Garden Route vs Kruger Park Trade Off
 

We have organized a last minute trip on January 28th, total of 8 days maximum, from the Philippines and we will be flying in via Cathay Pacific airways Johannesburg and flying out from here too. we are a couple in late 30s and this is our first time in Africa. we can only travel for a short time and i have checked out all possibilities for SA. we are considering Simbavati River Lodge for Kruger. Upon checking, Kruger is difficult to get to from Johannesburg, leaving me with the question:

Should we just skip Kruger and instead go for Cape Town and the Garden Route? if yes, can you pls recommend Lodges, places, itinerary for doing Capetown and Garden Route? Should we drive or join a group tour? we are very active but we have not much time for researching itineraries and your help will be greatly appreciated.

we really want to go to Kruger, but given the time constraint, maybe the Garden Route will make more sense since we want to go to Cape Town too

Thank you in advance

It is in fact extremely easy to fly in to all the private lodges in around Kruger National Park, with services at least daily if not more than once daily, so extremely convenient. You should consider contacting South Africa based travel experts like Classic Escapes who will provide you with absolutely all the details and information you need and want, and can book and co-ordinate it for you. They have representatives in Johannesburg and Cape Town and cover Southern and East Africa.www.classic-escapes.com

Simbavati. Near Hoedspruit, SAA flies from JNB to HDS twice daily and Simbavati will pick you up at HDS.

I have not been to Simbavati but have been to Kings Camp in Timbavati - four times. I believe it to be the best camp in that region of the Timbavati. Beaten only maybe by camps in the Sabi Sand reserve, e.g. MalaMala.

regards - tom
ps - you can get charter flights from JNB into the little airstrips near camps. But the charter will cost much more than the cost for SAA. Charter for 2pax I believe from JNB likely $800? Call the camp(s), they can advise you, they do it every day.

hi everyone! thank you for the feedback. i forgot to mention that I personally do NOT like taking small propeller planes. i have a fear of flying. this also makes traveling very difficult. i guess my question is, the Garden Route Safari is it similar to the Kruger Park Safari? tnx

"...the Garden Route Safari is it similar to the Kruger Park Safari?"

I have not been on the Garden Route. From my understanding the Garden Route is not a safari area. Kruger National Park is safari, big five, lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo, rhino.

Maybe I misunderstand the Garden Route, but it is NOTHING like Kruger? Have you researched both?

regards - tom

No Kruger is nothing like the Garden Route, although there is Addo Elephant Park which is quite nice, a Big 5 park but much much smaller. You can easily drive to Kruger from Johannesburg. The Garden Route would be a nice addition if you had more time, but I wouldn't miss Kruger. Maybe you didn't want to drive and that's why you say Kruger is difficult to get to (it's not), but be aware you will need a car to do the garden route as well.

As others have mentioned there's a daily SAA flight from Jo'burg to Hoedspruit & back. It's around noon, so typically you can still make the afternoon game drive on your 1st safari day, and do the morning game drive on your last day. Both Timbavati and Klaserie reserves are a mere 15 mins away from the airport (they share the same entrance gate). All lodges come get you at the airport & drop you off again.

If it's safari you want, Kruger is your best option from Jo'burg. It's a short flight too (45 mins). But that doesn't mean there aren't any other possibilities. Instead of Hoedspruit, you could also fly to Durban and choose any (combination) of the reserves in the wetlands (Phinda, Mkhuze, Hluhluwe/Umfolozi, Zululand Rhino Reserve, ...). Or you could fly to Port Elizabeth (reserves; Shamwari, Amakhala, Lalibela, Kwandwe, Pumba, or Addo itself).

Port Elizabeth has a bonus; no malaria.

The garden route itself (from PE to Cape Town) is not really a safari destination.

Ciao,

J.