Hey gang...longtime Fodor's member, first time Africa poster.

Just got news that we'll be joining a family vacation in December in South Africa. The plan for that, as I understand it, will be more or less a 2-week excursion in South Africa only...and the in-laws are planning all of it (hard as it is for my travel planning compulsion, I will have to relent and let them do the planning since we're the ones being invited). I believe they'll be going through Wilderness Safaris as they've used them before and are really happy with them.

I may chime in with questions soon about the South Africa portion itself, but, for now, I'm here to inquire about the end of that trip where, DH and I will extend the vacation an extra week and do something on our own. Given that we have been long-planning a safari for our 15th anniversary (which is in 2020) I figured it's best to save that trip for ourselves and not try and bookend an actual multi-country safari onto this trip--we have no time for it and, in addition, I really want to do that safari during the migrations and in May/June, not December. Plus, I'm sure we'll be at Kruger (and other SA parks) during the first two weeks so we'll definitely get to see animals on this trip.

That said, what I'm thinking is we fly from Cape Town for 2 nights in Kenya at the Giraffe Manor (where, I believe, we can also tag on a visit to the Sheldrick sanctuary through the hotel) and then 4-6 nights in Seychelles. So, some questions:

*I assume, given the proposed itinerary, this is straightforward enough for me to book without any travel planner. I am very much used to planning my own travel but I've heard varying things about arranging private transfers, etc. which we'll need on this trip. Just don't want to pay for something we don't need.

*Is there a preferred airline between these 3 places? Looks like I might be stuck with Kenya Airways the whole way based on what I'm seeing now.

*For Seychelles, with the limited time we have there, is it better to stick with one destination or try for two?

Thanks for the starting help on this...it's very much appreciated!

It does indeed look like Kenya Airways is going to be your best bet. Do you know yet what airline you'll be using to get to and from SA? Will the in-laws be providing air transportation or will that part be on your nickel? Or would they be providing airfare to SA, and this would be tacked on by you?

Since it's way too early to book anything anyway, if it was me I'd be road testing lots of options - Mauritius instead of the Seychelles, or some other interesting destination where it might not be quite as hot and wet as the Seychelles (or Kruger, for that matter - don't forget malaria prophylaxis if that's important to you.) Since you're already traveling halfway around the world (California, right?) you've got lots of options, depending on your interests and on the costs entailed.

I was in the Seychelles mid December just gone, it was rainy at times but not as rainy as I expected, mostly in the afternoons and I didn't find it too hot at all, in fact not quite hot enough. Not sure Mauritius is any drier during December. It is peak season for both islands even though it is rainy season. Can't say that Seychelles is somewhere I would go to again, nothing wrong with it exactly, it's much poorer than anywhere I've been in the Caribbean, it was difficult to plan ferries & other excursions as you never knew if the weather would be ok. Food & drink expensive. Not sure where to suggest that doesn't have a rainy season in December (in that general region), I've been on a beach holiday to Malindi which was really good but not sure of the weather or safety issues. On the other hand, I've been to Durban couple times during Dec/Jan and the weather/beaches etc were glorious.

Karen Blixen's House is not far from the Giraffe Centre and well worth visiting IMO.

When we visited Nairobi, all the travel arrangements were made by ourselves, transfer from airport to hotel was arranged by the hotel and they provided car and driver for excursions to the Giraffe Centre/Sheldrick Orphanage and Karen Blixens House. We wanted to stay at the Fairview Hotel but it was full. I get the impression it does get booked up.

While I love the Seychelles (I was there last April), December is known to be hot and rainy. Zanzibar in December is somewhat unpredictable with the weather but as you head into January, Zanzibar has a short dry season that extends until March when the Monsoon period starts. Jan and Feb are very popular times to visit the island. Late December may be a good shoulder on the weather. Zanzibar has incredible resorts and offers wonderful snorkel and scuba.
I also think Mauritius would offer better weather than Seychelles at that time of year and is certainly easy to fly to (out of JNB and direct). I have clients in Mauritius now who are having a great time!
Overall, ​​​​​​I think the weather is very difficult to predict. I think looking at historical averages helps though. I would certainly compare costs and logistics to get somewhere of one beach destination vs another.
Happy to help!
Dianne

Thank you @Gardyloo, @Odin and @diannelovestravel! All great starter advice and really appreciate the time you all took to respond.

You are not incorrect in focusing in on the beach time as that's really the biggest unknown--or the area most prone to adverse weather in December. It's a good reminder to me that Seychelles isn't all that sunny in December and, so, maybe an alternative isn't a bad idea. But I do agree with Odin, in that I cannot find anything that tells me that weather-wise Mauritius is all that much better than Seychelles in December. It seems it may be marginally better, but they're not that far away from each other and Mauritius also seems to have its fair share of monsoon season in December.

Trying to find that beach destination we're so wanting to tag onto this trip and there seems to be a lot of risk around both Seychelles and Mauritius. Zanzibar, to be perfectly honest, has never really been high on my list for a multitude of reasons, but let's just say that I don't think we would feel particularly comfortable there. Although it may sound mad (it does!), what I'm leaning towards is the Maldives. It's been on our to-visit list forever and we weren't able to make it happen when we visited Sri Lanka two years ago. I know it's worlds away, but it is an overnight flight from Kenya (through Doha) and so that makes it possible...even though we'll likely be exhausted, we can sleep on the beach for days!

@Gardyloo, to answer your questions re: air travel, we'll be handling all our flights and, for now, the plan is to fly as much as possible of our trip on Qatar. So no real alliance advantages that I can see to deal with these one-off internal flights.

Filmwill, you could also consider neighbouring Mozambique. It has some spectacular beaches and even more amazing lodges. Pestana Inhaca Lodge.Indigo Bay Island Resort and Spa Bazaruto.
Nyati Beach Lodge.Catembe Gallery Hotel.Villas do Indico.Dugong Beach Lodge.Hotel Polana Maputo.Ibo Island Lodge.
A short flight from JNB ,Wonderful seafood with a Portuguese touch.

Isn't it the wet summer season in Mozambique during December? I believe the weather will be dryer during December in the Maldives.

Let me pose what might be an obvious question. If you have an extra week, want something on a beach or (presumably) water-oriented, and you're using Qatar Airlines, why not someplace in the Middle East instead? What about someplace on the Red Sea like Aqaba, or the big Marriott resort on the Dead Sea? You could fly to Amman and get a car, or, while Qatar can't get you there (but Royal Jordanian could) fly to Tel Aviv and drive down to Eilat. Warm but not stifling weather, superb snorkeling and scuba in the Red Sea, and you won't be worried about rain or bugs.

OR, if you're indeed located in California (but doable even if you're not) what about flying west instead of east? Round trip from LAX/SFO to Joburg or Cape Town via Hong Kong on Cathay Pacific (partner with Qatar) is a couple of hundred dollars more than via Doha on Qatar, but most of Cathay's fare rules allow up to four stopovers. So stop over in Hong Kong on the way back, maybe with a side trip to some beachy resort in Asia.

A far less obvious alternative (and herewith my personal broken record) would be to merge the Africa stay into a round-the-world trip. (I did a long "primer" thread about these products here - Round-the-world and multi-continent airfares ) You could fly from the US to either Asia or Europe, stop over if you want, then down to Africa, then return home by way of whatever ocean you didn't cross (Atlantic or Pacific) on the way there.

Just throwing out some ideas...

I've been to Sharm El Sheikh during February and it was freezing cold. Too cold for snorkelling, for scuba, the dive master wore a dry suit. I know it is not Aqaba but it is further south on the Red Sea. If you look at the weather forecast, the temps look great, warm, sunny but somehow when you are there it feels really cold.

Very true! December and January is hot humid and high probability of rain for Mozambique and the Bazaruto Archipelago. Not the time to go there.
Best
Dianne

Hi Filmwil
I'm no expert but will be travelling to S. Africa, Uganda and Kenya in September 2019, so have booked all my flights and tours, etc. If you are determined to go to Kenya for 2 nights (which is pretty short) to see Sheldricks and stay at Giraffe Manor, check the Giraffe Manor website. I found that it books up months in advance, and there may be no rooms available in December. If going to Kenya, consider Mombasa for your beach get-away. Weather looks okay for December (can't post URL for you yet as I'm a new member), but google Mombasa weather December.
Also if you do fly to Nairobi from South Africa (from Jo-burg if you are in Kruger) try booking with South Africa Air. Just looked into a flight (random date Dec. 9) one way to Nairobi, approximately $781 US per person. Can then catch Kenyan Airways flight to Mombasa.
Cheers
Heather