South Africa in July-August - need recommendations/advise
We have the following tentative plan for a trip to SA (USA to JNB then out of SA ex-JNB ) in July-August for a family of four with two teenagers:
- two days in Johannesburg
- two days in Cape Town
- two days in Kruger NP
- two days in Victoria Falls
Based on the time of the year, which of the above would be a "must do" and which is a "skip if we could"? And if we skip any, which one should we really have kept more time for - or is there something else we ought to be doing?
For our trip, our general plan is:
- rent a car in JNB to visit Kruger NP (and/or other local sightseeing)
- follow a JNB-Victoria Falls-CPT flight plan
- take a train one way CPT-JNB
My questions:
- are there any outright gotchas in the plan? For instance, is it too late to even find accommodation near Kruger that is affordable, given that we are budget-oriented travellers?
- are other parks better for animal sightings and/or more affordable?
- where would be a good place to stay at while in JNB? I read something about safety being better near Pretoria, especially with respect to the train. For our second leg in JNB, would that mean we should get accommodation in Pretoria then plan to get a cab to the airport for our flight back?
- How bad is the traffic in South Africa, specifically in JNB and CPT? Should we be pretty OK driving there, or is that not advised? (I've driven only in USA, Canada and Australia)
- my understanding is that as US citizens, we wouldn't be needing a visa for Tanzania, Zambia or SA. But I do remember reading someone mention visa requirement to cross the bridge over the Zambezi at Victoria Falls. So am confused...
- do we need any additional vaccinations and/or medications? I read someone refer to a Yellow Fever vaccination and someone else referred to Malaria pills.
- I've not researched either Cape Town or Johannesburg cities. What are the main things that tourists go for in these cities? Again, are these driveable areas (with parking) or is the train preferred, both from a safety and a from budget standpoint?
- is it too much to consider hiking up the Table Mountain and taking the cable car down? We are reasonably fit - not unfit, not superfit!
- a friend of mine (I could ask him this question too) went on a whale sighting tour out of Cape Town. What are the chances of whale sightings during our timeframe (he had visited in October)?
Thanks for any assistance! :-)