1

Cape Town by a mile. You can either look for something in the city bowl (CBD, Gardens, Bokaap, Waterfront, etc.) or near a beach somewhere (Camps Bay, Muizenberg, Houtbay, Simon's Town, etc.).

2

I have driven (lone female) in South Africa and never felt worried. Usual rules, don't drive after dark, lock car doors in cities, check out your route beforehand. I don't carry a mobile phone with me but many people recommend it.
I have never been to Pilanesberg but Cape Town and surrounding area is one of my favourite places. Presume your 3.5 week trip is an organised one , constantly on the go, so maybe Pilanesberg/Sun City would be the place to do nothing. Shame to fly to cape Town and then do nothing.

3

Hi,
There is the "Cradle of Mankind" just outside of Johannesburg.

I am amazed that very few people are interested in the exhibits and caves!

4

"My husband and I are spending 3.5 weeks traveling through Africa in September (Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Botswana, South Africa) and end up finishing the trip in Johannesburg."

This is Amazing Race pace. Besides riding in a vehicle, what do you hope to experience in that amount of time?

5

Wow, Amazing Race pace, hey? Ah well, each to their own.

I guess getting back to the original post, I was most interested in what people had to say about the safety of driving around Johannesburg versus the effort/cost of flying to Cape Town. Thanks to Ghalied, ambarush and South of 60 for their suggestions.

Any other thoughts would be great :)

6

I'd definitely vote Cape Town too. You can choose to be as active or inactive as you like.
There's a sale on at the moment on Kulula (airline). Flights JNB-CPT from R399 o/w incl all taxes, so it's not v expensive.
SAA and BA usually have fares around R800 all incl every day as well.

Re safety of driving - I've driven tens of thousands of km on my own here and never felt anxious. Just be more aware than at home and don't drive at too much at night, lock car doors and don't have bags visible in the car.
3 days in Pilanesburg/Sun City would be too much in my opinion.

7

BigBri means that you won't have much time outside of your car with just 3,5 weeks in such a huge area, it's a valid point.
Joburg and Cape Town are not to be compared, CT has the views, the sea and the wine, Joburg has the history and the big city pulse. I drive around central Joburg after dark often enough and feel fine. If you know where you're going and where not to go it should be OK.
I'd certainly make time for a Soweto tour and the Apartheidsmuseum. With an extra day a visit to Maropeng/Sterkfontein is highly recommended (1,8mln year old skeletons found there are currently on show) and perhaps a visit to the Constitution Hill museum. As Cape Town and the surrounding delights would easily merit a stay of a week, perhaps you should leave that for another trip.

8

I wouldn't worry about driving from Jo'burg to Pilanesberg. We did it without any problem (2 girls of 28 y.o) Do take a good map with you though!

9

Reckon i'll leave choice of venue to you,but it's not advisable driving to CT from time perspective point of view.It's a days drive from JHB to CT,and you'll need sleep,maybe 2 days wasted of your vacation just travelling.It's a 1600km drive.And even 3 days isn't enough for Cape town,but you may get a taste to return. I have a friend who's a guide working for one of Tourism companies taking people around Cape Town,but unsure of Tour company and only have his name & phone nr.I haven't been on this site for more than a year,and don't know if allowed to pass my email or phone nr,so you could chat with him.Let me know if i can maybe send a personal message with his phone number,or email & you can give him a call.
Things to do in CT:Robben Island/Cape point Nature Reserve/Penguin colony/Chapmans peak/hout bay/Waterfront/Beaches at Camps bay,Gordons Bay,Fish hoek,Muizenburg,Blouberg/Table mountain cable car/Hermanus for whale watching.Bearing in mind the weather,I'd say 5 days would suffice better.You could gain almost 2 days by flying down as opposed to driving.Cape Point Nature reserve has animal,flora,funicular,beautiful scenic drives,whale spotting,lovely restaurants,and is very popular for tourists.

Edited by: Walttravler

Edited by: Walttravler

10

Thanks again everyone. Just to clarify, if we did go to Cape Town we'd definitely fly and not drive :) I think if safety isn't a problem, then we'll probably stick to the Joburg area, and save Cape Town for a later trip. It definitely seems like it'd be too much for just 3 nights. Thanks for the tips!

11

I see you've gotten a number of great replies but I have disagree, you can definitely do Cape Town in 3 days time and it's so worth it! It's much much much more beautiful and cultured than Jo'burg - really! Beautiful beaches, wine lands, gardens, historic interest and stunning landscapes, plus top class restaurants and nightlife. If it's not too late, give it a try! I keep a blog and often write about Cape Town and all the great things to do here. For more details you can check it out on http://theresalozier.blogspot.com/2010/08/cape-town-indulgence-intrigue-and.html