lvk

Hi there,

This is my first post to the Africa forum, so please be gentle with me. I have been reading lots of posts (and Lynda's great index & summaries), but my mind is swimming with all of the possibilities. I am at the very beginning phase of planning a trip to Africa for 2007.

Maybe if I ask a question with my parameters, you knowledgable folks can point me in the right direction, so I can focus my research.

1. We will only have about 10-12 days to spend.
2. There will be 5 of us. Myself, husband, daughter-14, son-12 and mother-in-law, 75ish or so and fairly active.
3. Victoria Falls is a must.
4. Wildlife viewing is also a must.
5. We are also open to other activities such as rafting, horseback riding, etc.
6. Since we have school-aged kids, our times would be either Christmas break, early April or July/August.
7. Realizing that 10 days is not a great amount of time, we would not like to spend too much time transferring from place to place. Three locations--max-- would be our preference.
8. Budget would be moderate. We are open to different types of lodging.

A South African friend suggested an itinerary of Capetown, Kruger, and Victoria Falls, but that seems quite ambitious given our limited amount time.

Once we get a general area nailed down, I will buy some guidebooks, read lots of trip reports and come back with some intelligent questions.

Thanks so much for your help!

jasher

Hello,

Welcome to the Africa board!

Given the time of year you would need to travel and your desire to keep your budget small, I recommend that you base yourselves in South Africa with a Victoria Falls extension. July-August is the low season in South Africa, and also the best season for game-viewing and for seeing the Falls, so it's probably the best time for your trip.

If you are interested in adventure activities (white water rafting, bungee jumping) I'd recommend three days at Vic Falls. If not, two would be plenty of time to see the Falls and a bit of the area around them. That leaves you with 8-10 days for the rest of your trip.

Since you are travelling with children and a senior citizen, the first question for your safari needs to be whether you are comfortable going somewhere where you will need to take anti-malarial drugs. Kruger Park and the private reserves around it offer the best game-viewing in South Africa, but you would need to take anti-malarials. Some people prefer not to give the drugs to their children, and older people may not tolerate them well (it depends on what other drugs and medical conditions your mother-in-law is coping with -- she should consult with a specialist about this).

If you are comfortable taking anti-malarials, I would definitely recommend a safari in the greater Kruger area, ideally at one of the private reserves where you can drive off-road and do night drives. You say your budget is moderate, but here is where some numbers would help -- about how much are you looking at per person, per night? This will play an important role in specific lodge recommendations.

For your safari, since you have said wildlife viewing is a priority, I would recommend at least 3 days (one camp) and ideally 6 days (2 camps, or a private reserve + Kruger). Assuming you take the six-day option, that leaves you with another 4 days. You could certainly fly to Cape Town and end your trip there.

South Africa has very good flight connections, so you should be able to connect quite easily between places. It takes about 1.5 hours to fly from Joburg to the Kruger area.

So your itinerary might look something like this, assuming you are coming from the US:

Day 1: Fly from home to Joburg. Spend one night in Joburg to recuperate from jet lag.
Day 2: Fly up to Victoria Falls.
Day 3: Victoria Falls.
Day 4: Fly back to Joburg, and out to the Sabi Sand/Kruger area.
Day 5: Sabi Sand/Kruger
Day 6: Sabi Sand/Kruger
Day 7: Sabi Sand/Kruger
Day 8: Sabi Sand/Kruger
Day 9: Sabi Sand/Kruger
Day 10: Fly from Sabi Sand/Kruger to Cape Town.
Day 11: Cape Town
Day 12: Cape Town. Fly home from Cape Town in the evening.

Cheers,
Julian

lvk

Thanks so much, Julian.

I will now focus my research on South Africa. I will purchase a guidebook or two to further educate myself, as well as reading the trip reports and following all of the great links provided on this board.

Thanks for the information on the anti-malarial drugs. (I think my MIL's doctor may have given her these before our Costa Rica trip.) I need to do further research on these also.

I know most people here on Fodor's are independent travelers (as are we). However, it seems that with 5 people and all these inter- and intra-country flights & accomodations, that some type of "packaged" trip may be easier to deal with. If not a package, maybe a travel agency which specializes in such trips? I'm definitely not thinking about a motor coach tour with scheduled excursions (shudder!), but more of a "facilitator".

Boy, do I have a lot of work to do. Maybe we should push this into 2008 .

Thanks again, and I welcome more points of view.

sandi

Ivk -

You have more than enough time to plan your trip to Southern Africa for 2007.

Though you mention that many here travel "independently" that doesn't mean we plan/book each stop ourselves - air, hotel, tours, car rental, etc. - rather we work with a tour operator/outfitter to pull it all together, or what you refer to as a facilitator.

You will find on this board references to tour operators/outfitters located in the States, in Europe and even in-country (South Africa) who can facilitate what you are considering.

Julian has provided you with valuable information and a good suggested itinerary. My only thought though is to consider adding another day in Capetown. Even though game viewing is your primary concern and Kruger/Sabi Sands will fill that need, leaving only 1.5/days in CPT, is cutting your time here... there is much to see and do in this lovely city.

Why not contact Julian or Rocco directly at their emails listed; I'm certain they can assist you with your plans.

jasher

Hello,

If your MIL has taken the drugs before and tolerated them well, than she should be fine taking them in SA. You'll need to decide for yourself, however, if you feel comfortable giving them to your children. The main concern with the drugs is side effects, which can be more severe in children and older people, and those who take other medications.

Because of the type of malaria prevalent in southern Africa, you essentially have three choices: doxycycline (an antibiotic); Larium; and Malarone. The main side effects (or at least the ones patients are most bothered by) are as follows:

Doxycycline: Causes enhanced sun-sensitivity, so you will need some really strong sunblock. Heartburn and stomach upset common, so needs to be taken with lots of water in an upright position. Nausea and diarrhoea also possible. Women can experience yeast infections (a common side effect of antibiotics) so if taking this one you would need to bring some Monistat or similar treatment. Antibiotics are also prone to causing allergic reactions which result in itchy red spots. Needs to be taken for quite a long time (4 weeks) after you leave the malarious area.

Lariam (Mefloquine): Known for causing psychiatric side effects, ranging from free-floating anxiety to vivid (erotic, bizarre) dreams to psychosis. Not recommended for anyone who has had psychiatric problems, such as depression or anxiety, or for people with certain medical conditions (including cardiac arrhythmias). Can also cause headache, dizziness, and sleep disturbances (insomnia/drowsiness). The side effects are worse if you drink alcohol around the same time you take the drug. Taken once a week -- some people find it hard to remember this. Also needs to be taken for 4 weeks after leaving the malarious area.

Malarone (atovaquone+proguanil): Can interfere with sleep-wake cycles and accentuate jet lag, as well as causing headache, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhoea. Mouth ulcers sometimes occur. Only needs to be taken for a week after leaving the malarious area. Quite expensive if not covered by your insurance ($5/pill).

These drugs also interact with other drugs, so if you're on any regular meds you should consult your doctor. No matter which one you take, it's a good idea to do a 'trial' with the drug before you leave -- that way if the side effects are unacceptable, you can switch.

Personally, I take Malarone. I did find that it made me sleepy rather earlier in the day than normal for the first day or two, but otherwise I didn't have any noticeable side-effects -- but everyone is different.

Cheers,
Julian

lvk

Thanks for all of your responses so far. I am still studying trip reports, reading books, and bugging my South African friend for more info. Also, there is a new wrinkle as another couple would like to join us, but are on a tighter budget. They came to dinner armed with printouts from Africa-Safari.net. I haven't sorted through those yet, but here's what I have so far, and would welcome any comments.
* We're looking at July of 2007
* We would fly LAX-Frankfurt-Jo'burg(MIL lives near Munich and would meet us in FRA for the flight to SA) Hopefully we can use some Star Alliance miles.
*SA friend told us to save Capetown for a summer trip, so we will cut that out of our itinerary. (Too bad, I would have liked to take a side trip to visit her delightful Mum in Mossel Bay)
* Thinking of the following itinerary, but not sure what order to put them:
1 night Jo'burg
3 nights Vic Falls - would like to do some rafting, heli-tour, etc.
3 night Sabi Sands/Kruger area
3 nights Madikwe area (maybe side trip to Sun City?)
1 night back in Jo'burg for flight home.

Any suggestions for lower $$ camps/lodges in these areas would be appreciated. We don't need luxury, but we don't want back-packer-style accomodations, either.

Thanks again!

Roccco

lvk,

Cape Town is a beautiful place to visit no matter the time of year. I have enjoyed visits in March, June and September.

I do think your day in Joburg at the end is a bit of a waste.

Here is just one more suggestion for 11 nights:

Cape Town (4)
Victoria Falls (2)
Lower Zambezi National Park (5) (only if visiting between May - October)

It would be a simple transfer from Victoria Falls to Lower Zambezi and this area would be wonderful in July.

Here are just a few recommended lodges:

www.chiawa.com
www.sausagetreecamp.com
www.chongwe-river.com
www.kasakariverlodge.com

You would return to Joburg at the end and then fly home. If you do not like the idea of not resting up a night in Joburg before your departure home, you could either shorten Cape Town by a night or you could shave a night of Lower Zambezi, although the places I have suggested have long stay discounts for 5 nights minimum.

There are quite a few Fodorites visiting Lower Zambezi later this month. Given that your safari is still 14 months away, I would do just a little more research to find that perfect safari destination. The Sabi Sand is great, but there are other options worth exploring, as well.

I suggest you just have a look at the Lower Zambezi camps/lodges that I posted to see if you and your family like what you see. These are all top notch lodges and being on the Zambezi River would provide an entirely different experience than most other places, giving you many options for different activities.

Gardyloo

You might consider Chobe National Park in Botswana as an alternative to Kruger. We were there in August last year - excellent wildlife viewing (but no big cats) and its advantage is that Victoria Falls is an easy day trip. You could base there for a few days (accessed via either Livingstone or Victoria Falls airports) then go back to Jo'burg and over for a few more to Pilanesberg NP. We stayed at the Chobe Safari Lodge - certainly comfortable enough and while not luxurious, the game drives, river boats and amenities at the lodge were more than adequate. http://www.chobesafarilodge.com/

And (confessional) we really didn't like the vibe in Zimbabwe; had we known how easy VF is as a day trip from Kasane/Chobe, we would have stayed put in Botswana for an extra day or two, rather than relocating to Victoria Falls to see the waterfalls.

In August at Chobe and Victoria Falls we didn't see a single mosquito. Warm days, really ideal. (By comparison Cape Town was still pretty cold and wet.)

lvk

Thanks Roccco (?) Just when I think that I'm getting somewhere in my planning....... A whole new set of options to explore

Back to the drawing board.

I look forward to reading the coming trip reports about the Lower Zambezi camps.

Celia

Lvk, congratulations! I think your first itinerary looks pretty good, but with only 10 days, I would save Cape Town for your next trip to Africa.

I have just two things to add to what has been said here: in July and August, you may not need anti-malarial drugs in Kruger, IF you are very very careful about using repellent and covering up at dusk. Like Julian, I have taken Malarone with no side effects.

For a moderate budget, take a look at the accommodations in Kruger Park itself. The mid- and upper-price ones are not "back-packer" at all. With a group of your size, you might want some of the large cottages or guest houses in Kruger, and they are pretty upscale.

Happy planning!

lvk

Thanks for the additional reponses. Gardyloo, a combo Vic Falls/Chobe itinerary looks to be a very affordable option. Thanks for that.

I am ready to write off Capetown,(this time ) but would like to keep the Kruger area in the mix. However, I haven't yet looked into the costs of all of these transfer flights. Any guidance on that?

This is really fun, but I am never going to get any work done.