Originally Posted by lowside67

What kind of budget do you have and what sort of appetite for luxury/comfort do you have? I spent 90 days in Africa last year on two separate trips, one traveling overland from Nairobi to Capetown where we visited 9 or 10 parks including the Serengeti and returned to South Africa for a dedicated trip to Kruger in December.

It's hard to match East Africa for the scenery and wildlife opportunities, but it's a lot harder and less convenient to reach most of those places, and the facilities are much more "rustic" unless you are paying serious $$$ to stay at some of the incredible luxury facilities available.

On the flip side, I flew back to Johannesburg in December and after a beautiful 4 hour scenic drive, was in the Sabi Sand private game reserve in Kruger National Park and over the next 2 days, saw an absolutely impressive variety of game. If you are a professional photographer and want 5 absolutely stunning magazine covers, the Serengeti may be the place for you, but it will take many days of game driving for the "perfect" opportunity, while the density of spottings is much better in the private reserves in Kruger.

On my 2 days in Sabi Sands, we spotted many more animals than in the 5 days to follow in the "regular" Kruger park, and I would definitely prioritize my return in that fashion.

I am taking my girlfriend to Africa for the first time, and for the combination of wildlife spotting and comfort/accessibility for her, we will fly into Johannesburg, head to Sabi Sand for 5 days, and then go to Capetown and spend the next week or so at the beach / touring wine country.

Hope this is helpful,
Mark