FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - South Africa and Victoria Falls
View Single Post
Old Jul 9, 2018, 1:43 pm
  #11  
mechteach
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Programs: Various
Posts: 6,521
Originally Posted by wijibintheair
They are two quite different propositions. Hwange is more "wild" than Kruger. Arguably you will see more variety of game in Kruger, but possibly a larger quantity of game in Hwange. I would not really recommend doing self-drive in Hwange, but it is a great way to see Kruger. Ultimately the decision needs to come down to what is more appealing to you. If you did want to combine it with Kruger I would suggest something along the lines of:

Day 1 . Arrival in Johannesburg and overnight
Day 2 . Morning flight to Victoria Falls - afternoon to explore the town and visit the falls
Day 3 . Full day in Victoria Falls to do optional activities - anything from helicopter or microlight flips over the falls to canoeing, white water rafting, village visits etc
Day 4 . Morning in Vic Falls and then transfer to Livingstone Airport (so get a KAZA visa on arrival)and direct flight to Nelspruit. Unfortunately the flight lands at 15h25, and in May the camp gates close at 17h30, so maybe you will need to book a hotel just outside the park - like the Marriott Kruger Gate Lodge
Day 5 . Full day self-driving in the park - where you overnight I would say would have something to do with which private lodge you choose.
<snip>
This is almost exactly what we did on our last trip to SA a few years ago, and it worked really well. We didn't go to Cape Town because we had been there a few years before (and just drove back to JNB instead), but if this is OP's big trip to SA, then it makes sense to include a trip down there. OP, if you want a super posh experience, then doing the private lodge is nice, but we also really enjoyed just staying in the huts/lodges/etc. in the national park rest camps like Olifants, Skukuza, etc. You can dine in the lodge restaurants, or cook your own braai. They also have ranger-led tours into the parks in the evening, guided walks, etc. if you are worried about doing it entirely self-drive.
mechteach is offline