I am having difficulty using miles and it seems the only place in Africa I can get to in December is South Africa. I have never been before and want to do the best safari possible and I hear that the best safaris are in tanzania, botswana, etc and that SA isn't as good. Can anyone share with me the contrary? Should we still go to SA?

South Africa is still very good.......but very different from Botswana or Tanzania. The Sabi Sands can match up in terms of game density. You still hv to go thru Joburg to get to Botswana, so your frequent flier miles can still be used.

Hari

Hi

My wife and I went to a safari near the Kruger park in December 2004 and we thought it was great I have posted a trip report with some pictures and links on my homepage http://gardkarlsen.com/djuma_vuyatela_safari.htm . Maybe you can find some useful information there.

Regards
Gard
Stavanger, Norway

Hi shothyme77,

Just got the name, a bit slow after a long day!

I am definitely a fan of South Africa, in particular, the Sabi Sands, and in particular, MalaMala. I am off to Botswana and Zimbabwe in July but will finish off at Sabi Sands. Hard to believe that you would be disappointed with South African gameviewing!

Kind regards,
Kaye

Leopard viewing in the Sabi Sands is without doubt the best!!! Nowhere else in Africa does the quality of leopard viewing match.....

Hari

If you are going to South Africa please check up on the vehicle loading this is often a problem. If you are considering Sabi area please be aware of immense waitiing times for sightings unless of course you go to Mala Mala or Londolozi. Try Madwike although this may now be getting a little crowded?

I think most ppl on this board recommend either Londolozi, Mala Mala or Simbambilli. Although, there is the odd mention of other places, these 3 are by far the most popular.

Hari

South Africa seems OK to me

Why not visit Cape Town, which is very good always in the world’s top 10 cities, visit the winelands, travel the Garden route and then see the big 7 in the Eastern Cape, the Addo National Park is one of the world’s best places to see elephants and Shamwari is the world’s leading safaris.

Colin,

Have you been to Shamwari? How is the experience there and would you recommend it?

Hari

shothyme,

One thing to consider is that South Africa will be in high season in December with peak pricing, while you will be able to get excellent pricing in both Botswana and Zambia. Depending on how long you have to stay, a mixture of Cape Town for a few nights with either a safari in Botswana or Zambia would give you the best bang for your buck.

Shamwari wins all the awards for very good reasons it is excellent,and has been Africa's leading safari for the past 6 years. It is no where near as wild as Botswana or even Kruger and is relatively small but it has the big 5 and you will get very close to all the animals.

It is expensive at 4000 Rand + per night but includes all meals and game drives and is easy to get to from the Garden Route, it has the additional advantage of being malaria free.

There are plenty of other Game Reserves in the Eastern Cape which are less well known have the big 5 and are more reasonably priced.