animallovernyc

We are from the NYC area, and have traveled a bit, and for our upcoming trip (planning very last minute) we are looking for things that you can truly only experience in South Africa (aside from Safaris).

Unfortunately we do not have any time for museums or travel to any townships during this visit.

Please list any suggestions. Thanks.

Gritty

Go see the penguins around Simonstown (just outside Cape Town). I know you can see penguins in a few other places, but there aren't many.

Isn't the ostrich riding somewhere along the Garden Route? THAT would be unique.

divine54

gritty,

ostrich riding is unique but CRUEL!!!

you might have enjoyed it - but the ostriches for sure haven't!


div

divine54

animallover
if you don't have time to visit museums and townships - which is a couple of hours - you won't have time to dedicate to animals at all..........

so i would suggest you visit a typical south african restaurant.

as you are not stating which area you are going to visit i can not make any suggestions at all.

maybe you precise your destinations while in SA - then myself and others would be able to help out in a more specific way.........

div

Gritty

All I know is that somewhere there is ostrich riding. I never did it myself.

thit_cho

Cage diving with white sharks (around the Cape Town area).

mkhonzo

South Africa is a large enough country... where will you be and how much tome will you have to travel... If you do not have the time for a museum or a township, well then you must be looking for a city experience that you will not get elsewhere in the world, I assume?

Shark diving is at least a mornings worth of activity, ostrich galloping a days drive from Cape Town, wine route at least a morning (while not unique to SA, the winelands are the most picturesque in the world)

Hike table mountain, a days activity, Kirstenbosch gardens a morning at least... so you are hamstrung by time...

If you are confining your trip to the Cape Town area, take a train from the city to Kalk Bay, have lunch at kalkys and experience the unique Cape fishing culture and to get a further injection of it carry on with the train to Fish Hoek and walk the beach, watch the trek fishermen and even join in hauling the nets...

capekidnappers

If you are in Cape Town, take the trip to Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela and others were imprisoned for many years - for what?
A very thoughtful lesson on humanity, and inhumanity.
A half day trip. Very scenic, to lighten the mood.

divine54

http://www.lionrescue.org.za/visitorinfo.htm

close to stellenbosch/cape town and well worth a visit!

div

africanj

Tracking animals with the "Bushman" at Khwattu up the west coast outside Cape Town

atravelynn

Africanj,
Did you do that bushwalk and can you tell us about it? Looks intriguing.

AnimalLoverNYC,
Here is something REQUIRED by South Africa that is not required in some other places--TWO empty consecutive pages in the Visa section of your passport.

Here is what I would do if you want uniqueness to the Cape Town area, animals, and don't have lots of time. Let's say you arrive the eve of night 1. Take a cab to a Waterfront Hotel.

Do the 9:00 am ferry to Robben Island that leaves from the Waterfront. It gets back at 12:30 pm.

Check out of the Waterfront Hotel before boarding the ferry and have your bags stored at the desk until you return.

Arrange to have a guide meet you at the ferry, collect your bags from the htoel desk, and escort you up Table Mountain using the cable cars. You should also have time for the scenic Chapman's Peak Drive and other scenic spots on the way to Simons Town. End up in Simons Town and overnight there.

On your third day you will be able to fly out by the late afternoon.

Do the morning shark trip to Seal Island that leaves from Simons Town. Check out of the hotel before the shark trip and have your bags stored at either the hotel desk or have African Shark Eco-Charters store your bags until you get back from the shark trip. The shark trip ends around 1:00 pm, maybe more like 12:30 or more like 1:45, depending. Then go visit the penguins in Boulders Bay, which is a 20-minute walk from the shark dock or a 5- minute Rikki taxi ride. Or you could pre-arrange to have a guide meet you at the shark dock and go to the penguins with you before driving the 45-minutes back to the airport in Cape Town where I am assuming you would fly to Joburg. There are flights about every hour from Cape Town to Joburg.

You might even be able to see the penguins upon your arrival in Simons Town. To get to see them on the beach and in their nesting areas, you can spend as little as 20 minutes. I spent two 3-hour sessions and a short visit before heading to the airport, but you don't have to hunt for the penguins. They are out and about so it takes very little time if your goal is to just see some.
I just did something like this. My guide was Take 2 Tours. It worked great.

atravelynn

I actually did a 6:45 pm flt from Cape Town to Joburg so that is later than "late afternoon" but you still get to o/nt in Joburg.

africanj

Hi atravelynn,
Yes, i have done it twice. May i rfefer you to the site:

http://www.khwattu.org/

It is firstly an unique centre in South Africa and also not over comercialised. You may travel all over South Africa and find the same souverniers for sale throughout but you hardly find Khoi and San goods.

It is a unique thing to do because the Khoi and San are the only tribes in the world to employ tracking, in the way they do, to hunt for food and are the worlds best trackers.

Have a look at the site