sugarhill

A friend and I are traveling to South Africa for 2 weeks in mid to late September. We will start our trip in Cape Town, as we are staying with friends there. This part of the trip cannot be changed. Given CapeTown/the Winelands as our starting point, can someone (Rocco?) weigh in on the feasibility of the rest of our trip? We want to see some game but also go canoeing and not spend too much money -- or too much time traveling between lodges and cities. We'd like take our time and relax as well. Our budget is about $3000 each (not including flight to SA).

This is our working itinerary:
9/11 and 12 -- travel to Cape Town
5 nights--Cape Town/day trips to the Winelands
4 nights--Simbambili
3 nights Matetsi
1 night J'burg
Fly back

Does this seem feasible?

Thanks for your help!

Roccco

sugarhill,

I would say that your schedule almost seems feasible, but I do think your budget is not feasible for the intinerary you want.

Simbambili and Matetsi, alone, will eat up your $3,000 per person, before you have even included flights to the Sabi Sand and to Victoria Falls.

If you were able to expand your budget by about $1,250 per person, you may be able to swing it. I do think you should contact Mark @ Taga Safaris, as it appears that your dates for Simbambili may already be blocked off for my party of four. Well, it turns out that I will be going to Simbambili solo, so that my family can enjoy their final 5 nights in Cape Town. Let Mark know that I recommended you, and he should be able to hook you up.

Taga Safaris has a very solid relationship with Simbambili and will probably be able to get you the best deal.

I do think that you would be very well served to consider the following itinerary, if it met your budget:

Twelve Apostles, Cape Town (4 night Luxury Link package) $600 pp

Simbambili, Sabi Sand Game Reserve (3 nights) $1,650 pp

Westcliff Hotel, Joburg (2 nights) $150pp

Matetsi Water Lodge, Victoria Falls (3 nights) $850pp

So, that puts you at about $3,250pp for what I believe to be an incredible itinerary.

The 2 nights at the 5* Westcliff Hotel in Joburg are not throw away nights but rather what should be an important part of your trip. There will be shopping opportunities, fine dining and most importantly the opportunity to do such important tours as Soweto and the Cradle of Mankind.

Providing you arrive in Cape Town by the morning, I do think that 4 nights is sufficient. While you could possibly save $200 pp by going with a B&B or a guesthouse, I do think that you will be very pleased with the Twelve Apostles, providing you do not want to be in the middle of the Waterfront. In my opinion, the Waterfront is fine to visit, but I would prefer not to be staying there.

I would not hesitate to finish your time at Matetsi. You are only a 90 minute flight away from Joburg, and while at Matetsi, you are only a 60 minute drive away from Victoria Falls.

www.tagasafaris.co.za
www.luxurylink.com

Sugarhill, where will you be flying (starting) from?

sugarhill

Thanks for your reply. We will be flying from New York and arriving in the evening of the 12th. Since we're staying with friends in Cape Town, we won't be paying for lodging there, so we should save some money on the front end of the trip.

We contacted Go2Africa regarding Simbambili, and they quoted us a 4-night rate with a charter flight to J'burg for $1635 per person. This seemed very reasonable to us -- yes?

Your suggestion of 2 nights at the Westcliff is a great idea, and we'll definitely look into it. It might be easier to stay in J'Burg before Matetsi to break up the travel from Simbambili.

Thanks for your input -- and for recommending Mark. We'll follow up and inquire about rates with him.

Thanks!

Roccco

sugarhill,

Yes, those are good rates but I think Mark will do even better. You will definitely be able to meet your budget now.

sugarhill

Thanks so much for your help.