lauraharing

My fiance and I are planning our two week honeymoon in Africa for August 2014. We believe we've found a great place for a safari (Vuyani Safari Lodge in South Africa near Kruger Park for probably 3-5 nights), but we are trying to decide what to do with the rest of our time. We've come up with some ideas but would love some feedback on what is most feasible in our time frame, and especially how to travel between locations. Below are some of the locations we've talked about (ranked from most interested to least):
-Zanzibar or another beach location
-Victoria Falls
-Johannesburg
-Zip 2000 zipline in Sun City

Any feedback or suggestions on other locations to consider are much appreciated!

silverbird10

Hey,
You can still be more adventurous and go to all the places to get more exposure.

But it is advisable to start with the safari then finish with the beach. You can also try out Kenya.

Enjoy your honeymoon.

TracksBerg2013

A honeymoon is a once-in-a-lifetime occasion, and the question here becomes, how many days do you have left after your Kruger safari? Safaris can be physically taxing and strenuous, I would suggest if you have limited days after your safari it would be advisable to stick to one country but if you have more days then a visit to the Island of Zanzibar comes highly recommended, it’s famous for its sparkling white beach, rich cultural history and its architectural town.

christabir

Vuyani is in the Moditlo Game Reserve - it is a fenced (the wildlife can't freely move between reserves) reserve and not really near Kruger. Look into Elephant Plains, Arathusa, Shindzela, Umkumbe and Gomo Gomo for better wildlife experiences in the same price range.

Victoria Falls is an expensive add-on. Unless you are really into waterfalls or adventure (like bungee jumping) it may be more time and money than you should set aside. In August it is also less full (dry season) than other times of the year. But you could do falls and safari by doing Chobe with a day trip to VF.

Zanzibar is easier with East Africa. There are beautiful beaches near Durban and St Lucia in S Africa. I am not a beach person, so I would do Cape Town (beautiful city!! Joburg is just a city) and see the penguins, maybe whale watching, and get a hotel on/near the water.

Getting around - renting a car is easy if you are comfortable on the left side of the road. You can also get drivers for transfers (Wilro). You can fly to airports near Kruger and arrange for transfers through the safari camp.

So many options. The scariest part is you'll want to return again and again!!

KathBC

I agree with Mang, if you're really interested in Zanzibar (I absolutely loved it!!) then plan your safari in Tanzania also.

I did the Northern Circuit in 6 days. Tarangire, Ngorongoro, Serengeti, then fly from Serengeti to Zanzibar. The flight itself is spectacular! IMHO Lake Manyara doesn't really warrant an over night.

In Zanzibar the beaches around Nungwi are incredible and then a day or 2 in Stonetown taking in the culture.

sandi

La Gemma might be lovely, but also a very large hotel. For honeymoon you'd want something more intimate.

Of course most are recommending if you wish ZNZ to stay at Tanzania, but you can just as easily visit in Kenya (right next door), somewhat less expensive, wonderful off-the-beaten track areas with few vehicles/tourists, and then fly to ZNZ. Difference between flying from Tanzania mainland to ZNZ or if from Kenya is all of 30/minutes.

The 'migration' is in full swing in Kenya's Masai Mara during time you'll be visiting with some outstanding camps on the private conservancies at all budgets.

Besides there are more int'l flight into Nairobi/NBO, Kenya at more competitive fares.

As others mention, Vic Falls is just water, and at low flow during August. A very expensive extension.

Suggest you pick up a copy of Fodor's 'Complete Safari Planning Guide' that covers all the safari countries. Also get yourself a map to see just how big the Continent is.