Travel

On Mozambique's San Sebastian Peninsula, the privately owned, exclusive-use beach house known as Pambele has reached the point in the calendar when the sea directly in front of it comes alive. September sits within the August to October stretch when humpback whales and whale sharks pass this part of the Indian Ocean coast, and it also falls squarely inside a dry season that lasts from June through November. Because life at the property revolves almost entirely around the ocean, that timing dictates everything, from when the boat leaves to what appears on the lunch table. From its position inside the Vilanculos Coastal Wildlife Sanctuary, the house gazes out at the Bazaruto Archipelago and has direct access to the Bazaruto Archipelago National Park. That park dates back to 1971, and the broader region has been named a Gift to the Earth by the WWF. None of this is distant backdrop. Diving, sandbar picnics, mangrove kayaking and bush drives each start only a short boat ride or drive from the deck, so a group can change its plans over breakfast and still reach the water before the day turns hot. A marine window that is open now Reef fish, sea turtles, rays, dugongs and dolphins move through the archipelago's waters all year round. The seasonal arrivals are humpback whales and whale sharks, which Pambele identifies as present from August to October. This makes the present moment the tightest and most defined slice of the property's year, and the one that marine-focused travellers usually treat as the anchor for their dates rather than something to slot around other plans. Snorkelling takes place within the national park, above reef populated by parrotfish, clownfish and angelfish, and gear is supplied. Deep-sea diving comes with a guide, while PADI Open Water courses can be organised ahead of time, with instructor fees quoted apart from the rate. Fishing heads out into the Indian Ocean, guided and with tackle provided. Kayaking leads guests through calmer water, …

Few things reshape a traveller's sense of the bush quite like leaving the vehicle behind, and Kaelo Destinations has spent this September spotlighting exactly that side of its portfolio as walking season peaks in Botswana's Northern Tuli Game Reserve. The collection runs safari lodges, tented camps and private homes across eastern Botswana, plus an exclusive-use beach house on Mozambique's coast. September sits squarely within the WalkMashatu walking window, open each year from March through October, and also within the reserve's high season, which spans 1 July to 31 October. Guests who already have a game drive or two behind them tend to find that the guided trails, the sunken photographic hides and the fly-camp sleep-outs are what stay with them longest. Walking the reserve instead of driving it At Mashatu, one of the two daily game drives can simply be traded for a guided safari walk, no extra booking required. On foot, the whole scale of the reserve shifts. Rather than covering distance, guests move at a slow pace through mopane woodland and along the riverbeds beside a seasoned ranger, learning to read spoor, insect trails and the scent of wild herbs, the small details a vehicle rolls straight past. When a traveller is deciding between a Botswana safari here and a busier, more familiar reserve elsewhere in the region, that walking option frequently tips the balance. WalkMashatu takes the concept even further. Trails are limited to six guests, led by an experienced guide, and shaped around the group's fitness and interests. Running in parallel is Night Under the Stars, an add-on offered all year to guests at the Mashatu lodges and at Kolokolo Safari Home. The evening begins with an afternoon game drive out of the lodge, overnight bag in hand, ending at the WalkMashatu Fly Camp for a fireside dinner paired with night photography, storytelling or a short walk. Guests bed down in custom designed tents beneath the open Botswana sky before a sunrise drive …

Torah observant families now have firm dates to build a 2027 around: Glatt Safaris has released the departure windows for its group tours, and with September still on the calendar there is room to sort out leave, flights and school holidays without pressure. The Johannesburg based operator, which runs Glatt Kosher gourmet African safari and holiday tours through South Africa and East Africa, has timed the release so that the administrative side of travel, the part most people leave too late, can be worked through at an easy pace. Confirmed dates cover two group tracks. The Gold Track departs 15 February 2027 and returns 25 February 2027, matching 8 Adar 1 to 18 Adar 1, with a further departure from 16 August 2027 to 26 August 2027, or 13 Av to 23 Av. The Silver Track departs 15 February 2027 and returns 22 February 2027, that is 8 Adar 1 to 15 Adar 1, and repeats in August from 16 August 2027 to 23 August 2027, or 13 Av to 20 Av. Each track shows its Hebrew dates next to the civil ones, a detail that helps families measure a departure against yahrzeits, chagim and school terms before signing on. Releasing the calendar this early is the practical part of the offer. A public tour carries between 20 and 40 guests, so a family booking as a group has to fix the window before it can lock in international flights, and a flight into Johannesburg is not something anyone wants to buy twice. What the Gold Track covers The Gold Track is the eleven day route that crosses borders, moving through South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Botswana with five star hotels throughout. It begins at Kruger National Park, where game drives run in the early morning and late afternoon while lions, leopards and antelope are on the move, and where guests stay in a private game reserve. From there it flies to Cape Town for Table Mountain, a city tour covering Company's Garden, Bo Kaap, the Jewish Museum of South Africa and Greenmarket Square, and a full Shabbos in the city with a walk to a …

September has become a specification month for Dreyer Linen, the Johannesburg maker and distributor of bed linen, towels and bedding accessories, as South African hospitality operators start placing their orders for the December holiday trade. Summer rooms are typically locked in months in advance, and the linen that dresses them has to be bought long before anyone checks in. The company's argument is a simple one. When guests grumble about hotel bedding, price is rarely the real issue. The trouble usually traces back to a specification that never suited the property to begin with. Hans Dreyer founded the business in 1955, and it is the third generation of the Dreyer and Blumenau family who steer it today. What began as a single linen operation has grown into a manufacturer and distributor that serves hotels, guest houses, lodges, mines, schools, retail outlets and private homes nationwide. Because the company both produces and distributes its goods, it can discuss specification in practical, hands on terms rather than through a sales pitch. Specification, not price, decides how long linen lasts There is no saving in a sheet that gives out after four months. On its own website Dreyer Linen has laid out how thread count, fibre content and towel weight ought to line up with a property's grade, and September is precisely when that advice earns its keep. Anyone preparing for a summer opening or a mid-season refresh still has room to order properly, take delivery and work the stock into rotation before every room is full. Ranking among the more established hotel linen suppliers in Gauteng, the company keeps its message steady. Work out what the room needs to do, and let that decide the cloth. A budget guest house laundering every day carries a very different brief from a lodge that swaps bedding every third night, and both differ again from a five star city hotel where the bed itself is part of what the guest is paying for. Thread count explained …