Hi,
Myself and a couple of friends are flying into Cape Town just after Christmas and we are looking at getting the best out of our trip to SA. So far all we have booked is 5 nights accommodation in Cape Town to cover us for NYE. I have two questions the first is what would people recommend? the second should we prebook tours/hostels ect or should we just go with the flow when we arrive?
Any help would be great :)
Hi,
Your trip sounds great! :-) There are so many options, so I think it would maybe help if you could give a little more information about your interests. What kind of activities and experiences are you looking for? Do you want to see animals, do extreme adventure activities or sports (surfing, kayaking, skydiving, hiking etc), wine tasting, learn about history, see beautiful natural scenery (deserts, forests, mountains, beach)? Are you willing to rent a car and drive? In my opinion this is the best and most convenient way to experience South Africa. There are also cheap flights available between cities.
You are traveling during the high season, the schools start again on 11 January so things might be a bit busier than usual. Personally I prefer using booking.com to book accommodation beforehand and make use of the free cancellation option on many rooms if needed. If you want to visit Kruger National Park it is best to book accommodation as far in advance as possible since it is very popular.
South Africa is amazing and one month there is a good amount of time. However, as Lidia already pointed out, without more information about what you are looking for, what you want to do and experience etc., its not really possible to answer your question. What I like is not necessarly what you like.
I LOVE Cape Town, its one of my favourite places on earth. And it should be perfect for NYE (I havent been there yet during that time of the year), so I think its great to start with 5 nights booked there. The other must do experience in South Africa in my opinion is wildlife - either self-driving in Krüger NP, on a guided tour (also in Krüger) or splurging and stay in a private game reserve for 2-3 nights.
Thank you everyone. We are very open minded about what we want to see and do and apart from the first 5 nights in Cape Town and Shark diving we are very much open to all ideas. Seeing the amazing wildlife and culture South Africa has to offer is a must but we are also looking to relax alittle and enjoy the odd night out or two. One of the big questions we have is do we pre book/plan our trip or just see what happens when we arrive? We are looking to travel abit using public transport so if anyone's any tips let us know :)
Thank you all again.
Here is your itinerary :)
5nt Cape Town.
2 nt winelands (Franschhoek - book via AirBnb in advance)
4 nights garden route - no prebooking necessary.
- Fly to Durban -
3 nt Durban - visit florida road for the nights out
2 nt in the Drakenberg mountains. Stay comfortably and do daylong hikes, or do a hike where you overnight in the mountains.
3 nt St Lucia - explore the beaches and national park.
2 nt Hluhluwe imfolozi
2 nt getting to Kruger via Swaziland
2 nt in Kruger
2 nt Joburg - stay in Soweto or something similarly exciting.
That should have you covered. Enjoy your trip :)
For transportation use rentalcar or Baz bus (a hop on, hop off service for backpackers). Trains and busses are generally not used by tourists. You will stand out in a country where that can mark you as a target for robberies.
Hi, I just booked seven days with a local tour agency that starts on January 3 from Johannesburg and runs from Johannesburg to Krüger, Swazi- and Zululand and on to Durban. It's a local agency, quite inexpensive and friendly. I think they cover the more dangerous areas of South Africa nicely in a tour. If you're interested get back to me and I'll send you a contact. I also just posted this tour since we need three more people to join for the tour to leave.
Best wishes and happy travels ,
Birgit
Hello Chumberdinc,
Check this out for the trip:
https://www.detourafrica.co.za/index.php?option=com_mtree&task=att_download&link_id=86&cf_id=24
Elana of of Detour was very nice and helpful, she even called me to answer some of my questions. I think this is a nice trip to the more difficult areas of South Africa.
Maybe see you there? Please say hi to Elana from my side! :-)
Cheers,
Birgit