Claudia_Neves

I am planing a trip to South Africa and probably I will be buying a package tour in my country that included Johannesburg, Sun City and Kruger.

I can go in july or january. What is the best period ?
I am looking for a good safari experience with a great game viewing of the big 5. I particularly want to see elephants and giraffes.

Is it worth include Cape Town in the tour ?

Thanks in Advance !!!

Claudia

global_guy

January will be hot, but July can be a bit cold and wet (depending on where you end up). Maybe someone else will comment on best wildlife viewing times, but I would go to South Africa in January...well I'd delay it and go in Feb or Mar. when things get a bit slower and cheaper.
You definitely want to go to Cape Town. It's one of the world's great cities and it's much more laid back than Jo'burg. There are lots of great things to do in Cape Town, and there are some very good day trips that you will want to go on when you are there.
It would be a mistake to skip Cape Town.

pippa13

hi claudia,
- joburg
i would use it just to switch flights or so but not as a "destination".
- sun city is a must for people who are interested in more "artifical" destinations. casino etc.
- would not leave out cape town. you can easily spend 3 or 4 nights there incl. a day trip to the winelands

seasons:
july is quite crowded but pricewise not too bad for kruger. weather can be icy in the early morning hours (game drives) in kruger. so pack gloves, hat, scarf and dress like an onion (layers)
jan is peak season weather and pricewise - it's south african school holidays i think up until mid jan.
weather should be pleasant - supossedly;-)

what about flying into cape town for a couple of days and then further to kruger. from there to sun city or vv.in case sun city is a must.
otherwise from kruger to joburg and back home....

atravelynn

Here is a weather link.
http://www.classicescapes.com/sa-weather.html

I think eles and giraffes are very reasonable goals for a safari in SA.

Did you have particular things you wish to do in Joburg? Soweto would be a good stop, but you don't need much time there.

Do you really want to spend time in Sun City? It's not my cup of tea at all so that's why I ask.

On Cape Town, I am heading there for the first time myself, so I am speaking from planning experience only--I think including this beautiful location gives a well rounded trip to SA. If you want only safari, then no to Cape Town

Why don't you post the itineraries you are considering for more in depth comments?

brw

Claudia,

July in SA will be colder/cool for safari but I enjoyed the weather. We wore coats and gloves for the early morning and evenings but were often down to our shirts during the day, it all depends on what you're use to. It ranged from 40F to 70F when we were there the 1st week of July. If birds are your thing there will be fewer but we still saw a lot of them, as for other game, the viewing was great and without all the summer leaves and grasses the game was easier to see. It also cut down on insects. We haven't been there in January but as someone said, the weather will be hot and possibly rainy. In the end, there is no really bad time to go on safari.

Bob

atravelynn

Clarifying my comment,
"Did you have particular things you wish to do in Joburg? Soweto would be a good stop, but you don't need much time there."

You don't need more than a day in Johannesburg for site seeing. Soweto would be a good place to visit during that day.

HariS

Don't forget the Apartheid museum. Was very interesting......

LoriAZ

My husband and I went in December. We stayed at Chtiwa in Kruger and had a wonderful time (see link below). We saw the big 5 and more. The climate was mild and comfortable. Afterwards we went to a Capetown suburb, Camps Bay, for a few days of relaxation on the beach. If you are into wine I highly recommend the wine country near Capetown - Stellenbosch.

http://www.chitwa.co.za/