<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by bp888:
On which airline should I book my JNB-CPT flight and where (online) should I book? Approximate cost?</font>
SAA or BA (operated by Comair) are fine. No idea on cost, but any booking engine should be able to tell you that.
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Day 6-7: Rent a car and drive to Hermanus along the Garden Route and maybe visit a couple of wineries along the way. Staying at Sheraton Western Cape.
Q3. Rental car company suggestion? Should I book it with a major rental companies in the U.S. like Hertz or Avis prior to arrival or wait until I get to Cape Town. Approximate cost? What additional insurance coverage required for a U.S. driver with auto insurance? Do the car rental insurance coverage included with Amex Platinum and Diners Club cards help?</font>
Avis has a South African operation. Another good bet is a local company called Imperial. In my experience, Imperial has better rates. However, there are plenty of other lesser-known companies to rent from too. Check out
http://www.carhire.co.za/car-hire-so...rica/index.htm for an idea of pricing. I've always found that booking online ahead of time gets you a better rate, no matter what country you're in. Insurance is included--you will not need to take out extra. I assume your Amex will also provide more collision coverage (can't recall SA being on the excluded countries list).
As for the Hermanus plan, well, you could do better. Staying somewhere in wine country (which is not really on the way to Hermanus, by the way) would probably be a lot more fun. Hermanus is a pretty generic beach town, whereas the Western Cape wine country in Stellenbosch/Franschhoek/Paarl is really something special.
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Q5. Should I pre-book our Safari or book it when we arrive in Cape Town? Approximate cost for a combination 2-day KNP tour + 1-day private game lodge. The tour company I contacted by email is quoting ZAR 5,000 per person sharing or ZAR10,000 for the two of us. Is this about right?</font>
That sounds astonishingly expensive for a one-night stay. You are likely to find better rates from local travel agents. It shouldn't be hard to book this when you get there, as long as you're not going during SA's peak holiday season.
[This message has been edited by travelmad478 (edited Jan 22, 2004).]