brandimo

Buon Giorno,
We've got a couple questions... but first a little background:
-Five travelers (3 adults and 2 kids (my 11 and 10 yr old daughters))
-Arriving JNB 29 Nov
-Renting a van and driving to Sanbonani Resort Hotel (29 Nov ? 3 Dec) in Hazyview
o Looking at day trips through 3 Dec
-We?d like to stay in the Kruger park on 3 and maybe 4 Dec
-Driving to Cape town on 4,5,6 Dec (I know it?s a long way but we want to see as much of the countryside as possible and save a few bucks on airfare. Our last trip to SA we drove from Pretoria up to Victoria Falls and back in 72 hours so we lean a little toward the automobile masochist side?)
-Spend 6-9 Dec in Cape Town (penguins, Robben Island and a trip up the mountain are the only ?must do?s? so far
-9-10 Dec ? drive back to JNB and fly back to Italy
Questions:
-A guide for our time in/around Hazyview?
o Should we get someone to show go with us in the van into the Kruger park and any other places of interest in the area?
o If so, how much might a guides services cost?
o Where might we find a suitable guide?
-Anything worth stopping and seeing on the way to Cape Town?
-Where to stay in Cape Town?
o Trying to keep the cost around $200 a night or so
o Would like easy access to V&A area
o Need a safe/clean place
-Anyplace between Cape Town and JNB worth stopping and seeing?
Any other recommendations (other than the - ARE YOU CRAZY, DRIVING THAT FAR!

Ciao

brandywine

Just a suggestion, but Kulula Air has very reasonable airfares between JNB and Capetown (about $70 per person one way) and you would have much more time to spend around the Capetown area, and maybe a couple of overnighters away from Capetown.
I have not flown on Kulula Air, but I think you can find some other info. on this forum about it if you search.
I guess it just depends how much you like to drive and if there is something really worth seeing along the way.

brandimo

That works out to about $500 for round trip tickets between JNB and CPT... That might be worth it for a couple extra enjoyable days... Thanks for the tip.

Judy_in_Calgary

Hello Brandimo,

To address the questions you've raised......

DAY TRIPS FROM HAZYVIEW

From Hazyview you could visit the Blyde River Canyon, Bourke's Luck Potholes, Bridal Veil Falls, the gold rush town of Pilgrim's Rest, etc.

In my opinion, if a person had the time, the area could offer several days' worth of activities, such as hiking, gold panning, and, if you were into them, quite adventurous activities like white water rafting, hot air ballooning, bungee jumping, and so on.

However, given your timeframe, I think you would be better off confining yourself to 2 full days (30 Nov and 1 Dec) seeing that area. That will be enough to see the favourite scenic spots.

I would recommend spending 3 days (2 Dec - 4 Dec) driving in the Kruger National Park.

We have been warned here at Fodors that the SPAR shopping mall in Hazyview has a high incidence of crime. To the uninitiated visitor it might look like the ideal place to stock up with groceries for the Kruger National Park, but you might want to think twice about that.

Perhaps a Fodorite with current knowledge of the area would be able to advise you on the best place to shop, or else you might ask the people at Sanbonani Resort Hotel.

KRUGER PARK GUIDE

Here is the Kruger National Park's website:

http://www.parks-sa.co.za/parks/kruger/default.html

If you scroll down the page, you'll find the ACTIVITIES section where they describe guided morning drives, guided night drives, guided bush walks, etc.

DRIVING TO CAPE TOWN

That would be a sad waste of time when you could be using that time to see the beautiful South Western Cape.

If you insist on driving to Cape Town -- which I would strongly discourage -- Kimberley, the centre of the diamond rush, is of historical interest.

CAPE TOWN

You need at least 3 full days for Cape Town and its environs, 1 or 2 days for the winelands around Stellenbosch and Franschhoek, and, if time is available, 1 day to visit Hermanus. The winelands can be done as a day trip from Cape Town, or you can stay in the area overnight.

Here is a previous thread in which Selwyn Davidowitz suggested an itinerary for Cape Town, the winelands, Hermanus and the Garden Route. The Garden Route is the section of coast from Mossel Bay to Port Elizabeth. You won't be doing that, so just ignore that part of Selwyn's post.

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34477003

From Selwyn's suggested list, you've already identified the penguins, Robben Island and a trip up Table Mountain as must do activities. Although everything Selwyn has mentioned is attractive and/or interesting, the most important thing not to miss is a day drive to Cape Point, which will take you through the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve. The good thing about that is that you easily can see the Kalk Bay penguin colony on the way to Cape Point.

Something that also may interest you is Selwyn's guided tour of Kayamandi Township. Several Fodorites have accompanied Selwyn to Kayamandi and have described it as a fascinating and heartwarming experience. You can check out Selwyn's website at

ILoveCapeTown.com

Hope that helps.

brandimo

Wow! Thanks for the wealth of information! We are now planning/hoping to fly and spend a couple extra days in the Kruger. This must be why God invented credit cards...