stormysunshine5

Hi All!

I am traveling to South Africa on the 8th of August. This is my first time visiting and we will be doing 5 nights in Cape Town and 4 nights in the Kruger area. With it getting so close I am getting a bit anxious and worried that I am overlooking some big issue that I should have addressed before arrival.

As far as our itinerary goes: We have yet to set up any tours for Cape Town aside from a shark dive with Apex Predators. We know that we want to tour the Cape Point area and the Winelands, and we will definitely take advantage of the first clear day to go to Table Mt. We were thinking about renting a car and doing a bit of self driving, is this a good idea? Or is it best to stick with guided tours?
In Kruger we will be staying 3 of the nights at a private game lodge in Sabi Sand with safari drives included. The 4th night will be open to see the area. We were thinking of doing a Shangana cultural dinner and the last morning we have in the area we were considering self driving to the Blythe River Canyon. Is this something you all would recommend?

I guess my main concern is revolving around general questions. I read somewhere that sim cards from all cell phones need to be registered for use in South Africa, is this true? And if so, how do I go about doing this? I have a global capable phone, so theoretically it should work. Also, are luggage limits the same on the smaller aircraft we would use to travel within South Africa, as they are on the international flights we will be taking into the country (50 pounds for checked bags, 1st bag free (SAA))? We will be purchasing wine to bring back home, does anyone know the limits on what we can bring back into the States? What are the dress requirements for dinner at most restaurants in Cape Town and the lodges in Kruger?

Any input would be appreciated. I have just started to pack, and the questions just keep growing. I am definitely excited, but also apprehensive for my first trip anywhere outside the North American continent.

Thanks!!

qwovadis

the biggest thing I see folks forget is comprehensive trip cover

always go with quotewright.com or insuremytrip.com

for me last PATRIOT(Nationwide) great policy $1-2 pp per day.

Saved my X 2 last year with the Iceland volcano and unrest in SA

onebag.com great packing tips...

mobal.com if I need cell otherwise Skype for me cheapest

SIM roaming charges expensive avoid...

Happy Travels!

cary999

Forget about insuring your luggage. But do make sure your medical insurance covers you. Some do, some don't outside of USA. And you might want to consider emergency medical evacuation such as MedJetAssist. - http://medjetassist.com/

That 4th night in Sabi Sand, you have nothing planned for it now? Myself, I'd spend it also in Sabi Sand. How are you getting back from Sabi S to JNB? Dress code in SS camps is very casual, comfy slacks/jeans for both men and women. I know nothing about sim cards and phones.

Take $100 in fresh crisp $1 bills for tips. Call your credit card companies and tell them you will be using your card in Africa. Etc, don't forget the etc .

regards - tom

christabir

Definitely get med/evac insurance. I use insuremytrip.com, too. $1 million minimum evac. I don't insure our travel.

For making calls, I used a calling card. For R25 (about $3.50), we called home 6 times. You will need to unlock your phone to get a local sim card. We used our global phone a few times and with roaming it cost us about $25 - no biggie. But if you want to, you can buy a cheap local phone. We don't find it necessary. Email with wifi is free and only used our phone for emergencies.

Much lower baggage allowances on local flights. We only take carry on (even for a three week trip!). You can do or have laundry done.

Have you driven on the "wrong" side of the road? Would you be comfortable doing that? Do you get nervous if you're a little lost? A private driver is not that expensive for peace of mind. Legal drinking limit is close to 0.00, so I'd get a driver for winelands and it's nice to have someone give information on the drive to the Cape of Good Hope.

You can get wine shipped home. Much cheaper option is to order your favorites at your local liquor store when you get home. We do it often. Duty free at the airport is cheaper too, but you still have to lug it home.

It sounds like you are trying to do too much on that last day. I'd add the night at Sabi Sand, too. Without knowing how you are getting back to JNB, it's difficult to help. You could also go to the Cradle of Humankind in Johannesburg. Those pseudo cultural things can't compare.

Robben Island was outstanding. If you like flowers at all, Kirstenbosch Garden is beautiful. The hop on hop off bus is very useful for getting around Cape Town.

Have fun! Nice first international trip!

stormysunshine5

Thanks for all of the responses! I have yet to buy medical insurance for the trip, but I will take your advice and make sure I get it, I will check out the sites you all suggested.

We are flying from Kruger MQP to JNB late afternoon. Once in JNB we will only have a few hours before we catch our international flight home. We had considered staying an extra night in Sabi Sands, but the lodge we are staying at only had availability for three nights. We opted to save some money on that last night and stay outside of the park in Hazyview, thinking that there would be a few things we'd want to see in that area outside of the park. We are considering doing an encounter at Elephant Whispers, but haven't made our minds up yet. And the photos of the Blyde River Canyon look so beautiful, we would really like to make a trip to see some of that area if we can squeeze it in.

We have already rented a car for the Kruger leg of the trip, it was much more cost effective to do so than to arrange transfers. No, I have never driven on the "wrong" side of the road before. I have been to the US Virgin Islands where they do drive on the left side, but I didn't have to worry about driving there like I will in South Africa. My concern there were just to make sure the driver stayed on the left side, so I guess I have a bit of experience just not first hand! Is the steering wheel on the left or right side? I don't normally get flustered when lost, but driving on the left side will take a bit of time to get used too! My main concern with renting a car is safety, so many sites seem to warn against it.

I never thought to just wait until we got home to order the wine we liked from our local liquor store. I will def. check into that. I have seen several tours that combine the Cape Point tour with the Winelands, is half a day enough to spend in the Winelands? I know that we will probably revisit the Cape Peninsula area throughout the week, so the half day tour there would be enough to get us started and give us an idea of where we would want to spend more time.

As far as the cell phone, I just want to be sure that I have a way to make contact in case of an emergency. Outside of a quick call home to let everyone know we made it, I don't plan to use the phone at all.

Thanks Again!

Celia

You can get a sim card at the airport when you arrive in SA. (Your phone must be unlocked, as well as being globally capable.) The people at the store will install the card and take care of registering it. It costs about $20 or $25, and that includes plenty of air time for things like making restaurant reservations and so forth. Last time we were in SA we used up our leftover time calling home to the US.

My husband and I are great lovers of SA wine. Don't try to ship it home (very expensive). If you bring it home it has to be in your checked luggage, not your carry-on, so it has to be wrapped very carefully or you'll end up with purple clothes. SA wines are pretty widely available in the US now, and a good wine merchant will be try to get you any that you want.

As for driving in SA, it's not bad at all. Just have the passenger remind the driver at every intersection and at every turn, to "keep left". Also pay attention in parking lots, where there aren't any markings to help you.

Have a wonderful time!

Celia

christabir

Re: med insurance. You can find a plan that will also cover the car rental insurance. On insuremytrip.com, just plug in 0.00 for your travel insurance. We got $100,000/$1,000,000 med/evac and $50,000 car rental for $122 for two for three weeks ( plus a couple of other nice bonuses).

The wheel is on the right, keep left. I had a lot of trouble with "space" - keeping left was ok but I kept too far left because I'm used to being on that side of the car so for a couple of days I was riding the left shoulder. Funny. You'll be driving on gravel on the way to Sabi Sand, and a sedan will be just fine.

Just call your phone carrier and make sure you can use it while in SA. For just a couple of calls, the roaming (I paid $2.89/minute) is really no big deal. Do call your credit card co's and ATM card bank to tell them you'll be in SA. Then call the day before you leave to make sure it's ok. You can get rand through any bank in CT or JNB that way.

I'd do the Blyde River area. It is really very pretty. You could also drive around Kruger NP for the day. It was one of the best experiences I've ever had!

A half day is not enough for the Cape Peninsula, but if you're not a big wine lover a half day is fine for wine country. It's a very pretty area, too.

Do you know if your credit card charges foreign transaction fees. Capital One does not. Saves 3-4%.

I use a large liquor store to order wine. They have been able to order everything I've requested. And don't forget the Amarula. Better than the wine for me!

braaiseason

Driving is easy once you get used to the left lane, outside of the cities the roads are very good, not heavy traffic. Always keep the car doors locked once inside driving along & if you stop at view points or along the cape peninsular make sure you lock the doors after getting out, the baboons are crafty, in search of food. If you stop at Boulders Beach for the penguins just make sure you look under the car before driving of.

SA roads have wide verges, if a faster car comes up behind you you pull over onto the verge to give them room to pass you & then they will wink the hazard lights as a 'thank you' this is very common in SA but just watch out for the odd person standing there.

In SA traffic lights are called 'robots'. At petrol stations attendants clean your windowscreen, check & fill up the oil & put the fuel in the tank for you, they are not paid by the garage they earn their money from tips.

Taking of tips I've suggested on this forum before that tourists who like to leave a tip do so in local currency, otherwise the recipient has to get it exchanged & it will be at a cost to them so the gesture becomes fruitless.

I hope the CT weather is kind to you in August & watch out for whales along the False Bay coastline.