional, the lodges are beautiful , so spacious and very private, the bedrooms and kitchen are very well equipped and very high quality , bathrooms perfect with the outdoor shower extra and the lovely view over the river and hearing the river flow at night is absolutely wonderful!

The staff are great and so modest, Boima and all do their work with so much dedication and they are so proud of their job!!!

Spencer our ranger was our professor of the bush, he knows everything and told and taught us so much about the animals, birds, plants, grasses, trees and nothing was too much for him, he loves to teach about all these things and we were eager students! He will be a good teacher for Lucky who is still learning, wonderful guys all of them! Spencer has impressed us and a great sense of humor he has! We have seen some beautiful animals like the big herd of elephants with their babies, lots of babies, like a bush buck passing the road when we came back in the evening from a game drive, he was just born and was trying to follow his Mom and Dad, and the baby bushbuck suddenly stopped in the middle of the road, lied down his little legs covering his eyes thinking OH NO they don’t see me I will stay quiet, then it got up stumbling to his Mom and Dad!!! The leopard had been hiding from us, we did not see him but we are sure he has seen us!

Nancy has spoilt us with her lovely cooking every night, it was such a treat to comeback in the evening after the game drive and finding the camp fire glowing and warm, have our drinks around the fire and find our dinner all ready in the oven! She is so lovely and sweet and also very professional. We had beautiful sundowners and sunsets at Lipadi Hill with these endless views and sights, also along the beautiful river looking down hoping to see hippos and crocs!!

It was an exciting experience doing our 4x4 course, changing that big tyre, going through the books and we passed all three of us even Mom!! Congo was surprised I think!!!

We met some nice fellow share holders like Bert Klomp and the son and friends of Paul Klomp, we had great evening sitting around the fire, having a great dinner the men had made themselves talking about the beauty of LL, we realize we are very privileged and fortunate to be part of all that beauty and luxury!

I do not regret I stepped into this adventure 2 years ago, there were only papers and drawings of the lodges, but our trust in the people wanting to fulfill their dream was very high and our women intuition was right again! I am absolutely thrilled!!!

Thank you everybody for this great and beautiful work and we realize that everybody has been working very very hard and still is to have completed all as written above so perfect!!!!!!!
We left with pain in our hearts!!! Still missing LL but we will be back!!!

Henneke Schouwenaar,
Den Haag, Holland

Update on Wild dogs by Jaquie Symons

The next booster vaccinations of rabies and distemper for the wild dogs is due shortly. To make the procedure less stressful on the dogs, Erik (our Reserve veterinarian) asked for a temporary boma to be built. Within two mornings, myself and seven Reserve men built a small boma. Now, the tricky part is to get the wild dogs inside! As we finished I left the gates open, hoping that the dogs would be curious and sniff around inside when it was quiet. Not ten minutes after leaving the electrified enclosure were the dogs inside and cautiously wandering around in this new and previously forbidden area (the gate has always been shut to await for the arrival of the new bonding dogs). This was good news, I was worried because many of the dogs had already been zapped by this part of the fence and thought that they would not want to venture inside so quickly! Once we know when Erik and the film crew will arrive, a few days before vaccinating, the wild dogs will be gradually fed closer to the temporary boma until feeding is inside this area. A rope will be attached to the gate and from the outside it can be closed without any stress on the dogs - or people! Now, let’s wait and see if it all goes according to plan.

Love Affair with Limpopo-Lipadi by Dan Sjolseth

Two weeks turns into a four week Love Affair with Limpopo-Lipadi.

Kathy and I anxiously anticipated the opening of Limpopo-Lipadi and our 2 week holiday there. Our plans were to spend 2 weeks at Limpopo-Lipadi and our other 2 week holiday time traveling in South Africa. After a couple of days in "heaven" (Limpopo-Lipadi) we decided to see if we could spend our entire holiday at Limpopo-Lipadi . Fortunately there was an opening and we took advantage of it. When it was time to return to the US, the joke between us was "who was going to return to the US to do the yard work, pay the bills and see the family while the other remained in “heaven" - that's how much we enjoyed our stay.

Our friends asked how we could spend 4 weeks at a remote camp in Botswana and our answer goes something like this....... We get up early in the morning and take a game drive, return for a tasty breakfast, do some reading or take a short walk, enjoy lunch while watching the lovely
Limpopo roll by, take a rest before an afternoon game drive, return to camp after the drive, clean up and sit at the boma in front of a crackling fire enjoying a bottle of champagne, having a wonderful meal prepared by Nancy (she's great!!) and capping off the evening viewing the amazing bounty of stars. Then they understand and ask us when we will return with them as guests.

We had a number of wonderful experiences at Limpopo-Lipadi but a few were especially memorable. The evening "bush braai" at Harry's Camp. Thank you Lucky, Nancy, Congo, Petros and Boima for organizing the romantic dinner by the river. Thanks especially to Lucky for making the fire, setting up the table and hauling stuff there and back. Thanks Nancy for your menu and cooking -- which was delicious!! We will always get a smile when we think of Nancy and Lucky roasting marshmallows over the fire and struggling to keep the sticky white goo off their face.

Our sundowners along the river, the herd of 40 elephant walking through the camp at night, seeing the hippos just downstream from the river camp, taking my driving test which included changing the tyre and Congo trying to get me lost (good luck next time), our first game drive alone after I passed the test we ran into a herd of giraffes and sat amongst them in the Cruiser for 45 minutes, while they walked all around us and provided us with some amazing photo opportunities. The dinner many of the staff and guest had at the pool area one night, our drives to Pikwe to do some shopping and tour the community, and so much more.

We must provide a special thanks to Belinda for ensuring that we got groceries. The service provided by Woolworths worked well and the food quality was very high. But without Belinda steering the process, and meeting us on Saturday morning for the grocery drop off, and sending up another couple orders, we would have not enjoyed our meals nearly so much.

Thanks again for the opportunity to enjoy this part of heaven.

Dan and Kathy Sjolseth
Seattle, USA

The Nine Wild Canines!

Wow, who is not intrigued by Wild dogs - they are certainly a magnificent and fascinating species. It is very difficult to trace but specialists reckon there are only about 3000 known wild dogs left in Africa.

The Pretoria Zoo facilitates the record keeping and monitoring of these dogs and they have a picture and DNA sample of each dog. Kruger Park had the largest single pack (about 45 dogs) until recently, when they were all wiped out by rabies.

Because of the dog’s “team culture” it takes only one ill dog to infect the entire pack. The challenge is to have a large number of different small packs in protected areas all over Africa, where they cannot be shot by farmers and where they can be kept away from domestic dogs and therefore canine illnesses. Ideally these areas should be 30,000 – 60,000 ha per pack with enough game to keep up with their appetite (3 to 4 impala per week).

When we received our “starter pack” of 9 puppies in August 2008 at Limpopo-lipadi, our wildlife experts and vet contacted all the groups who are specializing on wild dog rehab and gathered all the recent information to be best equipped for the task. LL introduced the very recent preventative practice of inoculation early in December – something Kruger Park (host of the largest wild dog population in one park in Africa) is also now considering.

Our challenge for 2009 is to find an Alpha male and female from a different gene pool, bring them to LL, introduce them to the pack to bond and then allow them to lead the pack. This would be a very tricky 12 month process and we as shareholders will hold our breath as we follow the dog’s journey from their 4 ha holding pen to release in the 32,000 ha.

If it is successful, we certainly would be directly involved in the extraordinary task of saving the wild dog species in the 21st century!

Have a look at Rob Waldron's video Double Pack. This is the dramatic story of two hunting packs - a wolf pack in America's vast Yellowstone National Park, and the Madikwe wild dog pack in South Africa's Madikwe Game Reserve.

Filmed over a period of two and a half years, this dramatic story of the survival strategies of the two packs gives the viewer a never before seen insight into wolf and wild dog behaviour. Set against the contrasting and magnificent scenery of the snow-covered American Rockies and the vast open savannahs of Africa, the film is also a comparison and contrast of two families that used to be linked over two million years ago.

What made the wolf choose the north and the snow, and the wild dog specialize in the predatorfilled plains of Africa? More than a unique view of two families and their successes and trials, it is the story of two of the most successful predators on the planet.

Written and directed by Robert Waldron for Discovery's Animal Planet in Association with Southern Star, Double Pack won the award for best documentary score and sound track at the North American Music Producer's Association Awards recently.

The DVD is available on EWT's e-shop https://www.ewt.org.za/eshop.aspx

Cheers
Jacques

The Limpopo-Lipadi Eco Story

Not many Game and Wilderness Reserves invite you to participate directly in the process of saving endangered species such as rhino and wild dogs, while investing in your own piece of Africa.

The story begins about 4 years ago when brothers Alan, Gary and Rob Marneweck traveled through a pristine stretch of land in the Tuli block, south-east Botswana, just north of South Africa. The incredible bio-diversity of the eco-systems from Lipadi hill all the way down to the Limpopo River took them by surprise. Soon, their 15 year old dream of establishing a sustainable conservation development in Africa, seemed not so impossible any more.

Within two years the 32,500 hectare Limpopo-Lipadi Game and Wilderness Reserve was registered with the Botswana Game Reserve Association as one of the largest private wildlife conservation projects in Botswana to date.

Aiming to re-establish endangered species such as white and black rhino, wild dog and cheetah, the Limpopo-Lipadi team acquired their first white rhino in 2006. Not realizing that one of the females was pregnant, Yantha surprised all, by becoming the first white rhino born in the Tuli in the last century. During 2008 Botswana wildlife asked LL if they would take in 9 wild dog puppies (the parents have been poached), bond them with another pack and rehab them back to the wild.

Since 2006, passionate-about-the-bushveldt eco-investors from all over the world were invited to become shareholders in Limpopo-Lipadi Botswana Investments Ltd, a public Botswana company which owns the land, the lodges and camps, vehicles, planes and the conservation project itself.

Says shareholder Grant Rogerson (expat South African): "The bush is one of the aspects of Africa I miss the most by living in Switzerland. I have looked at a number of reserve ownership opportunities over the years but LL was the only one that ticked so many of the boxes of owning a piece of Africa, in an uncomplicated yet secure and flexible manner, to enjoy the privilege of a true bush experience, on my own terms, with family and friends. In my view LL offers a truly unique opportunity to instill in my kids my passion and appreciation of the African bush."

Sustainable Development

Says Alan Marneweck: “If you’re looking for a solid investment which also gives you the chance to get involved in cutting edge conservation, this is definitely not one to miss. In these environmentally aware times, it’s impossible to ignore the massive damage man is imposing on the planet. The threat of climate change raises questions for all of us – from individuals to companies, from countries to continents. And as the environment changes, so many species are being pushed to the brink of
extinction.”

Gary Marneweck explains how the reserve is setting new benchmarks in environmental management: “Sustainability is the founding and fundamental principle of Limpopo-Lipadi. The ability to coalesce the ecosystem and community are considered critical to the sustained success of the game reserve and this underpins the planning and management of the reserve.

The cornerstone of this model is: game reserves are not about eco-systems, they are about all stakeholders that influence eco-systems. The Limpopo-Lipadi model therefore includes long term financial sustainability modelling and sources of income, ecosystem management using advanced fixed asset management techniques, advanced visitor experience management techniques, detailed environmental management plans ensuring long term sustainability of water resources, architectural designs that are energy saving and a hydro carbon neutral footprint.”

Leaving a Legacy

By investing in Limpopo-Lipadi, shareholders can be fully involved in the largest reestablishment
of endangered species in Botswana to date. Shareholders can also explore the beauty of the reserve at their leisure, invite guests to stay and participate in a wide range of conservation training courses.
But probably more important, shareholders will be leaving a legacy and a passion for African wildlife to their children by involving them in the Limpopo-Lipadi bush law experience… This unique mapping system - a first in the history of Game Reserves -will educate the whole family on the seasonal secrets of every eco-system on the Reserve. Getting out to the “farm in Africa” won’t only be about “who sees the first lion?” anymore – but rather - which bush secret will we discover in the Marula forest this summer or in the Mopanie veld next winter?

Africa’s hidden diamond

Botswana is one of Africa’s little known economic success stories. After independence in 1966, the country’s economy averaged 9% growth a year up until 1999, giving it one of the fastest per capita growth rates in the world. This jawdropping economic expansion has been mainly due to Botswana’s thriving diamond industry, which produces the bulk of the country’s exports. Today Botswana has a
negligible level of foreign debt with foreign exchange reserves of over $7 billion in 2005/2006.

In 2004, both Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s assigned Botswana an “A” grade credit rating, making Botswana by far the best credit risk in Africa and putting it on par with or above many countries in central Europe, East Asia and Latin America. In the same year, Botswana was ranked as Africa’s least corrupt country by Transparency International, again ahead of many European and Asian countries. The World Economic Forum rates Botswana as one of the two most economically competitive
nations in Africa. Taken together, these credentials make Botswana one of the best
– but least known - investment opportunities in the developing world.

Investors in Limpopo-Lipadi will own the full title deed of the land and 6 luxury airconditioned lodges and camps, with email, internet and skype access. The reserve will have its own DCA approved airstrip a 1.5 hour flight from Johannesburg. Botswana abolished foreign exchange controls in 1999,
meaning profits and direct investment can be repatriated without restriction.

Make a real environmental difference!

The Marnewecks never realized their dream would be challenged and rewarded on the world stage so soon. Great was their surprise when on 3 December 2007 they were awarded with Gold prize for the “Best Sustainable Development in the World” at the Homes Overseas Award Ceremony in London, UK, from amongst thousands of entries around the world. December 2008 saw LL awarded with Gold again for the second year running.

Excited shareholders from all over the world including the Netherlands, UK, Spain, Switzerland, USA, Germany, Finland, France, Italy and South Africa celebrated the success of the project at this early stage of its existence.

In fact, we never expected to find a secure, levy-free, USD-based, offshore investment, with open-ended potential for capital gain and backed by Africa's most stable economy, doing so well in such a short time, when we initially only searched for a game farm in Africa.

Jacques de Bruin
+27 84 761 1222