mnoman

Thanks Christabir for your input.

As I said earlier I love driving and have driven 12-13 hours a day. It gives insight of a lot of areas that are totally skipped if you just concentrate on popular destinations. But 14 days is too short a time to fulfill all dreams. Now that I have pushed the trip to Feb, I am trying to increase the stay so that there are no after thoughts. In 2-3 days time, I will know whether its 14 days or 21 days (maybe more).

Thanks again for the input.

loveafricatravel

If you can extend your trip then definitely add Northern Natal to your list. Really great things to see & do, might even get the end of turtle season. There are also nice lodge specials in February.
If you enjoy driving then it's not a problem especially the main routes. My children are terrible in the car so we avoid long distances as much as possible.
Sandy - Love Africa Travel

mnoman

Thanks loveafricatravel.

Children are always like this on long routes as I experienced in my last trip.

How about if I add JNB to Durban by road and then coastal road to Port Elizabeth and then Garden Route. It will take well 6 days on road maximum (from JNB to PE) with 2 days in Durban. There are some historical sites in between but can anyone suggest suitable lodges in between this route.

Thanks

mnoman

Sandy I meant.

christabir

So you're back to the original plan. See my first post. Not a great plan. I understand you enjoy driving, but you barely leave any time to get out of the car, even if you add time. You are going to love S Africa and will go back. You don't have to see everything now (and you won't anyway!).

If you do this, spend time in St Lucia in KZN - my very favorite town. So much to do! Great beaches, too. Spend two nights at least. You can also visit my favorite lodge, Rhino River Lodge, for a few nights. I think you should fly Durban to PE, for the reasons I stated above and there is no coastal road between Port Alfred and East London (most of the way). What's in Durban you want to do?

Are you considering skipping Kruger?! Ugh!! No! If you skip anything, skip the Garden Route. It's pretty, but that's about it. Fly Durban to CT. I don't understand why everyone wants to do the Garden Route.

kellyee21

I was about to write the same as Christabir, back to the original plan. And you just say above how you know how kids are on long trips so I don't understand your priorities.

I haven't been to the Wild Coast (Durban to PE)as I haven't had the time to do it justice. It seems beautiful from what I have read but it is also not an easy destination and certainly not just a 2 day drive through to get somewhere else. If you were planning a week to 10 days in the area my answer may be different.

You can read some tales of the Wild Coast from a blogger here in JNB who has a lot of experience traveling all over the country. This is part one, be sure to read through to parts 2 and 3 as well.

http://2summers.net/2015/06/20/south...-coast-part-1/

I do like both the Garden Route (not just beautiful but great hiking and other activities and then there is Addo too) and St Lucia. But I think you really need to nail down how much time you have first before being able to decide on an itinerary.

mnoman

Hello Again.

Thank you all for your valuable input.

The good news is I can increase my stay for 25 days from mid Feb to March but the bad news is this will increase total cost so I will have to keep things tight.

Main things I want to do is Kruger National Park (that's why I am flying to Africa), a drive through landscapes - Garden Route (since driving is my passion), spend 3-4 days in Cape Town and JNB (I wish Durban was near one of them). St. Lucia will also be out of radar since I am not doing East Coast (how to manage I cant understand).

It seems will have to fly to Port Elizabeth and then take the Garden Route to Cape Town (without winelands).

After reading the blog referred above I am NOT doing wild coast .

christabir

You have 25 days. 6 days Kruger, drive to KZN (around Swaziland)for 6 days, drive inland around Lesotho through Bloemfoutaan to Mtn Zebra/Camdeboo, Addo, PE 6 days, 6 days CT. Plenty of time for all. Stay in b&bs or private flatlets and in the national parks - get a WildCard if it will save you money (they are pretty expensive, but pay off in 5 nights, I believe). You can do it pretty in expensively if you avoid hotels and eating out a lot. I would splurge with two nights in a private reserve in KZN - excellent value at Rhino River Lodge - and unwind on the beaches a little.

Enjoy!

mnoman

Thanks, that sounds great. I will go into details for each stay regarding stop overs and accommodation. If required, will request your input.

Thank you all, particularly christabir and kellyee21, for your time and valuable input.

Regards,

mnoman

Hello all,

Just to inform not get South African Visa. So trip has been cancelled.

Thanks for all the support and guidance. Will definitely get there in future since I am a nature lover and love adventure.

Regards
Noman

mnoman

I did not get I mean.

christabir

I'm tired of visas. We should be allowed to travel - I want to travel the world and it is very difficult due to the silly rules. I hope you someday are able to get your visas and love S Africa as much as so many of us do.

Grr!

mnoman

I love South Africa that's why I was planning this trip. But these things do happen. Garden Route and Kruger will always be on my list.

tedgale

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