ekscrunchy

Please let us know how the trip goes! I am all but set on Hwange and Mana Pools for my next safari trip, 2019.

One thing I can just about promise is that you will be enamored of the places you plan to visit.

MiamiBeachMomma

Thanks rdpesq!! Thankfully we are all fine after Irma!!! Power outages and downed trees are our biggest woe.

TerryThor

I just got back from Kenya and Tanzania. If you want a cultural experience, use Gamewatchers and have them hire you your own guide. The conversations I had with my drivers were astounding. I learned a lot about Kenya. Also stay in the Porini Conservancies. You'll have Masai guides and drivers. Not as luxurious as a lodge (i.e. bucket showers) but a more authentic experience in my opinion. The lodges I stayed in were amazing. But the staff is more formal I thought. I have heard that SA is beautiful. But for a first trip to Africa I would want to be on safari the entire time and save the cities and wineries for Europe or next visit to Africa. I was there for 22 days and never tired of it. Every day you never knew what you'd see. I went to Tanzania too. What I would do differently is spend more time in the Mara and the Serengetti. The Ngorongoro Crater and Tanagire were hot and dry. That's the true Savannah but I enjoyed the greener areas more.

rdpesq

After a year of planning, it is almost time to go. Thanks in advance for all the great advice.

As mentioned in the initial post, we are a family of four, 2, adults and 2 teens. (Wish us luck!)

I have a couple of questions as we fine tune our visit. The first leg of our trip is in Cape Town. We are in Cape Town a total of 6-days. How much money should we bring? We will have credit cards but I am wondering how much cash we should have on hand?

Our hotel is prepaid. The hotel includes breakfast. The hotel also has a kitchen if we want to cook. (Probably not.) We also have scheduled tours that have also been paid for in advance. The tours are as follows:

Full Day Cape Peninsula Tour
Kirstenbosch Gardens Tours
Half Day Township Cultural Tours Tour
Half Day Robben Island Tour Tours
Full Day Cape Winelands Tour with Biking

Is $1,000 enough? $2,000 to much or to little? Obviously, we will need cash for tips and perhaps souvenir shopping? Do most restaurants accept Visa/Mastercard? Are there any other cash only purchases we should expect?

After we leave Cape Town we head to Victoria Falls for 2-days and 1, night. Same questions - if we have credit cards is a couple hundred bucks sufficient?

One we leave Victoria Falls we will be in Mana Pools and Hwange on safari. Both camps are prepaid and other than tips and souvenirs, I do not think we will need cash. Am I missing anything?

Shipping wine/art home?

While in Cape Town, if we buy a case of wine or large art work (that we cannot take on safari because of weight restrictions) how would we get it home? Can we ship from Cape Town to California? Are there recommended shipping companies, etc. Is Fed-Ex/UPS available.

Thanks so much for any advice.

janisj

Just a quick note: >>How much money should we bring? We will have credit cards but I am wondering how much cash we should have on hand?<<

One shouldn't 'bring' boatloads of cash. You use ATMs just like at home and withdraw cash as you need it from your checking account.

Gardyloo

I would hit up the ATM for a couple hundred bucks in local currency and not worry about it (then replenish as needed.) Yes, Visa/MC are accepted everywhere, and both the ATMs and the credit card companies will give you a better exchange rate than you'd get obtaining local currency elsewhere. Make sure that your cards have chip and pin functionality, and (if you haven't already) call the issuing bank(s) and tell them you're going to be abroad - and where - so they don't freeze your account the first time a charge from SA or Zim hits. This has thrown a serious curve ball in my travels in Africa previously.

I would spend more effort finding a US distributor of SA wine than in trying to arrange shipping, which will be very expensive and very complicated as it will have to go through both SA and US customs clearing. If you find a piece of art or souvenirs that you don't want to schlep with you, ask the seller for shipping assistance - they know how.