burmans

In terms of value would suggest Kenya/Tanzania are worth investigating.

Frosty1

Well Having been to Kruger at least once a year for the past 5-6 years and renting a vehicle driving my self I would recommend it to everyone.
Go to this web site and check it out. http://www.sanparks.org/parks/

Also having lived in South Sudan, Zambia where we drove to game parks
the only way to go is to fly into JNB and rent. It depends but to rent a vehicle that is high such as a 4 door pickup or if a family of 5 or more rent a Super 10 type. I will be taking my 7 year old grandson and family over in June for a 7day Kruger trip. Will stay in Sukkuza and Olifants camps. I rent from Thrifty Car rental. Also book the lodging on the sanparks web site. It is easy.

^

Frosty1

it depends what time of the year you are there. I have not taken anything for Malaria in years. I have been there in June,July ,November and March.

bryanwallace

my smallest is 4 so was worried about it-it would be for august

johan rebel

Interesting!

I keep hearing left and right that bookings (at least in SA) are down by some 20-30%, and that lodges and operators are stuggling. Judging by the number of e-mails I get with special offers (even for the coming Christmas vacation period), there must be some truth in this. A couple of lodges have also closed recently.

Given the state of the US and Euro economies, not to mention the politicians in charge who seem hell-bent on making matters worse, the prospects for the travel industry can hardly be rosy.

Johan

johan rebel

Or fly to PHW, HDS, MQP (depending on where in Kruger you are going) and pick up your car there. That's 500+ km less driving.

August? Nothing whatsoever to worry about. I'm just back from a couple of weeks in norhtern Kruger. Not a mosquito to been seen anywhere. The provincial health authorities also came along and sprayed all the rooms with DDT. That helps.

Johan

pdxasflyer

I would also like to recognize the work of Safari Craig, Johan and others here. SC and Johan were both very helpful when we planned a 2003 Namibia excursion and SA safari to Ulusaba that was memorable beyond words. Seeing mating leopards, lions and cheetahs in the same drive, and being literally stuck in the middle of a slow-moving elephant herd in the Sand River basin was but just a taste of what we experienced there. Still remember it like yesterday.

We're returning this March to SA to take our two kids, 10 & 11, on their first safari. Researched Bots heavily, but just couldn't justify the high cost. Never once considered Zimbabwe since we're a same-sex parent family and the political isolation and the research we had done/feedback received all pointed the opposite direction of there. We are staying in Zambia upriver from Livingstone for 2-3 days, then Kapama for 5 days. May even avoid going to the Zim side of Vic Falls as we've heard very negative things about the border crossing.

That said, I did not realize Kapama was fenced. Good? Bad? Neither? Would like your opinions, because a wide variety of several sources said it would be fantastic. Any reason why they chose to fence it in?

For our kids, we're planning some activities in both locations that we think will enhance their experiences, but any thoughts the experts have here, are incredibly appreciated. Thanks in advance for your insights!

johan rebel

Which of the Kapama Lodges are you staying at?

It is a bit confusing, but Kamapa consists of two discrete sections. The smaller one (I can never remember whether it si 2,500 or 3,500 ha in size. I think the former) is an almost square block that juts into the Thornybush reserve from the west. Guernsey Road is the western boundary. Thornybush and Kapama have had some issues over the years (you don't want to know), but they have now been talking about dropping the fences for a number of years. Simple, you would think, but it is anything but. Once again, I shall spare you the details. As they say in South Africa, bush politics are worse than George Bush politics.

The big rectangular Kapama block is bordered by Argyle Road on the north (that's the road that runs past HDS airport to the Timbavati, the Klaserie and Umbabat); the R40 (Klaserie-Hoedspruit-Mica-Phalaborwa) road on the west; Guernsey Road and the infamous lion-breeder Albert Mostert on the east; and a bunch of sheep and citrus farms on the south. Fencing is the only option. Kapama, by the way, has the fanciest game fence in all of southern Africa. Must have cost a fortune. For years there has been talk of deproclaiming Guernsey Road, thus allowing for fences to be dropped, but I will believe it when I see it. Not as long as there are commercial farms around.

The big block is just about big enough (10,000 ha or so) to function as a game reserve in its own right. An enormous amount of money must have been pumped into the development of the reserve, and it was not only spent on fences. The road network is particularly well designed and laid-out, etc. Nevertheless, the proximity to the R40 and the parallel railroad is a disadvantage, you can hear traffic almost all over the reserve, especially on calm nights. There are also some very unsightly powerlines.

I shall comment on the various lodge options once I know where you are staying.

Johan

pdxasflyer

Kapama Karula. I know there is a secondary road that runs between it and the Main Lodge, but the road sits closer to the main lodge.

Thanks for elaborating on the fence issue. In your opinion, does this diminish the quality of game drives and are the game 'owned' then by Kapama since, ostensibly, they aren't allowed to roam? For the other reserves, such as Thornybush or Timbavati, are those fenced in connection to/with Sabi Sands and Kruger? I guess I like the idea of free-flowing game - seems more natural, but would appreciate your thoughts as to whether or not the game drives are 'canned', so to speak. Or, am I making too much out of this?

Thanks again, Johan.

SafariCraig

Here are the places that I have personally seen Wild Dog in the last 24 months AND multiple clients have seen Wild Dog. There is one exception:

1. Mana Pools National Park Zimbabwei. I saw a pack of 22 in July 2011 at Ruckomechi.
2. Linyanti private concessions (Wilderness Safaris) Botswana. I saw 13 wild dogs hunting in May 2010 while I was a visitor at Duma Tau. Many clients have seen them here in the past two years while staying on this concession at Duma Tau, Savuti, or Kings Pool.
3. This is hearsay as I have only been a day visitor to this camp but wild dog sigtings have been great recently at the Kwando concession at Lagoon and Lebala.
4. I saw a pack of 11 wild dogs in the Madikwe private game reserve in South Africa in July 2011. Everyone I have sent here seems to see them.

Craig Beal - owner - Travel Beyond

iahphx

OK, I'm thinking Kruger self-drive gets me the most bang for my buck. And I'm relieved that, despite the current worldwide gold speculation, it doesn't look like the South African Rand is particularly expensive. Am I correct in my assumption that South Africa is, to an American, a rather affordable destination?

I'm thinking perhaps of going in June. That's a good month both for wildlife sighting and low malaria risk, right?

Since this will be our first trip to Sub-Saharan Africa, I think we'll want to do 2 weeks (lavish by American vacation standards ). It looks like there's enough to do in Kruger for 2 weeks. But, as a family vacation, should I spend all my time there, or should I spend a few days elsewhere? I've always been told the Cape Town area is great: should I squeeze it in, or just focus on Kruger (if we like S. Africa, I'm sure we'll go back sometime).

Car rental doesn't look terribly expensive: are there drop off charges if you don't return to the same airport?

The first order of business will be securing the frequent flyer tickets: and I need to choose wisely because high change fees will pretty much lock me into the intinerary. For Kruger, it looks like Nelspruit is the closest airport and, if I redeem with Star, I could fly there. Any reason to open jaw, or is Nelspruit as close as I'll get to any side of the park?

Thanks for the help!

BA304

The weather in Cape Town can be a bit variable at that time of year but a few days in the city and the wine country should still be nice.

I don't know if your comment about returning the rental car to a different office was referring to driving from Kruger to Cape Town but it's a long way - maybe 18 hours with minimal stopping.

johan rebel

It isn't. Despite (or thanks to) the gold speculation, you currently get just over R8 to the dollar. Back in January a dollar bought you R6.90

Yes, you are.

Indeed, correct on both counts.

Given the size of Kruger, 2 weeks is hardly enough to see it all. On the other hand, only really committed game viewers spend 14 days at a stretch driving around looking for animals and birds. Especially kids might get pretty bored by the end of the first week, or earlier. But then again, your children might be the exception.

No, not expensive at all. If your budget allows for it, go for a "high" vehicle which affords you better views when game viewing. You will usually end up with something like a Nissan 2 x 4, which gives you plenty of room for kids to move around in as well. The group code varies between companies, if you rent from e.g. Hertz you need a Group E, which should come with automatic transmission and cruise control. I normally don't care for either, but these features are very useful when cruising along Krugers roads.

There are. It's a while since I did this last, but the charges are not onerous.

No, on the contrary, it is the farthest airport. Your choice should ideally be determined by where in Kruger you will book your first night's accommodation. Airport choices are as follows:

Phalaborwa (PHW), literally on the Kruger boundary fence, 5 minute drive to Phalaborwa gate. Best choice if you are staying at Olifants, Letaba, or anywhere north thereof.

Hoedspruit Eastgate (HDS). Closest gate is Orpen, 45 minutes (if you drive like me), about 1h15 minutes (if you drive like a sensible person would). Best for Orpen, Maroela, Tamboti, Satara, Roodewal and Talamati camps.

Nelspruit/Kruger Mpumlanga International (MQP). Actually not in Nelspruit at all, but near Primkop. Built there because it was the only place flat enough for a long runway (The real Nelspruit airport, NLP, lies on the top of a hill and has a 900 m runway ending in a precipice. Used to be a lot of fun, but has no commercial flights anymore). MQP, or KMI, as it is commonly called, is closest to Numbi/Kruger/Phabeni/Malelane/Crocodile Bridge gates (driving time > 1 hr), and thus to all the camps from Skukuza southwards: Skukuza itself, Lower Sabie, Berg & Dal, Byamiti, Pretorius Kop and Malelane.

Then there is the airport in the park itself, Skukuza (SZK), which SANParks inadvisedly closed to scheduled flights some years ago. You can still fly in, but only on the so-called "scheduled charters" which Federal Air offers from JNB. However, you can only buy a ticket if you have bookings at one of the private lodges served by SZK.

If you need any advice on planning your route and accommodation in Kruger, just ask.

Johan

johan rebel

On my only visit to Kwando I saw plenty, but then I stayed a week at each camp.

There should be two packs in Madikwe, but they can at times be tricky to see. They sometimes use the fence when hunting, which may take them to the southern and western sections of the reserve which are rarely visited on game drives. They also like the area around Tshwene-Tshwene. A big block in the middle of the park with few roads, low game densities and, most importantly, few large predators.

Wild dogs can be tricky because they range over wide areas (except when denning in mid-winter) and, like cheetahs, try to avoid areas with large concentrations of lion, leopard, and hyaena. If the lions increase in number, or a powerful male coalition establishes itself in the traversing area of a lodge which has a reputation for excellent wild dog sightings, they may suddenly find that dogs are few and far between. This happened to Mombo some years ago.

Madikwe is a special case because it is completely fenced. Although its lion population is far too large, the dogs there cannot really run away.

Johan

rankourabu

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