Overwhelmed
That is because there are so many outstanding choices and no single ideal trip. That is also why many of us who made a once in a lifetime trip to Southern or East Africa have found ourselves returning again and again, even if it means we will not get to visit other places in the world.

Driving in South Africa safe?
Whether 1st time travelers or not, it is very common. I have not and would not because I’ve gone alone and am not comfortable driving on the left side of the road. Others can offer their firsthand accounts of self drive.

Sept is a good time for spectacular wildflowers along the Garden Route. Do consider incorporating this aspect into your trip.

The following links are on self drives in South Africa but do not specifically address the wildflowers.

Here’s Fodor’s suggestion: http://www.fodors.com/news/story_5713.html

Christabir from this forum has done self drives
http://www.fodors.com/community/africa-the-middle-east/trip-report-three-weeks-s-africa-waterberg-to-kwazulu-natal.cfm


Canadian Robin (I see from past posts you have "met") from this forum did a self drive and blogged about it here
http://bert-and-bin.smugmug.com/gallery/7172232_XrT3Y/1/461053054_KcDbR

Some more self drive trip reports:
http://www.fodors.com/community/africa-the-middle-east/cape-town-and-garden-route-trip-report-part-1-ct.cfm

http://www.fodors.com/community/africa-the-middle-east/trip-report-5-fantastic-weeks-in-south-africa-victoria-falls-zimbabwe-and-mauritius.cfm

Safari in Kruger
Good choice, lots of places. You can self drive in Kruger.
Here is an illustrated Kruger self drive
http://safaritalk.net/topic/10084-my-beloved-kruger-nov-2012/

Here is a discussion of Kruger self drives
http://www.fodors.com/community/africa-the-middle-east/self-drive-at-kruger-national-park.cfm

“then to see Vic Falls”
You’d probably want to fly there. Always spectacular, but Sept is one of the lowest water months, just so you know. Two nights is all you need. Can be seen from either the Zambian side (Livingstone) or Zimbabwean (Victoria Falls) side.

Month of Sept. As mentioned above, peak wildflower time.

Weather
South Africa - http://www.uyaphi.com/afriweather.htm

Kruger – must copy and paste this link to pdf. http://www.sanparks.org/parks/kruger/conservation/scientific/weather/rainfall/2006/temps_rainfall_averages.pdf

But the Kruger weather site leaves out rain. This site is for one of the lodges within Kruger and has precip.
http://www.holidaycheck.com/climate-wetter_Mala+Mala-ebene_oid-id_7355.html

The Kruger weather is from the San Parks site, a very helpful site for booking lodging direct and other info.
http://www.sanparks.org/parks/kruger/default.php


Here is weather in Tanzania. Sept is also an excellent time to travel there. Info is in middle of each webpage.
http://www.safarilands.org/np_serengeti.php
http://www.safarilands.org/np_ngorongoro.php

Sept is one of the least rainy times to see gorillas, whether Uganda or Rwanda, so it would work well. If you are going to the gorillas, securing a gorilla permit should be your FIRST STEP. On safari, your odds of rain are a little higher in Kruger than Tanzania IMO. But with weather becoming so unpredictable, who really knows???

For wildlife viewing in Sept, different places, check out this chart.
http://www.africa-adventure.com/best_time_to_go

3 weeks
You could have a wonderful, unrushed self drive that includes Cape Town the garden route and wildflowers and many scenic stops for about 10 days +/- a day or so. Then 5 days safari +/- a day or so. Allow 2 days Vic Falls. With international air and intra-Africa travel between SA and the falls, that’s about 21 days.

3 weeks in Tanz with gorillas would also be great. Maybe even include Zanzibar.

Tanz and Gorillas better? No, just different. I hope you are able to do both of these itineraries you have outlined at some point in your life.

As to which you should choose:
If you are in decent shape for gorilla tracking now and may not return to Africa while you are still in decent shape, then do T&G. SA&VF are not as active.

If seeing the great migration of wildes and zebra is important, then do T&G and spend some time in N. Serengeti, where the migration will be.

If gorillas are a lifelong wish, then obviously T&G.
If Vic Falls is a lifelong wish or you’re a waterfall fan, then obviously SA&VF.

If having good odds of seeing the Big 5 without a lot of effort or time spent, then SA&VF, but I’d spend at least 3 of your safari nights in Sabi Sands, the private reserves next to Kruger. There are no fences or boundaries between.

If you want the freedom of driving yourself, which also costs less, then SA&VF.

If you have people willing and able to drive now, but you might be going to Africa solo in the future, then do SA&VF now.

If you want a beautiful, captivating city as part of your trip, then SA&VF.

is a tour company the way to go or book it myself?
For Tanz and the gorillas, definitely go with an Africa specialist. It is easy and customary to get an individually designed itinerary on a private trip that does just what you want. Or you can go with a group like OAT, Natural Habitat, Wilderness (in California), International Expeditions.

For South Africa if you self drive and use the SAN site, you can probably do it yourself. There are even agents that specialize in helping you with self drive. Or you can have a guide drive you.

We can share more on specific agents later.

Whatever you decide, you'll have a fantastic September!

For first-time visitors, I'd suggest East Africa. There, you'll see the classic safari landscapes, share experiences with local cultures like the Masai, and, in September, you could see the Migration herds in the Masai Mara. I'd recommend staying in private conservancies next to the parks and reserves to avoid the worst of the "minibus crowds". With three weeks, you could also spend a few days on the beach after your safari. As Atravelynn suggests, use a safari planner. I'd recommend either Africa Serendipity in NYC for East Africa or The Wild Source in Colorado for both East Africa and southern Africa. Personally, I wouldn't try the "self drive" option in South Africa, even though I've been there several times. I don't think you get the full safari experience there, either.

I didn't mean to cut out the gorillas as an add-on option. Certainly, you can travel to Rwanda or Uganda from Nairobi if you do a safari in Kenya. You have your time frame and length of stay. Now, what you need to decide is your budget. Give those three pieces of information to your safari planner and let them work up an itinerary within that framework.

We've driven thousands of kilometers in SA and highly recommend it. Yes, you have to drive on the left, but even if you're not familiar with it, many of the long distance roads (leaving/arriving at the larger cities) are freeways, so you can get familiar with the controls, mirrors, etc., in an environment where cross traffic is not a concern. South African drivers are incredibly courteous and the roads in general are in good repair. Yes, one needs to watch out for pedestrians all over the country, and for livestock (and occasional wildlife) in the road, and driving after dark is a bit dicey (mainly because of lighting and the same livestock/pedestrians) but otherwise it's dead easy. One good thing for (most?) North Americans is that it's very easy to rent a car with an automatic transmission in SA, so you don't have the added complexity of changing gears with your left hand.

I think the South vs. East Africa debate is one that can't have a real winner. The areas are so different, offering such different experiences, that it really is an apples and oranges thing. No, you can't go gorilla trekking in South Africa, and you can't experience the incredible cultural diversity of Cape Town in Rwanda or Uganda. The answer is to do both, and more. atravelynn nails it - the continent is addictive, full stop. When we first went (SA, Botswana, Victoria Falls - both sides) it was a "light bulb" moment - OMG why did we wait so long? We will keep returning as long as the budget and the bodies allow.

For your itinerary, in September I would start in the north and work south, so that you follow the good weather. Getting to Victoria Falls in a trip mainly focused on South Africa is a bit complicated, owing to air connections, but doable. You might actually think about flying to Victoria Falls (the Zimbabwe side airport, VFA) but staying just outside Chobe National Park in Botswana. The Chobe Safari Lodge is a budget-friendly (not super deluxe, but quite comfortable) property in Kasane, just outside the park boundary; they offer very affordable shuttle service to Victoria Falls airport, as well as day excursions to the falls themselves. Chobe National Park is famous for its elephants; the hotel offers land and water wildlife tours - crocs, hippos, predators, umpteen kinds of antelope, birds... it's a very easy "first intro" to safaris and wildlife sightings. http://www.chobesafarilodge.net/

Then I'd head to the Kruger area. With 3 weeks available, I'd fly back from VFA to Joburg, then get a car and drive up to someplace in the Panoramic Route (Graskop is our favorite) for an introduction into the incredible landscapes around the Drakensberg mountains and Blyde Canyon. Then visit one of the game reserves on the fringe of Kruger NP for a few days, then drive back to Joburg and fly to Port Elizabeth, at the northern end of the Garden Route. Pick up another car at PLZ and spend a day or two at Addo Elephant Park, then head to Cape Town on the road. Finish the trip in the Western Cape; by what I assume will be mid-September, spring will be well on its way, with flowers along the roads and warm(er) weather, maybe dryer, in the city.

You could check on the west coast wildflower situation when you're in the area. We love the Atlantic coast north of Cape Town; Paternoster is a fascinating and beautiful little town, West Coast National Park is a bird-lover's heaven, and the wildflowers all over the region are heart-stopping. Plus it's only an hour or two from Cape Town, so easily doable as a day trip, should time be a concern.

You'll get quite a snapshot tour of the country with this route, but you'll still be missing so much of what it has to offer that by the time you're at Kruger you'll be deciding what assets you need to sell to come back, and by the time you leave Cape Town you'll be condo shopping.

And that won't even prepare you for Kenya or Tanzania. Second big problem.

So now you have Kenya and Chobe thrown into the mix.

If you decide on East Africa, a Kenya & Gorilla trip would likely cost less than a Tanz & Gorilla trip. Likely a few more people in Kenya too.

Adding Chobe to Vic Falls is a great idea and would give you a river experience unlikely anything else you'd experience.

If I were you, Myway, I'd pursue 2 to 3 of the options discussed above and get everything laid out and costs. At some point, one of the trips might drop out due to pricing or other reasons or one of the trips might stand out as "the one."

Let us know how your plan is going. There is no right or wrong, just hopefully a return or two.

WOW, thank-you, atravelynn,shaytay and Gardyloo. I was so happy to get your responses. I have spent a large part of last year reading books, internet and forums to try and narrow this down. I have come to one definate and that is-I want to see it all and I can't!! SA looks amazingly beautiful and I believe a little tamer for my husbands taste but my dreams to go to Tanzania and the gorillas is pretty strong. So I will take the info you have given me and as you said atravelynn I will narrow it down to 2or3 and go from there! I will keep you posted on my planning atravelynn,(maybe that will help me make decisions before I turn 80!) Thanks again everyone, Im sure there will be more questions to come!

"-I want to see it all and I can't!! " You have profoundly hit on human nature and the basis of economics.

Back to your task at hand, please post again when you are further along in the planning part. The marital split you describe explains the two different kinds of trips you are contemplating. A good strategy might be to get him hooked on South Africa and then expand to Tanzania and Gorillas. The safari quality offered in south Africa is not a "tame" or scaled back version. It's definitely not "Lion Country Safari."

I have encountered people in their 80s enjoying Africa, so take your time in planning. But what does not wait are gorilla permits in Sept. Do check on the availability of permits if you are leaning toward gorillas. Most Africa agents can do that for you.

Looking at this site, assuming it is accurate, permit #s look good for Rwanda.

http://www.thesafaripartners.com/site-pages/rwanda-permit-availability.html

I am only writing to emphathize with you. Went through the same long process as this is quite expensive and we view it as a once-in-a-lifetime trip. We ultimately chose East Africa for the reasons cited by ShayTay. Because I have such a soft spot for Rwanda and the healing it has gone through, and because I want to see the gorillas, and because we are ages 60/66 (who knows if we will be in good enough shape in future) we ultimately chose a Tanzania + Rwanda trip for this September. We are using OAT's Safari Serengeti (primarily because of the cultural features - not just wildlife) plus Umubano Tours in Rwanda, for the same reason. OAT no longer offers the Rwanda add-on. It is very hard for me to forego Kenya, but alas, we are still working and time/budget are finite.

By the way, we got our very best routing and airare from Los Angeles on Turkish Airlines.

Best of luck to you.

...following.

I'm reading this thread as I plan a trip to Namibia in July for my husband and myself. This will be our first trip to Africa. I have been enchanted by the landscape of Namibia and have been doing my research online, planning a self-drive trip, interested mostly in wildlife.

But, I'm intrigued by a 'classic safari experience' - what is that and is it best available in east Africa? Also, what would be the advantages of using a safari planner?

Slowtrav1,

You may be planning two trips at once!

"Classic safari experience" depends on your idea of classic.

Big 5?
Migration?
Highest concentration of animals?
Culture?
Fewest other people?
Nice lodges?
Secluded tents?
Very luxurious tents?
Pup tents?
Private guide for just your party?
Getting out of the vehicle on foot?
Sharing a vehicle with a small group?
Flying between destinations to save time?
Driving from place to place?
Gorillas?
Ballooning?

It's all available, just depends on your desires, time of year you are traveling, and budget.

But, Slowtrav1, you could have a classic experience in Southern Africa, along with Namibia. Add 3 or more nights in Sabi Sands at one of the many lodges.

In this case classic is defined as:

-Fairly easy sightings of Big 5 (easiest in all of Africa)
-Other animals associated with safaris such as zebra, giraffes, antelope.
-Animals in decent abundance.
-Open vehicles, not minibuses
-Lovely to over-the-top lodges (your choice) in lovely locations.
-Fine guiding.

"Also, what would be the advantages of using a safari planner?"

You're not self driving, I assume, so the SP will help arrange a good driver/guide and vehicle and book the camps/lodges. If you have internal flights, they can help with that. I have found that for lodges I have investigated that going direct cost more. Seems odd, but that's the case.

If you are asking why not just a canned safari package, the pros of a SP are that you'll have a program just for your party, doing exactly what you want. You can also have a private trip so that there are no competing interests that mix keen birders, serious photographers, botanists, those that like to sleep in, those that want all day trips with lunch boxes, those that have favorite species they like to concentrate on, those that like to linger, those that like to see as many different species as possible in a day.

For a first trip, if you have no special requirements like birding or serious photography, then a set itinerary might work fine. Trips through companies like OAT and Lion World are hard to beat for pricing. (no personal experience with either of those) I have done set itineraries more for Southern Africa or Gorillas/Chimps and private more for Kenya and Tanzania. You can even do a mix, all in the same trip.

Atravelynn, thank you for responding. I feel reassured now! Will definitely check out Sabi Sands. I have noticed that accommodation prices are per person even for doubles - this is something unique for me. I'm planning to check out different booking sources to see if prices for lodges vary.

We are planning to self drive in Namibia and are looking forward to that part. We will end up doing a mix as we plan to take some of the game drives offered by the lodges.

Thank you again for the tons of advice.

Ok all my helpers out there,this may not seem like any major decisions have been made but for me to get this far has been time consuming to say the least!!So here is what I have decided so far: will start in Vic Falls, two days here should be enough,from there head to Kruger, Sabi Sands do our "safari experience" thinking 5-7 days (any camps you recommend would be helpful) From Kruger we will rent a car and head down the east coast. We would appreciate any routes/sites/towns/ you think would be unfortunate to miss. We definately will be doing the garden route and spending 4-5 days in Cape Town to see the surrounding area. Gardyloo you made some suggestions to me about the Drakensburg mountains and Blyde Canyon so I will look further into that. Was wondering whether it would be better to head to Joburg after Kruger and fly to say? Port Elizabeth, then rent the car? Just to confirm that we have approximately 3-31/2 weeks total door to door.I feel so happy to have come this far (still going to miss Tanzania and the Gorillas next trip!!!) Thanks everyone!

Like you and many others, we also were overwhelmed with planning of trip to Africa...and I thought India was difficult!
I also wanted to see the Gorillas and my husband wanted to see the migration in the Masai Mara, but due to the expense of it...yikes...and logistics of getting to both of these, we ended up planning similar trip to you this coming October.
In the Kruger area we are staying at MalaMala, which is a private game park on the edge of Kruger with no fences...you might want to check it out on Tripadvisor.
Up in the Vic Falls area, we are staying at Tongabezi, right on the Zambezi River in Zambia, which is another all inclusive lodge, which promises to give us bit of everything in that area.
From Livingston we fly to Cape Town for 4 nights, where we will hire a car and drive the Garden Route, staying the first night in the wine area at Babylonstoren in Franschhoek.
We then drive to Knysna for 2 nights, before flying out of George back to Johannesburg, in order to fly across to Mauritius for a week for some R & R.
Don't know if any of this is of use to you, but I am hoping it gives us an insight into a bit of Africa. As we are in our low to mid 60's, don't know if we will ever get back to see East Africa, which is a trip in itself I believe.

Good plan MyWay. You'll have a great trip.

glenn_col, thank-you so much, as you know all suggestions are greatly appreciated! I will check the places out you mentioned, can you tell me, when you say "hire a car" is that a self drive or is someone driving you? I really like the idea of a beach destination also, how long is your trip in total? Did you use a travel agent or are you booking these things yourself? Are you flying into Joburg or Vic falls area? Would love to hear about your trip when you return, please keep us posted! Thanks atravelynn, I am so looking forward to it but nervous as well, not sure if my husband will enjoy the driving part and that could put a big strain on the vacation? I'll just have to make sure everything is planned out to the hour lol! Thanks again, I'm sure there will be lots more questions!