Going to South Africa
 

Hi all,

We have booked a 3-week trip to South Africa in early April and we were wondering if anybody had comments on our itinerary or suggestions on things we should see/do.

April 1-4: Johannesburg - We will be staying at the Protea Balalaika in Sandton and we have hired a private guide to show us Johannesburg, Soweto, Pretoria and the Cradle of Mankind. We also want to visit the Sunday market in Rosebank.

April 5-8: Kruger - We have booked a 3-night safari at the Lower Sabie rest camp with Wild Wings Safaris.

April 8-19: Cape Town - We will be staying at the Westin for the first 7 nights and then we're moving to Camps Bay for our last 4 nights. We have hired a private guide to show us Cape Point and the Peninsula, as well as the winelands (we will spend 2 days visiting several areas). We have also booked a cage-diving trip to see some great whites.

I think that is all. We're looking forward to hearing everybody's thoughts! :)

Thanks!

I'm sure your Cape Town guide will include Simons Town and Boulder's Bay for penguins. You can also walk with baboons out of Simons Town using Baboon Matters.

Have a great trip.

The weather in April was fantastic last year. You've chosen a great time to go.

The Lower Sabie area of Kruger is my personal favorite area of the park. The notable sighting I've seen there include cheetahs, leopard, serval, lions, rhinos, elephant, and a huge herd of hundreds of zebras.

I would recommend that you try to take one of the sunset drives that are conducted by the park personnel. They are the only ones that are allowed to drive around in the park after the rest camp gates close for the evening, and so these drives are really the only way to see nocturnal animals. FYI--These drives can get pretty crowded--don't expect an exclusive experience.

There are lots of hippos around Lower Sabie, both in the river that borders the camp and at Sunset Dam a short distance up the road from the camp. You'll be able to watch them from the restaurant that looks out over the river. They're fun to listen to at night.

Sounds like a fun trip! I'm tentatively planning a trip to South Africa around the same time of year (but not for another year or two), so I'll be interested to hear about your experiences.

Gritty: We booked a sunset drive and a bush walk. It should be fun!

Oh good, I'm glad to hear that. I had forgotten to mention that I had done a bush walk there, too. Our guides for the bush walk (Irving and Martie) were great!

You may also want to check out Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens in Cape Town while you are there. I loved my visit, but I visited Cape Town in September and I recall being told that Sept. was the best time of year to visit Kirstenbosch. I don't know if it will be as nice in April.

Are you planning to visit Table Mountain and Robben Island?

If you can make it ,try to go to Cape Agulhas as this is the most Southern Point of the African Continent.

It is not Cape Point, as you probably know.