sbsmittee

Please let me know what you think of the attached itinerary. I think we have finally settled on an itinerary. Any changes, suggestions, etc.? Thanks.

Johannesburg (2 days)
Phinda Rock Lodge (2 days)
Phantom Forest (Knysna) (2 days)
Cape Town (5 days)
Londolozi Varty Camp (3 days)

divine54

hi sbs

i would definately shorten the cape town stay for phinda's sake and make it 3 nights at phinda.

but all depending on your interests.

londo is okay.

what brings you to knysna in particular? it's a nice town with a great waterfront/dock. doing this it's a bit out of the track.

if i were in your shoes i would do the following:

split between londo and phinda plus joburg and cape town.

each safari destination i would do 4 nts. and save on joburg and cape town and leave knysna for the next trip. then i would do a combo of a safari (maybe at samara or addo) plus the garden route/cape town again.

just my 2 cents

div

luangwablondes

If you must go to Knysna, there is a restaurant called Zachary's at Pedula Resort. The Chef, Geoffrey Murray is someone I came across at Makalali several years ago. He started Bang in Miami and Mexico City and Boom in NY and Madrid. Imagine for about a week, 3 times a day, having Geoffrey prepare your dining experience at a bush lodge- magic.

atravelynn

I too would shorten Cape Town for 3 nights Phinda.

jgoebel

I also agree with adding a third night to Phinda. We spent 4 nights and would have liked a couple more.

sbsmittee

Thanks for the suggestions. We will add a third night at Phinda and probably skip Knysna all together. I would like to travel to Hermanus to see the whales since we are traveling in September 2009. Maybe we will try to work that into the itinerary. Or, maybe stay in the winelands for two days.

Also, we have a choice between Londolozi, Singita, Camp Jabulani and Ulusaba. Do you think Londolozi is the best choice?

divine54

sbs
londo is fantastic in view to leopard sightings and big cats in general.
sabi sands allover is great for leopards but londo is particularly good!
l
hermanus can easily be done while staying in cape town day tripping.
and of course sep means whale watching is a MUST. it's also a nice scenic drive.

singita is quite expensive and animal wise it's not offering any incentives other than londo/ulusaba etc.. singita is very famous for its top-notch accommodation and super-douper service.

ulusabe is richard branson's lodges which receives good revises all the time; i myself haven't visited ulusaba yet.

camp jabulani is on the kapama ground. kapama treats its cheetahs very badly means neglecting cheetah's exercise which these gracious cats need in order to stay fit an healthy: by far too tiny enclosures, no daily exercise and breeding for sale. traces where each cheetah is sold to are difficult to verify. so i would not recommend/support anything which is on kapama ground.

the jabulani elephants are supposed to come from zimbabwe (rescue it's told). but these eli-safaris are very much sought after venues means they don't stick to the status quo in order to meet visitor's demand. so they are tempted to buy elis in order to satify its needs. these elis are kidnapped from wild herds in order to train them for riding purpose.
in that regard if you don't want to support any cruelty you have to choose carefully where your holiday money is going to.

happy planning!

div