South Africa Trip Report – Cape Town and Greater Kruger (Sabi Sand), April 2014

3 of us took a trip to Cape Town and Sabi Sand for 8 days in April, and had a wonderful time. We would love to go back to South Africa every year. The list of places we love is just getting longer and longer ....!!!

Cape Town
Accommodations: Steenberg Hotel, Constantia
- Pros: We loved this hotel. Situated on a vineyard, the grounds were gorgeous. There’s a golf course which is meant to be great. This location was so stunning and we enjoyed the outdoors and natural scenery of the Cape Town environment so much that we didn’t miss staying in the city at all. It was about a 20-30 min drive from the city. The breakfast spread included in the room rate was delicious, with both hot and cold food, including best blueberry muffins we’d had, 16 kinds of teas to choose from, and an unbeatable view of mountains from Catharina’s restaurant.
- Cons: If we were to be nit-picky about the service, it was lovely but not completely seamless / flawless. Sometimes small things were forgotten – e.g., when we reconfirmed our car service for the return trip to the airport, they said they didn’t have a booking already made when we had communicated about it previously. It was fine and we booked a car service then and had no problems. Sometimes our water jug would not be refilled every day. Another flaw was that when we asked concierge beforehand about recommendations for day trip tour operators, they recommended one company only where they seem to charge a premium for the service (charging 2250 vs. tour company rate of 1800, for example), thus making a profit, as opposed to recommending a few really good tour operators without any vested interests.
- Room recommendation: 2 of us stayed in the standard luxury room, and 1 of us stayed in a superior room. There was only a small premium to book the superior room and we would highly recommend it. The standard room was quite small and the superior room was easily 2-3 times the size for a USD25-30 difference per night.
- Summary: Overall we very much enjoyed our stay and would happily return to this property. I think on our next trip to Cape Town, we’d be happy to stay in Constantia again, which is gorgeous and close enough to the city, while also putting you a little closer to the wine region (Stellenbosch, Franschhoek, Paarl).

Activities: 3 days sightseeing
- We were in Cape Town for 5 days total but relaxed at the hotel for the first day and attended a wedding on the second, so spent 3 days sightseeing
- Day 1: Drive down Cape Peninsula. What stunning views! A trip down to the Cape of Good Hope is a must for visitors to Cape Town. We went with Noble Tours, recommended by the Steenberg Hotel, and had a lovely day. Our tour guide was friendly and kind and nice to spend the day with. He was not the most knowledgeable of the guides we encountered, but was incredibly helpful when we left a camera behind at lunch and had to retrieve it. It was a gorgeous day. Would highly recommend starting the day early as the latest time to leave the Cape of Good Hope is 6 pm (it’s a national park). With all the photo stops along the way, the day will pass very quickly.
- Day 2: Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens + Hike up Table Mountain. This was a phenomenal day. We went with a guide, Leonard McMillan, who was randomly appointed to us by AWOL Tours. He was a wonderful person to spend the time with – knowledgeable, friendly, and easy to get along with. It felt like we had met a new friend. He was probably our favorite tour guide among the 3 we spent time with. I believe you could find Leonard via Facebook to get in touch directly. Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens was gorgeous, even in autumn. I would have loved to spend a lot more time there but we had to get going as we were starting our 5 hour hike up to Table Mountain from there, and weather conditions can change quickly. If I were back in Cape Town again, I’d like to spend at least a full half day there. Going in Spring would probably be lovely too. We hiked up Table Mountain via Smuts Track and Skeleton Gorge. It was the most spectacular hike with astounding views. The first 1-2 hours were fairly challenging with steep steps to climb, so this hike would be recommended for people of at least moderate fitness. More people die on Table Mountain than on Mount Everest, apparently, so for someone unfamiliar with the hiking trails, I think a guide would be essential. Most of the trail was also unmarked, and it is extremely easy to take a wrong turn. Hiking with a guide was also a great way to learn more about South Africa and the scenery, so it all worked out very well.
- Day 3: Stellenbosch, Franschhoek, and brief city tour. The wine country is gorgeous. We thought it was prettier than Napa Valley because of the dramatic mountains surrounding the vineyards and the beautiful landscaping at some of the estates. We had a private tour guide who was knowledgeable but probably our least favorite of the trip as we didn’t feel entirely comfortable around her. We’re not big wine aficionados, so mostly went for the scenery and experience. Meerlust was a quaint place that was lovely to see, Waterford was a beautiful larger place where we were lucky enough to get a cellar tour from one of the owners, Delaire Graff was glitzy, glamorous and fancy – would be nice next time to have lunch there at the fine dining restaurant with the amazing view they have. Grande Provence had beautiful landscaping with an art gallery as well that we really enjoyed. Other places we wanted to go to but didn’t have time for were La Motte and DV Artisan Chocolate in Paarl. Having spent much of the day in Stellenbosch and Franschhoek, we didn’t have much time for the city, but drove through Bo Kaap and walked around the waterfront. We probably didn’t do the city much justice so next time could consider spending a full day there. Frankly, however, we so enjoyed the natural beauty of the outdoors (Cape Peninsula, Table Mountain, wine country) that I think those would still be highest on my priority list for a return visit!

Food:
- Lunch at Two Oceans Restaurant at the Cape of Good Hope was actually one of the best meals we had in Cape Town. Granted we didn’t book early enough to get tables at places like The Test Kitchen / The Tasting Room. However, this meal surprised us with the excellent seafood – we didn’t expect this quality of food from a near-monopoly restaurant at such a touristy spot.
- Dinner at La Colombe (closed now while they look for a new location) was good, but not that memorable. I just remember the petit fours were delicious.
- Dinner at BistroSixteen 82 at the Steenberg Hotel had good food and a lovely ambiance. The staff were very friendly and helpful. Dessert was a bit underwhelming.
- Breakfast at Catharina’s at the Steenberg Hotel was great and lunch there was delicious too. Didn't have dinner there.
- Lunch at Tokara Deli in Stellenbosch was lovely. The chicken, apple and bacon salad was great, as was the calamari I had a bite of (although my friend who ordered the dish said it was a tad salty). As with most things we had in Cape Town, produce was very fresh. Setting was gorgeous overlooking the vineyard and olive groves.

Greater Kruger (Sabi Sand)
Accommodations: Lion Sands River Lodge
- We did a lot of research and decided to stay at the Lion Sands River Lodge based on availability and price, and the fact that it is river frontage on the property which, according to the reviews we’ve read, increases sightings of animals. We absolutely loved our experience and can't wait to go back on a safari!!! We saw a great variety of animals, although not in the quantities you'd see on a "great migration" type of safari you can do in Eastern Africa. For our next safari we'd probably try a different type of terrain.
- Pros: as there were three of us traveling, it was important for us to find a place with rooms that could accommodate three people. Most of the lodges had single occupancy surcharges which could add up to quite a substantial amount so we were quite pleased with having a triple room, although not a very spacious one. The staff at the River Lodge were all very friendly and accommodating. We had a late morning flight to catch on our last day which meant we didn’t have time to finish the morning game drive. The lodge made arrangements so that we could go out with our regular crew and be dropped off at one of the gates to the reserve where another jeep from the lodge met us with our luggage and the transfer vehicle met us to take us to the airport. The lodge even prepared packed breakfast for us to eat on the road. The spa was great and Marcia gave one of the best massages we've had anywhere in the world!
- Cons: some of the hardware is getting a little dated (for example, the faucets, the paint in the bathroom). The faucets were so close to the sink edge that they were frustrating to use. The running water was also a bit brown but that's probably a function of the water resources in the area (it is considered quite privileged to have running water in the vicinity).

Activities:
- The schedule was the same every day while we stayed at Lion Sands (the schedule may be different depending on the season) and from the research we did prior to the trip, the schedules at other lodges are fairly similar. Most of the lodges include a sample schedule on their websites. Even though there is a large chunk of time between the morning and evening drives, we thought time went by really quickly!
- Each safari vehicle seats 6 people – 2 in each row – which means no one will ever be seated in the middle and everyone has unobstructed view of the surroundings. Being in Sabi Sand also meant that the lodge has its own private plot of land so it was very rare to see other vehicles during the drive. Lion Sands has reciprocal traversing rights with its neighbor – Kirkman’s Kamp – and each lodge can send two vehicles at one time across the boundary lines. I don't believe we actually left the Lion Sands grounds, however, during the 3 days there. So while lodges may say they can traverse the entire Sabi Sand region, practically speaking that may be uncommon, at least based on our experience.
- Terrain and what we saw: the terrain on which the Lion Sands property is located is called savannah woodland/bushveld - i.e., lots of trees and tall bushes in the late summer / early fall season. This also means animals were not that easy to spot as they're hidden behind the trees and bushes a lot of the times. It doesn't mean, however, that we didn't see anything. In fact, we saw the Big Five (lions, leopards, elephants, rhinos and Cape buffalos), lots of impala, nyala, kudu, warthog, wildebeest, zebras, giraffes, hippos, hyenas and even wild dogs (which are apparently quite rare). We saw leopards on all three days - resting on a tree, feeding on an impala on the tree and walking around the grounds marking his territory. There were also a lot of different kind of birds to see, although we were told that summer is the best season to bird watch as some of the birds have already migrated north by the time we got there.

Food:
- As with many safari lodges, three meals and local beverages (i.e. local South African wine) are included in the rate. Food at the Lion Sand River Lodge was very good. Everything tasted very fresh and the menu for all three meals changed daily. The only complaint we had was that some of the dishes were somewhat overdressed.

Other:
- We used Icon Expedition to arrange for the safari portion of the trip and were happy with the service they provided although we kept our requests very basic. Next time we go for a safari holiday we would get more help with bookings from a travel agent for sure, to minimize our own work!
- Another factor to consider when choosing a lodge is the hiring and staffing policy. We learned from a local guide (not the one from our lodge) that some lodges in the Kruger / Sabi Sand area do not hire black rangers even though they might be more knowledgeable. It seems some lodges may hire inexperienced white rangers and have them learn from the more experienced black trackers (rangers get paid more than trackers). Traveling in a country that is only 20 years out of apartheid, I think it's important to pay attention to these dynamics. If (when!) we go on our next safari, we will definitely ask whether there are black rangers on staff. Our ranger, Kenneth, a black man, was incredibly knowledgeable about all the animals, birds, plants, and stars. What a walking (or driving) encyclopedia!! After the fact, we learnt it was quite rare to have had a black ranger, apparently.

Domestic Transfers
- Arriving at 6:30 am in Joburg from an international flight, we went through customs very quickly, picked up our luggage and re-checked it in for the connecting flight, and easily got on our 8:30 am flight to Cape Town. Friends who arrived later in the morning, though, said the line at customs was quite a bit longer and they were pressed to catch their connecting flight to Cape Town. Might be worth thinking about a longer transfer time than 2 hours if arriving during ‘peak hours’
- To get to Lion Sands River Lodge, we flew to Nelspruit (and via a connecting flight at that!) then had a 2 hour drive to the lodge. The good news is that direct flights from Cape Town to Skukuza Airport, which is apparently right next to the Sabi Sand Game Reserve, will apparently commence in June – that sounds like a much better way to travel!
- We connected via Joburg a few times, and received advice from a number of locals that it’s safer to 1) pick up your luggage and re-check in, rather than check through the whole way, as that can be when baggage handlers go through your luggage, and 2) wrap your suitcase as an extra deterrent. Even the inflight magazine from South African Airways mentioned the high incidence of luggage theft at Joburg airport, and that they’d piloted a free luggage wrapping service for certain flights that go through Joburg as a result, so I think it’s fair to be vigilant about checked luggage. Better safe than sorry!