Only 1 week left of 6 as planned

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goetz
goetz

I need your help! My itinerary for a 7 week trip from Jo'burg to Capetown travelling solo with BazBus was in my head, flights booked.

And now I have a permanent knee problem which makes every longer walk rather painful! First I thought to cancel everything. But 7th to 14th November I am member of a crew of 4 friends, who spend a week sailing together now already for 6 years. This year it is Capetown and I don't want to miss it, pain or not. And if I come to South Africa once in my life - I am 73 and travelled a lot in Asia and America, North Africa many times but never South of the Sahara - I think I have at least to give it another week. I think my idea of Africa - cliché or not - will best be met in Kruger NP.

One week more would mean to arrive in Jo'burg around 31st October. From there I would like to go to Kruger for 3 or 4 days and although my trips normally are budget I would not mind spending more than usual. No luxury trip but up to 500$ would be ok. I saw an offer for a lodge in a private game reserve with transfer from Jo'burg for about 400$ for a three days trip, but can't find it again. Sitting in a safari jeep is ok for my knee - no walking through the bush. Accommodation can be basic, but if possible not in a crowded place, and a good chance for seeing some of the Big Five!

For the remaining two or three days I thought Hermanus might be a good choice, where I could spend hours just sitting and waiting for whales to show up. Or maybe going to a place to see any of the famous tribes, but this might not be feasible because of transport problems. Is there a tribal place in a acceptable driving distance from an airport between Jo'burg and Cape Town?

Otherwise it might be a good idea to stay these days in Jo'burg, which sounds like an incredible city. If it is possible to move there by bicycle I could overcome the handicap, cycling is ok.

But if you have a totally different idea which you would tell a friend, please do so!

I have to arrive in Cape Town 6th November. Are there any budget flights between Jo'burg and Capetown?
You know, as usual before a trip, I consulted a number of guide books, looked up this forum, planned my seven weeks SA, so foregive me if I now ask questions where you would say "Did you do any research?"

How did I praise my being an oldie, because I had every time to travel. Now I know why I have to curse it!

Try to imagine my situation and give me your advice! Thank you so much!

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lidia_s77
lidia_s77

Hi,

Your trip sounds really great! Cape Town is a must-see and South Africa's beach towns are some of my favourite places, I think Hermanus would be very nice. If you're interested in history and culture, Johannesburg will be really interesting too.

I would not recommend cycling around Jo'burg. At the moment it is not a bicycle-friendly city like Munich or Amsterdam, although it seems like there are plans to change this. Some areas are dangerous, the city is very sprawled out and motorists are not always considerate. A city sight-seeing and Soweto tour that picks you up from your hotel will probably be the most practical and enjoyable way to experience the city. A quick Google search brought up these tours:
http://www.viator.com/tours/Johannesburg/Johannesburg-Super-Saver-Soweto-Sightseeing-Tour-plus-Johannesburg-Sightseeing-Tour/d314-2382SJ6
https://www.daytours.co.za/tours/johannesburg-day-tours/soweto-joburg-half-day
or if you want to be more independent you can try this: https://www.citysightseeing.co.za/johannesburg. If you want to cycle there are organized bicycle tours like this one of Soweto: http://www.viator.com/tours/Johannesburg/Bicycle-Tour-of-Soweto/d314-16435P1

The Gautrain is very modern and safe and you can take it from OR Tambo Airport in Jo'burg. (It also stops at Park Station, the same place where the City Sightseeing tour starts from.) You could consider looking for hotels close to the Gautrain stations in Sandton and Rosebank so that transport is simple. If you want to take a taxi, please make sure that it is from a reputable company.

The Lesedi Cultural Village is a well-known tribal village in South Africa: http://www.africansafariguru.com/day-tours/lesedi-cultural-village/ .

For going to Kruger, this tour sounds like an option: https://www.safaribookings.com/day/t108. You could also consider flying to Kruger and looking for a tour that departs from there. There are also lots of other game reserves closer to Johannesburg that you could consider e.g. Dinokeng (http://www.dinokengreserve.co.za/ - it has the Big 5 as well) and Pilanesberg National Park (http://www.viator.com/tours/Johannesburg/Private-Tour-Pilanesberg-National-Park-from-Johannesburg/d314-15813P4).

There are a few budget airlines in South Africa - e.g. Kulula (kulula.com), Mango (http://www.flymango.com/) and FlySAFair (http://www.flysafair.co.za/). They are all safe and reliable, the differences just being price, times, baggage checking fees and place of departure (just make sure the flight you are considering departs and lands at OR Tambo Airport and not Lanseria Airport, unless you want to be in that area). Other airlines also sometimes offer competitive prices, you can compare flights at TravelStart (https://www.travelstart.co.za/) and buy from them or the airline itself.

I hope this helps and enjoy your trip! :-)

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goetz
goetz

Thank you, Lidia, what a lot of good advice and information! So many helpful links, I will check all of them!
In Germany they say, if you hear your ears sound somebody is thinking of you. So, if you hear your ears sound some time in November be sure it is me! Thank you again!

goetz

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lidia_s77
lidia_s77
In response to #2

You're welcome goetz! Enjoy your trip and please ask if you need any more information! :-)

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goetz
goetz
In response to #1

The Lesedi Cultural Village is a well-known tribal village in South Africa: http://www.africansafariguru.com/day-tours/lesedi-cultural-village/ .

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goetz
goetz

Hello Lidia,

looking into some Cultural villages I tend to go to Lesedi, also because it looks like the best accessible. I would like to stay there overnight, so the day tour of the tour operator is no option and I am not fond of tours anyway. How do I get to Lesedi from Johannesburg? Do I have to take a taxi and how much would that cost- a rough guess ? Since the rate for a room there is not too expensive an individual trip by taxi might still be cheaper than the tour.

Thank you!

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