CFFrost

My Fiancé and I are in the middle of planning our honeymoon. We will have 6 nights in London and 14 nights in Cape Town. From what I can tell everything advertised as a "safari" around Cape Town is just a "reserve" - not an actual Safari or Game Drive.

Are there any exceptions to this? Are there any reasonably economical ways to get a genuine Safari experience from CPT?

We would love to do Krueger - but I think it would become logistically difficult with everything we already have planned.

If any of you have experience with any companies I would appreciate any feedback you can provide.

Thanks!

jsnydcsa

I've always enjoyed and recommended Kwandwe to others who weren't disappointed.
www.kwandwe.com/‎

It's a drive up the coast/Garden Route. I'd pick a place along the way that interests you (beach, hiking, etc.) and spend the night there on the way out towards Grahamstown and/or on the return. It's a long/full one-day drive between CPT and Grahamstown. Not exactly the day-in-a-car trip I'd like to take on my honeymoon. But, with a break/overnight, a nice trip.

Mwenenzi

Agree with the coast /Garden Route / Grahamstown
Or fly to Nambia and visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etosha (better than Kruger). While Capetown is good, 14 days is a lot

dbuckho

Went to Kwandwe this past January and it was amazing. You could easily catch a morning flight to Port Elizabeth and drive from there, arriving in time to settle in and catch the evening safari. Recommend you spend at least 2 days there so you get 4 drives. It is pricey, but worth it.

After 2 days/nights at Kwandwe we drove from Grahamstown to Knysna and spent 2 nights at the Conrad there on points. And then stayed a night in Swellendam on the way back to Cape Town (actually to Stellenbosch - spent 2 nights out there as well before heading into Cape Town proper - but for the purposes of this conversation you can treat them the same since Stellenbosch is just outside Cape Town and can be a day trip).

Breaking up the Kwandwe to Cape Town drive into 3 days worked well for us, but you could also drive back straight from Knysna to Cape Town if needed and do it in 2. And of course you could fly both ways - there are a couple low fare carriers like Kulula and BA/Comair even tends to match.

CFFrost

Thanks for the suggestion. I think this is close to something that we might be looking for, though I don't think we need anything so upscale. We're honestly OK with something kind of rustic for this part of the trip. I think my only issue here goes back to what I said at the beginning - this looks like more of a "reserve" than a genuine safari - though maybe my perception is a bit off as I've never done either.

I agree 14 nights is a lot. Honestly, that was the result of award availability on the flights. We were originally planning on 10 nights. In any event, we're happy to be able to take our time and have some lazy days if we see fit. Not much of a rush.

I'd prefer not to make another flight out of it. That's why I originally was looking for something directly from Cape Town - which would make it perfectly convenient.

Thanks for the input.

Are you saying you did the one-way drive over three days, or the round-trip over three days? I'd like to have the entire thing be 2-3 nights but it appears that all of the places that offer safari are far enough away that this would not be feasible.



Do any of you know of anything that would be fairly self-contained? For example, something that would include local ground transit to/from the reserve from Cape Town as well as perhaps two nights accommodations? I am genuinely not a fan of tours, but for something like this I might make the exception.

Thanks in advance for everyone's help.

jsnydcsa

I've never done rustic at a commercial place/place available to the public - only through friends and colleagues at their private (and rustic) places. Kwandwe is, IMHO, definitely NOT rustic.

I would definitely put Kwandwe in the reserve category - e.g. by my definition, it's fenced and stocked as compared to truly wild setting of what's roaming around at any given time. That said Kwandwe has expanded (purchased more adjoining properties) at least once (and probably more). In my more than several visits to Kwandwe, I've never covered the whole property during a single 2-4 day visit and am sure I haven't seen it all. Heck, I haven't even stayed at all the different lodges on the property.

I don't knock the reserve concept, particularly at Kwandwe. Rangers may be lying to me (though b/c of a tangential connection to the place, I doubt it) but they say they don't "know" where anything will be on a given drive. They and their colleagues may have reports that there were such-and-such on some general area - and there's often radio chatter from one vehicle to another that something is going on somewhere (e.g. a kill) if anyone's interested. But, they are never sure what's out there and when. I can tell you from personal experience that, on more than one occasion, a ranger (or his tracker riding on the front of the vehicle) has at least appeared to have been surprised to see something somewhere. The rangers want their guests to be happy and/or try and accommodate what the guests are interested in so they'll use that info accordingly.

IIRC, some animals (perhaps predators, like lion) are chipped or tagged or something so that for whatever purpose (liability, health of animal, whatever - again I'm in IIRC territory here) so that they could be generally located if the need arose. But, I've never seen such a device on an animal nor have I seen a ranger and his/her tracker using that technology to "find" an animal for a guest or even intimating that that's how they "know" an animal is in a certain area.

Kwandwe has it's own airstrip. Though I've never used it and have zero idea of the costs/planning associated with it.

CFFrost

Thanks for the thorough report. Very helpful. Good to have insight into the "authenticity" of this type of property. It sounds like I may not even notice the difference.

We are thinking about Kwandwe - but are also looking into more simple options. Honestly, $800+ per night for two people is pretty steep. Plus, we would have to spend two days on either side of the safari driving there.

Another option we are considering is something like this:
http://www.capetownsafaris.com/tour/...-game-reserve/

It is roughly ~$115 per person per day, and only 2.5hrs from Cape Town. Does anyone have experience with anything like this? Obviously it is probably a case where you get what you pay for - but the simplicity of the process and reduced cost are appealing.

TIA!

Maykita

Consider Addo Elephant National Park as an affordable alternative. Easy drive from Pt Eliz. Wide range of lodgings in the park. Self drive through the park or go on park game drives. We did both and saw tons of animals. You can also easily do a game drive at Schotia nearby to see some of the animals you won't see at Addo. This is more of a small reserve and not nearly as authentic as Addo, but we liked the combo.

CFFrost

Thanks for another suggestion. I'll take a look at these online when I get a chance.

Quick question for those of you that have recommended Kwandwe - do the rates there fluctuate at all based on demand? By that I mean, right now ~10 months out from our travel dates, it lists the rate as "Rack Rate". If this were a hotel, I would take this as indication that it is to far in advance to get a favorable rate. I also see that they have specials (right now listed as stay 4 nights pay 3). Is it possible the nightly rate will drop, or is it pretty standard? And, is it worth waiting to see if any specials come up? Also (most importantly) how far in advance should we plan on booking?

Thanks again for everyone's input!

dbuckho

We actually did the one-way drive over 4 days, staying 2 nights at the Conrad Pezula and then another night in Swellendam after driving via the R62 and Oudtshoorn. But you could skip the day we spent around Knysna and Plettenberg Bay and/or you can drive straight through to Cape Town from Knysna and get it down to 2-3 days (can be done in 2, but recommend 3, especially if you stay at the Conrad - you need to enjoy that beach).

My recommendation is to fly one way and drive back. We took an early AM flight from Durban to Port Elizabeth, had lunch there, then drove to Kwandwe in time for the evening safari. You could easily do something similar flying from Cape Town. We stayed two nights at the reserve and then started our drive to Cape Town via the Garden Route.

As to the rates, I am sure it fluctuates a little with demand, but they only have so many rooms (maybe 12 in total between the different lodges)? My trip had me in that area just after New Year's, and Kwandwe was originally sold out. Was about to book elsewhere and luckily a room came open. I know $800 sounds steep. Before this trip I do not think I had ever paid more than $300/night for a hotel room, and usually far less. But because of the high season I paid almost 2x what you are seeing. And I still thought it was worth every penny.

I doubt they will have a special for just 1-2 nights, and even if they do it strikes me as the type of place that would revise your rate if they drop them overall.

CFFrost

Yea, after a bit more research (and insight from those on this board) I think we're going to change our flights to an open jaw flying into Cape Town and out of Port Elizabeth. Then, rather than spending 1 night at a hotel in either direction we'll spend two nights on the way out at either the Hyatt in George or the Conrad in Knysna. This will give us a bit of time to explore the Garden Route. Then we'll spend two nights at Kwandwe, getting there in time for the evening drive on check-in date and leaving after the morning drive on check-out day.

As always, thanks for all the thoughts and insight.

CFFrost

I think you added this after my reply.

After thinking about it, $800-900 did not sound totally unreasonable when you consider that it includes food, safaris, lodging, drinks, etc. Like you, I have never paid this much for a hotel so I had some sticker shock, but I've never stayed at a property that includes this much in the rate. Also, after finding a trip report it sounds like the food, drink, service, amenities, etc are all top notch.

However, they recently redid their website and the rates are returning roughly double the listed rack rate. I e-mailed the property and they told me they are having problems since the website has been redone, and that (at least for the dates I provided) the rack rate prevails. No word yet on when the booking engine will be up and running properly.

thijsseh

To me, the relevant question here is: "how do you define a 'genuine safari'?"
Although Cape Town is very much in Africa, it is certainly not 'genuine safari' country in my view. Its too far South and 'game' in the safari sense of the word, does not occur naturally. Ostriches, baboons, smaller buck, yes, plenty. But nothing anywhere near 'big five' stuff. And no large herds of buck either. That's what I would call safari.
So most Capetonians will, if they want to do some genuine game spotting, go to Kruger or the many parks in that area. Anywhere in the Western Cape (and maybe the Eastern Cape as well, but probably not as clearly), is 'reserve' stuff. Not that this is not nice etc, but 'safari' it ain't! (and before someone tells me: I know that Kruger is technically a game reserve too..).

Having said all of this: a game drive in a good reserve with a good ranger is an absolutely fantastic experience! And you'll see a lot more / better than on a self-drive through Kruger, especially if you are inexperienced in spotting..

Gardyloo

Meaning you're traveling in August/September 2014?

If so, then allow me to make a very strong argument that you allocate a couple of days (3 altogether) to head up the Atlantic coast from Cape Town, towards West Coast National Park and Paternoster, a couple of hours by road from Cape Town.

The reason for this suggestion is that the spring wildflowers along the west coast are nothing short of mind-boggling. Believe me, these photos do NOT do them justice...

West Coast NP -


Paternoster -

West Coast NP doesn't have big predators (more antelope and lots of birds) but its setting is phenomenal, and Paternoster is one of the prettiest villages in SA - whitewashed cottages with thatched roofs, incredible local fish and shellfish, plenty of affordable accommodations...

As for a game reserve, frankly given your timing and the fact that SA is a helluva long way from California, personally I'd splurge with a couple of nights in a "big 5" area, such as Kruger or Sabi Sand. Yes, accommodations are expensive (but actually there's quite a range) and logistics can be complicated, but the payoff... wow.

Instead of Port Elizabeth, look at flying into MPQ (Nelspruit) and driving up to Kruger or SSGR from there - an hour or two. En route you could stop along the Panoramic Route (some awesome mountain/canyon vistas). You can fly one way from MPQ back down to CPT (or v.v.) for a couple hundred bucks. Combined with Cape Town (and hopefully the west coast) it would provide real insight into the incredible diversity of SA - its landscapes, cultures, environments - and would leave you plotting how to get back ASAP. Promise.

CFFrost

Thanks for those insights. The photos really are spectacular!

Yes, we will be flying in to Cape Town in the second week of september and out the third week of September.

I've already adjusted my travels and converted my RT to an Open Jaw - flying into Cape Town and out of Port Elizabeth. We seriously considered Krueger (I think it would be a "better" experience overall) but the prospect of adding a "nested" RT, as well as a long drive outside JBurg to get to Krueger just made the logistics a bit complex. This is a honeymoon, after all - and I'd like to keep it somewhat relaxing.

Instead, we'll do the garden route (which I'm sure will have some pretty spectacular flowers and other botanicals along the way), spend two nights in either Knysna or George (Knysna preferred), then spend our last two nights at Kwandwe and hope to catch four game drives in that time. I'll likely book those two nights this week. This way, there are no "additional" flights - and just a leisurely drive along the garden route, which is an attraction unto itself.

Is West Coast NP / Paternoster possible as a day trip? We have ten nights in Cape Town proper (not including the garden route / port elizabeth / Kwandwe) so we may have time to do it as a day trip if we don't have anything else planned that day. Those wild flowers really do look phenomenal.

Thanks to everyone for all your advice. It really is incredible how this community can help improve a trip with advice from those that have been there before.