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OT: South Africa Safari
I know many on this board are tempted to pop to South Africa on a 2-4-1 or the like over the UK winter months, and Mrs bmi G has the same idea!
We are thinking of flying to JNB and then would like a 2 night safari. We will arrive from LHR early in the morning on a Tuesday in March and leave on the flight home on Thursday night.
What would anyone suggest? We would love to go somewhere based on recommendations from someone's personal experience.
I guess we will spend what we have to - but mid-range will certainly do for us.
I know many on this board are tempted to pop to South Africa on a 2-4-1 or the like over the UK winter months, and Mrs bmi G has the same idea!
We are thinking of flying to JNB and then would like a 2 night safari. We will arrive from LHR early in the morning on a Tuesday in March and leave on the flight home on Thursday night.
What would anyone suggest? We would love to go somewhere based on recommendations from someone's personal experience.
I guess we will spend what we have to - but mid-range will certainly do for us.
Thanks for any suggestions in advance.
If its your first safari, S Africa is probably OK - but you can tick off the big 5 in about 30 minutes (so ggod for a v short trip), and you soon realise its not 'real' but just a mixed zoo. Too often 2 days in you'll discover each animal has a name. Thus good for a short trip (Maybe like yours - Mala Mala seemed popular pre Botswana stop this summer/their winter), but somehow not the real thing. Moreover, some of the 'guiding' (to 'find' Roger the Rhino, etc, - see above) can be a bit more about the guide showing off, at times.
Given drives happen morning and after tea, don't restrict yourselves to S Africa- Maun (Okavango Delta) in Botswana is 2 hours from JNB by a the new Air Botswana ATR72s, and some camps (e.g Chitabe) are just 15 mins by light plane from there. That is the real thing - and scenically stunning too - but still high quality food, accom and guiding.
However, for both SA and Botswana check on the weather - some places can either be v wet - or just very green and overgrown in March (hard to see anyhting then). In that case some of the (still zoo like) Cape province options might be worth considering instead.
If its your first safari, S Africa is probably OK - but you can tick off the big 5 in about 30 minutes (so ggod for a v short trip), and you soon realise its not 'real' but just a mixed zoo. Too often 2 days in you'll discover each animal has a name. Thus good for a short trip (Maybe like yours - Mala Mala seemed popular pre Botswana stop this summer/their winter), but somehow not the real thing. Moreover, some of the 'guiding' (to 'find' Roger the Rhino, etc, - see above) can be a bit more about the guide showing off, at times.
Given drives happen morning and after tea, don't restrict yourselves to S Africa- Maun (Okavango Delta) in Botswana is 2 hours from JNB by a the new Air Botswana ATR72s, and some camps (e.g Chitabe) are just 15 mins by light plane from there. That is the real thing - and scenically stunning too - but still high quality food, accom and guiding.
However, for both SA and Botswana check on the weather - some places can either be v wet - or just very green and overgrown in March (hard to see anyhting then). In that case some of the (still zoo like) Cape province options might be worth considering instead.
Wow, that is a very cynical view of the South African safari experience. I would disagree, based on a number of visits to different camps in Kruger/Timbavati, as well as safari in Botswana and Namibia.
The Greater Kruger Park area is enormous (even without including the newly opened Transfrontier areas in Mozambique and Zimbabwe), as big as the Okavango/Moremi combined, so that is some "zoo". Animals are free to move throughout the park (as long as they're not elephants ), but most predators naturally remain within a relatively small area as that is their territory. It is perfectly natural therefore for the camps to know well the big cats etc in their vicinity, and why not give them a name? As to the tracking, for me that is the real difference of a South African safari as I have never come across the guide/tracker duo combination in the neighbouring countries where you rely much more on the random finds made driving around in the vehicle. Yes sometimes the trackers show off, but some of these guys are incredible and do find the animals that otherwise you just wouldn't see.
Don't get me wrong, I loved my trip to Botswana and agree with you that it is uniquely beautiful but I don't think that it is somehow more "real" than South Africa. For a first timer I think SA will be far more accessible and there is nothing wrong with being more or less guaranteed to see the Big Five!
(I would DEFINITELY avoid the Cape/Eastern Cape reserves, however, which are to all intents and purposes large game farms, not proper reserves.)
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I would go to Kenya. Take advantage of the Fairmont promotion in the Hotel Deals thread and you will be staying at a 5 star lodge for peanuts. I took my 71 year old mother for her first Africa experience and she loved it. No problem for a first timer. See my TR. You can PM me for details.
South Africa is nice but not so authentic as Kenya. You won't see as much wildlife unless you go to one of the 'zoos' mentioned before.
Last but not least: 3 days???
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Out
1. Take the earlier BA flight to JNB so you arrive as early as possible in JNB
2. Take a Federal Air flight from the other side of JNB airport (they will pick you up from the JNB International Terminal) for a morning flight to the Sabi Sands area. Morning flights are around 10:30am-ish.The safari lodge will normally arrange this for you. There is a comfy lounge at the Federal Air base for continental breakfast. Federal Air is a charter plane that flys up to the Sabi Sands area and then does a circuit of stops at the various Safari camps like a shuttle bus.
3. Pick a safari lodge that has its own airfield so you can get to lodge in time for some lunch.
You should then be able to have lunch, unpack and rest a little before your afternoon/evening game drive at about 4pm.
Back
Check with the lodge to book you on a Federal Air flight back as late as possible (afternoon if possible). This means you can go on your morning safari which gets back at about 9:30am or 10am, have a nice leisurely breakfast, recline by the pook, with a light lunch before flying back to JNB. Federal Air will fly you back and arrange your transfer to the international terminal. The later evening flight would be best for this.
To need to be check to get an afternoon flight back as these are not common. Most lodges will be tempted to put you on a morning flight which means you missing the morning safari (or the lodge may arrange to have you met half way during your morning drive to whisk you to the air field).
The choice of lodge depends strictly on budget and how excited you are to see animals. Around Londolozi and Singita, the density of animals is very high so slighting animals is not an issue. Londolozi and Singita have the highest probability of seeing leopards which is the hardest of the Big 5 to spot. Not sure if the large lion prides have reformed there as yet (it is a bit of a Lion King story in real life where 5 large males, killed the male lions leading the large prides and broke them up).
And I'd recommend just waiting for the thread to be moved over to the Africa forum - there are some real experts who hang out in the Africa forum, who are fantastic at answering questions like this. They gave me huge amounts of help when I was considering a southern African safari
(But 2 days, in a game reserve?! I suppose you get to 'rough it' in a camp which you wouldn't have to do if you visited a zoo.... )
I did Kruger with a company that was recommended to me by one of my colleagues. You need to fly to nelspruit from Joburg. The lodge / tour company is a small operation owned by a really nice guy. The lodge has four very nice (and VERY reasonable bedrooms) an outdoor spa pool, and a bar. They make home cooked meals for the guests every night. It was a dream! If you want details on the company feel free to private message me!
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I would DEFINITELY avoid the Cape/Eastern Cape reserves, however, which are to all intents and purposes large game farms, not proper reserves.
While you might be right, and I don't have experience of any other safaris other than Shamwari, I would wholeheartedly recommend it. We stayed at the Bayethe Lodge as part of our Honeymoon last year, and had a fabulous time. The tents were very comfortable, the service and food (all inc) was spot on, and we saw plenty of wildlife.
A huge advantage of going to Shamwari was that it could be done as part of a trip to Cape Town and the Garden Route, and they reserves are Malaria free.
It's in the Madikwe reserve - relatively unknown, malari-free, and has the Big 5. There are a few Lodges in there, but Buffalo Ridge is 100% community-owned and community-run and for us that was important. It's very nice indeed, has good food, an infinity-pool overlooking the reserve, and we saw elephants from the glass-walled shower of our house. While not exactly cheap, in safari terms it's 'mid-range' - about £150 per person per night if I remember.
Best of all you don't need to fly - just rent a car in JNB and it's an easy 5 hour drive north to the Botswana border.
Wow, that is a very cynical view of the South African safari experience. I would disagree, based on a number of visits to different camps in Kruger/Timbavati, as well as safari in Botswana and Namibia.
Thanks for clearing that up, Aristoph. I just love the "zoo" comments. This zoo has no fences, does not feed its animals and happens to be the size of Wales - before you add in all the contiguous, also unfenced, reserve areas. So cramped it's hardly surprising you can't move without tripping over the big 5!
Kruger is vast and diverse and offers a huge range of experiences. It certainly repays leisurely exploration and multiple visits. It is different to Botswana, Namibia, Kenya or Tanzania - all of which are fantastic - but none of my visits has ever disappointed me.
Back to the OP: If 2 days is all you can manage (it borders on the criminal!) then ease of logistics is going to be key. You need to cut out unnecessary travel and make sure connections don't eat into your valuable time. So although the Masai Mara is pretty accessible from NBO the daytime flight from LHR eliminates that as a possibility. KenJohn's carefully timed itinerary might be your best bet.
Congratulation to Cheetah_SA with crossing the 2000-post threshold.
After a couple decades of not even considering "camping" on safari, I am now hooked. Now I know several lodges even come with heating flooring for the winter nights. Still have to put up with the fact that the odd visit from some baboons might result in your sun-bed ending up in your plunge-pool.
In terms of experience, for the first two safaris, I would expect the interest is seeing as many animals as possible. The tick-list becomes important on the first safari.
For the more experienced safari go-er, past 2 safari, you become more selective on what you want to see. I have seen enough lion and leopard cubs but am interested to spot hyenas and meercats. Have suddenly developed an interest in birds (shock horrors). The landscape also becomes important once you get used to the fact that you might have to drive around a bit before you spot something or anything.
Ultimately what makes a safari is the other people in the same jeep as you are in which is down to the luck of the draw.
In terms of honeymoon experiences, just remember you have to get up at 4:30am / 5am to start your morning safari. Not exactly romantic.
Congratulation to Cheetah_SA with crossing the 2000-post threshold.
Why, thank you kind sir.
Quote:
Originally Posted by KenJohn
... am interested to spot hyenas ...
That really isn't necessary, most of them are spotted already.
I fully agree with your assessment of how one's horizons expand (so to speak) the more time one spends in the bush. And to me the ultimate is still to self-drive. Then I become completely immersed in the bush experience and each sighting is doubly special because I spotted it - with my limited faculties - and I can enjoy it at my pace. (Some of those peeps on the landrovers get cranky when you ask the ranger to stop for anything unglamorous.)
I would recommend Mabula About a 2/3 hour drive North of JNB and very good for first timers. They have a hotel with a pool, and a bit of a "center" (animal conservation stuff, old bones, pickled bits etc. which is v. interesting) and there is often evening entertainment (Bomas and the like), but don't stay in the hotel - if you can, stay in one of the lodges. Sunset hill is great for long views (and a great sunset) but another area (sorry I forgot the name) is on the edge of an old peanut (?) plantation which is now a large field with great views of the distant weather, elephants passing along the tree line at the far end and more buck than you can count, rutting in the evening.
AFAIK the lodges are all privately owned (or corporately owned) so you may need to trawl the net to find someone willing to rent out theirs.
For some reason, I like dung beetles They fly along sounding like a turbo-prop and when (not if) they crash into something and fall to the ground, they pull themselves together, manually pack up their wings, have a practice take off, then off they go again - hilarious! (or maybe that was just after all the Klippies and Coke!)
Most important (obvious, but I know people who've forgotten) - take good binoculars (and one of those 1,000,000 candle power torches may come in useful too)
), but most predators naturally remain within a relatively small area as that is their territory. It is perfectly natural therefore for the camps to know well the big cats etc in their vicinity, and why not give them a name? As to the tracking, for me that is the real difference of a South African safari as I have never come across the guide/tracker duo combination in the neighbouring countries where you rely much more on the random finds made driving around in the vehicle. Yes sometimes the trackers show off, but some of these guys are incredible and do find the animals that otherwise you just wouldn't see.
I just love the "zoo" comments. This zoo has no fences, does not feed its animals and happens to be the size of Wales - before you add in all the contiguous, also unfenced, reserve areas. So cramped it's hardly surprising you can't move without tripping over the big 5! 
They fly along sounding like a turbo-prop and when (not if) they crash into something and fall to the ground, they pull themselves together, manually pack up their wings, have a practice take off, then off they go again - hilarious! (or maybe that was just after all the Klippies and Coke!)
