lifelist

Hello all,

My summer vacation plans got upended with my sister getting married, and my original plans had to be scrapped because of the date of the wedding. So I'm scrambling a bit for alternatives.

I had noticed that South Africa was one of the few places where the dollar was doing better, so I was thinking of a two-week trip down there for end of June/Beginning of July. CCAfrica seems to have some good deals right now.

My thinking is to fly out there (SFO-CPT), spend a few days in Cape Town, and then do something like 4 days in Phinda and 4 days in Exeter (or, some similar combination of CCAfrica camps), then fly home.

Am I too late? Worth inquiring with CCAfrica to see what they can put together? Alternatives to this plan for a last minute safari?

Trying to keep the budget to less than $6000USD including intnl airfare, traveling solo. Two weeks maximum.

hlg22

Hi lifelist,
I was in the very same position last year - I found out my summer vacation plans were off at the end of June, and was able to plan a safari for the end of August. I went with my sister and we spent three nights at CCA's Exeter Leadwood and LOVED it. We also went to Cape Town and Victoria Falls.

We booked through Bob Berghaier at Premier Tours and he was very responsive and good at putting the trip together quickly, and our budget was about the same as yours.

Let me know if you have any questions - I did a trip report here: http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...lg22&fid=1.

Heidi

hlg22

Sorry, that link for the trip report doesn't work - try this instead: http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35068300

LuxuryCruiseBible

You might want to look into Ker & Downey as well. They have some good looking South Africa packages: http://www.kerdowney.com

I also just received an email from a New York Times travel feed about South Africa specials: http://www.southafrica.net/liveitup/

And, if you're looking for a great travel agent who specializes in South Africa, try Brown & Keene Travel: http://www.bkafrica.com (I'm going to SA in September and booked through BK.)

Good luck planning your trip!

Andrea

atravelynn

Lifelist, it is worth a try to see what's open. Your plan looks good to me.

matnikstym

Figure on around $2200.00 airfare from SFO-CPT for the time you want to go and another $400-$500 to get to the lodges from Capetown. I see Exeter has a special running for $1500 for 4 nights.(doesn't say how much for single supplement) You should be able to do it but don't know how much Capetown will cost you. I think Phinda was around $2300 for 4 nights (again don't know about single supplement and transfers between camps)

Dana_M

lifelist,
If you haven't already done so, make sure you also check out the website for CCAfrica auctions, at

www.safariasap.com

lifelist

I sent an e-mail to CCAfrica to check on prices. They're quoting me $12450 ZAR for Exeter (4 nights) and $10500 ZAR for Phinda (4 nights for 3). So, $22950 for 8 nights, which is roughly $2800 USD.

However, the internal flights (ORT-Phinda, Phinda-Exeter, Exeter-ORT) are $16000 ZAR, which is about $2000 USD. Ouch.

I've asked them for ways to cut down the transfer costs (e.g. land transfers), but if they can't, it's a budget buster.

I've also started looking into Mobile Safaris. Perhaps, something in Botswana with Game Trails or Wilderness Safaris.

The real problem with last minute travel is my inability to use my frequent flier miles to drive down the cost of international flights.

ShayTay

Have you looked at the Skyauction website? They've got some auctions going right now for South Africa, both tours and air tickets on Virgin. You have to read all the fine print about taxes, fees, seasonal surcharges added to your bid price, but I think you'd still pay less than for a regular ticket.

lifelist

Hmm, road transfer options are surprisingly expensive:

Road Transfer Option is ZAR 12,796.00 (US $ 1,583.00)

It's only a savings of $300 USD. And, even then, these are only transfers between Richards Bay and Phinda; and, Exeter and Kruger. So, I'd still need to get flights. Looks like a wash to me.

This makes it about $7000 USD (including intnl airfare) plus whatever it costs to run down to CPT for a few days.

I also checked the deal sites and auction website, and there doesn't seem to be much going on that fits for me, unfortunately.

hlg22

I would suggest checking with Premier Tours to see what they can do for you - they are also an airfare consolidator for SAA. I just checked my file and our internal flights JNB-CPT-MQP-JNB-LVI-JNB plus international flights IAD-JNB-IAD were a total of $2000. We were road transfered from MQP-Exeter.

matnikstym

Why not just stay at 1 lodge, you'd probably get a long-stay discount and according to CCAfrica's website, Exeter is a short drive from Skukuza or KMIA. Flights to KMIA from JNB are only around $150 return for the time you'll be there. I don't see how they can charge you so much when SAA is so cheap, and if it's that close to the airport the transfer shouldn't be that much. (We paid $20.00 from Skukuza to Mala Mala-about an hour drive-the $20.00 was a tip, the transport was free from Avis)

From CCAfrica's page for Exeter
<i>Federal Air offers daily scheduled flights from Johannesburg International Airport to Skukuza Airstrip, followed by a short drive to Exeter.
Twice daily scheduled flights from Johannesburg to Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport, followed by a road transfer to the Lodge
Driving time for self-drive guests from Johannesburg to Exeter Private Game Reserve is five and a half hours on excellent roads.
</i>

lifelist

I dunno - 8 days at the same lodge is probably too much for me. I suppose I could do a split between Exeter and Ngala, but again, that seems a bit excessive for one region.

I've asked some more questions from CC Africa, trying to figure out why the road transfers are so expensive. If you figure 4 hours round trip for two transfers, they're basically asking for $125 USD an hour - that's a lot.

cary999

Above by Dennis to stay in one lodge would save you a lot of $$$$. Many times (not always) I get 5 nights of camp for price of 4. You could try for 8 nights for price of 6. This plus no extra airfare to/from Phinda would save you several hundred $$$.

Also, you might check with the &quot;Seasons in Africa&quot; people. http://www.seasonsinafrica.com/
They do not have Phinda but Madikwe and good camps in the Timbavati and Sabi Sand. They also have a resort hotel in CPT. I got a good deal with them in May 2007 by staying at three of their camps.

regards - tom

rickmck

lifelist,

Thanks for the info you posted on transfer costs (air and land) between properties in SA. I have been looking for info on this topic on another thread, and what you have posted is useful...

If you are now looking at mobile safaris in Botswana as a possibility, I did the WS Migration Routes last October and loved it. I finished off with 3 nights at Mala Mala in SA. That was my first (and, so far, only) African safari, and I thought that the camping + MM at the end made for a brilliant trip.

I posted an abreviated trip report here:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35087419

and links to pics here:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35089092

Happy to answer any questions you may have about that trip...

lifelist

Just an update: the road transfers are so expensive because it's a two-person minimum and they're charging me for two people rather than one.

cruisinred

I was just checking airfares and Delta is running some good deals as they are just starting flights to CPT. Looks like $1400 from SFO-CPT at end of June including all taxes....that sounds pretty good to me??

Also, I was going to suggest you check luxurylink.com for some deals, but I am not sure how their packages stack up for you as a single, as they are for 2 but it might be worth checking out

lifelist

Cruisinred - nice find on the Delta fares. I found the $1400 fare, and it looks good. I do lose a day since to get it that cheap, I would have to leave on a Sunday rather than a Saturday, but it looks very good.

Saves me $800 off the budget I was putting together - so, figure $6200 plus whatever it costs to hang out in CPT and a RT to JNB.

I've got some e-mails out regarding Mobile safaris, so I'll see what options that gives me.

thit_cho

Have you given any thought to self-driving in Kruger for a week or so, perhaps with 2/3 nights at a pair of camps. Its much more affordable than a private, solo safari, and you'll see as much, if not more, since your safari time will not be restricted to morning and afternoon game drives.

I've done self drives in Kruger, Kgalagadi and Hluhluwe, and a private safari in the Sabi Sands, and the self drive was the most fun -- you have to use your brain and eyes rather than being a passenger driven from sighting to sighting.

There have been some excellent recent reports on trips to Kruger, and it may be something to consider -- you can also reduce your average price by spending some time in Kruger and then moving to the Sabi Sands.

isabel25

I think the reason that your internal flights are so expensive is that you are traveling from Cape Town instead of Johannesburg. I think the transfer from Johannesburg to Phinda or to Sabi Sands reserves is only about $250/ person.

If you are planning to spend some time in Cape Town, check out Mango Air and other local carriers. They have some very inexpensive flights between Johannesburg and Cape Town.

We're going from LAX to Johannesburg, then to Phinda, then to Cape Town, then to Mala Mala. We were able to work our flights out so that we only had to spend the very first night in Johannesburg, and that's only because we were flying on the direct Delta flight from Atlanta which arrives in Johannesburg in late afternoon. There are many international flights that arrive in the morning. To get to Cape Town, we looked at all of the options and figured out that it was easiest and quickest to use the standard lodge transfers in and out of Johannesburg, and then to get to and from Cape Town on a cheap local carrier.