newyorkgolfer41

I too would be disappointed that Mateya is sold out but not surprised. Have you considered Lion Sands Ivory lodge? It is situated in the Sabi Sand private game reserve area. It's exclusive like Mateya with only six rooms and the finest accommodations. The rooms are huge and feature every luxury. This property has been in the family for generations and is a first class lodge offering the ultimate in privacy and comfort. It in a perfect setting overlooking the river that divides the private reserve from the Kruger National Park. The animals can roam freely between the Kruger National Park and the private lands of Lion Sands. Like Mateya, it sells out easily but IMO, well worth the $$$ if you want a real first class experience plus good animal viewing.

divine54

patsy
i also love mateya! my favourite lodge in madikwe!
but for a safari novice keen just on wildlife mateya/madikwe would definately not be my first choice as the terrain is toooooo diverse and wildlife can be sparse especially compared to SS.

for people who have done some safaris to the krueger and sabi sands area madikwe is fantastic.
despite you are right that mateya offers far more value for money than any of the singita lodges - but people keen on wildlife can go very wrong there!

and budget is not the question here i would definately go for either londolozi or mala mala.

div

worldcup2010

Hi again,

Thanks for all the posts! Regarding Lion Sands, they are charging R10,930 per person per night! I know this is during the World Cup and most places will be raising their prices, but that's just too much. Mala Mala and Londolozi are both booked for the dates I want. I believe Leopard hills has availability, but I decided to do two lodge trips instead of one. From 7-10 July, I will stay at Inyati so that I can get some great game viewing in at a more reasonable rate, then go to Singita Lebombo from 12-16 July. Both properties decided against raising their prices (too much) for the World Cup timeframe, so it became possible for me. Does anyone think this is a good or bad idea?

Alejandra

Worldcup, give Simbambili a try, i mean it i stayed at both Londolozi Tree camp and Simbambili and thought they were equally nice. Simbambili's rooms even nicer. Their rates are much more reasonable. Contact Mia at go2africa they have great rates for all over south africa.

travel4u

Ive read all of the responses with great interest. I have been to all of the mentioned camps but a couple and can say from experience and what you are looking for, Phinda Game Reserve is your best choice. They have 4 camps with the Mountain and Forest offering the lowest rates and use the same game viewing property of the others 2.

travel4u

Which cities are you going to watch the World Cup at? The intra-country transfer costs are huge nowadays and you should plan accordingly so that your safari flows seamlessly and economically with your other plans.
Denny

worldcup2010

Denny, this is my projected schedule:

Schedule for World Cup 2010 -

Arrive 27 June in Johannesburg

27 to 29 June - Johannesburg (2 matches occurring)

Fly to Cape Town, rent a car while in the Western Cape

29 June to 1 July - Cape Town (1 match occurring)

Drive to the Winelands

1 to 3 July - Franschhoek

Drive back to Cape Town

3 to 7 July - Cape Town (2 matches occurring)

Fly to Nelsprut, rent a car from there to go to lodge

7 to 10 July - Safari #1

Drive to Johannesburg

10 to 12 July - Johannesburg (championship match)

Fly to lodge

12 to 16 July - Safari #2

Depart 16 July

Match schedule - http://www.fifa.com/mm/document/tour...dule_50656.pdf

I think this is the best schedule to balance between being in the cities where the games are held (I know I won't be able to see all of them live), site seeing and game viewing while minimizing transit... Do you think this is?

Also, Phinda (in fact ALL CC Africa) is fully committed for the times I want, so unfortunately that wont be a possibility. Most game lodges are already booked at this point! Anyways, I hope this was informative...

YC