DianaDy

hi! our flight to OR Tambo from South East Asia will land at 6:45AM at OR Tambo. This means that we will miss the Shuttle Bus from Ashton Tours that would depart the airport at 6:45AM. i am also looking at the options of flying into Hoedspruit or the Arathusa Airstrip using Airlink. Both options uses very small plane and i am a nervous flyer. i have also heard several friend who have made the trip that the flight itself is terrifying. therefore, instead of waiting for the flight, i would like to either DRIVE or hire a car service that can bring us from OR Tambo to the Arathusa Lodge. can somebody pls provide some other options or is DRIVING ourselves the only option? we will be coming from a 13 hour flight, so i dont think that driving would be a wise option.

Thanks

DebitNM

We flew from JOB to Hoedspruit. We then had a driver pick us up and drive us to the Lodge. It was a long drive, but it was easy to sit back and relax since we weren't driving. We had the lodge arrange the drive.

The plane to Hoedspruit wasn't small -- it wasn't a 737 but it wasn't a puddlejumper either.

Off topic - Request the Waterbuck Room. We had the room and it is really big, updated and lovely. We paid for a standard room and got the Waterbuck. I am not sure if it is really standard or not, it appears that it may be considered luxury water facing. It's worth asking about.

We LOVED Arathusa. It was our first stop on our 3 weeks southern Africa tour and our first safari. It ruined us for all our other accomodations!! Enjoy~

uhoh_busted

You can also fly to Nelspruit from JNB. It is then about a 2 hour transfer by car to Arathusa. (Or pick up a rental and drive yourself) Personally, I'd fly a small plane into Skukuza, but Hoedspruit and Nelspruit are not a bad options at all. It won't be a tiny plane, like you see hopping between camps in Botswana.

We drove just this past May, and it is a good 6-6 1/2 hour drive from JNB. But our flight had come in the night before and we stayed near the airport (and highway) in order to get out of town quickly and on our way the next morning.

DebitNM

Sorry, I was incorrect - we flew to Nelspruit.

DianaDy

hi DebitNM and uhoh_busted

thanks for the options. i will definitely consider flying into Nelspruit then. Flying into Skukuza i think would demand a much smaller plane which i am trying to avoid.

How was the flight? was it bumpy? i heard horror stories from friends who have done the flight and they were terrified to death that one of them opt to throw away their ticket on way back and drove back instead.


thanks

Diana

DebitNM

It was like any other short duration flight; unless you have a fear of flying, it is a non issue. I can't imagine so many horror stories.

Gardyloo

What month are you traveling, how many days are you staying in the north, and how long do you have between landing at JNB and your first booked night at Arathusa?

People are different, of course, but my preferred plan is to rest up near JNB for a day (consider jetlag) then drive up to the Panoramic Route on the second day, staying overnight in Graskop, a pleasant little town convenient to the spectacular Blyde Canyon, God's Window, Three Rondavels, and other dramatic sights in the area.

The next morning (i.e. 48h after landing) I drive into the SSGR, an hour or 90 min. from Graskop. That way I'm there and relatively well rested easily in time for the afternoon game drive; if you arrive in the mid- to late afternoon (e.g. by transferring from Nelspruit) the chances are good you'll miss the first drive, which you've paid dearly for given the cost of staying in these lodges.

The drive from JNB airport to the Panoramic Route is easy, the roads good, and you'll have time to see one or two of the local sights before it gets dark.

(The "gets dark" line has to do with the time of year. When are you coming?)

DianaDy

hi All!

thanks for all inputs. i have booked SA Airlink from JNB to Nelspruit. we arrive from our international flight at 6:45AM and will connect to Nelspruit without leaving the airport. i figured the Avro-liner is a much larger aircraft than the Embraer that has a scheduled departure of 9:00AM.

i do have a fear of flying. or maybe i am just a pessimist. a 45minute flight should be taken care of with sleeping pills.

thanks for all the input.