Advice needed for 2007 Africa Safari please!

[gvre]

:) My husband and I want to safari Africa next year and we are thinking of land based guided travel rather than cruising.

 

I especially want to see the big 5 if possible. Is giraffe in that group? Hmmm...I want to see them too. My husband wants to see South Africa and Victoria Falls. He has read a lot of novels based in Africa and is pretty familiar with the country.

 

Any comments or suggestions regarding travel operators, itineraries or best time to travel would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks in advance for taking the time to post.

 

Debbie

[Roses2]

Debbie,

 

We were posted to various countries in Africa for many years and were fortunate to have had the opportunity to do game viewing in Kenya and South Africa many times. In our view nothing compares to the private game reserves in the Sabi Sands area that immediately abut the Kruger Park in South Africa.

 

While there are many choices and each of us has his/her favorite, the old stand bys are: Mala Mala (with Kirkman's Kamp and Harry's Huts), Londolozi, and Sabi-Sabi. (We had the advantage of better exchange rates than those that exist now--so we went as often as we could).

 

Mala Mala is the ne plus ultra (and priced the same). We actually prefered their Kirkman's Kamp a bit better. All three camps are on the same reserve and are all the vehicles are in radio contact. Londolozi and Sabi Sabi are also great, but have somewhat smaller areas.

 

One of the great advantages of the private parks is that they conduct night drives that enable you to see the nocturnal animals as they move about.

 

We did a fantastic all inclusive package a few years ago (it no longer exists) that included air to Capetown, Mt Nelson Hotel, Blue Train to Joburg, 5 star hotel, flight to Kruger, 3 days at Kirkman's, and return air. We would do it again at a moments notice.

 

Note: Game viewing is better in the Fall/Winter (Southern Hemisphere) because the grasses are lower and spotting a bit easier.

 

Good luck and good spotting.

[gvre]

Thanks Roses2,

 

Your information is helpful and will be saved for our future reference. Some of the camps that you mentioned are the same ones I see on some of the web sites that have popped up when doing searches. Your comments will help us to focus on them in planning our trip.:D

 

Thanks again,

Debbie

[Lightpackers]

Debbie,

 

The "Big 5" are: elephant, lion, leopard, cape buffalo and rhino. As to giraffes, you should see a great many.

 

We have traveled to 51 countries and Africa has a special place in our hearts. We have been to Kenya twice and, most recently, Tanzania. As a personal preference, we prefer national parks, both for game viewing and lodging, sonce it presents a more natural animal-viewing experience.

 

If we can help further, we would be more than happy to share names of tour companies we have used and, in the case of Tanzania, even a specific driver-guide, should he be available.

 

There is nothing like private touring and camping, if that would be something you would enjoy.

 

If you would like to correspond privately, please let us know and we would be happy to give your our e-mail address, and then e-mail information to you.

 

Helen and Bruce

[gvre]

Thanks Helen and Bruce,

 

We would love to receive any of the information regarding tour operators or anything else that you could provide. We have been doing cruises since 1999 and we have our upcoming Tahiti cruise then Caribbean in February and then we are free to plan Africa. We haven't done any land based tours so we have no idea what to expect.

 

We have a Lonely Planet Africa guide book that we used in 1999 when our ship stopped at Port Said to see Cairo and we had planned to use it in Morocco on our ship's stop in 2001 but our cruise line "Reniassance" went bankrupt a few days aftet 9/11 and we never got to take that trip.

 

We like the idea of private touring and camping and I will have to compare the what the National Parks and Private Parks offer in order to decide which ones we want to experience. Safety is an issue that I am a little concerned about but I anticipate that we could become repeat visitors to Africa throughout the coming years.

 

You can mailto: gvre@gvre.com

 

Thanks again for any information you can provide!:)

 

Debbie and Richard

[Emdee]

Hi Debbie and Richard,

 

We are just back from our south african holiday - got back on Labour Day.

 

We went to Londolozi( 4 days) Phinda ( 2 days) and cape town 4days with an overnite in Johannesberg .

 

Londolozi was wonderful - everything we hoped for and more. Phinda had beautiful rooms and magnificent sightings . We stayed at the Holiday Inn in Capetown which was OK. Booked our Capetown tour and day tours of the Cape and Wine country with our safari specialist ccafrica. They were excellent as well and all arrangements went smoothly.

 

If you have any specific questions let me know and I shall try to help.

 

We enjoyed Africa so much that we are planning a trip for an East African Safari next August.

 

Like you we are also in love with Tahiti and will be taking our third trip on the PG this December........

 

Miriam

[Irvingold]

This is my first use of any bulletin board, and I can't type!

 

We are looking for an African safari for the fall of 2007. We have been interested in Overseas Adventure Travel which has a safari entitled Ultimate Africa.

It includes Botswana, Nambia and Zimbabwe, the 3 countries we wanted to visit. does any body have any info on this company and/ or the safari?

Irvingold

[Emdee]

Irving, go to Fodor's Africa Chat there are some people who have been to all those place especially the expensive Botswana safaris. They may be able to help you with your request.

 

This board is largely for cruisers who just enjoy travelling.

[PaulaJK]

We are thinking about a South Africa vacation w. a few days of safari.

........but are not knowledgable about this area of the world. For now, we're attracted to Leopard Hills & Singita.

1 Have any of you stayed in these camps?

2 When you arrive on day 1, do they take you on the evening game

drive...and on your departure day, do they take you on the early morning

game drive........or are these down days?

3 How many days would you alot to Capetown? Any strong hotel recommendations? Restaurants?

4 Anyone w. experience touring the winelands or staying in

Constancia?

5 Is Johannesberg worth a visit?

Thanks

[wripro]

I spent the entire month of August in South Africa and it was one of the most memorable trips of my life. We stayed in two Singita camps (Boulders and Lebombo/Sweni) for a week, the most magical places on Earth imo. yes, they are very expensive, but the value is good in that everything is included and you are treated like true royalty. We arrived early afternoon and took the afternoon game drive. Also on our day of departure we took the morning drive. In total we must have done about 14 drives and each one is different as you never knwo what you will see. The rangers and trackers Singita has are superb. Plus you will not believe the accommodations.

 

We actually spent six days in Capetown. You can certainly so it in less but it was nice to have the luxury of not trying to cram too many sights into any one particular day. We stayed at the Cape Grace which we absolutely loved. Top service and accommodations plus a great location at the waterfront.

 

As for the winelands we took a day tour with a private car and driver to Franschhoek and Stellenbosch. They are lovely and reminded me alot of the Napa Valley in California. If you wanted to overnight there are several lovely inns and hotels. We took in Constantia on another day tour to the Cape of Good Hope, but again did not stay the night.

 

One place we loved was the town of Hermanus, about 90 minutes from Capetown on the Garden route. it was whale season so we were able to watch the whales frolicking from our bedroom balcony. (The Birkenhead House, where we stayed, was another terrific hotel.)

 

I don't think you can go wrong no matter where you go in South Africa. I can't wait to return.

[PaulaJK]

Thank you wripro BUT now, too many wonderful sounding choices!

 

We have been looking at the Cape Grace & Mt Nelson hotels....althouhg some are recommending the business rooms at the Radisson for their expansive size. We will be continuing onto a cruise and probably will have substantial luggage.

 

Your love of this trip seeps through your note.

[wripro]

PaulaJK,

 

The Mt. Nelson is a lovely hotel, although there is some construction going on there now, and it is not as conveniently located as the Cape Grace. Wherever you stay though do have afternoon tea at the Mt. Nelson. It is more British than anything in Britain and a wonderful experience. The Radisson does not compare in quality to either of the above hotels.

 

Actually since my return there hasn't been a day when I haven't reflected on the extraordinary experience of Africa. I can't wait to return.

[Safari Traveler]

:) My husband and I want to safari Africa next year and we are thinking of land based guided travel rather than cruising.

 

I especially want to see the big 5 if possible. Is giraffe in that group? Hmmm...I want to see them too. My husband wants to see South Africa and Victoria Falls. He has read a lot of novels based in Africa and is pretty familiar with the country.

 

Any comments or suggestions regarding travel operators, itineraries or best time to travel would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks in advance for taking the time to post.

 

Debbie

HI Debbie,

My husband and I have been to South Africa many times. We have found that the Kruger National Park is HUGE and many times you can spend a day and not see anything. We much prefer the Hluhluwe/Imfolozi game park which is 3 hours north of Durban where you can see the big 5 and giraffe. Also the Mkuze Game Reserve is about an hour north of Hluhluwe Game Reserve and well worth visiting. They have some hides in the middle of water holes and you sit and watch the animals come and drink. Two trips ago we found a tour operator by the name of Ian Stewart, if you want an excellent personal tour at reasonable prices talk to him. You can contact him on utopiatours@telkomsa.net his web site is http://www.utopiatours-sa.com It is well worth your while to talk to him. He can arrange all your tour including Victoria Falls and all hotels etc. I hope this helps and hope you enjoy your trip.

Regards, Heather

[Mercury]

Hi Debbie

 

I live in South Africa and agree with Roses2 about the private parks in the Sabi Sands bordering the Kruger Park. They are an absolute MUST. You will definitely see Big 5 and have a wonderful time. We took American friends to a place called Chitwa Chitwa and they absolutely loved it.

 

I personally find the weather at the parks in Natal too humid and uncomfortable for game viewing.

 

Lastly, there is NO WAY that you can go to the Kruger Park and not see any game for a whole day (as a previous poster mentioned)! In any case, Kruger park is predominantly a "drive yourself around" park and is not to be confused with the private parks with trained rangers like Mala Mala and Londolozi where you will most certainly see Big 5 and definitely giraffe.

 

Enjoy our country!

[rollingstone]

Hi Richard & Debbie,

Check out Friendlyplanet.com or smartours.com We have used both and were very pleased. We used FP for our trip to Kenya & Tanzania. We saw more animals that I had ever hoped for. The South Africa trip has an extention to Victoria Falls and Botswana.

Have a great cruise next week

Nancy

[gvre]

Hi Nancy,

 

As you can see below we are just a few days from our b2b, 20 day Tahitian adventure. We are very excited and find it hard to think about anything but our upcoming cruise!:D

 

You can be sure that I will use your tips when we return and begin planning our safari earnest and I'll probably have questions for you then. It looks like we will cancel our europe cruise next summer and do Africa instead towards the end of 2007.

 

I really appreciate your comments and hope you guys have a great cruise yourselves.

 

Debbie

 

Hi Mercury, Mariam, wripro and Heather,

 

Just wanted you to know your comments have not gone unnoticed! I have read each one and I am saving the information for planning our trip. Your comments are very helpful and I know I will have more questions when we start making our plans. I appreciate each one of you taking the time to reply to me.

 

Thanks,

Debbie

[Emdee]

Leopard Hills and Kings Camp have received rave reviews from a group of american tourists. If you go to Luxury Cruise Travel you can read all about their trip. I believe that Kings Camp is half the cost of Leopard Hills.

I enjoyed arrangements made by ccafrica with every little detail taken care off. Once you are used to cruising and such service oriented vacations the small touches and comforts become very important.

 

Enjoy Tahiti - I am waiting for december to go there again - our third time.

 

Miriam

[alsas]

My wif and I stayed at Phinda for 5 days last year and it was so fantastic to difficult to do it justice ....saw big 5 had fantastic experience and treated like royalty. we stayed in a small compound not the main hotel and that is what i would recommend. Happy trails Alsas

[SnowBunny7]

I spent a few weeks in Tanzania (Mt. Kili area, Serengeti National Park, and many smaller villages) followed by a nice week in Zanzibar. I have ample amazing pictures from my journey -- feel free to email me and I can send you the link through shutterfly. Along our trip, we stogged at the NgorogoroCrater -- and I have pictures of the rhino -- absolutely amazing! I used Adventure Center for my tour, and I had an amazing trip. I was lucky to see the Big Five -- and also invested in art from the local tribes. Africa was a trip I'll never forget -- I encourage everyone to add it to their exotic vacation. Make sure you take medications for malaria, ample protection against mosquitos, and light weight clothing. I went in late February through early March -- right at the time of the annual migration. It was the perfect time to go -- right before the big rains, and the plains were covered with millions of animals. If I went again -- I would pick the same time.

 

Enjoy!!!

 

munns7@yahoo.com