Hello! I was wondering if anyone could offer up some advice/suggestions. I'm planning an African Safari honeymoon but I'm getting a bit overwhelmed! Here are the details:

Approx 3 wks starting 10/19/2009
(flying from Bermuda, where we live, or New York - whichever is cheaper)

Def want to do:
A couple days in Cape Town (downtown, Table Mountain, surfing, wine tasting)
Okavango Delta in Botswana

Also, we want to go to one other area to do a more traditional safari (ie - lots of animals!). We're thinking about one of the following places:

Sabi Sands, South Africa
Namibia (Etosha or Namib Naukleft Park?)
Chobe or Moremi in Botswana
Ngorongora Crater, Tanzania (is that too far to combine with South Africa??)

I'm definitely going to contact a few different safari companies about possible itineraries but I wanted to see if anyone had some personal advice or suggestions of the best combination of places, lodges, etc.

We're looking to spend an avg of $600 pppn but we wouldn't mind going budget some places so that we could splurge in others.

Thanks in advance for any help you can offer!!

If you are thinking of staying in Cape Town I would suggest Cape Cadogan or maybe the Steenberg Winery & Hotel (the wines are just fab!). Of course there is the Ellerman House and the Westcliff as well.

Since you are planning to do a safari up by Kruger (you can get away without taking Malaria shots in the eastern cape for a safari - Shamwari Game Reserve)there is tons of reserves to look for. Big names of course are Singita, Sabi Sabi, Lions Sands and the ones you mention. I do know the bigger names that I just mention are really easy to work with, really accomodating and just a pleasure to stay at.

I am guessing you are flying into Johannesburg? I would suggest actually flying into London - stay there a night - than head over to S.A. It's easier to get adjusted to the time difference and break up the super long flight. That's probably the most difficult part of the journey is being stuck in airplane for 18+hours.

Have you thought of Namibia or Zambia? You got Victoria Falls (think lunar rainbows) in Zambia.

Oh you got to try a safari on elephant back! Camp Jabulani comes to mind.

Bring a camera and don't forget the charger.

Check out Roar Africa for a tour operator. They are really flexible and really well connected to make things happen. I know there are others like Micato and Wilderness (I knew someone who went with them and was not impressed) so you can do a price comparison.

www.roarafrica.com

Hope this helps!

Coming from the USA, California. FWIW, here's one vote for NOT staying overnight in London. It costs $$$$, time, and added aggravation dealing with getting to/from airport and security. We prefer to just "keep on trucking" all the way to Africa.

There are several good tour operators for Africa. They are mentioned here frequently. But since I have not dealt with any of them I'll let others make the recommendations. (I have a local agent I work with).

regards - tom

Three-weeks is more than ample time to visit Southern Africa at a leisurely pace... it is your honeymoon!

You can certainly visit Cape Town, Kruger, even Vic Falls and Botswana. You'd be pushing it to also include Namibia, much dependant on routing and flight connections. Unlike the US there are often only a morning and afternoon flight between countries. And, though I often mention that unless one has minimum 3/weeks, it's difficult to also include East Africa... in your case only the Ngorongoro Crater, just getting to/from can take up 3/days.

It's kind of like a visitor to the States who wants to visit NYC, Washington, DC, Orlando, Los Angeles and Las Vegas! Duh! Give me a break! I'd concentrate on South Africa, Zim (Vic Falls), Botswana; Namibia only if it works. You'll love Africa so much, you're sure to plan a return visit and then can do Kenya & Tanzania.

The flight from NY is long, but anything longer than 10/hrs and you feel NO pain. Just go straight onto JNB or CPT from JFK.

There are a number of recommended safari outfitters for the southern African countries, which if you do a search on this board, will bring them up. If anyone can think of some, just pop them in here, please (mind is slow at end of day). Some are located in the States, others are in South Africa.

Keep us posted on your progress on this same thread.

BridgetBeth

I've never stayed o/nt in London, coming from O'Hare. Heathrow is much easier to rest in than many airports I've been in.

You might also consider South Africa Air from NYC. Then there are no overnights to contend with, just 15-17 hours on the plane.

One of your comments made it seem as if you would not see lots of animals in the Okavango. You will! A place like Little Vumbura has great variety, including cats. Kwara does too. Chitabe, in a drier part of the Okavango with no mekoros, has a great wildlife rep. There many other accommodations as well.
If you wanted to include a walk with elephants activity, either Baines or Stanley in the Okavango lets you walk with elephants. The comments on this experience have been good, though I have not done it.

All those delta activities mentioned are over $600 per night. Depending on when you are going Mapula, with good wildlife, in the delta may be more in line with your budget.


"Sabi Sands, South Africa"
There are lots of options here for a variety of budgets. It is known for good leopard sightings and excellent all around animals. It would be very easily accessible from Joburg and there are flights every couple hours between Cape Town and Joburg.

The main camp of Mala Mala would fit in your budget I think and it is legendary for its wildlife. That's where I chose for my Sabi Sands visit and had a great time. Less expensive is Elephant Plains and it gets good comments on wildlife and the luxury of its rooms. But there are many, many places to stay.

"Namibia (Etosha or Namib Naukleft Park?)" Not quite as convenient logistically. If stunning desert landscapes were a must, then you could add the Namib desert.

"Chobe or Moremi in Botswana"
If you are planning on the Okavango Delta, Moremi is in the delta. By going to Moremi, you are visiting the delta. This area is known for wildlife.

Chobe works easily with the delta and the sunset wildlife cruise on the Chobe River offers a unique wildlife viewing option in all of Africa. The park in Chobe has more people than the others in Botswana, but you can get away from them and it also has excellent wildlife.

"Ngorongora Crater, Tanzania (is that too far to combine with South Africa??)"
With 3 weeks you could include it if your heart was set on it. If the goal is abundant wildlife, then you can accomplish that with your other choices.

On a 3 week trip with a few days in Cape Town, I'd suggest approximately the following:

4-5 days = transport
4 days = Cape Town and vicinity
4 days = Sabi Sands
2-3 days = Chobe
5 days = Okavango at 2 different camps
That's 21

To save cost, cut the Okavango part down.

You didn't mention Victoria Falls in Zimbabe or Zambia, but that would be easy to include and is often part of a honeymoon.

Wow! Thanks so much everyone for the great advice so far. I'm really impressed with how passionate and helpful the people on Fodor's are.

jo2jo - thanks for the great suggestions, especially in Cape Town. I hadn't even looked into that much yet because the safari part is so overwhelming.

We had actually thought about doing a night or two in London on our way there since I've never been but a direct flight with some Tylenol PM sounds good too. We also want as much time as possible actually in Africa so we're going to have to think about that one.

atravelynn - that quick itinerary actually sounds perfect. Thanks so much for the lodging suggestions as well, I will definitely look into those. Also, thanks for the clarification on Okavango and Moremi being the same thing - I thought that might be the case but couldn't tell for sure from the websites!

I've put inquiries in with go2africa, ccafrica, e-gnu and wilderness safaris today. I've only heard back from go2africa so far and they seem to be really helpful. She also thought that Namibia might not fit into the trip that well (and that it would be really hot at that time of year) so we're ok with cutting that out.

So I think I've got it down a definite 3-4 days in Cape Town, 4-5 in Okavango/Moremi and then one or more of Sabi Sands, Kruger, Chobe or maybe, maybe Tanzania (my fiance is the one really interested in going there - I think that might need to be a separate trip though).

I've noticed that a lot of people combine Victoria Falls with their safari but we're honestly so focused on wildlife that we hadn't thought about doing anything else except for Cape Town. Is that a mistake?

Again - thanks for all of the advice, keep it coming if you have more. I'll keep everyone posted on the trip details!!

I think you have received some very good advice and are off to a great start.

No problem at all skipping Victoria Falls if you want to focus on wildlife. I'd much rather get in as many nights as I can in Botswana rather than going over to the Falls. As Lynn suggested you should definitely research Mapula Lodge as it is the perfect place for being serious about wildlife viewing and can keep you around your budget at $650 pppn until Oct. 31 and $525 after Nov. 1. Keep in mind that many Botswana camps drop to shoulder season pricing in November, thus some camps like Kwando Lebala and Little Kwara are $975 pppn during October drop to $670 in November, Wilderness Safari camps are likely similar so timing the order of your itinerary will really help stretch your budget. It's different than the dunes of the Namib but you could visit a Kalahari lodge to see some of the desert adapted species like oryx and springbok and have a cultural experience with the bushmen, both Deception Valley Lodge and Grassland Bushman Lodge deliver great experiences. Alternatively the Makgadikgadi salt pans are a great place to see meerkats and explore wide open spaces. A couple of nights in Chobe area would help the budget too, something unique to look at is Ichobezi houseboats which would be under your budget. A combination of areas in Botswana will be ideal for a wildlife focus.

Since the Sabi Sands has a wide range of prices available I'd concentrate on getting your Botswana taken care of and then based on what is left you can back into the appropriate budget for Sabi Sand lodging.

Lots of great choices in Cape Town. I'm particularly fond of Kensington Place for an outstanding experience at a small boutique hotel that doesn't break the bank.

Also, count me in the camp that would fly straight through and save your time and money for Africa.

Yes, Kensington Place would be great for a honeymoon. Ask for one of the rooms on the top floor..


http://www.kensingtonplace.co.za/show/home

Kensington Place looks perfect! I think we'll definitely include that in our Cape Town stay - thanks for the recommendation!

Mapula seems great as well - I've read many great reviews of it in additions to the ones here. I will be certain to mention that one when I start figuring out specific lodges with a safari company.

PredatorBiologist - great note about Botswana lodging getting cheaper in November. Putting Botswana towards the end of our trip is definitely a consideration for that reason.

Does anyone know if you can get from Botswana to Vic Falls without having to go into Zimbabwe? I'm reading so many mixed reviews about Zimbabwe on here and since Vic Falls isn't a top priority, I'm wondering if it's worth it for us to go there. The whitewater rafting that we could do there sounds fun and it's been recommended as a quick last stop to unwind from safari before heading home but we're not too sure yet...

Again thanks so much for the advice everyone - it's extremely helpful!!

The town of Livingston in Zambia is right across the Zambezi River from Vic Falls in Zimbabwe, and where some prefer to stay. However, the Zambia visa is way more expensive than that for Zimbabwe.

That said, however, Vic Falls, is safe for tourists who aren't targets for or harmed. The proverty you see and people begging is, sadly, common in many tourist areas of Africa. Besides the stately Victoria Falls Hotel, there is the Ilala Lodge which gets good reviews.

Depending on the routing, and if you want to see the Falls, the overnight can be done in either Zam or Zim. By November the Falls are at low flow, which makes it much easier to view then when at full-flow (usualy April/May).

Also, during this period be prepared for occasional showers in South Africa, Botswana and Zim/Zam with humidity following. Most safari accommodations have ceiling fans; the more lux props will have a/c.

Interesting responses.

Sandi, how many times have you been to Southern Africa in the last 5 years?

bridget
don't search for the WESTCLIFF in CPT as it is in JNB - one of the orient express properties - which BTW have 3 high end properties in botswana.

when it comes to botswana i would drive it further to the nov schedule - rates come down from 01 nov but the weather is still very reasonable - it's supposed to be still dry with occasional rain shower if at all.
but weather isn't predictable anymore..

so i would start in cape town and the wine lands for a week and go up to sabi sands and stay there at e.g. elephant plains which saves you money because it's the most favourable lodge in sabi sands without compromizing on wildlife and decent accomm. that money i would rather spent for nice lodges/camps in okavango, moremi, chobe which easily costs approx. 700-800pppn.
then i would include vic falls and maybe lower zambesi or huangwe in zim.

i would not spent less than 3 nits in a camp.
don't waste too much time with camp hopping!

happy planning!

div

I'll third the great opinion of kensington Place, just visited for the second time in 9 years and it was better the second time, which I hadn't thought possible.

"Vic Falls isn't a top priority, I'm wondering if it's worth it for us to go there. The whitewater rafting that we could do there sounds fun and it's been recommended as a quick last stop to unwind from safari before heading home but we're not too sure yet..."

You have other top priorities, so I'd concentrate on those rather than Vic Falls, which you can see from Livingstone, Zambia easily.

Zambezi rafting to unwind? These are Level 5 rapids where people get hurt more than rarely. If you are big whitewater rafting fans and adrenaline junkies, then this could be a major triumph for you. As a post-safari activity to unwind, I'd forget it.

You mentioned your husband-to-be's wish to see the Crater. If you believe you could return to Africa, maybe for a 5th or 10th Anniversary or even a 1st, then I'd save it for another trip.

IMO, if you do end up going to the falls, you should see them from the Zim side. The views are substantially better than from Zambia and, like others have pointed out, it's pretty safe in Victoria Falls town

BB,

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding and your super-excellent choice of honeymoon spots!

I was married in May and spent 2.5 weeks in SA/Namibia for our honeymoon and loved EVERY MOMENT of it. Here's what we did, for what it's worth. (We arranged everything ourselves, except we did go through an operator for Namibia to help us rent car, get accommodations.)

Day 1-2: Fly to Joburg

Day 2-4: Stay with friends in JoBurg. We were very lucky in this respect as they were great hosts and allowed us to adjust to the time difference, shake off some of the jetlag.

Day 4-7: Selati Camp at Sabi Sabi. They bumped us up to the honeymoon suite for free! They were wonderful in taking care of us; we saw tons of animals; they set up a wonderfully romantic dinner in our room (again free of charge!) and we had a fantastic ranger. Can't say enough good stuff!

Day 7-8: Recoup back at JoBurg at weird airport Vegas (Emperor's Palace). Perfect as we waited for flight the next morning.

Day 8-13: Namibia! Spend first day in Windhoek (had dinner with an aunt of a friend of a friend who was in the Peace Corps -- total stranger, but wonderful experience!) Stay at the Olive Grove guest house. Very nice and relaxing. Again, gave us the honeymooners' treatment!

Day 9-12: Rent a car and drive to Sossusvlei in the Nambib dessert. Takes 7 hours (we took the scenic route) and was amazing. I think we passed three cars all the way there. Loved the hoppin' town of Solitaire. Highly recommend the apple crumble!

We stayed at Sossusvlei Mountain Lodge and again were treated incredibly well and given several honeymooner extras! (we came home one night and our bungalow was filled with candles, hearts made out of sand and a bottled of champagne! SML is part of CC Africa, which does a lot of wonderful programs with the community. The Lodge, on the Namib-Naukluft reserve, has quadbiking, game drives, hiking and you can hire them to take you for a day-trip to Sossusvlei and Sesriem Canyon. (We took our own car there b/c we wanted to go at our own pace.) AMAZING!


Day 12-13: Back at Windhoek for a nice meal at Olive Grove and to rest up!

Day 13-14: Fly to Cape Town. Stay at a lovely and very inexpensive guesthouse in Newlands. Great location; we could walk to dinner and shops.

Day 14: Drive the Cape, end day in Stellenbosch. Stayed at Wild Mushroom. A WONDERFUL location, great guesthouse. Fantastic meal at

Day 15: Wine country! Enjoyed several vineyards as we made our way to Franschook. Stayed at xxx, great dinner at Reuben's.

Day 16: Back to Cape Town, stay at V&H hotel. Great location if you want to be by the wharf. Unfortunately, the jazz club we wanted to go to was closed for a private function!

Day 17: Our ONLY DAY OF RAIN!!! Oh, well! Socked in, so we just hang out at the wharf before heading to airport for midnight flight to Amsterdam.

We did not make it to the falls. You can't do everything and seeing Sossusvlei was more important to us.

I would be happy to give you further detail about anything above, should you like!