rockland

Hello,
We are planning a first time trip to So. Africa early next year and would appreciate some advice to help me plan an itinerary.
We are already locked into a 6 night stay at a private game reserve called Zulu Nyala which several previous posters have descibed. It's located near Hluhluwe, north of Richards Bay and west of St. Lucia.
As I've started reading up on the country it's become obvious that we will have to cut out some things we were hoping to see because we only have about 2 weeks. It's possible we might get a couple of more days added, but this includes travel time from the USA.
So here are a couple of specific ?'s :
1. Safari experience is #1 . I always expected we would go to Kruger, but now that we are locked in to going to Zulu Nyala, I'm wondering if we should skip Kruger. I know ZN doesn't have lions, but I've read that Phinda and Hluhluwe,both near ZN, do. If we spend 6 days at ZN with the possibility of also seeing lions at one of the other parks,will we miss that much by not going to Kruger?
2. Rent a car???Right now we're planning on renting a car for the whole time. I think it would be good to have for day trips while we are at Zulu Nyala. ZN includes both morning and late afternoon game drives everyday,but apparently not much to do there in between.So with a car we could go, for example, to St. Lucia one day. Then after ZN we would want to head towards Capetown I think and..........
3.Drive from Zulu Nyala or fly??? Someone suggested flying from Durban or Richards Bay to Port Elizabeth to save time and then rent another car for the rest of the way to Capetown. Would we be missing a lot by flying and not driving between Richards Bay and Pt. Elizabeth??How long would it take to drive?
And what is a typical amount of time, (days), to spend between Port Elizabeth and Capetown??
Once in Capetown we would spend a few days there doing day trips before going home.
4. Lastly ( for now), we are pretty open as to when we go as long as it's in Jan or Feb, (and there is availability at Zulu Nyala Lodge ), (and hopefully we can get flights using frequent flyer miles).
I have read that the first half of Jan can be crowded, ( and more expensive) due to school vacations. Any other factors to consider in deciding when to go??

Thank you for any advice...it is much appreciated!!...Rocky

divine54

hi rocky,

i am just curious why you MUST include zulu nyala when "safari" is your foremost priority?
have you won the lottery? i am sarcastic - just curious...

frankly - i have never heart of a safari goer who did sightseeing in between game drives or instead of game drive while staying in a safari lodge......

div

rockland

The 6 night stay at Zulu Nyala was a purchase at a charity auction and is already paid for.

AFRICA_DIRECT

If I were you, I would try to include at least a 2 night stay at one of the lodges in Phinda, in my itenary! During a 2 night stay at Phinda, 2 game drives per day will be included in your rate, and during a 2 night stay you are practically guaranteed of good quality sightings of lions, as well as many other spectacular wildlife sightings. If you aren't able to include Phinda in your itenary, I would recommend that you still try to get to Kruger for a safari experience!

atravelynn

Africa Direct,

Do you know the difference in cost between
a) 2 day long escorted drives in Phinda with maybe a packed lunch if that could be done

and

b) 2 days of full board and drives in a shared vehicle in Phinda?