ekscrunchy

Unacceptable that the driver/guide went inside the winery with you.

Crellston..Fascinating post. You lived in Freetown??????? That must have been quite an experience!!

Erick..I've been only about 5 times to South Africa but never had one problem, even when walking around in J'Burg on my own. (Would not recommend that but just saying.. I am female, by the way). Honestly I cannot think of a city more beautiful with more dramatic scenery than CapeTown. And everyone I met..so friendly and welcoming... Just stay in a recommended hotel, take the advice off Crellston and others here, as well as advice of your hotel front desk persons....... For first visit I recommend CapeTown and safari area in the NE.

erickaqua7805

ekscrunchy, Thanks for the tip/recommendation. I will put it as one of my destinations for next year after Japan . I will take the adventure based on the positive feedback in here .

crellston

It was certainly an experience ekscrunchy! We were the first batch of volunteers sent out by VSO after the end of the civil war. They weren't quite ready for us! We lived in Freetown for a few weeks before heading off for our assignment in the second city, Bo, the centre of the diamond trade , made famous by Leo De Caprio in Blood Diamonds. Oh the stories I could tell... Suffice to say, after our time there our travels anywhere else in the world were a walk in the park by comparison. Oh the stories I could tell..

ekscrunchy

Do you realize that I would BEG to hear those stories, and I bet would many others! I've never been there, of course, but have spent some time in Mali and Togo and a few days in Benin (ha ha.....imagine me camping on the River Niger in Mali??? No one would believe it now!). .....Absolutely was enthralled by West Africa, but I only went as a tourist. Not sure I would ever go back as a tourist, with all the changes..speaking more of the Francophone countries as Ii never went to SL or Ghana, Gambia, or any of the ex-UK ones....

Right after the Civil War? You must have seen some heartbreaking things.......

crellston

Wow! You have been around Africa ekscrunchy. Yes we did see more than a few heartbreaking things. Maybe I will get out my notes from our time there and post something here. At the moment we couldn’t be further away from the rigours of Africa. On a train from a stay in very nice hotel in Edinburgh to an even nicer one in London. It’s a hard life😁

jm6923

Did anyone visit Simon's Town? We were thinking of spending a few days there?

mlgb

I stayed a few nights in Seaforth, which is a short walk to Simon's Town, as I mentioned in post #14. It's hand for seeing the penguins, visiting Cape Point, and taking boat tours from the harbor in Simon's Town.
Seaforth has a beach, whereas Simon's Town is basically a harbor. There's a statue of Just Nuisance the Great Dane, and a famous fish and chips shop.

crellston

Like mlgb we stayed a few nights in Seaforth at Salt, a great AirBnb. Indeed , it was at mlgb’s suggestion I booked there - great call mlgb! Walking distance to the penguins which was nice as the viewing points can get very crowded at peak times. The harbour area at Simon’s Town was nice, with more restaurants, shops etc. but on balance we were glad we went for Seaforth.

Some photos:

Heimdall

Jm6923, if you have only a few days for Cape Town it would be better to stay closer to the city where most of the attractions are located. Simon’s Town is handy for Boulders Beach and Cape Point, but not for much else. I wouldn’t want to drive into CT from Simon’s Town every day to sightsee and take the cableway to Table Mountain, for example. On the other hand, Boulders Beach and Cape Point make a nice day trip from Cape Town, especially when returning via Chapman’s Peak drive.

In another post you wrote you will be there in June 2024, which is a great time for Kruger, but Cape Town has a different weather pattern. Most of the annual rainfall in the Western Cape, including Cape Town, comes in winter, while that is the dry season around Kruger.