Dear Traveler,

"When you speak to a man in his own language, you speak to his heart." So said Minister Li Song of the Chinese Embassy in South Africa, during the launch of the Foreign Language Training Program in Mandarin and Russian in Pretoria recently.

It has been almost a year now since strict visitor's visa regulations for Chinese tourists to South Africa have been amended and relaxed and now South African Tourism is going even further to attract Chinese visitors by training local hospitality staff in Mandarin. In this issue we look at the launch of this fantastic program.

We also take a look at the amazing growth and development of RwandAir in terms of their expansion in the region. Truly an African success story!

And talking of taking flight, air travel in Africa has been known to be slightly uncomfortable and costly, especially when taking "air taxis" between lodges. Great Plains Conservation has seen this gap in the market and last month announced their own executive Great Plains' plane. It's the missing link between the high quality safari experiences and camps that Great Plains Conservation operates in Botswana and the international business class flights to the African gateway cities and onwards to Botswana's main safari hub of Maun. Read all about it in this issue.

Also in this issue, we look at the life of a foreign volunteer in South Africa. If you have itchy feet and a passion for conservation and wildlife, perhaps this is just the thing to consider.

We chat to Earl Smith, owner of Volunteer SA about what it takes to be a volunteer and what you gain from the experience.

And last but not least we take you on a magical journey to the iconic Palace of the Lost City at Sun City in South Africa. From the moment you set foot in The Palace of the Lost City, you step into a world of luxury, fantasy and adventure.