South Africa / Kruger National Park Safari & Cape Town

[GMTMaster]

Hi chaps!

Putting a bit of a trip together for March to head to South Africa.

Looking to fly into Cape Town, spend 4/5 days there and then fly up to Johannesburg where we will take a car and drive towards Kruger National Park (along the Panoramic route) for a few days of Safari!

It is here that I have landed in a bit of a minefield.

Has anyone done safari in this region? If so how did you play it out?

Thanks in advance!!

Any other tips greatly appreciated, thank you.

[ditchvisitor]

Garonga for Safari, we spent 4 days there and it was absolutely incredible, not too bad a drive from J'burg. Cape Town make sure you head to Franschoek and Camps Bay, would recommend Cafe Paradiso or Manna Epicure for dinner in CT, also it's great using Uber everywhere in CT, safe and saved us loads of money on a hire car.

[willie_gunn]

I travel to South Africa three or four times each year for work - I fly out there again next weekend.

In 2016 my wife came with me and we flew into Cape Town and then up to Johannesburg. From there friends of ours drove us up to the Kruger for the weekend. We stayed in a private lodge nearby on the Friday night and then drove into the Kruger on the Saturday. There are plenty of places you can stay and do the same (many offer the combination of accommodation and trips into the Kruger in game-viewing vehicles), or alternatively you could rent one of the lodges in the park itself.

If you are hiring a car and intend to spend a few days on safari then I’d suggest going for a four wheel drive - it will get you a lot more places in the Park than a regular car.

The Park itself is huge - in one day we covered just a fraction of it - and there is game everywhere. We were lucky enough to see all of the Big 5 in one day, but that was very much luck rather than judgement.

Get there as early as you can, as much of the wildlife is crepuscular, so you have a better chance of seeing them at dawn and dusk.

A good pair of binoculars is a must, and if you don’t have a decent camera get one!

Also take your own food and beverages, though the restaurants in the Park itself are not that expensive by UK standards.

Oh, and obey the speed limits as soon as you enter the park. We went through the outer gate and were stopped for speeding between there and the main gate. The policewoman who stopped us had a mouth full of gold fillings!

I may still have the printed guide to the park somewhere in the house if you’re interested?

Also if you need any recommendations on hotels in CT or JNB then let me know.

[AndyMilts]

So much to see in Cape Town, we stayed a few days in Kalk Bay the last time, really lovely sort of hippie vibe, had dinner at the Brass Bell recommended. We also had lunch some where nice but remember the name, drove to penguin beach near Simons town. Great to drive around loads to see. Seal island was good but smelly. Stellenbosch is amazing and worth a trip, garden route stunning too.

Be careful driving near joburg can be dodgy, know your route and stay sharp

[Mick P]

Do not go near any hippopotamus, they are bloody aggressive and bad tempered. I had one chase after me and it was the only time in my life that I ran faster than Roger Bannister.

[Holy Moses]

I was lucky enough to spend a large portion of my childhood in South Africa. Regularly spending family holidays in Kruger park. Far too long a go to be able to provide any relevant advice now sadly.
Although I can second the fact that Hippos were acknowledged to be the most dangerous of all the beasts.
In the unlikely event you should find yourself confronted by one, we were always taught that the golden rule is:
Never position yourself between the hippo and the water!
Along with many other questionable/valuable pearls such as, if a croc gets hold of you in the water, stick your hand down the back of his throat(in an attempt to drown). A shark, punch him on the end of his nose (most sensitive part)........ Etc :)

[Binsull]

I absolutely love Cape Town and have been numerous times as we have a number of friends there (my wife is South African). Something to bear in mind though if you are planning a trip is that that region is currently suffering quite a severe water shortage:

https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2...turns-off-taps

[GMTMaster]

Garonga for Safari, we spent 4 days there and it was absolutely incredible, not too bad a drive from J'burg. Cape Town make sure you head to Franschoek and Camps Bay, would recommend Cafe Paradiso or Manna Epicure for dinner in CT, also it's great using Uber everywhere in CT, safe and saved us loads of money on a hire car.

Hi Mike!

That was a great recommendation, I have been in touch with Garonga and we are now booked in for 3 nights, it looks beautiful and they have been so helpful so far! Can't wait to get out there!

It all seems quite daunting, there is so many options in a land I know little about.

Thanks for the recommendations in CT, I will bear those in mind, I was going to hire a car but don't know if Uber will be cheaper? I think I would prefer the freedom of driving though.

[GMTMaster]

I travel to South Africa three or four times each year for work - I fly out there again next weekend.

In 2016 my wife came with me and we flew into Cape Town and then up to Johannesburg. From there friends of ours drove us up to the Kruger for the weekend. We stayed in a private lodge nearby on the Friday night and then drove into the Kruger on the Saturday. There are plenty of places you can stay and do the same (many offer the combination of accommodation and trips into the Kruger in game-viewing vehicles), or alternatively you could rent one of the lodges in the park itself.

If you are hiring a car and intend to spend a few days on safari then I’d suggest going for a four wheel drive - it will get you a lot more places in the Park than a regular car.

The Park itself is huge - in one day we covered just a fraction of it - and there is game everywhere. We were lucky enough to see all of the Big 5 in one day, but that was very much luck rather than judgement.

Get there as early as you can, as much of the wildlife is crepuscular, so you have a better chance of seeing them at dawn and dusk.

A good pair of binoculars is a must, and if you don’t have a decent camera get one!

Also take your own food and beverages, though the restaurants in the Park itself are not that expensive by UK standards.

Oh, and obey the speed limits as soon as you enter the park. We went through the outer gate and were stopped for speeding between there and the main gate. The policewoman who stopped us had a mouth full of gold fillings!

I may still have the printed guide to the park somewhere in the house if you’re interested?

Also if you need any recommendations on hotels in CT or JNB then let me know.

Thanks for the tips buddy, I think we will probably spend a day or two before or after Garonga (likely after) exploring Kruger more freely.

Quite scary to think the animals can come right up to the car!

[GMTMaster]

Do not go near any hippopotamus, they are bloody aggressive and bad tempered. I had one chase after me and it was the only time in my life that I ran faster than Roger Bannister.

I was lucky enough to spend a large portion of my childhood in South Africa. Regularly spending family holidays in Kruger park. Far too long a go to be able to provide any relevant advice now sadly.
Although I can second the fact that Hippos were acknowledged to be the most dangerous of all the beasts.
In the unlikely event you should find yourself confronted by one, we were always taught that the golden rule is:
Never position yourself between the hippo and the water!
Along with many other questionable/valuable pearls such as, if a croc gets hold of you in the water, stick your hand down the back of his throat(in an attempt to drown). A shark, punch him on the end of his nose (most sensitive part)........ Etc :)

I absolutely love Cape Town and have been numerous times as we have a number of friends there (my wife is South African). Something to bear in mind though if you are planning a trip is that that region is currently suffering quite a severe water shortage:

https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2...turns-off-taps

Thanks for the tips chaps

Definitely won't be putting my hand down the mouth of a crocodile though!! :D

[ditchvisitor]

Hi Mike!

That was a great recommendation, I have been in touch with Garonga and we are now booked in for 3 nights, it looks beautiful and they have been so helpful so far! Can't wait to get out there!

Awesome, Bernie the owner is a lovely guy (ex Army), I highly recommend the sleep out and the tree house lunch that they offer. The Safari guides we had were called Patrick and Josiah and were unbelievably good, we got on with them so well, we even sent them a postcard and some pictures!

[MrBanks]

Hire a car and drive yourself through Kruger. You can't really go off road there unless you book a tour with one of the rest stops. I highly recommend you stay in the park itself. The view from Oliphants is absolutely incredible. You can bring food with you or buy it at the rest stops. It's been about 10 years since I was last there but we drove ourselves from Joberg - Secunda - Kruger South, then south to north and back to Secunda via Gods Window.

[aa388]

We’ll be at Balule, next to the Olifants river the second weekend in April. Can’t wait for some warm weather!


Sent from my iPhone using TZ-UK mobile app

[leiper]

As mentioned you should get to Franschhoek which is just over an hour from CT. The winery's there are incredible. I'm going there in May and will be our 5 visit within approx 2 years. Love it there.

Cracking places to stay is Clouds Estate, just between Stellenbosch and Franshhoek or Asara.

dinner here http://www.tokararestaurant.co.za/ is impressive.

if you have deep pockets http://www.delaire.co.za/ ;-)

Really you cant pick a bad one in this region.