fppmongo

So I booked the SOF-JNB fare--not as a pure MR, but to actually visit South Africa. Unfortunately, due to work-related constraints, I will only have one week. My budget is quite limited, too. Ideally, I'd like to stay under $300 total per night. Lastly, I prefer not to drive myself over there.

So far, I've talked to some friends which suggested Capetown, the Kruger park, and Hazyview, among other things; and I've read a few threads on this subforum.

Since one week is not a lot of time, I am thinking of doing just JNB + Capetown (flying there via SAA). An alternative would be JNB and a guided Kruger safari.

What do you think would be the best experience for a week? I've never been to Africa thus far.

Dianne_AfricaDirectUSA

Hi fppmongo!

One week can be defined in many ways so if you can send further details, that would be extremely helpful. Some people could mean 1 week inclusive of departing day in US and arrival day in US. Others might mean 1 week on the ground someplace exclusive of travel time to/from.

I could make some recommendations for a possible itinerary once I know exactly when you arrive in JNB (time of arrival helps too), as well as when you end your trip and depart out of JNB (time of departure too).

Generally speaking, if you had 6 days on the ground, you could do 2 nights in Cape Town and 3 nights on Safari in one of the private reserves abutting Kruger (more budget friendly options exist). With a short stay, I'd recommend private reserve so that seeing the Big 5 is far more likely than self-driving Kruger.

But a 2/3 itinerary such as above only makes sense if you have an early arrival into JNB and can fly onward into CPT by afternoon. This would give you some time on Day 1, albeit you are not a person that suffers from tremendous jet lag. This is why knowing your # days and times of arrival are helpful. Any fewer than 6 days or late arrival times impacts combining Cape Town with a private reserve as I've outlined above.

I'm not sure why Hazyview would be in the mix, especially given your short stay.

Looking forward to more details!

Best
Dianne
Africa Direct USA

manneca

Me, I'd spend the entire time in Cape Town. There's lots to do there.

And driving is really, really easy. The roads are good; the drivers are OK. South Africa is much more like Europe than any other place in Africa except Nambia which is also an easy country to drive in.

Skatering

With your time constraints I'd advise skipping Johannesburg entirely and doing three days in Cape Town and three days safari (with an extra day padding for whatever needs to be padded).

You could potentially drop the safari down to two providing you're happy taking the risk you may not see all the things you want to see. Full day tours can be packed with 5:30am starts.

fppmongo

Thanks all for the suggestions. I really like the idea of skipping JNB altogether and focusing on on Cape Town and a safari.

My time zone is central European time so there is no time difference to South Africa. I have a (really long) red-eye flight and will be arriving in the morning on day 1. The return flight is at around 8 pm on day 7.

I might get back to you. But I think for now, I have crossed spending time in JNB off the list. This should help me focus my further planning.

Jasper2009

I'd definitely skip Johannesburg on such a short trip. I'd either recommend:
1)- 3 days in Cape Town and 3 days on safari or
2) 3 days in Cape Town and 4 days in surrounding area (e.g. Garden route or similar)

If you go with option 1, I'd recommend saving money on accommodation in Cape Town (a solid 4* hotel can generally be had for $100-$150USD) and invest more money into a solid safari experience.

Dianne_AfricaDirectUSA

Hi there fppmongo!

Based upon your flight details, I'd recommend the following:

Day 1 Arrival JNB in early AM. Fly onward to CPT. Transfer to Hotel.
Day 1, 2, 3 Three nights in Cape Town.
Day 4 Transfer to CPT airport. Fly to one of reserve airports closest to your lodge. Transfer to your lodge.
Day 4, 5, 6, 7 Four nights on safari.
Day 8 Transfer after your AM game drive to reserve airport. Fly back to JNB. Fly back home around 8pm.

Great trip!

Best
Dianne
Africa Direct USA

ryanbryan

The other option is also to do a safari at a reserve along the Garden Route between Cape Town and Port Elizabeth. The experience might not be quite as "natural" but if you just want to see some animals, this will save a big trip up to Kruger from CPT.

johan rebel

Indeed, but Addo comes pretty close, as does Kwandwe.

Johan

ryanbryan

True enough, I just didn't want someone to jump in telling me that I was blasphemous for suggesting that a Garden Route game reserve is the same as Kruger

Dianne_AfricaDirectUSA

If your heart is set on seeing the Big Five and especially seeing leopards, then you are best to head to the Greater Kruger area than to safari near to Cape Town/Eastern Cape. And, if you are pretty sure that this trip is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, then I'd also recommend that you go to the Greater Kruger area.

Best
Dianne
Africa Direct USA