HoneyM

Hi

we are planning our honeymoon and first trip to africa. i have always wanted to go but dont know much about getting around. before now we have never booked transfers etc in advance but are thinking it will make things smoother this time?

We are then flying to Jo'Burg for our safari section of the holiday. I will post these Q's on the south african forum too but just incase anyone knows about both places...

We are thinking of
3night at londolozi tree camp- ideas on best suite?
3nights- Ngala tented camp- again does it matter which tent or do they all have the same views of the river and potentially animals...

What do people think of moving to two places. Should we just stay at one or is the move worth it?

i have no idea how to get to each safari destination. should i book the flights through a place like CC africa or do it myself.. Which airlines do this route? Does it end up taking a long time- we want to limit travel time as much as possible.

We are then thinking of the Saxon in Jo'Burg for two nights- a spa day and then the apartied musuem and fly out the next. Anyone know how to arrange transfers to Saxon safely and around town?

Thank you so much for any h

cw

Your travel agent can book your flights as well as your lodging. We flew from Londolozi to Ngala on a Federal Air charter. It was a short (less than 30 minutes) flight. You really have to book these in advance. Then the camp takes care of everything--monitoring your flight arrival and departure and picking you up and delivering you in time for your departure. You can also take a commercial flight to a nearby airport and have a car transfer from there.

At Ngala Tented, I would recommend tent #1. It's closest to the river and is at the end of the tents so there is nothing between you and the river. We did see impala near the tent, and there were buffalo around the tent on two nights.

I think spending three nights at each camp is good. I wouldn't stay fewer nights and I think it will be enough of a different experience to go to those two different camps.

Congratulations on your marriage.

atravelynn

Congrats on your upcoming wedding. Great choice of honeymoon locations.

My answers are the same as cw's.

mkhonzo

I think if you are going to spend time at two lodges that you should have a reason for doing so. If you are hoping for a diverse game experience then you are wasting time travelling between these two properties. They are more or less in the same area, certainly the vegetation is much the same, which would attract the same game.

So if you decide to split the experience for game then I would suggest you look at the Pilanesburg or Madikwe as a secondary area to compliment your sabi sands experience.

If it's the accommodation, well then you are doing fine blending canvass with brick and mortar, go for it and have a happy honeymoon.

atravelynn

Good point Mkhonzo. And Phinda's Madikwe Lodge is supposedly lovely as a honeymoon-worthy accommodation. Not that it would be a huge draw on a honeymoon trip, but you could see the elusive brown hyena in Madikwe, and good chances at the wild dogs. It is a fenced reserve, I believe.

I thought this itinerary had variety in Londolozi and Ngala due to the fact that Londolozi is mostly viewing from a vehicle and Ngala is known for walking safaris. But the geography would be similar.

Would the transport time between Londolozi and Madikwe be longer than Londolozi and Ngala, necessitating a night in Johannesburg?

HoneyM

yes, would be great to know how much longer this option might take. we want to avoid as much time in transfer as possible and as many on safari drives in our six days.

we were hoping to go two places with different wildlife or at least different vegetation. we are also keen to try the camping experience. do you think if it is our first time and we are there for 6 nights we will see enough variety at londolozi and ngala?

thanks for your help.

cw

HoneyM,

Here's a link to my trip report from Sept. 2006 when we visited Phinda, Londolozi, and Ngala.

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34898193

If you scroll down, you'll find links to photos from Londolozi and Ngala Tented. Londolozi has since been refurbished and is now managed by the Varty family and not CCAfrica, so lodge pictures won't be helpful, but the animals are representative of what we saw.

Though both Londolozi and Ngala are not that far from one another, the wildlife is more abundant in the Sabi Sands. At Londolozi you're almost guaranteed to see leopards. Much of our best viewing of elephants and buffalo was near the river. We saw lions only when we went over to Singita's property.

At Ngala, in September, the river is dry, so much of the animal activity was at the waterholes. We saw many more lions at Ngala and larger herds of eles and buffalo, but only a single rhino and no leopard (though leopards were around, they were elusive).

I'm happy I had the chance to see wildlife in the Sabi Sands but it was more fun for me at Ngala where the sightings seemed less predictable. (I know nothing is absolutely predictable but the viewing in the Sabi Sands seems more reliable that other parts of SA.)

divine54

if madikwe is in the pipeline - i would definately go for MATEYA! absolutely awesome lodge! plus wild dogs and brown hyena and maybe cheetahs!
mateya is often compared to singita but with much better personalised service!
oput of this world! and its "plunge pools" - each of the 5 suites has got one! - is a SWIMMING POOL compared to singita's!
meals - when ever and what ever you want!
as a honemoon destination: even ivory/lion sand or earth/sabi sabi or mala mala must pull back ...
value for money: compared to singita 5 years ago! but singita with its wonderful service cannot match mateya!
btw: singita's GM lately went to mateya to convince himself of the outstanding and superior (to singita!) service!

Dana_M

Others answered your questions about transfers. The questions of going to two camps versus staying put in one is personal preference. My preference is to add diversity, so I'd stay 3 nights each at two different camps.

I had fantastic wildlife sightings at Londolozzi. I would return in a heartbeat. Have a wonderful time. I have never been to Ngala.

Regarding Lodolozi room preference, ask for room # 6. It is more private than the other rooms. The plunge pool and outdoor shower are in the back of the room instead of on the side of the room, so they can only be accessed from the room itself. I had room #2 but people I met there were in #6 and I wrote the above in my notes. In room #2 the outdoor shower (and also plunge pool) are on the side of the room and face the walkway/entrance so are not private. Room #6 would be very romantic for a honeymoon couple.