jaspertl

We are planning our first trip to South America and are most looking forward to our safari and viewing the bush and animals.

I've expressed my opinion about NOT going to Cape Town and in response to that, friends that were born in Johannesburg, travel agent and some other aquaintences that have been to the area have said that we have to go. "It's a beautiful city etc" "prettier than San Francisco" etc.

We live in CA (in a fairly large city) so we have wine and lovely beaches....I'm wondering why this is a must see.

What is your opinion about Cape Town and would you call it a "can't miss it".

Budget is a concern so if we don't have to fly there to see it that would be a plus!
Thanks!!!

cary999

Well, for me there's pretty much no "can't miss it" city. The only cities I do enjoy are ones with strong historical roots. London, Salzburg, Vienna, etc. But other people enjoy any large busy/bustling city. YMMV.
If Cape Town were where Johannesburg is (near Kruger) then sure, maybe, why not. But . . . .
regards - tom
ps - I've never been to Cape Town and likely never will. I also live in beautiful sunny southern California (Fullerton).

Clematis1

I enjoyed our five days in Cape Town and I'm from Calif. but if you know that you want to come for the bush and the animals, you should do that. Cape Town is wonderful but it is a city, and quite a distance, and if you want to save the money and avoid a city in favor of the beauty of the bush, it's *your* trip (to South &quot;Africa&quot - <s>.

</s>

Kavey

Follow your own counsel about what you want to see - it's your trip and chances are you have limited time and/ or budget. Go ahead and maximise it on what interests you.

Personally, I loved Cape Town and the surrounding Winelands and on into the Garden Route (and have also enjoyed visits to SF, Napa, Sonoma...) but I had the luxury of 5 weeks in South Africa followed by 3+ more in Botswana and Namibia. So I knew I had more than a month's worth of safari time to come.

PS I assume in your first sentence that you do mean South Africa not America?

ivee

We are European and have been a few days to Capetown and I must confess we were not so much impressed.... of course the peninsula was very beautiful - the coastal road as well, but the city itself I think can be missed (my humble opinion because many people disagree...)
I would go for the animals and spend my money on that (especially taking into account were you are coming from!)
ivee

Celia

Cape Town is lovely, no question. It's also a lot like southern California, so for you to skip it doesn't seem like a bad idea to me.

We go to South Africa as often as we can, but we don't always feel obligated to visit Cape Town. If safari is your top priority, do that, and save Cape Town for a return visit. (You'll be making a return visit, I'm sure!)

Celia

atravelynn

No, I think it is worth a visit, but if you want a traditional safari, then Cape Town is not the destination. My first Cape Town visit is in 2008. My first South Africa visit is in 2007 with no Cape Town.

Do the kind of trip you want to. And have a good one.

jaspertl

Ha! Yep, just saw that I typed in &quot;America&quot; by accident. We were there several months ago and it's still on my mind...great trip, wonderful country and people!

OK...based on what I've heard I think we'll give Cape Town a pass this time around. Thank you so much for taking the time to respond. I appreciate it!!

annhig

hi, jaspertl,

We faced the same dilemma as you - I felt like you but the family overruled me, so CPT and garden route it is, followed by short safari at Shamwari.

if you can wait til the end of July, when we are back from our trip, I can let you know what I think!

regards, ann

Fabio

jaspertl

how many days do you have in total ?
I will be travelling to SA with my son for only 8 nights in june and we will spend all of them shared between Kruger Park and Sabi Sands (4 nights each) as our first priority for coming to South Africa is game viewing.
I was in Cape Town in 1996 and enjoyed it and the surroundings but it is just a city.
The only city that I never miss on EACH of my trip to its BIG BIG country is Sydney, Australia !!

JaneB

I spent 5 days in Cape Town in February. I LIKED it--but did not LOVE it.

jaspertl

Fabio: As far as how many nights we have...we are still in the planning stages so things change daily! At first we were going to do 3 nights in a private camp and 3 nights at Olifants. Now we are thinking that we'll just do 3-4 nights in a private camp and that would be it.
We are thinking of staying a few nights in the country where we would need to refuel/change planes to break up the flight time. Example: fly from LAX to London and spend 3 nights then fly to Johannsburg, do our safari then....I'm not sure!

Annhig: Yes, I'd love to know of your experiences in Capetown...please post a trip report when you get back.
July is coming up...you must be getting excited??

LAleslie

So you can only go for a week total? To go all that way and spend only 3 days at a safari camp seems a shame. I'd personally not break up the trip on the way (you can always go to Europe another time) but spend as much as time as possible in the camps if the animals are your priority. Any way you can extend your stay? We were lucky enough to spend a month in S. Africa, 5 nights of that in Cape Town, and it still wasn't enough. Besides the animals, to me it's a fascinating country.
Leslie

atravelynn

&quot;We are thinking of staying a few nights in the country where we would need to refuel/change planes to break up the flight time. Example: fly from LAX to London and spend 3 nights then fly to Johannsburg&quot;

I agree with LALeslie. Move that time into South Africa whether Cape Town or safari. I did not realize you had more days for your vacation.

matnikstym

agree, shame to travel all that far for 3 days. either stay in Europe or go on to SA. You really don't need 3 days to refresh and recharge. Once you're in Africa, you'll be glad you're there and wished you had even more time...but that will be the next trip!

Hearsh

I live in the Bay Area. While I didn't think that Cape Town was &quot;prettier than San Francisco,&quot; I thoroughly enjoyed Cape Town. The sites to see are unique to Cape Town. Unless you are sure you will return to South Africa, I would consider the added cost to travel to Cape Town compared to the costs of getting to South Africa.

Of course, if the only reason that you are interested in seeing Africa is for its wildlife, Cape Town might not be interesting to you.

hills27

Why not fly to Dulles or Atlanta and take the direct flight to JNB?

jaspertl

Actually we have about 2 weeks total...maybe a day or so more if I really stretch it but 2 weeks is about the time that we had in mind.

I agree, I think to travel all that way and only spend 3 days in the bush is sort of a waste. We are traveling with another couple and the 4 of us (actually only 2 that make the decisions) are trying to get a feel of what we want to do on this trip.

The other couple thinks that the flight is going to be brutal and that's where the idea of breaking up the flying time came from.
Not sure if it's a great idea...just something that came up and we're chewing on...happy to get your feedback.

I dont' know if more than 3-4 days on safari is something that we need to do either as I've never been before and dont' know what to expect.
I love animals and it will be a thrill to view them up close in their natural habitat but will I love it after 3 days of viewing? I dont' know?

But if we only stay 3-4 days, and we've already traveled that far, it seems a shame to not see Cape Town for a few days and maybe Johannesburg for a night or so? (Haven't looked into Josburg yet as to what's interesting there)

I'm confused!! glad we started planning a year in advance. ;0)

hills27

My personal opinion is just to bite the bullet and take the long flight (and some good drugs). A 5-hour flight to the east coast, a few hours layover (just in case your flight is late), then one long haul overnight flight, a full day layover, followed by another long haul flight...just shoot me now.

As for being worried you might not love it after 3 days...I've never met anybody who didn't love being on safari and wish they had more days.

kurt_a

Give Cape Town a miss? To argue that the &quot;wine and lovely beaches&quot; of California makes Cape Town the same as San Francisco strikes me as missing the point -- unless all one is looking for is a surface &quot;post card&quot; appeal. There is tremendous natural and cultural depth to be experienced in Cape Town and the nearby area.

- a global hotspot of biodiversity and centre of a unique floral kingdom, with one of the top botanical gardens in the world and pristine walks and hikes in the surrounding mountains

- best land-based whale watching on the planet

- unique musical traditions of Cape Jazz and Goema to enjoy

- unique culinary tradition of Cape Malay cuisine (to sample and to learn to prepare)

- Two UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Table Mountain and Robben Island

- South Africa's national art gallery and national cultural history museum

- a centuries-old tradition of Islam and a unique Muslim community, architecture and history that is acccessible and welcoming to visitors

- unique artifacts, archaeological sites and ethnographic information in the SA Museum about the origins of modern humans that occurred primarily in the Cape region

- San rock art and a fantastic San cultural education centre

- outdoor activities too many to list, from cycling and mountain biking to rock climbing, sea kayaking, surfing, birding, sailing, abseiling, sand boarding, riding horses on the beach or into the mountains, scuba diving, and so on

I could go on...

Then there are the usual things people mention about Cape Town: wine estates and the wines to accompany several of the best restaurants in the world, and also the beaches, the views, the ocean, and the other sources of beauty.

Pleasure, diversity, richness, culture, warmth, beauty, insights, wilderness, relaxation and much more affordable than Southern California, I might add...

However, if what you're wanting to see in Africa are the animals first and foremost, that's your choice and obviously it's your trip -- may it be an amazing experience for you.

My hope is that your appetite will be whetted to return to look a bit more deeply at what South Africa and Africa have to offer.

Happy travels!

Kurt

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