Hi,
I have been to, and loved, East Africa and South Africa and now would like to take my husband and adult son to experience some of the magic. Bumpy roads and long game drives will be very difficult on my husband. This will likely be their only trip to Africa, how and where would you recommend we go? We have fairly flexible budget and can go any time of year. Our son is interested in Capetown if that fits in, but it is not essential.

Thanks.

A good option for you may be doing the overland tour from Namibia to Victoria Falls. You can start in Windhoek, en route there are lots of camps and lodges so you can get a proper bed if you want. Lots of wildlife, some culture and spectacular nature. You could then fly to Capetown first, spend a few days there and then fly on to Windhoek...just a thought. We do this trip a lot and it´s a great route with lots of things to see and do...

When you mention the long drives and bumpy roads are you referring to experiences from your past trips?

Would he be ok with lots of padded cushions in the vehicle? You could arrange that at one of the Sabi Sands lodges, I imagine...

If you hire your own vehicle you could dictate the length of time spent on game drives, and could even specify that the driver avoid the most rocky road beds.... I'm just speaking of a safari portion of the trip... I was a passenger in a private vehicle once, hired my two travel companions (I was lucky!). That lets you spend your preferred amount of time on the drives, stopping as you choose. At Tswalu, every guest, or every couple, is assigned a private driver and guide included in the daily rate.

Do you even want to do more game drives?


Namibia sounds like a good idea as I imagine much driving is on sand, so less up and down movement. And many people fly from camp to camp.
Perhaps look into the Kalahari as well, for the same reason...with a big budget you could spend time at Jack's Camp in Botswana.

I think a safari in South Africa would be the best option for your husband. I would say Pilanesberg or Kruger Park where (most of) the roads are asphalted. Both parks can easily be done by self-drive. You don't even need a 4WD.
Fly into Johannesburg and do your safari, then fly to Cape Town.

From own experience: a safari in Kenya and Tanzania always involves (very) bumpy roads.

In my experience, the best maintained roads in Africa are any Singita property if you have the budget. If you are looking for something more moderately priced but still private, I'd take a look at Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe and Mana Pools National Park, Zimbabwe. Look at Little Makalolo and Ruckomechi respectively. Hwange is pretty gentle in my experiences. I also think MalaMala can be quite gentle and it is a private game reserve in the Kruger. I'd avoid anything in an East Africa national park (bad roads) and I'd avoid the rainy season as very few companies can keep up with the runoff on a daily basis. It makes the roads bumpy. The Mara Private conservancies keep the road quite smooth during the dry season and so do the Laikipia conservancies like Lewa Wildlife Conservancy.

Craig you are such an asset on this forum. Thank you!

Thanks! Sorry I have been offline. I had hand surgery back in October. Getting better.