South Africa - Guidebook recommendation and other ??
 

Hi,

I am just beginning to think about a trip to South Africa next year (or possibly the first half of 2019) -- need to do LOTS of research because this is definitely outside my experience/knowledge.

My first basic Questions to get me started:
1) Are there one or two specific guidebooks recommended for basic/background info?

2) Think I want mainly Capetown, wine region(s) and some sort of safari experience -- but I'd like to limit the trip to 2 weeks max total - so only 10-12 days in country. Is this possible?

3) Have a basically open calendar so which would be the best month(s) for this?

4) I'm pretty sure I want to stick to Malaria free areas - can I get a decent safari/animal viewing experience with that limitation?

5) Are there any safari companies that don't have HUGE single supplements?

Phew -- that was more than I thought I'd ask this first go round :) OK - any help/hints to point me in the right direction?

thanks

With about 10 days on the ground, it's easy to do Cape Town and safari. Fly to Cape Town and spend 3-6 nights. Then fly direct to the airport nearest your chosen lodge. Spend 3-6 nights - minimum 3 nights per private lodge. Very easy, can be done in any budget.

Wildllife viewing is best in winter from June to September. That's also low malaria risk time (it's winter!). I wouldn't let the very low risk of malaria in winter prevent me from visiting the premier safari destination in S Africa. Go to Kruger. The newer anti malarials have very few side effects if you choose to take them (I don't in winter as it's not advised by the S Africa health department for tourists). If you can't do a very low risk area, try Madikwe. Nice reserve, nice lodges but harder to reach - you'll need a flight to JNB and a charter to Madikwe.

Guide Books are generally obsolete before they are printed. Just go to your local library and borrow whatever is there - they are good enough, especially for the limited and very popular places you'll be going. Cape Town is a very european feeling city and the winelands are nearby. It's not as exotic as you think with great tourism infrastructure. The HopOn HopOff bus routes are excellent and can get you to most destinations in the city - they even go to the winelands. You can use MyCity bus, Uber, small group tours, private drivers as well. It's a great city with tons to do and see. Lots of hotels and guests houses in all neighborhoods.

Safari companies don't charge a single supplement but almost all of the private lodges do. There are many in all price ranges. If you stay in a more affordable but excellent lodge, the single supplement won't hurt so much. You can always request the lodge waive the fee - they won't do it if you don't ask. Try nThambo, Senalala, Motswari, Arathusa, Elephant Plains, Nkhorho, Africa on Foot, Shindzela (rustic but good), Bateleur Main, Umlani, Inyati, Honeyguide, there are many others but let us know if any of these look like what you are looking for. I don't know of any lodges that don't have a ss any more (but there likely are a few).

You can use an agent or book it on your own. If you want to use a safari agent, be sure if they agree to a reasonable budget that they stay within that budget. Too often they steer clients to more expensive accommodations than their budget allows. Of course they look great but the lodges in your budget will exceed your expectations.

Phew....

Here is a trip of two weeks that I wrote about, to give you an idea; if you use a safari planner/travel agent, you can ask all the questions. I never did find a great guidebook but RoughGuides is pretty decent. My travel style is much different than the above poster, so you can have an idea of the "other" side of the safari experience!


We spent a week in Cape Town and a week on safari at two different camps. they may be higher than your budget level, I have no idea, but should give you an idea while you find your guidebook. I would re-think the malaria-free idea. the pills are easy to tolerate with few side effects (none that I am aware of) and if you go in certain seasons, chances of being bitten are few. In three trips to southern Africa so far, I believe I've seen one mosquito and that was in Botswana last May!!


http://www.fodors.com/community/afri...in-october.cfm

I'm starting to think about South Africa as well, although I'm not healthy enough to travel right now. But I would want to add Victoria falls and probably a train ride to any trip, along with visits to the wineries.

I agree with eks about malaria pills. Of course, everyone is different, but I have taken Malarone multiple times, usually for two-three plus weeks, with no side effects. Avoid Lariam!

I'll echo several of <b>christabir's</b> points.

Timing - late winter. I'd recommend right about now - early to mid-September. It's the dry season in the safari zones, which means (a) the animals come to the water and (b) the absence of foliage makes for easier viewing in the bush. And because it's still winter, temperatures in the north (Kruger area, for example) are quite moderate - shirt sleeve warm in the day time, light jacket for the early morning and evening game drives. It's also a time when mosquitoes are not a factor. Also, wildflowers. See below.

Where to go: I would look at safari lodges in the Sabi Sand and Madikwe reserves. You can drive from JNB airport to Madikwe in four hours or so on good and safe roads, or you can drive most of the way from JNB to the Sabi Sand area in an easy day (spend the night on the magnificent Panoramic Route in the mountains) and then make it to the lodge early the next day.

The private safari lodges all work on a similar routine - early morning coffee and biscuits, then a dawn game drive that lasts for three hours or so, then back to the lodge for breakfast, relaxation, and lunch, possibly with some bush walks or other activities included. Then the second drive starts in the late afternoon and continues through the sunset hours (with a stop for "sundowner" cocktails out in the bush someplace) followed by a return to the lodge for dinner. Repeat. So the key is to arrive at the lodge around noon, when the departing guests have checked out but long enough before the afternoon drive that you have time to get settled in. Otherwise you're not getting your money's worth, and it's a lot of money.

Most lodges charge a single supplement of around 30% over their per-person-sharing rates. I just had a look at a couple of lodges we've used over the years and I'd be budgeting something between US$350 and $600 per night for 4- or 5-star properties. I know that sounds a lot, but believe me, the value for money is quite incredible. And you'll make it up easily when you're NOT on safari, as accommodation is incredibly good value all over the country.

As a side note, SA's hotel and B&B grading system - 1 to 5 stars - is phenomenal. The standards are very high, and very rigorously enforced.

If it was me, I'd set up a schematic something like this:

Fly to Joburg and spend a night de-jetlagging yourself in an airport hotel. (There are US-style hotel shuttles.)

Then either get a car and drive to Madikwe, or drive to Graskop, a pretty village along the Panoramic Route (google Blyde River Canyon, Three Rondavels, God's Window.) Stay at the Graskop Hotel and have dinner next door at Harrie's Pancakes (Dutch pancakes with a twist.)

Or if you don't want to drive long distances, fly to Nelspruit (Kruger-Mpumalanga International Airport, MQP) and get a car there and drive to one of the Sabi Sand lodges, around 2 hours.

Spend three nights in the lodge. Fewer means you might miss things, more means you'll be seeing too many repeats.

Then drive back to MQP or JNB, drop the car and fly to Cape Town (nonstops from both.)

Back to timing. The weather can be quite different between the north and the south; Cape Town's weather is quite Californian but a little more wet in mid-summer. By arriving in mid-September you're definitely getting into spring conditions, i.e. changeable but generally good.

If you manage that time, I would definitely include a drive up the west (Atlantic) coast as the wildflowers in that area are like nothing you've ever experienced. Visit West Coast National Park and Paternoster, which can easily be combined in a loop driving trip that includes the winelands and Cape Peninsula, thus: https://goo.gl/maps/xrkzfyT8opr

An alternative would be to fly (from JNB or MQP via JNB) to Port Elizabeth (PLZ) and drive to Cape Town along the Garden Route, stopping first at Addo Elephant National Park near Port Elizabeth. Addo is a self-drive park and quite spectacular, and the drive along the Indian Ocean coast to Cape Town is rightly famous (although, in fairness, it's not hugely more beautiful than comparable coastal drives in other parts of the world, e.g. California, New Zealand, the Great Ocean Road in Australia, etc.)

So in timing terms, I'd be looking at four or five days in the north, including safari, and the rest of the time in the south, including the Garden Route or West Coast as well as a few days in Cape Town itself.

In term of guides, I just had a glance at Fodor's own SA coverage and I think it's pretty decent, certainly worth going through as a first step.

As a final thought for a fellow intrepid traveler, if there was ever a time to consider jumping into the round-the-world flying game, a trip to SA might be it. Just sayin'.

Meant to say Cape Town is a little more wet in mid-<i>winter</i>, i.e. July/August.

Wow -- thanks everyone. Terrific info and a LOT to digest. Right now I'm concentrating on recovering from a knee injury so I'll have some free time to study up.

Will come back with more questions when I have a basic plan.

Oh -- one more thing >>I'd be budgeting something between US$350 and $600 per night for 4- or 5-star properties<<

Could I actually get something in the $350-$400 per night range? I assumed nice places would be much higher. (I know one can definitely pay a fortune)

You can but nowhere near that in Sabi Sands.
Agree that hotel standards are incredibly high and with the dollar soaring it is a great time to go although most safari lodges bill in dollars in Sabi Sands, I think.

Look at Elephant Plains in the Sabi Sand GR. They're showing single rates in their rondavels at 5500 ZAR for next year, which at today's exchange rate is around $420. I've stayed there and found it to be excellent value; very comfortable, professionally run.

https://www.elephantplains.co.za/tariffs/

Sample photos from that stay -

http://gardyloo.us/wp-content/upload...f09J-111as.jpg
http://gardyloo.us/wp-content/upload...f09J-076as.jpg
http://gardyloo.us/wp-content/upload...f09J-015as.jpg

Elephant Plains, Umkumbe are both affordable in Sabi Sand (so you can get close to your budget, contrary to popular opinion). Arathusa and Nkhorho might come close if you can get the SS waived. Almost all lodges quote in Rand, not USD. The Rand is actually stronger against the dollar this year - it was as high as 17R/USD last year, but still an excellent deal.

But don't limit yourself to Sabi Sand. You truly pay a premium for the reputation, not actual experience. And most people who head out on safari using an agent don't know that when they stayed at Kings or Ngala that it wasn't Sabi Sand and they had a wonderful time in "Sabi Sand". My husband has no idea which reserves we visit :). There are excellent lodges all over greater Kruger and they will exceed your expectations.

Did you look at the lodges I suggested above? Anything you might like?

Thanks -- >>Did you look at the lodges I suggested above? Anything you might like?<<

Not yet - will spend the weekend checking out all the places suggested. You've all given me so much good info it will take some time to get through it all.

I have short trips to Baja, Tahoe and London in the next 2.5 months so may not be able to actually get serious about SA plans until mid-late December - If I decide to go in say Sept '18 - do these lodges book up 8/9 months in advance?

Places like Elephant Plains and Arathusa and some of the very high end lodges might already be mostly booked. Be a bit flexible with dates and you'll find the perfect lodge for you.

I took a look at Elephant Plains -- looks wonderful - and seems really reasonably priced. Some of the others look good too. I have total flexibility so if I'm already too late I can even look into 2019 (GAWD that sounds so far off! ).

I want to fly AA (which unfortunately means BA/high fees) so I'll probably be paying, not using miles. Guess I'll have to pick Gardyloo's brain re RTW.

Ugh. I've recently switched to delta and united cards because BA/AA miles are useless to S Africa (and that's where we go most often). It's almost as much for a miles coach flight as cash. But biz is ok. My flights last year in coach from JFK to JNB were $820 (ironically on BA). And we got upgraded to coach plus on two legs. I'm using AA miles to get to Buenos Aires - that's a great deal.

EP sells out just about first of all the lodges but you might get lucky. Don't discount the others though! There are some great ones in all budgets in greater Kruger.

<i>I want to fly AA (which unfortunately means BA/high fees) so I'll probably be paying, not using miles.</i>

Of course if you buy a ticket the BA fees are included in the purchase price; it's only on mileage flights where BA extorts its fees.

It's worth noting however that Iberia flies to Joburg, and while Iberia (same company as BA) also adds surcharges to mileage flights, they're not nearly as high as BA's. You can also fly to JNB or CPT on Qatar, also an AA partner, and AA has changed its redemption rules so that you can route to Africa via Doha without paying for separate North America - Middle East and Middle East - Africa awards.

From the west coast, however, the best deal using miles to SA is to use Alaska miles on Cathay Pacific via Hong Kong. Don't know if you have any AS miles but using them on CX is great value in business class to Joburg.

If riding up front is a priority (as it should be to Africa) then monitoring this board on Flyertalk - http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/premium-fare-deals-740/ - is highly recommended. You'd be surprised what comes up.

Isn't Cathay Pacific still a Oneworld partner? You can use Etihad too.

I forgot Iberia restarted those flights to JNB!! That's how I got there the first time. Unfortunately that layover is very long. But so is through LHR. It's not an every day flight.

I fly coach. My husband is 6'4" and he's ok. If you want to go often you can't go biz every time if on a budget. :)

>>Of course if you buy a ticket the BA fees are included in the purchase price; it's only on mileage flights where BA extorts its fees.<<


That's what I meant by -- >> . . . so I'll probably be paying, not using miles.<< . . . that I'll probably purchase the tix outright and not use miles to avoid the extra fees.



Some of those lodges look absolutely fabulous. You recommend winter, with Sept being probably very best -- but in general is any time between June/Sept OK?

"If riding up front is a priority (as it should be to Africa) then monitoring this board on Flyertalk - http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/premium-fare-deals-740/ - is highly recommended. You'd be surprised what comes up."

All their abbreviations make my eyes cross! :) It's like it's very own language.

<i>You recommend winter, with Sept being probably very best -- but in general is any time between June/Sept OK?</i>

Yes, but June and July in Cape Town and the Winelands can be wet and chilly.

<i>All their abbreviations make my eyes cross! :) It's like it's very own language.</i>

Yep, silly insider cr@p, But ultimately worth the effort IMO.

Example - <b>BA in J AMS-LHR-JNB €1.630,- & CPT €1.760,-</b>

Translation, British Airways in business class, Amsterdam - London Heathrow - Johannesburg for €1630 round trip (around US$1940) or to Cape Town, €1760 ($2094.)

I was going to add one of my own:

<b>ET - LAX-xDUB-xADD-JNB 787s/A350s in J, $2490, good thru 7/18.</b>

Translation, Ethiopian Airlines, Los Angeles to Johannesburg via Dublin and Addis Ababa, on 787s and Airbus A350s (both new and great planes), $2490 round trip in business class, the fare good through July 2018. By the way, that's an excellent deal.

Hurray, now I know what J means! It's a start at least.

Bringing this back up for just one quick question. I received sooooo much good info last Fall but 'life' got in the way and I didn't make any plans for this year. So - now I'm going to get serious for 2019 (probably Aug/Sept time). Realistically how soon would I need to (or be able to) book a camp?

I'd be surprised if you needed to book anything until around a year from now, or maybe November-December. The lodges will need to publish their tariffs for 2019, and who knows what the exchange rates will be like. I'd focus on choosing a lodge (or lodges) and building a scratch itinerary. They'll all welcome emails in the meantime.

Great - thanks . . .

I know it's already been mentioned on this thread, but winter in Cape Town can be wet and cold. I've been a couple of times in June, September and even late October and it was cold & wet as in UK cold and wet and sometimes covered in fog. like Brighton on a dull, wet and windy November day. Great for seeing animals, but not for seeing the winelands, Table Mountain and the great outdoors. Although winter is the best time to see animals, it does not mean you won't see them if you travel at a different time of the year, esp if you go out early or late in the day. Joburg is better weatherwise in winter, but even then, morning and evenings are chilly and a coat is needed, by lunchtime it was sunny but still cold, even if you see the temp charts as 70F, somehow it is still cold.

I've used these links to plan and book accommodation and itineraries, you might find them useful if only for research and gen info. There is some fabulous bed and breakfast accommodation in South Africa. A night or two in Joburg is also worthwhile, even if it is just at the start and/or end of the trip and you can stay somewhere like Sandton City or Rosebank, Meville, with easy connection on the Gautrain back/forth to the airport. I usually fly on Virgin and they might have good connections from various points in the US via LHR. Their Upper Class lounge in Joburg airport is nice.

https://www.sa-venues.com/

https://www.wheretostay.co.za/

Janisj
These are not guide books, but two books to read before going to SA are James Michener's "The Covenant" and Nelson Mandela's "Long Walk to Freedom." These will give you some history and some feel for the country.
Will the water shortage in Cape Town change your plans?
Samcat

Thanks Odin (didin't see your post because I've changed my settings to stop the e-mails - maybe I'll reconsider that) Just how bad would the weather be? Rain and cool don't scare me off (heck, I live in California and prefer the climate in the UK to here at home where it is too bloody hot all summer.) But fog and miserable wouldn't be great.

samcat -- thanks for the recommendations. I read the Covenant years ago but might again.

Resurrecting this to ask a follow up.

I've decided to try to squeeze in a short trip to SA in Aug or Sept next year. I fully intend to take a longer trip possibly including an actual safari and other countries sometime in the future. But I learned big time to not put off major trips/bucket list places waiting for the 'perfect time'. (tearing my ACL between Lima and Cusco before visiting Machu Pichu was a real lesson!)

Because of complications and 'stuff' I really only have two small windows in the months I want to visit - mid Aug and early-mid sept 2019 and I want to take advantage. Since this is just a first 'taste' I think a 10-ish day small group might fill the bill.

I've been looking at this NG tour. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/e...africa-safari/

More pros than cons - main pros as I see them: not a huge single supplement, small group, several game drives, all planning done for me. I'm not typically a group tour person but for my 'Intro to SA' this seems pretty good. BUT I've never been to any of these places so I need 'expert opinions'. How does it look? I do understand it is short and not perfect -- but any major red flags??

Thanks.

South Africa is such an easy country to tour around on your own but I understand you might want to do the first time in a tour group. First couple of times I went, I booked my own flights, car rental and hotels but booked individual tours as and when I wanted them.

In Joburg for instance, you can book flights, then stay couple of nights/days in Sandton City, get to Sandton City by the Gautrain, which is fantastic (& pricey), some hotels will pick you up at the closest Gautrain station. In Joburg, you can do many tours, including a trip to Pilanesberg, it is no Kruger Park but it is a good intro to safaris and we did see many animals including rhinos, giraffes, elephants, buffaloes etc. You can self drive around Pilanesberg, there are game reserves where you can take lunch or take a tour which is quite nice. If you don't have much time in ZA, this could be an option. You can do an organised tour to Soweto etc.

Then fly to CPT, stay either centrally or south of the city ie Greenpoint, Waterfront, north of the city is not nice. You can take tours or rent a car and get around yourself, driving is easy, roads good, staying in a place where you don't have to drive at night is good, places where restaurants are plentiful & safe to walk around (V&A, Seapoint).

As far as weather is concerned, in Joburg I knew I was in trouble when we landed in fog and everyone put on winter coats except for me, I made the mistake of looking at weather forecasts which stated 70F temps but didn't realise it was so cold in the mornings and evenings and those temps were for a very short time at midday. So I spent the next 6 weeks shopping for clothes and generally being cold. Daytimes generally sunny & cold. Cape Town was rainy and cold, sometimes foggy, this was during June and September. However visiting Stellenbosch, Franschhoek, Paarl etc was still a delight, the wineries had roaring fires and great menus, vines were obviously bare.

The tour seems expensive to me, you can do an orientation tour of CPT yourself or book one locally. I see that a Table Mountain tour would be extra , then so would be Robben Island, Bo Kaap, V&A etc. Getting to Boulders Beach to see the penguins and driving to Cape Point is dead easy, stopping in Simons Town for lunch is a nice thing to do. I guess the main benefit of the tour as I see it is the trip to Kruger. Kirstenbosch gardens are beautiful but I have never seen them in the winter. Again it is easy to drive to Kirstenbosch in a rental car. Inn on the Park is a great area, close to Long Street and several restaurants but I have not walked around that area at night or in the dark, I would only do that around the V&A. A great trip whilst in Cape Town is to Camps Bay, Clifton and the lovely surrounding areas, the Cheetah Outreach in Somerset West where you can book to walk cheetahs (if they still offer that), see other animals such as meerkats, foxes, anatolian sheepdogs. In Joburg, I have no idea where the guesthouse is they suggest, it is way out of my comfort zone as I usually stay somewhere in Sandton City or Rosebank, these areas are close to the airport and there are much better accommodation options IMO. As an independent traveller, I think you might be disappointed with the tour.
If you go, remember to book any restaurants in advance, eg the Test Kitchen, La Colombe etc

Looks as if you are putting off the "major bucket list" trip in favor of this very short group tour.

I don't know your budget but I would advise going through a local agent who can set you up with a better plan that includes more time on safari, which to many of us, is the highlight of a trip to SA. But if you plan to go next summer you need to get busy asap on that.

For me, I'd not take the tour; agree with much of what Odin wrote, above. Easy to go it alone, but an agent could help, too. Talk to a good local agent, let he or she know what you need and do not need, and let them arrange a trip to CapeTown (or do that part yourself) and at least 3 nights in the bush outside Kruger, with the camps in the Sabi Sands reserve giving you the best opportunity for game watching. Those will be pricey but the experience is certainly once in a lifetime.

I'm already planning my 4th safari trip for next September, 2019.
And already running into problems booking, even more than a year out, one of my preferred camps is sold out for my dates.
for premier camps, you need to book very far ahead, or get lucky.

I agree with the others as well. I think that you can craft a better trip that this tour offers. Even for a moderate budget, you can stay in one of the private game reserves with exceptional game viewing. I think that game viewing in Kruger can be great but is more dependent upon the amount of time spent driving around on their roads and the luck of the draw with the ranger/guide you are assigned. In Kruger, you are restricted to staying on the roads, so no off-road driving is allowed to track or stay with an animal longer. No night drives as well and you must abide by the times of entry and exit via the gate. All of that is fine if you have a lot of time available to invest in the experience to see the different animals.

Given that there's only one flight from Cape Town to JNB, pls bear in mind that you will spend a decent amount of time in a bus. Driving to the reserves from JNB via the Panorama Route is okay but the beauty of that route is really only the end of that long trip. More importantly, the drive from Karongwe back to JNB at the end of the trip is over 7+ hours, which is another very long haul. You may ultimately spend a little more money to fly the loop from JNB to CPT, CPT to the reserve airport closest to your lodge, then back to JNB but in return, you will gain time on the ground with more game drives. I have found that even when clients want to self-drive portions of the trip, it is important to share when are the best moments to do that and when it's better to fly. Additionally, there are 2 nights spent in JNB to transition for the start and the end of the trip. This is typical for tours because the itinerary has to manage travelers' different int'l arrival times. When you put your own trip together you can quite strategically select a flight that carries you onward without an overnight wasted or money spent on that overnight. For example, you can arrive in JNB and fly onward that day to CPT. And at the end of the trip, you can have your last morning game drive and be back in JNB for the typical int'l flights out of that day. Lastly, another thing to keep in mind about this trip is that round trip tickets in/out of 1 airport are typically cheaper than a ticket to Cape Town and a return out of JNB. That may be seen as 2 independent flights by different airlines. When my clients start their itinerary in Cape Town, we look at whether it is cheaper for me to book their flight to Cape Town rather than including that on their intl flight ticket. Just another thought to consider when you look at tour packages...

It is true that as a Single in a room, many lodges charge a Single Supplement but there are those lodges that don't AND there are lodges that fit a modest budget and even with a single surcharge come in at a great value and are worth the charge overall. Targeting those lodges would be your most effective cost comparison, as well as putting together a wonderful Cape Town experience. It doesn't say anything negative about a lodge if they charge a Single Supplement. It is the business model of most safari lodges in that they depend upon 2 people in a room and those 2 people being in the jeep for numbers.

Hope the above helps. Happy to answer further questions.

Best
Dianne

I had a look at the tour itinerary, and to be blunt, I'd pass. Not that it's okay; it certainly is, and I'm sure you'd have a great time. But I confess I'd never heard of the Karongwe reserve, and upon some research, I'd have to say I think it would be a sub-optimal experience considering other opportunities you could exercise on a self-planned itinerary. Karongwe is a fenced reserve that doesn't allow the animals to move back and forth to larger reserves, unlike the many reserves that border Kruger NP and allow free interchange with the park. By bragging that "over 40 species of mammal" inhabit the reserve, compare that to almost 150 in the Kruger complex.

One big difference in the safari experiences in the national parks v. the private reserves is that vehicles aren't allowed to go off-road in the national parks, while in the private reserves they are. I can't emphasize enough how important this can be when you're on safari; the guides and rangers can take off in pursuit (a very calm and eco-conscious one) of some lion or leopard that's on the move; in the national park they vanish into the thicket and that's that.

Just as an exercise, I did a 10-day self-directed tour budget to see how it would compare to the package deal (with single supplement) that you linked. Here's a list with prices as I could find them for a variety of safari lodges with which I'm familiar, and also with prices for things like rental cars, hotels in Joburg and Cape Town, internal flights etc. Some of these prices might change between now and next year, but on the other hand the lodge prices are the online rack rates (single occupancy) that a local travel agent could probably get much cheaper. I've used today's exchange rate of 14.47 ZAR to the USD, and of course that might also change by next year.

Single occupancy, safari lodges, Aug./Sept. 2019:

Elephant Plains, Sabi Sand reserve - $460
Nkhoro, Sabi Sand - $480
Arathusa, Sabi Sand - $657
Pondoro, Balule reserve (Kruger) - $578
Buffalo Ridge, Madikwe reserve (Botswana border) - $472

Notes on these places: Elephant Plains, Nkhoro and Arathusa are all fairly close to one another in the SSGR. They're all on the lower end of pricing for the reserve; the higher-end lodges will approach $1000 per night, but the main difference will be in the level of accommodations and food/beverage service, not particularly in the wildlife viewing. The lodges all have traversing rights over neighboring properties' lands, so if a vehicle from Lodge X sees a group of lions, they radio it to everyone else, and those vehicles from neighboring lodges with traversing rights can take turns visiting the lions. It works very smoothly and is usually imperceptible from the tourist's point of view. And in terms of the quality and comfort of the lodges, we're talking - in my mind - pretty minor differences. Even the cheapest lodge will still offer a level of service and quality of the experience that will knock your socks off. Seriously.

I included the Pondoro lodge in the Balule reserve, a little farther north along the Kruger boundary than Sabi Sand. I did so because this is a marvelous lodge with a really superior product. The owner, if he still does the game drives, is a fanatic on giving his guests the best possible safari experience; his enthusiasm is just remarkable. Balule doesn't have the same reputation as Sabi Sand for wildlife viewing, but we've always spotted the Big 5 at Balule, and in other respects, particularly the lower density of lodges, it's a comparable if not superior experience.

Buffalo Ridge in the Madikwe reserve was our favorite, even though it's across the country from Kruger and the Mozambique frontier area. Madikwe was created out of some marginal farms in the early 1990s as part of "Operation Phoenix" - a massive game relocation plan. The reserve is in a malaria-free zone close to the Botswana border; from the cottages at Buffalo Ridge you can see the lights of Gaborone in the distance. One of the main draws of Buffalo Ridge is that it's owned and operated by the local community, and the rooms are full of photographic reminders of how these lovely people have risen from poverty and oppression to a point where they're running the show. It's really quite moving, especially considering what a terrific place the lodge is, and how the safari experience in the reserve is so rewarding. (Okay, so enough gushing.)

Other costs and practicalities. Hotels near JNB and in Cape Town will be $100 - $150 per night at most. However, South Africa has an incredible network of government-rated bed and breakfast places, which are simply unbelievable in terms of comfort and value. Look at the Portfolio Collection for some examples - https://www.portfoliocollection.com/

A rental car picked up at the Kruger/Mpumalanga airport (MQP) in Nelspruit (roughly two hours from the Sabi Sand gates) will cost around $70 - $80 for five days' rental. (Yes, that's right.) Cars picked up at JNB or CPT will be around the same. A one-way flight from JNB to MQP costs $101; a one-way flight from MQP to CPT is $192. If you chose Madikwe but didn't want to drive (around 3 hours on good roads) you could fly on Federal Air's charters from JNB to the Madikwe strip for $550 round trip. (I'd drive.) A one-way flight from JNB to CPT is around $75 or less. Food in SA is inexpensive; a budget of $30 per day (two meals, assuming breakfast is included) will be okay for most days; obviously splurge dinners will be more.

So try this on just as a thought experiment. Use the prices mentioned above to knock together a budget.

Arrive at JNB and take a day (two nights) to recover from the flights. Do a tour of Soweto or some other outing - numerous available.

Then fly to MQP and pick up a car and drive to, say, Elephant Plains. Try to get there in the early afternoon so you don't miss the evening game drive, which you'll have already paid for. Spend three nights there; you'll have had an experience that will leave you gobsmacked. Then drive back to MQP, drop the car and fly to CPT.

Spend four or five days in the Cape Town area. Use the car for day trips: visit the winelands including the picturesque university town of Stellenbosch or go visit the penguins at Boulders Beach in Simon's Town. Or drive through heart-stopping scenery (watch for baboons) to Hermanus on the coast, where you may see whales breaching out to sea. Or for an amazing experience, drive an hour or two up the Atlantic coast from Cape Town to West Coast National Park, where the spring wildflowers will boggle the mind, and/or to the lovely seafront village of Paternoster, with its thatched cottages and brightly painted fishing boats scattered around the beach. Then back to Cape Town, lose the car, and head back to summer in Sacramento.

I've done the numbers on this alternative, and from what I can see it would end up costing around $1000 less than the package tour you mentioned. And that's using rack rates in the game lodges - a good TA can probably knock those prices down significantly.

Of course it doesn't include the companionship that you'd have on the group tour, and who knows, you might have a fabulous learning experience that a self guided tour might not offer. But I thought I'd just throw this out to confuse the issue.

Thank you everyone!

I have a lot to digest and it certainly looks like I could have a better experience arranging things myself. While I research the new suggestions and the ones I got from my original questions, just one question for now (and don't jump on me ;) ). I am certainly not a timid driver (take a look at my profile photo) and have driven all over the UK, Alaska, the desert SW USA, high Sierra, etc etc solo. But something about tackling long distance drives in SA on my own makes me just a bit uneasy. Would it be possible to arrange drivers/transfers to say one or more of the preserves, and/or local tours out of Capetown? Hopefully I could manage the trip without renting cars??

It's understandable; there's been a lot of negative publicity about driving in SA over the years. While most of it is hyperbole, it's completely okay to plan a car-free trip.

Yes, there are all those services available. For example, the lodges in the main reserves all will arrange land or air transfers from the airports to the lodges. In the case of the Sabi Sand and Madikwe lodges, the same carrier, Federal Air, will fly you right to the airstrips in those reserves, where they may even need to buzz the runway to shoo off the zebra or antelope that hang out on them (because the visibility is good - nowhere for the lions to lurk.) This will come at a cost, of course - probably $500+ for round trip transfers to each reserve from JNB, or in the case of the Sabi Sand, half that for air transfers from the Nelspruit airport, to which you could fly cheaply.

Regarding tours, if you want to see things around the Western Cape (Cape Town itself, winelands, Garden Route, west coast) then OMG there are so many that it would be hard to choose. We used to have a regular poster on Fodor's, Selwyn Davidowitz, who ran a marvelous such service out of Cape Town, but it seems he's retired. I met him in Simon's Town once and we had a good chat about these boards. But regardless, you'll have no problem arranging tours using any hotel's concierge or any B&B host - the area is very well equipped for that.

For example, here's one I just pulled up arbitrarily for a tour of the wildflowers near Cape Town - https://www.africanmoonadventures.co...est-coast-tour

Umpteen options.

OK -- Thanks for all the tremendous help. I've definitely decided to visit SA in the first half of Sept next year. I will likely pay for open jaw business tix (I do need to pay some $$ to maintain my Platinum status but maybe I could pay for coach and upgrade with miles???).

Anywho - Should I book the reserve first (whenever their 2019 rates are set) get that out of the way, and worry about transatlantic flights, Capetown, internal flights, transfers, etc later on/next Spring? Several of the preserves/camps mentioned up thread look great so if one isn't available I can work down the list . . . Or should I contact a local agent instead and let them handle things? If an agent is the way to go -- any recommendations?

I think you have plenty of time to consult with a South African TA. I'm not fluent in who's who in that regard but I think there are some regular posters on this board that are very well connected in that regard.

As I recall you're (like me) an American Airlines FFer, in which case upgrading with miles on BA or Iberia is only possible if your underlying ticket is in a full-fare class, Y or B etc., the cost of which will be competitive with, or maybe even more than a straight business class ticket if you can find a cheap fare bucket. There are some okay deals from the US to SA from time to time - lurk on the "Premium Fare Deals" board on Flyertalk - https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/premium-fare-deals-740/ - where they're spotted quite regularly. Don't know if you have any interest in South America, but Latam (formerly Lan) will sell you a round trip from Miami to Joburg via Santiago and Sao Paulo in business class for $2500; you could probably use miles to get to MIA. Or if you can find a decent fare to Sao Paulo, the round trip fare from there to JNB is $1500. (They're trying to build up traffic on the south Atlantic route.) 30,000 EQM and 6000 EQD if you're counting.

It also might be worth your while to build up your Alaska Airlines mileage account if you have one, or even buy extra AS miles. Alaska charges 62,500 miles each way for the US to Joburg via Hong Kong on Cathay Pacific, or 70,000 miles in first class - a fantastic value IMO. If you can buy Alaska miles for 2c apiece (on sale from time to time) that's $2800 for a round trip in first class on CX - not bad. Or do it RTW-style - CX to JNB, BA, Iberia or Qatar back.

I'd line up the lodge first because it's unlikely you're going to find any screaming deals on airfare until the new year, while knowing where you're going will also help you plan your internal flights.

Call Liesl Matthews at www.SouthernDestinations.com. She's in CapeTown. She is coming to the US in October so depending on where you live you might be able to meet up. Or just e-mail or call her 800 number. Again, if you plan to go a year from now, I would get busy booking soon. I am already wait listed for one camp that I very much wanted to visit.

Tell her that "ekscrunchy from fodors" sent you.

Hi Janis

We visited Capetown two years ago in mid October. The evenings were cool but daytime temps averaged the high 70s each day, perfect weather.

After landing, we drove straight to Franschhoek, stayed one night then spent two night at Gondwana Game reserve near Mossel Bay. Then we spent two night at De Hoop nature reserve on the coast and drove back to Hout Bay in Capetown, where we rented a house for a week.

We found both Franschhoek and Stellenbosch to be really attractive places with artisan shops, good food and welcoming vineyards. Loved them both.

The game reserve was an amazing experience at the time, driving home at night back from the main lodge to our very luxurious lodge, we had to avoid male lions sleeping on the dust track. However, although huge, on reflection fenced reserves can feel a little contrived. This was our one and only safari trip, would love to repeat it but I know people who have done 10 plus in multiple African countries. Tanzania and the Okavango seem to be people’s highlights but many feel the “large zoo” syndrome applies to many reserves.

De Hoop was an incredible experience.

Mountainous sand dunes, all the wildlife/ fauna was indigenous to the Western Cape and we saw a Southern Right Whale being born 100 yards off the coast.

Constantia in Capetown stood out for us, good vineyards which offered incredible views and very reasonably priced, excellent food.

Hout Bay was stunning but a little edgy.

Camps Bay contains some of the most cutting edge, contemporary residential architecture that I’ve seen in 60 countries. It’s a good place to stay but very, very expensive and a little lac!king in soul.

South Africa self touring generally :

Just be very aware of where you are and where you are going. In the Western Cape we had no security issues but we did get lost and ended up in a pan area of the Cape Flats which made Mogadishu on a bad day look attractive. Ie a group of 5 police cars parked in a ring with the officers in the middle with shotguns out and signs at the traffic lights which read “drive through a red if you feel threatened”.

A large part of our family immigrated to Joburg 40 years ago, most of them have now re-migrated to Sydney due to security issues. I have no idea what day to day security issues impact on a single independent tourist in the city but the two of my relatives who are left are absolutely desperate to get out. Again, just do diligent research to avoid difficult areas.

Sorry about the post above.

It’s becoming impossible to type lengthy prose on Fodor’s using an iPad with all the floating adverts which is one reason why I don’t post here much now.

hate the new format.

Hi BC,

>>Sorry about the post above.<<

Not sure what you are apologizing for -- I thought it was a useful post. I only post short things from my iPad -- for long entries, it has to be my laptop so I know what you mean. But I actually have come to prefer the new format. Little things still bug me but mostly I like the new features.



Thanks everyone -- so much good info.

I'm topping this thread because I ran across an interesting thread on Flyertalk regarding airfare - https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/prem...package-4.html

Decent price for US - CPT round trips in business class. Of course if might not last until your dates, but it's a data point at least.