Trip to South Africia
 

I usually make my own travel arrangements using Fodors and i-escape, however, this time, I decided to use a travel agency and need feedback as to price and agenda. Any input would be appreciated! The bulk of the tour is self-directed which I prefer. Three adults with two rooms.
4 nights at Cape Town residing at Sea Five plus car for eight days
Drive to Hermanus for two nights at Mosaic Private Sanctuary - fully inclusive
Drive to Winelands for two nights at Babylonstroen Farm Hotel
3 nights at Lion Sands River Lodge, Southern Sabi Sands - fully inclusive
Kingston Treehouse Sleep out

I am planning the trip for late October/early November 2017 - is it too early?
The cost of the above arrangements is $222,015 ZAR for eleven nights not including air fare both to the county and within the country.

Is that for two people? Sounds pretty high to me, but many people would/could spend that for a big splurge special trip. What travel agency did you use? You could get a cost from a couple and compare. It is not an unusual itinerary, although I'm not personally familiar with Mosaic Private Sanctuary in Hermanus, which IS a great place for ocean activities. Looks pretty luxurious, and good that it includes all air fares.

OK just re-read your post. This is for 3 adults and 2 rooms - Yes, that price sounds good for the level of accomodation, etc.

The prices of everywhere you are staying are available online. I'd compare the rates, including the single supplement.

June-September is best for game viewing, I'm not sure about Cape Town - it's got entirely different weather.

S Africa is very easy to plan on your own. It's not as exotic as you might think and roads, airports, accommodations are great.

I wouldn't rent a car for the whole time in Cape Town. You only need it for the Cape of Good Hope. Driving in CT, like any city, can be difficult with limited parking. Leave it parked at the hotel or pick it up later in your visit.

Don't drive on wine tasting outings. S Africa has nearly a zero tolerance policy for dui.

Do you need or want fully inclusive in Hermanus? It's a cool town with restaurants where might want to dine and stuff you might want to do/see. I'd choose a b&b or hotel with a good restaurant so you have choices and not feel obligated to go back to (or not leave) Mosaic for everything. If it's one of those places where they arrange all the activities, I'd choose someplace else, too. Too much structure if you prefer self directed.

You are moving around a lot. It's too many two night stays for me on a high end trip.

For just three nights on safari and limited (or no) private excursions, it sounds really high to me. It might be fair for your accommodations, but it's a lot. Especially without internal airfare. Hint: fly direct CPT to Skukuza. Lion Sands can pick you up there. No need for a charter or flight through JNB. Skukuza is a tiny airport - and the new ”terminal" is very pretty and easy in/out.

The price is ok for all those places , you could probably save R10000 if you shopped around but not sure it would be worth it.
It also depends on what kind of car you hiring and if they charging you single supplements or not, if not then it could be quite a bit less. There are also other places that are really great in Cape Town but quite a bit less so you could save quite a bit there.
Sandy - owner - Love Africa Travel

Hi jdebat!

At Lion Sands, you are forced to pay the single supplement of 50% as a single in a suite. Did you consider lodges that don't charge a surcharge as a single?

For example, neighboring Sabi Sabi doesn't charge a single surcharge in any of their lodges. Another lodge that doesn't charge a single supplement is Kings Camp in neighboring Timbavati Private Game Reserve. If you are set with Lion Sands, that's fine. I wasn't sure if you were aware of other lodges that don't charge a 50% surcharge. These are just a couple lodges as examples.

As for Babylonstoren, that's one of my favorite places in South Africa's Wine region and gets rave reviews from my clients. Another hidden gem is Vergenoegd Farms in Stellenbosch, equally wonder. Impressive gardens. Great experience! Their innovative use of hundreds of ducks as a means to naturally control garden pests is genius and to watch the ducks parade for their meal is delightful!

Happy to help!
Dianne
Africa Direct USA

I would definitely keep the car whilst in Cape Town, in any case, Sea Five is in Camps Bay and you'll need a car to get around. If you want to drive into Cape Town for sightseeing or evening out, you'll need a car or to drive down the coast to Hout Bay, Chapman's Peak, Noordhoek, Kommetjie etc. I've not had issues parking in central CT either, V&A has plenty of parking for instance.

<i>The cost of the above arrangements is $222,015 ZAR for eleven nights NOT INCLUDING air fare both to the county and within the country.</i>

That seems high without airfare, IMHO.

Thank you for all your input. You have given me a lot to think about.

I just traveled this past May to South Africa and I would like to give some advice. I will admit I was coming from the U.S., where the USD is strong against the South African rand.

It sounds a bit high of a price. I stayed at Sabi Sabi for around 25000 ZAR for 3 nights. My friend paid the same. Great place, in my opinion.

Also, there is really no need for a rental car. Unfortunately for the South Africans, the rand is not so strong versus the USD, so traveling by taxi is so cheap. And the taxi drivers are pseudo/tour guides.

I had my own taxi take me on two separate jaunts. One was to many vineyards, as well as local stope along the way for a grand total of 1200 ZAR, which was about 85USD at the time.

And then a second day was off to another winery, as well as the cape of good hope, and other stops along the way. The second trip was about 1300 SAR, or 90 USD.

Anyway, the taxis are very cheap, the country is beautiful. I hope you have a great time.