gigib

I dream constantly of going to Africa, but due to elderly mom and daughter in college, we can't quite commit to a summer '08 or '09 trip.

Money is a factor, so after much reading it seems that a visit to Kruger with a rental car may be good, with a couple of nights somewhere in Sabi Sands as a splurge. Do the camps at Kruger fill up in July & August?

Would it be unreasonable to plan a 10 day or two week July or August visit in March or so? We are mainly interested in the animals. We would fly Los Angeles to Jo'burg, I'm even thinking of spending 2 nights in Amsterdam to break up the travel time.

Would it be nuts to find a reasonable package for a short safari to Kenya or Tanzania without booking a year ahead? One hears of "deals", occasionally...

Thanks for any input.

Lily622

Yes, I think it is possible. You will have to be very flexible, though, as it is my understanding that the camps do fill up quickly. You'll need either a good travel agent or to find a good package that has the availability you want. I haven't been to Kruger, but friends of mine have and they loved it. I went to Botswana last summer and it was absolutely fantastic - definitely go to Southern Africa if you can manage it! Good luck!

Celia

The South African National Parks web site lets you check availability of accommodations in all the parks for any specific dates, so you could take a look there to see which camps in Kruger are already full, if any. It's www.sanparks.co.za (I think -- if not, just google "sanparks".) I don't think you'll have any trouble making arrangements on this sort of notice, especially if you start on it now.

Good luck!

cruisinred

You might also want to check the discount website www.mtbeds.co.za.
They have great deals for safari lodges when booking 7-30 days in advance, particularly during the South African winter months. I have not used MTBeds, but other Fodorites have with good results.

fuzzylogic

Depends what you mean by "safari". You could probably get something at reasonably short notice with a company that specialise in "soft" adventure.

They can be fantastic value but aren't quite the stay in lodge sort of thing.

Just in case you have not considered such a thing do a google for explore worldwide, peregrine adventures, intrepid, exodus travel.

You may be surprised to find what other options there are - and cheaper to boot.

julimbo

The answer is yes you can go with less than a year's planning. Myself, mother, brother and my boyfriend began talking of a trip last April but have only just made a deposit on one today. The year is really just for saving the money and determining where and when you want to go. If you have the money and have an idea of what you want then I'd say 50% of the work is done. The other 50% is dependent on your tour operator or agent booking for you and flexibility. Obviously the more time you have the more likely to get what you want otherwise be flexible. As for deals it is usually in regards to low versus high season. By going in May we are savings ourselves quite a bit of money because it is the low seaosn in East Africa due to the 'long rains'. Good luck planning and keep reading. The East Africa Trip Index is a great staring point .

Juliet