ellene

As my fourtieth approaches, I am planning my dream trip of safari in South Africa and looking for suggestions. Price is not an issue. Was thinking of 2 different game reserves for 3 nights each, and 2 nights in the wine county. Open to suggestions as to time of year(flexible) and locations.

Kavey

Ellene
Forgive if I'm simplifying as I don't know how much reading you've already done.
"Best" game reserved are located in the Eastern regions of South Africa, both north and south.
But the wine region is, of course, many miles away in the West.
That means you'll need to think about whether you want to
a) visit the winelands and the eastern game reserves and incorporate a little more travel into your trip
b) visit the winelands and game reserves in the immediate vicinity - not usually quite as well-regarded, in terms of game viewing, as those to the East but still likely to offer a great taster
c) visit the game reserves in the east and perhaps the St Lucia coastline instead of the winelands

Do you only have 8 nights or can you spare more?
Do you have a budget in mind (that you wouldn't mind sharing - easier to give you advice with that in mind)
Have you been on safari before? Where? When?
What are your priorities for this trip?

Looking forward to hearing more and hopefully being able to input into your trip!

Kavey

Some more thoughts... (I'm having a kind of idle surfing kind of evening)

1) Cape Town, Winelands and Garden Route would be rushed even with a week. Have you been before or would this be your first visit? If you're first visit I'd recommend either a longer overall trip or making the decision between the Cape region and what I'll refer to as the safari regions.

2) KZN Game Reserves. You have several to choose from in KZN (KwaZulu Natal) including Hluhluwe-Umfolozi (once two separate parks but now joined, famous for rhino), Ithala (less heavily visited and harder to see prolific game but I have been told that the setting is spectacular), Mkuze (well known for birding but other stuff too), Ndumo (very well known for birding but other stuff too), Tembe (well known for elephants). On top of this you have the extensive St Lucia Greater Wetlands area - extending from the coast inland for quite a distance this area of inland lakes is also well known for birding, fishing, hippos and lots of other wildlife. You also have some expensive private reserves in the area which may be of more interest depending on your budget/ requirements.

3) Kruger Game Reserve - perhaps the best known and still said to be a wonderful experience. You also have the private reserves along some of it's boundary - with no fences between them and Kruger. These offer a more comfortable/ luxurious experience depending on which you select.

4) Malaria free - Reserves such as Pilanesburg and Madikwe offer a malaria free game viewing experience.

ellene

Thanks for your reply, I am planning on at least 10 days in south africa. I figured I would have to fly between reserves. I was thinking for the reserves 1K per night for two max, and in the wine country $300 ish per night(us dollar)I understand I may need to spend one or two nights in Johannesberg depending on connecting flights, and was thinking in the $300 range for those as well. My priority is better game viewing, with wine a secondary bonus.

sandi

ellene -

Of course time of year matters. Best time for game viewing in Kruger area is June-August which in southern hemisphere is winter. Mornings and nights can get chilly if not downright cold. At the same time, weather in Capetown is "iffy" - it can be wet.

We found period between Oct to mid-December (like spring going into summer in northern hemisphere) worked great for us in both Capetown, Vic Falls, Botswana and Kruger. Game viewing was great in the latter.

Suggest you check this site:
www.e-gnu.com

for various lodges/camps in the Kruger area (select Mpumalanga, area where Kruger located) to see range of prices. Check other areas in SA also, as these might better meet your budget. Do remember that many prices are extremely high these days as the exchange between USD and ZAR is not in our favor.

Also get a good guidebook and decide what "you" want to do on your trip. As well, there is a wealth of information on this board re locations in SA, lodges/camps, game viewing, etc. that can provide answers to some questions you might have. Do a "search" and read thru lots of threads. Once you've done that and have questions regarding specific camps and locations, I believe we can better respond to your questions.