South Africa Safari + Beach
Discussion
Our ever changing ideas for our honeymoon next may are starting to be narrowed down. What we’re pretty much settled on is South Africa and a beach stay.
Something like 3-4nts in Cape Town
1-2nts in the wine region
Then a self drive on the garden route, not sure how long to allow for this want to go shark diving and can either end up in Port Elizabeth and fly to Johannesburg or double back to Cape Town.
Then on to Kruger National Park for a 3-4nt safari. The Safari concept was a bit confusing at first but I think I’ve got it straight now. There is the national park and then private games reserves some which are fenced off and some which are open to the greater national park. The lodges at the private reserves on the face of it seem expensive at around £400 a night but include your food and booze; game drives etc and supposedly are the best way to see the game.
After this we want to have around a week+ to unwind in a beach. It’s the start of winter in SA so we’d not really considered staying in SA for this although I’m told the east coast is still good weather. The most popular choice seems to be Mauritius, we’d also looked at Mozambique and Zanzibar but Zanzibar seems like a bit too much in terms of extra flights etc. Mauritius isn’t hugely floating our boat at the minute, seems like a lot of large resorts when we’d prefer something smaller. Been to the Maldives a couple of times and the whole beach hut cast away thing appeals while Mauritius is standard hotel rooms/blocks. This is offset by the fact that there is plenty to do and see and bigger hotels have more choice of restaurant etc.
Mozambique looks more like the Maldives set up, but there’s far less choice and it’s pricey. Looks undeveloped which is good and bad depending on how you look at it.
Anyone else done something similar and can suggest hotels, itineraries etc? We had looked at the Safari lodges on the eastern cape but the consensus is if you have the time go the Kruger area.
Something like 3-4nts in Cape Town
1-2nts in the wine region
Then a self drive on the garden route, not sure how long to allow for this want to go shark diving and can either end up in Port Elizabeth and fly to Johannesburg or double back to Cape Town.
Then on to Kruger National Park for a 3-4nt safari. The Safari concept was a bit confusing at first but I think I’ve got it straight now. There is the national park and then private games reserves some which are fenced off and some which are open to the greater national park. The lodges at the private reserves on the face of it seem expensive at around £400 a night but include your food and booze; game drives etc and supposedly are the best way to see the game.
After this we want to have around a week+ to unwind in a beach. It’s the start of winter in SA so we’d not really considered staying in SA for this although I’m told the east coast is still good weather. The most popular choice seems to be Mauritius, we’d also looked at Mozambique and Zanzibar but Zanzibar seems like a bit too much in terms of extra flights etc. Mauritius isn’t hugely floating our boat at the minute, seems like a lot of large resorts when we’d prefer something smaller. Been to the Maldives a couple of times and the whole beach hut cast away thing appeals while Mauritius is standard hotel rooms/blocks. This is offset by the fact that there is plenty to do and see and bigger hotels have more choice of restaurant etc.
Mozambique looks more like the Maldives set up, but there’s far less choice and it’s pricey. Looks undeveloped which is good and bad depending on how you look at it.
Anyone else done something similar and can suggest hotels, itineraries etc? We had looked at the Safari lodges on the eastern cape but the consensus is if you have the time go the Kruger area.
I went with my gf a few years ago for a 2 week fly drive and certainly one of my favourite holidays, though depending on how long you are going for you will need to decide if you want a beach, sites and wine holiday or a safari one, as all the decent safaris are along way away from capetown.
we did a week in camps bay, a few days in the wine region and a couple of nights in central capetown.
camps bay is great base as only a 10 min drive to capetown, a hour or so to the wine region and a bit longer down to cape point, then you have the beach and lots of nice bars and restaurants (check out the codfather in camps bay!)
wine region is a must if your a foody, some of the restaurants connected to the vineyards put your london michelins to shame and at a reasonable price, byo wine is also the norm in many places
capetown is nice but I would not spend anymore than a couple of days there, visit robben island and the marina and a bit of the old town and your about done
as for wildlife we did a 'day' safari which took frigging hours to get too, and was pretty poor, all the animals were in fences of some sort and you hardly got up close. if you want the proper safari then you need to go botswana as mentioned above.
if i go again, which I will, then would do a few days in camps bay and then the rest going down the garden route.
its huge place with so much to see, so make sure you get a decent car with aircon
we did a week in camps bay, a few days in the wine region and a couple of nights in central capetown.
camps bay is great base as only a 10 min drive to capetown, a hour or so to the wine region and a bit longer down to cape point, then you have the beach and lots of nice bars and restaurants (check out the codfather in camps bay!)
wine region is a must if your a foody, some of the restaurants connected to the vineyards put your london michelins to shame and at a reasonable price, byo wine is also the norm in many places
capetown is nice but I would not spend anymore than a couple of days there, visit robben island and the marina and a bit of the old town and your about done
as for wildlife we did a 'day' safari which took frigging hours to get too, and was pretty poor, all the animals were in fences of some sort and you hardly got up close. if you want the proper safari then you need to go botswana as mentioned above.
if i go again, which I will, then would do a few days in camps bay and then the rest going down the garden route.
its huge place with so much to see, so make sure you get a decent car with aircon
What's the budget?
As has been mentioned Botswana's Okavango Delta is the best option. You'll get a great safari experience in SA if you chose well but Botswana blows it out of the water. You have to fly via Jo'burg though so it takes a little time out of an itinerary if you start in SA, generally an over-night stay in Jo'burg either side. When I worked in Africa travel I went against the grain a bit by suggesting that people do the safari first as the early mornings leave you pretty tired, so you could do LON - JNB - Botswana - JNB - CPT.
I reckon it's best to stay south of Cape Town rather than in town itself, it's much more pleasant and you can get into the city easily enough. The ideal hotel is http://www.constantia-uitsig.com/ which gives easy access to Chapman's Peak, Camps Bay etc.
For the garden route bit I'd look at staying in 3 places each for 2 nights, maybe stretching one of them to 3 nights if time allows. Hermanus, Kynsna, Jeffreys Bay and Plettenberg Bay are great towns with loads of beautiful scenery and some nice hotels. One of the best hotels I've ever been to is http://www.kurland.co.za/ near Plett, just awesome.
The Seychelles is an alternative to Mauritius, otherwise Mozambique is fairly straightforward to get to and from. Obviously the two islands are very different so it's a case of whether you want 'touristy' hotels or a more basic feel.
As has been mentioned Botswana's Okavango Delta is the best option. You'll get a great safari experience in SA if you chose well but Botswana blows it out of the water. You have to fly via Jo'burg though so it takes a little time out of an itinerary if you start in SA, generally an over-night stay in Jo'burg either side. When I worked in Africa travel I went against the grain a bit by suggesting that people do the safari first as the early mornings leave you pretty tired, so you could do LON - JNB - Botswana - JNB - CPT.
I reckon it's best to stay south of Cape Town rather than in town itself, it's much more pleasant and you can get into the city easily enough. The ideal hotel is http://www.constantia-uitsig.com/ which gives easy access to Chapman's Peak, Camps Bay etc.
For the garden route bit I'd look at staying in 3 places each for 2 nights, maybe stretching one of them to 3 nights if time allows. Hermanus, Kynsna, Jeffreys Bay and Plettenberg Bay are great towns with loads of beautiful scenery and some nice hotels. One of the best hotels I've ever been to is http://www.kurland.co.za/ near Plett, just awesome.
The Seychelles is an alternative to Mauritius, otherwise Mozambique is fairly straightforward to get to and from. Obviously the two islands are very different so it's a case of whether you want 'touristy' hotels or a more basic feel.
Thanks for all the replies. Below is the itineray as suggested by Trailfinders, I've found supprisingly that they are much cheaper than if I tried to book the same DIY like for like. We've got 4 weeks to play with, Botswana isn't something we'd considered and maybe a stretch too far in terms of distance, time, extra cost? Will look into it though we'd planned on going to Kruger rather than the Eastern Cape reserves. Guess it's just a balancing act between cost/convienience/overall experience.
We we're reckoning on around 8k all in for flights and accomadation. Trailfinders itinerary came in around 6.5k.
Arrive Cape Town 17/5/12 @ 1140hrs
Stay at Southern Sun Cullian 3nts.
Pick up hire car, stay 2nts in Franschhoek at the Mont Rochelle Hotel
Drive to Hermanus staying 1 night at the Les Baleines, main appeal for me in Hermanus is to go shark diving.
Drive to Wilderness staying 2 nts in the Cinnamon Guest House
Drive to Plettenberg Bay staying 2nts at Laird Lodge
Drive to Port Elizabeth staying 1nt
Fly to Kruger stay 4nts in the Sabi Sands game reserve
Safari for 4nts.
Head to Mauritius for 9nts (possibly Mozambique)
We we're reckoning on around 8k all in for flights and accomadation. Trailfinders itinerary came in around 6.5k.
Arrive Cape Town 17/5/12 @ 1140hrs
Stay at Southern Sun Cullian 3nts.
Pick up hire car, stay 2nts in Franschhoek at the Mont Rochelle Hotel
Drive to Hermanus staying 1 night at the Les Baleines, main appeal for me in Hermanus is to go shark diving.
Drive to Wilderness staying 2 nts in the Cinnamon Guest House
Drive to Plettenberg Bay staying 2nts at Laird Lodge
Drive to Port Elizabeth staying 1nt
Fly to Kruger stay 4nts in the Sabi Sands game reserve
Safari for 4nts.
Head to Mauritius for 9nts (possibly Mozambique)
Have a look at sablelodge.co.za been there twice and really recommend it.Its a private lodge on the Mabula game reserve which is 1.5hr drive from j/berg airport.Each time we had the place to ourselves and a driver to take us out when ever on our own,not sitting in a "bus" with loads of others.We also had the use of all the facilities in the main Mabula complex.Also full marks to Trailfinders used them a number of times.
Hi,
Just come back from two years in SA.
Kruger is excellent, but don't forget it is Malarial (and don't believe anyone who tells you it isn't, even the local GP's recommend it). For your safari I would suggest Madikwae (in SA on the border with Botswana) over Kruger. Kruger is a public reserve and anyone can get it, plus you are not permitted to go off road.
Madikwae on the other hand is a state reserve but you can only get in if you are staying there. It may look expensive but if you look you can find deals, in particular midweek. We went in April this year for three nights and had the lodge to ourselves - excellent for relaxing AND we sore tonnes of game including lions so close you could almost touch them!
If you don't mind me saying so your Trip seems to involve framing a lot into two weeks, not much relaxing, lots of travelling.
Just come back from two years in SA.
Kruger is excellent, but don't forget it is Malarial (and don't believe anyone who tells you it isn't, even the local GP's recommend it). For your safari I would suggest Madikwae (in SA on the border with Botswana) over Kruger. Kruger is a public reserve and anyone can get it, plus you are not permitted to go off road.
Madikwae on the other hand is a state reserve but you can only get in if you are staying there. It may look expensive but if you look you can find deals, in particular midweek. We went in April this year for three nights and had the lodge to ourselves - excellent for relaxing AND we sore tonnes of game including lions so close you could almost touch them!
If you don't mind me saying so your Trip seems to involve framing a lot into two weeks, not much relaxing, lots of travelling.
Thanks for the replies, will have a look at those suggestions. I'm aware of the Malaria risk in Kruger so would have been going to the GP for some advice and medication before travelling. We're not too bothered about it being a fairly hectic 2 week as we'll have chance to unwind for over a week once we get to Mauritius.
andrew311 said:
Then on to Kruger National Park for a 3-4nt safari.
This, depending on what you hope to get out of it, could be the biggest mistake or flaw in your plan.Whilst the Kruger is beautiful, you'll see a little but at a great distance.
Met a couple earlier in the year whilst on Safari in SA, who said the Kruger was a waste of money, compared to their second safari (which we met them on).
The safari we met them on was great. Very small, took half a day to drive round the entire thing. Because it is so small (big enough for the animals) we were able to get EXTREMELY close to all the animals.
I hear from others you'll spent a lot more time chasing, hoping, and looking through binoculars if you do something like the Kruger. They wished they hadnt dont it, and had instead found/discovered the cool little safari we met them on instead.
Not having a go at the Kruger. One full day on safari plus a night in a lodge does me fine. Forgot to add... on the two small safaris Ive been on in the last few years, I saw all of the big five both times (insanely close). You can spend a week in the Kruger and not see all five. Will try to dig out/remember the name of the place near CT.
Arguably one of the better sharking adventures in Cape Town is www.sharklady.co.za - you probably wont meet her, but her lads are great. Not sure what season sharks are mostly out, but at roughly £100 per person, be mindful that you often don't see great whites - we were quite lucky to see them when we did, none of the other 6 boats in the bay saw them the day we went out, according to radio transmissions.
You might also want to check out the Cango Kaves which is just outside the CT area, and also do some ostrich riding. If you keep on going a bit you can check out ronnies sex shop too
The OP needs to stay in a private reserve such as one in the Kruger area rather than in the Kruger itself. Sabi Sands as included in the above itinerary is a very nice one, I remember being impressed when I stayed there years ago.
As mentioned by someone else there are nice lodges in the Madikwe reserve, Jaci's being very good ones.
As mentioned by someone else there are nice lodges in the Madikwe reserve, Jaci's being very good ones.
Not sure how much budget is an issue for you buy one suggestion I can give is to do your safari in Addo Elephant Park near Port Elizabeth. It's malaria free.
http://www.addoelephant.com/parks/addo/
We did it all self drive - picked up a rental car in PE then drove to the park. You can then choose to drive around the reserve yourself or take tours with the rangers. We stayed in a villa self catering. It won't be luxury but it is good value.
http://www.addoelephant.com/parks/addo/
We did it all self drive - picked up a rental car in PE then drove to the park. You can then choose to drive around the reserve yourself or take tours with the rangers. We stayed in a villa self catering. It won't be luxury but it is good value.
Plan for safari is to stay in a private game reserve. The general consensus looking on the web is if you have the time and the money this blows the eastern cape safaris out of the water. It will be our first safari so we won't have anything to compare it to so it's been hard to decide to take the easy/cheaper option and go to an eastern cape reserve.
I've head that Addo is the second largest park so could be worth a look.
I've head that Addo is the second largest park so could be worth a look.
Amateurish said:
If money is no object, then I'm sure a private reserve is the way to go.
This is why I recommend Sable Lodge as its a private lodge on a private reserve.Our driver really new his stuff,we were off tracks,through bushes,and at one time on foot,just us two and the guide.We were this close to a pride of lions lunching on one of the locals.We have been on other safari`s and it was like buses on the M25! there was ten of us in one vehicle following other vehicles,definitely not up close and personal. That lion in Mabula is VERY up close and personal.Remember these guides have your life in their hands. 
Amateurish said:
Not sure how much budget is an issue for you buy one suggestion I can give is to do your safari in Addo Elephant Park near Port Elizabeth. It's malaria free.
http://www.addoelephant.com/parks/addo/
We did it all self drive - picked up a rental car in PE then drove to the park. You can then choose to drive around the reserve yourself or take tours with the rangers. We stayed in a villa self catering. It won't be luxury but it is good value.
Another vote here for Addo.http://www.addoelephant.com/parks/addo/
We did it all self drive - picked up a rental car in PE then drove to the park. You can then choose to drive around the reserve yourself or take tours with the rangers. We stayed in a villa self catering. It won't be luxury but it is good value.
Here's a pic I took on a visit to it.
We stayed here on our Honeymoon,
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g471860-...
2 nights did us fine with a mixture of early morning drives (chilly) mid morning walks (with shooters!) afternoon drives & night time drives.
My Sister did a public reserve & ended up in a cramped mini bus with roof/windows where we had open top landrovers (2 or 4 people per trip)
We also had 5 nights here,
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g312652-...
It was amazing, great golf courses too.
then a week in Mauritious which was just ok, Capetown & the Garden Route would have been much better.
I'm pretty sure we booked ours here,
http://www.africatravel.co.uk/
but not 100% as it was all done through work emails & I'm on Holls.
Have a great time where ever you go, it's an amazing place.
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g471860-...
2 nights did us fine with a mixture of early morning drives (chilly) mid morning walks (with shooters!) afternoon drives & night time drives.
My Sister did a public reserve & ended up in a cramped mini bus with roof/windows where we had open top landrovers (2 or 4 people per trip)
We also had 5 nights here,
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g312652-...
It was amazing, great golf courses too.
then a week in Mauritious which was just ok, Capetown & the Garden Route would have been much better.
I'm pretty sure we booked ours here,
http://www.africatravel.co.uk/
but not 100% as it was all done through work emails & I'm on Holls.
Have a great time where ever you go, it's an amazing place.
I've got nothing to compare it to but we stayed here (River Lodge) a couple of years ago & would go back in a heartbeat http://www.kariega.co.za/
andrew311 said:
I've head that Addo is the second largest park so could be worth a look.
you didn't read my last post, or if you did you chose to ignore it...?As amateurish said, privately owned reserves are the way to go.
We had seven in total, for our safari. And on three occasions I was squirming in my seat wondering if the game warden had gone too far by pushing the limits I'd challenged him to push the night before.
Nothing will beat a small privately owned safari.
Another benefit of a small privately owned safari, is the real deal. You might get to climb up a 100 metre dangerous ladder system which with a slip of the foot could end your life. You might get to stray off track to pick crystals out of the mountain, if your group doesn't mind waiting whilst you decide to run up the mountain side whilst the guide shows just you whatever you want to see.
You might also get lucky and get to hand hold illegally captured and secretly detained cape cobras and puff adders, with no antivenin on site, no helicopter, and no insurance policy for the game reserve who turn a blind eye to the game wardens who keep these reptiles in their bedrooms, only showing them if you take an interest. A big big-game park takes the fun out of it. Our warden struck a brilliant balance between endangering us, scaring us (and himself) and pushing boundaries. The bigger and more commercialised the reserve, the more you'll just be another international tourist being shown the same old ropes. Sod the Kruger, go small and private.
Go. Have fun. But to me (yes this is a bit of a rant) when a Brit national or foreigner talks about the Kruger, you (to my mind) make yourself sound like a bit of a... Nonce.
You would be the equivalent of an Etheopian whos biggest dream, after winning a ticket to England, is to visit the huge expanse of the awesome economical and food providing powerhouse that is Tesco. If bigger is better, why do we hate tesco? Because they are for the masses, and cant/dont offer a real experience. Sod tesco and sod the Kruger national park, pay more attention to those recommendations of the little local butcher who isn't as big, but runs a much better far more personalised (if lesser known) private service.
Either way you'll be fine, what Etheopian arrived on our shores and wasn't delighted because he saw food on the shelves. Perhaps the Tesco Kruger will be just up your street.
The lion photo above was great. With the exception of the leopard, you should be able to experience all of the big five that close. The people who go Kruger tell me this isn't always the case. Go small. Bigger is invariably not better, unless you are into gift shops.
Edited by Mobsta on Thursday 14th July 02:04
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