Re Victoria Falls: We visited in August and the flow was quite low, which is not altogether a bad thing, as it also means the mist that often obscures the falls is lessened. Frankly, though, we were somewhat underwhelmed. Plus, it's a rather expensive short trip (you basically need three days - one to get there, one to visit the falls, and one to get back) and, while I'm generally opposed to letting my political views inhibit my travels, the situation when we were there, and (sub rosa) words exchanged with a few locals, left us ill at ease. (We visited during one of Mugabe's hyperinflation periods; I have a souvenir Z$10 billion bank note.) So it's up to you.

Like all things, it's a trade-off. What would I do with an extra three or four days to spend in South Africa? Well...

- Add an additional safari destination. You could look at Phinda or the St. Lucia wetlands area on the Indian Ocean coast - a very different environment than the Kruger area; or maybe Madikwe as I mentioned upthread. You're on the edge of the Kalahari region, also quite different from Kruger.

Lion couple, Madikwe

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...76a882eb7b.jpg


- In you're there in September, head north up the Atlantic coast from Paternoster to the Namaqualand region, where the wildflower displays are legendary, e.g.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...58732cd339.jpg

- Or visit the Drakensberg mountains along the KwaZulu Natal and Lesotho border. These are mountains, some exceeding 10,000 feet elevation, in the middle of Zululand, a marvelous region.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...dd216368fc.jpg

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...c9e620a435.jpg

- Or just spend a couple of days drinking superb wine and eating amazing food in scenic Franschhoek or in the picturesque old university town ot Stellenbosch, just a few minutes' drive from Cape Town.

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...f381cde7c0.jpg

Mind-bending alternatives.

@marlene, we have not been to south Africa on safari. have done kenya twice in 2 years-first time for 2 weeks and just this summer for 3! from my understanding (and I am fine being corrected!), only kenya has those wide open masai mara vistas that you remember from out of Africa or big cat diaries. I have been told south Africa (around kruger and the conservancies) have much more scrub and bush rather than the open vistas you might be expecting.

I do want to visit south Africa. I think of South Africa as more of a varied trip (safari, cape town, wine country) and kenya more for pure safari but we did add 6 days at end of our 3 week for beach trip.

either way it will be magical.

also be sure to go on expert Africa's website for pictures of the lodges and "tents". you will be even more excited-no roughing it for me!!

Not a mistake to skip Vic Falls. Concentrate on the game lodges. At least that is my opinion, living in NYC and never having been to Niagara. I'd spend more time on safari, for sure.

So is is it better to go on safari (Kruger) at the beginning of our trip or towards the end?


@escrunchy & @Gardyloo...thanks for putting my mind at ease regarding skipping Victoria Falls.

Beginning. The longer you wait the better the spring weather gets in the south, assuming you go in the southern winter or early spring.

I am not sure of weather situation but would put safari at the end. I think all the other stuff will pale after a safari.

Agree. And you need some time to recover from a long flight, or flights. You do not want to just change planes and head for a safari camp on the day you arrive in SA. I've met people who have done that, at various camps, and they were dazed and confused for the first day or two. So if you can arrange it, go first to Johannesburg or to Capetown.

But I am writing this not taking weather into account.

Which camps are you considering in SA? My belief is that the level of accommodation in SA is so high that it almost does not matter where you stay as long as you are in a game-rich area. Sabi Sands is the pinnacle but there are other reserves as well.

Liesl of Southern Dastinations.com is such a superb agent; she will not steer you wrong, and she can accommodate all budgets and tastes.

Are you in the US and if so, where?

@eskrunchy..We live in the Midwest of the US. The plan is now to start our trip in Cape Town and work our way up to Kruger. Picking a camp is tough. Liesl’s initial suggestion was to safari at the Timbavati Game Reserve (Naga Safari Lodge). Upon reading online, it gets mixed reviews...rooms average, excellent food and the biggest complaint being “wasted” 30 min on every game drive driving past the Nagal Tented before starting the game viewing. Someone wrote that on their 3 day stay, they didn’t see any lions! I know the world has plenty of complainers but these comments do cause some hesitation on my part.

If you are referring to Ngala Safari Lodge, it is great! I have sent many clients there and it consistently has been wonderful. I have never had a client with a single complaint and it has been years. If it meets your budget and style of travel, I would highly recommend. :)

>>Someone wrote that on their 3 day stay, they didn’t see any lions!<<

This probably goes without saying, but you're dealing with Mother Nature on safari. This stuff happens. I just went to the Amazon, specifically to see the macaws and green parrots and due to a weather front didn't see a single one in 4 days. On my last safari, we saw one leopard, who had managed to get himself treed by lions and he didn't come down until it was safely dark and then he disappeared for the rest of our stay, so our only sighting was a bum and a tail in a tree. That's at a "really good for leopard" location too. Safari is not a zoo, the animals aren't on a schedule to appear on cue. No matter where you go, no matter what the track record is for sightings, this can and does happen. Please keep that in mind no matter where you book and no matter what prior reviews say.

Can you indicate your thoughts on timing? When and for how long are you considering?

Also, are you still thinking about self-drive or are you contemplating flying between locations?

Ngala gets rave reviews, and great reports from people I know who have been there. I think it's pretty much at the top of the list in Timbavati. I looked at the TA reviews and see that they are overwhelmingly positive with a 93% excellent rating. Amy puts it very well: You are never going to be guaranteed sighting of a particular animal, and you don't know the date of stay of that one negative report that you read.

I was in Zarafa Camp, in Botswana, last year, in May. Owned by the Jouberts, who are royalty in safari circles. Very, very expensive small camp. Sightings were, on the whole, a bit sparse. That said, it was a fantastic experience; the guides at these camps know how to make every drive an interesting one. No lions, but you might see mongoose, or a hyena den, and the information they give you even on these "non-Big 5" animals can make seeing them just about as fascinating as seeing any of the "big 5."

I think that the Sabi Sands is considered the ne plus ultra of SA safari reserves. Camps there cost a bit more than those in the Timbavati, I believe. (I've never been to Timbavati). But if you can step up the budget a little, you could ask Liesl to look there as well, as I think that you are almost certain to have lion sightings. Again, nothing is actually guaranteed but you'll have an excellent chance. Maybe look at Londolozi's Varty or Founder's Camps (?????) or Elephant Plains, in the Sabi Sands.

But again, I think Ngala would be great. Take a look at the comments about it here:


https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopi...onal_Park.html

@Gardyloo...we have pretty much decided that our trip will be in early September for 12-14 days. We are on information overload and still hashing over our options regarding self driving. I have read that the drive times given on Google for getting around SA are extremely optimistic. There is a part of me that thinks flying might make better use of our time. We do want to rent a car in Cape Town where we will spend 4 days. Have you been to Grootbos Nature Preserve?

@diannelovestotravel...So glad to hear Ngala Safari Lodge is great. Social media can be a two edged sword...a wealth of good info vs a sound board for grumpy people.

@eskrunchy...I have read about Sabi Sands and their good animal viewing. We are trying to keep the costs moderate and that is probably why Liesl suggested Ngala Lodge. I may run your suggestions past her to see what she thinks. We would like to get the biggest bang for our buck!

I realize we aren’t visiting a zoo and sightings can fluctuate...I just want to stack the deck in our favor of seeing the Big 5+.

Thanks for the info. Responses...

Drive times. Yes, Google has a penchant of underestimating drive times, in my experience pretty much worldwide. That's why in my (wordy) posts upthread where I suggested self-driving, I made the days' itineraries short enough where a 20% underestimate from Google wouldn't make much of a difference in the context of a day. However, fly-drive is certainly an option, especially in the safari portion of your trip if you're looking at the greater Kruger area. There are commercial airports in Nelspruit and Hoedspruit, both which will put you on the edge of Kruger Park and the various game reserves surrounding it, so if you don't want to drive across country, those are good options.

I'll come back to the timing and order of things, especially if you plan to rent a car in Cape Town. Given your timing, I'd definitely put Cape Town at the end, but if you're concerned about time management and also (as you should be) jetlag and fatigue, I'd say that the "safari-first" option really makes more sense. The reason is that the various safari lodges are extremely comfortable, and you have - surprisingly - quite a lot of free time while you're there. The daily routine (in the winter) is up before dawn, tea and biscuits, then a 3-hour or so game drive, getting you back to the lodge around 9 or 10. You return for the elaborate breakfast served in the lodge, then your time is your own until the afternoon game drive, which leaves typically between 3 and 5 PM. (If you want lunch in the lodge, it's available.) The evening drive is usually around the same length as the morning, sometimes a bit longer, and includes a stop for "sundowner" beverages out in the bush. You return for dinner, then it's lights out until dawn the next day. (Of course the bar is open as long as you want.)

The point being, that even if you're still on US time (say 6 or 7 hours behind local time) there's enough time in the day to rest, and - more importantly - you don't have to even think about driving, dealing with urban crowds and traffic, schlepping to restaurants... it's really a relaxing and luxurious experience - I promise that wherever you stay, you'll be blown away.

Contrast that to Cape Town, which is trafficky, surprisingly spread out, and full of hustle and bustle. And in early September, prone to gray and drizzly days (or to vivid sunshine, or strong winds - google the "Cape Doctor.") To me (and as we say, YMMV) I'd save Cape Town for when your body clocks are all caught up, and when driving on the left in traffic isn't something you do while you're half zombie from 18 or 20 hours in planes. Anyway, just my take.

Safari lodges: We've stayed at eight or ten in various parts of the country, and, to be honest, they're all - in my view - pretty much of a much. Oh, the levels of luxury can vary - some are more "vin ordinaire" and others are more vintage, but the differences are really pretty minor, while the prices can be extravagantly different. This is a judgement call obviously, and you don't have much to go on besides other travelers' reports or propaganda from the lodges themselves or travel agents.

An important note is that the lodges all have various "traversing" rights with respect to other lodges in their vicinity. This allows the guides and rangers to go to where the animals are, rather than waiting for them on their own turf. All the lodges' guides are in constant radio communication with each other - their own and other lodges - so if somebody sees a leopard at site X, everybody knows about it right away, and then the various lodges' vehicles can take turns visiting the location, staging their visits so that ten vehicles don't all show up at the same time. It's an intricate ballet, but it works marvelously well. The upshot, however, is that the precise location of the game lodge is relatively unimportant in terms of game sighting - you'll get your turn if the animals are in your own or one of the neighboring lodge's grounds.

So if you assume that - more or less - you're going to have comparable wildlife viewing experiences irrespective of which lodge you choose, then the difference comes down to the choice of lodge itself - quality of lodging, food and wine, facilities, and... price.

Take for example the Ngala lodge you're considering. The rack rate as shown on their website is "from" 8565 ZAR per person per night, or around US$595. Meanwhile, the Arathusa lodge in the Sabi Sand reserve is 5950 ZAR ($414) and Elephant Plains (next to Arathusa with comparable traversing rights) is 4000 ZAR ($278.) Is a night at Ngala worth twice the price of one at Elephant Plains? Now I haven't stayed at Ngala, but I have stayed at one of &Beyond's other lodges, Phinda Forest Lodge in the Phinda reserve, hundreds of miles from the Sabi Sand reserve. It carries the same price as Ngala, and it's a lovely place, but to be blunt I didn't think it was twice as nice as Elephant Plains, and in terms of wildlife viewing, I'd call it a push. The difference was in the room - gorgeous, private pool, etc. - but for us, those things weren't why we traveled around the world. Now you may have a different view of things, and that's fine. And sometimes travel agents can score better prices than the rack rates (hopefully so!) But just be aware of the benefit/cost calculations as you plan. For me, a price differential that could result in another night in one location over the pricier one... well, that's a no-brainer in my book.

Ngala was one of three SA lodges we stayed in some time ago, and I remember those off-putting reviews. My African based TA settled me down, and we really loved it. Great guide/tracker combo, saw the so called Big Five first time out, though personally we loved all the animals, and even came across a pair of male lions straight in from Kruger who had likely never seen a safari before.

Food and accommodation was outstanding. Never understood the complaints about the short morning drive to “get started “ - we were in Africa for Pete’s sakes! It was all outstanding.

Gardyloo, quick question. I have heard that safaris in SA are more scheduled than in East Africa and your post seems to confirm that. We would go out by 6 and have a bush breakfast and not return until about 1 and then out at 4 and back abound 7 ish.

Are there places in SA where a safari is less structured? Thanks

@shouldbewriting....I so appreciate your post. I was freaking out a bit by those reviews. My TA tells me Ngala has recently going through an update. When I asked my TA to suggest some lodgings in Sabi Sands she mentioned Kirkman Kamp, Lion Sands River Lodge and Sabi Sabi Bush Lodge. In looking at them all, I think going with Ngala beats them out. I like the idea of single cottages.

Has anyone been to the Grootbos Nature Reserve? It was suggested to us by an acquaintance. I’m wondering if we would really get to fully enjoy the place with the cooler temperatures in September.

I can only speak to those places I've visited, but most fell into the same pattern I indicated. I wouldn't say, however, that they're overly structured. At most lodges (well, those where we stayed) during the time between the game drives there were walking safaris, for example, or activities around the lodges, or you could take your car and visit some village if so inclined (albeit it might be a long schlep to the reserve gates depending on where you are.) We certainly never felt "over-scheduled," and if while on your game drive you see something extraordinary, the rangers have full license to extend things as warranted. One time in Madikwe we came across a big kerfuffle between some lions and hyenas over a recent kill (kudu I think, don't remember) and we stayed for a couple of hours longer than planned to see how things were going to play out.

Most lodges have cottages or "rondavels" - separate buildings connected by footpath to the main lodge.

I've been past Grootbos but haven't stayed there. I'm sure it's very nice but I wouldn't put it high on my priority list given everything else there is to see in the Western Cape.

Edited to add: I'd strongly recommend you tune into the Safari Live Youtube channel, which they transmit daily (?) from the Djuma lodge in the Sabi Sand reserve. It gives you a good idea of what the game drives and bush walks are like. Here's today's chapter.


I know they sometimes show up on cable TV - I think on the National Geographic channel. Fun stuff.

@Gardyloo...In your opinion, which month would you prefer to visit SA....Sept or Oct? I’d like to see some wildflowers in the Cape Town area and some baby animals while on safari and was told September would be a good month. My husband prefers warmer weather and it looks like October would be better...but maybe too hot for safari then?? Thoughts?