hi folks,

the prices of packages including tickets for the lions tour to SA are coming down, and I still hanker after doing another trip to SA.

if we do this, it would mean flying into Jo'berg in time for the 2nd test on 27th June, and staying in SA til after the 3rd test on 4th July. as we stayed in Cape Town and saw the garden route last time, I'm more interested in spending the week between the tests "close" to Jo'berg, that is to say Kruger and/or the Drakensberg mountains.

on our last trip, we liked the mix we had of non-safari and safari activities - we wouldn't want to spend the whole time on safari. and we'd like a mix of activities and sight-seeing.

any ideas? there's 4 of us - my SO and our two grown-up "children". [actually that ought to be "grown up" children]. I'm looking towards the budget end of the market rather than high end luxury private lodges.

regards, ann

regards, ann

If I were you, I would do the Mpumalanga Drakensberg area. Combine Kruger Park - say Satara Camp (or Gomo Gomo if you want to spend more, but not at the luxury end of the scale) with the Mountains outside the Kruger Park; ie. God's Window, Devil's Window, Bourke's Luck Potholes, Long Tom Pass, Pilgrim's Rest etc. Look on this website (http://www.portfoliocollection.com/search/bb.aspx ) for possible places to stay. Maybe stay 3 or 4 nights game viewing, and 3 or 4 nights in one other location from where you can explore the region. Happy planning and let us know what you decide.

annhig,

I agree with PRLCH suggestion but maybe extend to include a night at the Royal Hotel in Dundee and a battlefield tour before moving on to St Lucia. St Lucia has a great range of B&Bs, coastal activities, hippos and birds in the lagoon, night safaris in a coastal reserve and if you are keen for a safari experience Hluhluwe-Umfolozi is only a short drive away. Its also possible to stay overnight in the park.

Enjoy,


Pol

Hi annhig

If you are keen to head for Kruger, it's easy to mix safari and non-safari activities, both nature and culture oriented.

A big chunk of the central Kruger NP is part of the Kruger to Canyons Biosphere Reserve, part of the United Nations Man and the Biosphere Programme. There are 3 biomes to learn about and all the logistics can be organised through their website (www.kruger2canyons.com). Through the Biosphere runs the Rixile Culture to Kruger Route, (put together by Open Africa) which boasts a host of different cultural experiences in the area that are linked to from their website, including craft, pottery, music, dance, architecture and more.

There are some more well-known destinations such as the Panorama Route that PRLCH mentioned above, which also includes Pilgrim's Rest (gold prospecting pioneer heritage - charming buildings but a bit of a tourist trap at the moment...however you can learn to pan for gold there and drink a cup of locally grown and roasted Sabie Valley Coffee), Graskop (Harrie's Pancakes is authentic, Delagoa Crafts sells "African" stuff from nearly everywhere but Mpumalanga, lots of freshly roasted macadamia nuts being hawked), and a fascinating silk farm on the road to Hazyview, among other things.

Nelspruit and surrounds boast some very good restaurants (particularly those on the Lowveld Gourmet Route - all excellent I can say with confidence). The city also has the incredible Lowveld National Botanical Garden, with cycads to die for, dramatic views, an African rainforest, vervet monkeys, and birdlife to blow your mind. (This easily would be the pride of the nation's gardens were it not for the best in the world Kirstenbosch down in Cape Town...). Just outside Nelspruit is the Jane Goodall Institute's Chimp Eden, a sanctuary and reserve for chimpanzees rescued from elsewhere in Africa in countries that do not have local sanctuaries. It is beautifully done, with a good restaurant and a 5-star lodge on the premises. However, to be clear, this is not game viewing of chimps in the wild.

You can also continue south to Barberton and surrounds, depending on what interests you and how much time you have (or wish to spend on the road...)

There are more options north into Limpopo and south down near (and in) Swaziland too, but those may be too far afield for your particular trip this time. If any of the above seems of interest, there's more detailed info on the above (with links and photos) at http://afrikatourism.blogspot.com/20...d-culture.html

HTH

Kurt

wow folks, what great ideas.

I've now worked out that we would only have 5 nights and want to be within a day's driving distance of Pretoria [where the 2nd test is]. previosu hols with our "kids" have been more successful if we don't move around too much, which means probably jsut staying in one place.

if we want to see Blyde's canyon, god's window, etc. as well as at elast a day self-driving in the park, where would you pick?

hazyview seeems to come up most often in my searches.

thanks for all your suggestions,

regards, ann