CAflyer226

Wow this thread has been very informative! I would appreciate advice as I am scrambling to put together a last minute trip to Southern Africa (from April 14-May 5). My husband and I are interested in going to South Africa and also Zimbabwe for Vic Falls, but I am also interested in possibly visiting another neighboring country. This is probably our last chance for a big vacation in a while so we want to make it great, but without emptying our savings.

Here are my jumbled thoughts:

3-4 nights in Cape Town (is this enough to include a night in wine country?)
2 nights in Vic Falls

Do people recommend visiting Port Elizabeth and Durban? Any thoughts on Addo Elephant Park?

We are interested in at least one safari, maybe more. If we go to Kruger, should we also go to Sabi Sands? It sounds like we can definitely see many animals at Sabi Sands - if we had to choose should we skip Kruger?

I'd be interested in visiting Botswana, especially the Okavango Delta, but am not sure we can afford the typical luxury tours. If there are cheaper options I'd love to learn about them.

Would it be possible to fit in either Mozambique or Namibia? Any "must see"s there?

Thanks!!!

BA304

Given that you have about three weeks I would probably spend maybe five days in the Cape which gives you time to spend a few days in the city exploring Table Mountain/Cape Point/Boulders Beach/Robben Island. You can then take a drive out to the wine country, stay the night and then return to CT, perhaps stopping at Hermanus.

The towns surrounding Durban have great beaches with a much higher sea temperature than Cape Town if you're looking to swim. If you're not interested in beaches I would give Durban a miss.

I'd recommend taking a few days to see Knysna/Plettenberg Bay instead of going to Durban/PE. You could either drive along the Garden Route from Cape Town or fly from CPT to George.

As I guess you know Sabi Sands and Kruger are next to each other so you could visit both if you really wanted.

Not sure about cheaper options but the Okavango would be highly recommended. I would leave this towards the end of your trip so you're more likely to be in the floodwater season.

Namibia is a fine place to visit but I'm not sure it's a must-see if you have time constraints. I can't comment on Mozambique.

johan rebel

BA304 sums it up nicely.

Namibia is scenically spectacular, but it is a very big country. You need two weeks to see it properly.

Sabi-Sands and Kruger are adjacent, but offer fully-inclusive guided lodge and self-drive experiences respectively. Two rather different products. Just to confuse matters, there are a few private lodges operating on concessions in Kruger itself as well.

The cheaper Okanvago options are generally of the camping/canoeing kind, often on the fringes of the Delta to avoid national park fees. There are also a few lodges in the so-called panhandle that are less expensive that the others for the same reason.

It may sound counterintuitive, but the floods in the Okavango usually peak in the middle of the dry season, July or August. The extent of the flooding can vary considerably from year to year, as they depend on rainfall in the Angolan highlands.

Johan

CAflyer226

Thanks BA304 and Johan for the suggestions! I may need to get your thoughts some more as our plans take shape.

johan rebel

Anytime.

Johan

TRRed

After following several of these threads for a few months, I’ll throw my hat in the ring for the 2¢ of advice for whoever wants to give it. The set-up:
• Solo guy with about 10 days on the ground (excluding arrival and departure days, in and out of JNB from ZRH) in mid-November; probably will have the chance to add VFA or LVI as an open jaw on the return.
• Leaning toward choosing among 3 of the following, probably only one per area:
o Ezulwini Game Lodge (Kruger)
o Parfuri Camp (Kruger)
o Shindzela Tented Camp (Kruger)
o Mashatu Tent Camp (Botswana)
o Mombo (Botswana)
o Sandibe Lodge (Botswana)
o Little Makalolo Camp (Zimbabwe)
o Someplace else in Hwange (Zimbabwe)
o (someplace more “in” Victoria Falls or Livingston)
• Decent amateur photographer, looking to do some photography, but organized photography tour not required;
• From the above, you can tell I am not heading for the $1,000USD/night locations, but not the $100USD/night ones either (if those even exist);
• Sleeping in a screened tent on a bed is not a problem for me, but attempting to sleep in 85°F with high humidity is, in case that influences any recommendations; and
• I don’t mind renting a car and driving and/or taking a decent train if either are viable and safe options. OK with either left or right hand drive cars.

Thanks for any helpful or insightful thoughts or comments,

TRRed

johan rebel

One per area is a good idea, you will want to keep the time and money spent on transfers to a minimum.

I'm personally familiar with all the Kruger lodges you mention, as well as Mashatu. If you are going to Botswana and/or Hwange as well, I would definitely recommend Pafuri. Its main attraction is simply that it is different. It offers a scenic variety that you will not find in at any of the other destinations.

Pafuri can be combined with Mashatu if you want to, the transfer takes about is about 3½ hours by road.

You can drive to Pafuri from JNB; fly JNB-PHW and drive up, or fly straight to Pafuri from Lanseria. The direct flights must be booked through Wilderness Adventures, and may not be available every day.

November is normally a hot month, humidity will vary depending on whether the rains have arrived or not. You should expect daytime maximum temperatures of 100°F or higher, perhaps a bit lower in Balule and the Timbavati. Should a cold front sweep in from the Indian Ocean, it gets windy and a lot cooler. Pafuri and Mashatu are farthest away from the coast, and thus least exposed. Minimum temperatures at night between 60°F and 85°F.

Johan

TRRed

Many thanks, Johan.

And a P.S.to my earlier e-mail: several of the options are operated by Wilderness Safaris; is there likely to be much benefit (financial or otherwise) from working with them solely?

Cheers.

johan rebel

There are certainly practical benefits, as you will deal with one operator only. They may well have good deals on tranfers between the lodges, and they will be in a better position to handle any delays and other unexpected problems. In my personal experience, Wilderness are very professional, and really good at sorting out any issues that may arise. I've had my fair share with transfers.

Johan

Jeeves

I've enjoyed reading the posts here. My college age son and I have the opportunity to visit S. Africa in late November/early December. What we have in mind is something like 4-5 days in Cape Town, 2 days at Vic Falls, and 3-4 days for safari. This would be our first visit to S.A.

I know that December is not an ideal time to take a safari, but I was wondering which place might offer the best game viewing during that time of year. Would Sabi Sands or Addo Elephant be good options.

Any suggestions are appreciated.

SafariCraig

I have traveled in late November/early December several times and I really like it. There are simply not that many tourists around and the camps are usually pretty empty. Very few Americans travel between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

I have been to Addo and I have been the Sabi Sands many times. There are about twenty properties in the Sabi Sands and price and service vary on a huge scale. In my opinion the Sabi Sands offers the best general big five animal viewing in Southern Africa and especially the lodges on permanent rivers.

I suggest going on safari or to Victoria Falls first to avoid unnecessary overnights in Johannesburg or early departure/late arrival on safari if you try the MQP-LVI flight.

Day 1 Land JNB. Overnight.
Day 2,3,4,5 Safari in the Sabi Sands. Stay four nights if the lodge you use has stay3pay3 prices.
Day 6,7,8,9 Cape Town/Wine Country
Day 10,11 Victoria Falls.

Hope this helps. Give a budget and I can give you specific advice. I have been following the Bremerton stories in the news. My kids went to school there when I was in the Navy!

Craig Beal – owner – Travel Beyond

nov11

Edited - Sorry. Started a new thread since there are non-safari related questions as well.

conundrum

Lots of incredible knowledge and advice on this thread. My wife, 18 year old daughter and I are in the early stages of planning a safari next summer (late June, July 2013). We are looking at 10 days or so with another week or so in Cape Town. After some reading we were thinking about Botswana with perhaps South Africa or other areas. We are trying to get a handle on the resources for planning the trip and whether it is better to use a tour operator (Micato, &Beyond,etc), a travel agency or try to plan it ourselves. It all seems very overwhelming. Lots of great information so far just looking for any additional thoughts or advice.
Thanks. Drum

BA304

Welcome to Flyertalk, conundrum ^

If you're feeling overwhelmed, have a look at this thread for some general tips on planning a safari

June/July is a great time to visit for safaris. Kruger in South Africa or the Okavango Delta in Botswana would be the classics for first time game viewing. They're very different so you could visit both.

I don't have much experience with tour operators but I'm sure someone will be along to give better advice.

If you're looking at visiting Cape Town, be aware that the weather can be a bit rubbish in the Cape at that time of year. It's relatively cold and there can be quite a bit of rain although there should be some sun too. Other parts of SA would be better weather-wise.

iahphx

Just back with my family from southern Africa, and I want to thank Johan and others here for giving me great advice for my trip.

Kruger was truly amazing, and it is insanely easy -- and relatively inexpensive -- to do it yourself. Honestly, anyone paying money (big money, of course) for someone to ESCORT them on safari is frittering that money away. In a week, we saw enough animals -- at very close distance -- to last us a lifetime. In a typical day, we saw dozens of elephants, giraffe, zebras, hippos, rino etc., and so many antelope-like creatures that they become almost as exciting as squirrels. Only cats are relatively hard to see, but we did see one pride of more than a dozen lions from about 25 meters away, and we did get to see a male lion eat a buffalo from less than 10 meters away (he was sitting next to the road). It was great to be able to go wherever and whenever we wanted, and I can't imagine an organized tour would have been better.

Accomodations in the gov't owned rest camps are comfortable: some are better than others, and it's certainly worth doing your homework and planning ahead. On average, accomodations are better and cheaper than in USA national parks (especially for families), and you always get a braai pit to BBQ your dinner (best to bring supplies with you from outside the park, so bring a cooler for the meat and such). If you don't want to cook any of your own meals, the rest camp restaurants are cheap and more than decent, albeit without "exciting" cuisine.

We got lucky and were upgraded from a regular car to a 4-wheel drive SUV. While you could do it in a car, the SUV is very nice as there are some unpaved roads in Kruger that are worth driving on and it's nice to have the security and clearance of the SUV.

The "problem" with visiting Kruger and then going elsewhere is that everything else in southern Africa isn't as good as Kruger. You really don't need to see animals anywhere else. And South Africa as a whole is pleasant but odd: you tend to live in a first world cocoon in a third world country. Thanks to a great Avios dea, we also went up to Victoria Falls. Worthwhile -- especially since we didn't have to pay the airfare -- but shots, visas, entrance fees and accomodations add up. If time is limited, I'd just do Kruger and skip everything else.

We didn't go to Cape Town because of the distance and poor June weather, but that's probably what I'd add on my next Kruger trip.