March Trip to South Africa -- Need Quick Guidance Please!
 

Hi all. I hope all is well.

Coming to South Africa soon and need some quick advice please.

To give you a little background, I am an avid traveler to East, West and Southern Africa for both pleasure and work. In March, it looks like I need to come to South Africa (I have been over 20 times in the past 9 years) for business but I am going to combine it with recreation and bring my kids who will be on Spring Break. My girls are aged 14, 12 and 8 and are also very well traveled on the continent, all having been to South Africa (multiple times), Ghana, Botswana, Namibia, Morocco, Kenya and Tanzania. They have also traveled extensively in Europe, Asia, the Caribbean and throughout the U.S. We are all adventurous, love unique cultural experiences and are big foodies. In South Africa, the kids have spent a lot of time in and around Joberg, have been on safari multiple times in Kruger and Sabi Sand, and absolutely love Capetown and the surrounding areas. They have only been to KwaZulu-Natal once when they were much younger when we visited Durban and went on safari at Thanda.

While I need to base in Joberg and go to Capetown at least once, we really can explore another part of the country during the 2-3 weeks we will be there. Still nailing down exact dates but will do so in the next couple of days. So this thread is to grab some inspiration and suggestions about what we should do. Part of me thinks we should return to KN as we did not even scratch the surface. I could see us returning to Thanda or Phinda (Ive been -- they haven't) or Rhino Lodge. I would want to couple this with ensuring that we experienced authentic Zulu culture (not a made up tourist trap) and a visit to the Greater St. Lucia Wetlands Park. Then of course, the Drakensberg Mountains look absolutely spectacular but I need to do more research on where to stay and exactly what to do. We do enjoy hiking and outdoor sports. Just to give you an idea of my kids, they surf, ski, sandboard, parasail, zipline, etc. Thoughts about this or someplace else in country we should consider given the above details is much appreciated.

Also, I am usually a very detailed researcher and planner. While I often use agents to execute my plans, it is usually my exact vision from the ample research that I conduct. This time around I am working on two big projects leading up to this trip and will not have the time that I normally do and will absolutely use an agent to handle the booking of accommodations, in country transportation and any excursions not being booked directly with the lodges we stay. We can fly and/or drive in country but I do not want to do the driving myself so it would be with a driver. Hence, I am looking for a new local agent. I have used a larger upscale agent in the past when I have planned three
high-end 3 week vacations. I am not looking for that right now, but rather someone who can plan two wonderful culturally-packed short trips for me in between meetings in Joberg and who can help plan a few exciting excursions (that we have not already done) around Capetown maybe as well (time permitting). While budget is not a big consideration, I am not looking for luxury for the sake of luxury this time around. Our accommodations in Joberg and Capetown will be high end. I will gladly stay at a less expensive or budget accommodation if we are going to experience something awesome. Of course, I realize Phinda and Thanda are high end, but am open to other suggestions.

Sorry for rambling on and on. But am very much looking forward to hearing back. I know there are a few people who frequent this forum who love South Africa even more than I do and have traveled extensively in the areas that I am considering and probably others that have not even come to mind. I look forward to hearing back.

Much appreciated. Thank you.

Hi again,

Forgot to say I am also considering the Blue Train or Rovos to Capetown. I thought my kids might enjoy this instead of flying for once. They absolutely loved taking the train throughout Japan a few summers ago. Has anyone taken either of them? Thoughts? I would lean towards Blue Train since it is one night, but if Rovos is substantially better and worth two nights, I would like to know. Or should I put one to two days elsewhere? Please advise if possible. Thank you.

Hi again,

It seems no one is going to respond here about the actual trip. Okay. But how about agents to use. I am looking for someone to book accommodations, drivers, flights, guides, special activities etc. I have used And Beyond in the past (for South Africa and Kenya and Tanzania), which was a combo of their lodges and others and they did a great job soup to nuts, but these were long and upscale 3 week trips. Wanted to try someone new. Please advise if you have suggestions.

Thanks.

I responded on another forum. There is no response from you there so I'm not sure if you are following the thread. Consider the area north of Joberg - Waterberg. It's beautiful and there are some interesting game reserves and parks. Ant's Hill and Entabeni are fun.

It's a shame this particular forum gets so little traffic. It means searching back years, and/or having to wait, hoping people see enquiries.

I cannot help directly, as my own month-long trip to South Africa was hitchhiking with two pals in 1971!!

Apologies for repetition if you've already considered/researched these threads.

Triplanner001 in her long South Africa trip report had great things to say about Dave Patterson: http://www.theafricasafari.com/theaf...i/Welcome.html

Here's an older thread, but it mentions several highly-recommended, still operating, South Africa based agents:

http://www.fodors.com/community/afri...uth-africa.cfm

Found this name in my mysterious notes from several years ago (when I ended up in E Africa instead). However, I just checked, and the company gets excellent reviews:
http://www.africansky.com

A great agent, to whom a traveler can confidently entrust everything when there's neither time nor energy to do detailed planning, is rare anywhere. Please let us know when you find that person for this part of the world!
Good luck!

You might want to look at Madikwe for a safari experience, maybe with a short side trip to Gaborone. We've stayed a couple of times at Buffalo Ridge, which has (to me) the advantage of being community-owned, a fairly rare thing among the higher-end camps.

I've only stayed at Cathedral Peak in the central Drakensbergs, but enjoyed it very much. The landscapes around it are phenomenal, including some interesting villages and other natural and man-made features. I'd love to return some day. http://gardyloo.us/africa11J%20020a.JPG and http://gardyloo.us/africa11J%20026d.JPG

http://www.buffaloridgesafari.com/
http://www.cathedralpeak.co.za/

Liesl Matthews of southern destinations
Is an extraordinary agent based in Cape Town
Highly recommend!

Hi Lolazahra!

I think returning to Phinda with your children would be a great idea! It's a fabulous reserve and super family friendly. It's also a very unusual reserve because it has 7 distinct ecosystems to experience from sub-tropical palms to evergreen decidous. It also has one of the last sand floor forests left in the world. The reserve supports a village which you can visit the pre-school, the clinic and the nearby homes where your children will witness women walking great distances to get water.

Nearby to Phinda, you could do a nice day trip to Greater St Lucia Wetlands Park as well as a visit to beautiful Sodwana Bay with its 300+ km of untouched coastline. When we went as a family, we managed to get one of the few passes to drive on the beach with a jeep. It was quite pristine and the monstrous dunes were unbelievable!

Since it's March, you could consider a stay at Thonga Beach Lodge. You are on the tail end of turtle season but the mother turtles may still be returning to the beach to lay their eggs. In any case, Thonga not only offers some great activities but you could do some great scuba while there.

While in Cape Town, would your children like an authentic Cape Malay cooking experience in the home of a private cook who lives in the Bo Kaap section? If your children are foodies, they might love to learn about curry, how to fold samosas, making rotis, sambal and how food and culture are blending much like a recipe. Have you done much hiking in the Cape Town surrounds? There's also bike riding in the vineyards with stops along the way for some chocolate, olive oil or even biltong tasting! These are just a couple great ideas. So many more to mention..

Happy to help!

Best
Dianne
Africa Direct USA

Dianne - they changed the name to the iSimangaliso Wetland Park. It's hard to find if you google SLWP.

Hi Christabir!

Hope you are well. Yes, I am aware of name change. Thanks for cross-referencing for Lolazahra.

Best
Dianne
Africa DIrect USA

I think Lolo disappeared.

Hi guys,

Forgive me for coming back months later. Not my usual MO at all since I'm an active Fodor user on this forum and on Asia especially and a bit on Europe. My trips have been enhanced so much from Fodors. Especially my first trip to SA, a second SA/Namibia combo and a SA/Bots combo. But life got in the way, work has been hectic, a President's week trip needed to be planned and taken and three active kids are giving me a run for my money! With that said, your comments and suggested threads are still very helpful and I am thankful. Believe it or not, I just bought air yesterday. Talk about last minute! Clearly if I wasn't coming back to a country I am familiar with, this would be a disaster. Still might be! So I'm combing threads all day today and sending emails and making calls. Will keep you posted. Again, thank you and sorry for the delay.

Enjoy your weekend.