ASK ME - Just back from South Africa

[CruisingGoddess]

Just back from ABD South Africa (6/27-7/7). Had a WONDERFUL time and an amazing tour. Feel free to ask me any questions you have.

 

[*WDW*Groupie*]

This trip is high up on my list! Did you feel there was enough safari time? How did you decide between this trip and an all safari adventure? That's where my extreme indecision lies.

How were your flights there? What was your route? Did you stay more than a day anywhere on your way?

 

[CruisingGoddess]

This trip is high up on my list! Did you feel there was enough safari time? How did you decide between this trip and an all safari adventure? That's where my extreme indecision lies.

How were your flights there? What was your route? Did you stay more than a day anywhere on your way?

I thought the safari time was perfect. We got to do 4 full game drive and 2 mini game drives, including the drive from the airport to the resort. I really liked the balance between seeing more of South Africa than just safari and really enjoyed our time in Cape Town and Knysna. It was a very well-rounded trip.

We used miles to fly first/business class. The lay-flat seats were a God-send because the flights are brutally long and overnight but we didn't have a lot of flexibility with our route. Inbound was DFW-BOS-LHR-JNB-CPT. We started our journey on Thursday and had an 8-hour layover in London on Friday. We took showers in the first class lounge before getting back on the plane and finally arrived in CPT on Saturday. Outbound was JNB-DOH-IAH-DFW. We had a 8-hour layover in DOH that turned into 6 hours due to our flight being delayed and booked a room at The Airport Hotel (minimum 5 hour package) to again shower and nap for a few hours before getting back on the plane again. We weren't able to stay any longer than what what was needed for the tour due to vacation time and other trips we have planned this year.

 

[*WDW*Groupie*]

All those layovers sound a wee bit exhausting. I try to avoid changing planes more than once during a trip, but prefer direct if possible. That's maybe why I'm holding back on this one. We have already booked China for 2016, so maybe a safari for 2017 if I can somehow come to grips with all the flights.

I would love to hear more about the trip. Did you see all the big 5? Were there any sundowners? How safe was on your own time in South Africa? Did you feel safe venturing out on your own?

 

[CruisingGoddess]

Don't let MY layovers discourage you. As I said, I used miles to go first/business class so my options were more limited than someone who is paying for airfare. I think most of the people in our tour went from their home airport to London to Jo'burg to Cape Town.

We saw 4 of the Big 5: elephants, zebra, rhinos, and lions. We literally saw lions every day and rhinos 2 out of 3 days we were on safari. It was AMAZING. The only one we didn't see were leopards. We missed it by 5 minutes. Another truck saw it but only a flash before it was gone. We spent an hour trying to track it but to no avail. I'm not disappointed though. Everything else was already way more than we expected! Sundowners on all 3 evening safaris, though the entire group chose to skip the last one in favor of more animal time.

The "on your own" time is a bit misleading, especially anything that is "afternoon on your own". It was really like 1 hour, maybe 2, before we had to meet for dinner. Other than the first day in Cape Town, I would not plan any activities for "on your own" afternoons because they are non-existent. I would not personally venture into Central Cape Town at night. Our hotel in Cape Town is located on the V&A Waterfront and that area is very safe in the evening. We did venture out 2-3 nights there. In Knysna, you have one dinner on your own but the hotel is remotely located. There was a shuttle down to the Knysna waterfront but no one in our group went. Everyone ate at the hotel restaurant (which was excellent) or ordered local pizza in their room. (The pizza options are pretty crazy too. Triple-decker!!, triple meat, stuffed crust... I could have sworn it was a menu for Texas, not South Africa. LOL).

 

[LuckyBelle1]

We are headed on this adventure in December and very excited - thanks for posting information about your trip!

How many people were in your group? Were there any kids? We are bringing our 3 kids (11, 9 and 9) and they can entertain eachother, but I am hopeful there will be other kids on the trip, particularly as it falls over the holiday break.

Any special tips on things to pack or not pack? I am going to try to travel as light as possible, but that's easier said than done in a family of 5.

 

[calypso726]

Just back from ABD South Africa (6/27-7/7). Had a WONDERFUL time and an amazing tour. Feel free to ask me any questions you have.

Hi CruisingGoddess! Travel hacking miles junkie here. We are planning to do this trip for my 50th birthday which is 3 years and a few months away. We intend on flying in first or business using miles. I was wondering which airlines you used or found the best availability for award space to your destination. Did you wish you had miles in a different program that would offer better availability? If I don't have miles in the right program for this trip then I need to form a plan to hack them so I can book airfare in just over two year and have said miles in place

Also, how was the weather? Do you wish you had gone during a different month? Thanks a bunch!

 

[EllinK]

Would LOVE to hear more about this trip! And I could have made any of the statement above:
1. don't know if I (or our son) and handle the long flights
2. want to go in 2017
3. wonder if there is enough animal time

You've answered these but would love more details/advice.
(Also, what made you chose Disney over some of the other safaris -- Tauck seems to get lots of love.)

 

[EllinK]

Are you planning to do a trip report? (Looks like you would have several avid readers...)

 

[Grifdog22]

We've done four ABD trips and this was our favorite. Our trip was a longer trip not currently available but nearly all of the current iten. was in ours as well. We also spent extra days on the garden route, which is no longer a part of the trip. The animal balance is very good. We not only saw the big five, but our Rangers took the kids back later to make plaster casts of the leopard prints from the leopard we all saw. The food was nonstop and amazing. Craig was (and may still be) the local South African guide, and there is nothing he cannot assist with. Capetown has some great things to do pre-trip, and I strongly suggest looking. I haven't heard anyone who came back from this trip that wasn't stunned.

There are lots of reports on this ABD in the "way back" so you may want to search. Lots and lots of good tips.

We flew South African Airways, a direct flight from Dulles in DC to JH, and then a quick plane change to CapeTown. SA airways was a very very nice airline.

Take some extra cash - we certainly ended up with a lot of take homes and we usually don't. From a leather/Ostrich hat to carved Poombah tusks (Warthog is tasty by the way) and the wine...oh my the wine. Won't spoil the surprises, but this trip is chock full.

 

[CruisingGoddess]

We are headed on this adventure in December and very excited - thanks for posting information about your trip!

How many people were in your group? Were there any kids? We are bringing our 3 kids (11, 9 and 9) and they can entertain eachother, but I am hopeful there will be other kids on the trip, particularly as it falls over the holiday break.

Any special tips on things to pack or not pack? I am going to try to travel as light as possible, but that's easier said than done in a family of 5.

We were VERY lucky. Our group was only 13 people: 4 kids and 9 adults. The guides told us that a family of 9 had to cancel last minute so it would have been 22 had they come. The children ranged from 13-17 and got along well with each other. 3 families were actually from the same city!

We wore jeans pretty much every day. There was 1 afternoon I wore shorts but I didn't need them. One tip our guide told us that I wish we knew about was glasses for the evening game drives because it gets very dusty. You can wear sunglasses to protect your eyes from dust on the morning drives but not in the evening. Our guide told us while we were still in Cape Town so my hubby bought a pair of fashion glasses and wore them for the evening game drives but it would have been good to know ahead of time.

Hi CruisingGoddess! Travel hacking miles junkie here. We are planning to do this trip for my 50th birthday which is 3 years and a few months away. We intend on flying in first or business using miles. I was wondering which airlines you used or found the best availability for award space to your destination. Did you wish you had miles in a different program that would offer better availability? If I don't have miles in the right program for this trip then I need to form a plan to hack them so I can book airfare in just over two year and have said miles in place

Also, how was the weather? Do you wish you had gone during a different month? Thanks a bunch!

We are AA/oneworld. I would highly recommend booking as early as possible to have the most choice. At one point, we were offered Emirates but I didn't book fast enough. We got to choose between BA, Qatar, and Royal Jordanian. We choose BA first class on the way there and Qatar biz class back. I don't know if availability would be better in another program. We don't fly anything but oneworld so I never looked into other programs.

Loved, loved, loved the weather. We HATE hot weather (and yes, we live in Texas). The weather was actually perfect for us since we got to get away from the hot Texas summer. It was cool but I pretty much wore a short-sleeve and put a hoodie on when needed. Looking through my photos, I probably wore the hoodie 50% of the time? During safari, I also brought an extra windbreaker because driving in the open air vehicles early in the morning is cold.

Would LOVE to hear more about this trip! And I could have made any of the statement above:
1. don't know if I (or our son) and handle the long flights
2. want to go in 2017
3. wonder if there is enough animal time

You've answered these but would love more details/advice.
(Also, what made you chose Disney over some of the other safaris -- Tauck seems to get lots of love.)

Yes, I felt there was enough animal time. I liked that we got to go sightseeing in Cape Town + the upclose animal encounters in Knysna + the safari. I think it was a great combination.

I've always wanted to go on an ABD adventure so we thought this would be a great trip. I honestly didn't do much research on other tour companies. I love my experience with Disney at the parks and DCL so I really wanted to try ABD.

Are you planning to do a trip report? (Looks like you would have several avid readers...)

Honestly, I don't think I'll ever get to it. I haven't even uploaded my photos from the trip yet. I'm in a never-ending cycle of traveling, taking photos, and not getting to sort through/upload photos before going on my next trip. I will post here once I upload my photos at least.

 

[LuckyBelle1]

Did you do any sightseeing before or after the Adventure itself? We have a little time in Capetown before the trip and a night in Johannesburg after and any sightseeing tips are very welcome. Thanks!

 

[CruisingGoddess]

We arrived in the early afternoon on the first day of the Adventure and spent time exploring the Wharf area. There is a mall attached to the hotel. The waterfront has a lot of shops, restaurants, and a large ferris wheel. There is also an aquarium and food market. Definitely spend a day just exploring the waterfront because you won't really have a chance during the Adventure. Other than that, we did not spend any time sightseeing on our own due to our schedule.

We left a day after our Adventure from Jo'burg but I got very sick on the last night of our Adventure. I missed the morning game drive and breakfast the last day and winded up sleeping the rest of the day in Jo'burg at our hotel. We stayed at the Intercontinental hotel at the airport. DH spent the day with our Adventure mates eating and browsing at the airport until all of their flights left. I was told that it was possible to take a train from the airport to Nelson Mandela Square but didn't look into it since I wasn't feeling well.

 

[minnie4ever]

What about immunizations. Did you need any special ones? When do you think the best time of year to go would be (I do not like the heat either). Any special clothing needed for the safari part?)

 

[LuckyBelle1]

We have a full day and then most of the first day of the tour, and we have plans to go to Robben Island and explore the waterfront including the aquarium. We are considering a tour of the nearby soccer stadium (my boys are soccer fanatics) but have not planned much else because I need to leave some time for us all to recover from the flights over! Do you recall what time the group met on the first day of the tour? I want to make sure our daytime plans don't interfere.

Sorry to hear that you were sick at the end of the trip - it sounds like a really busy trip so I am sure we will need a rest at the end. We are staying at the Four Seasons in Johannesburg which is near the zoo. We may check out the zoo and I would really like to make it to the Apartheid Museum. We considered Gold Reef City and are still considering Soweto, but I have a feeling my plans are too ambitious for the time we will have. Do you recall what time you arrive from Kapama on that last day?

I am also interested in the clothing and immunization question. We have an appointment at the travel clinic, but from what I have read it doesn't seem like there is much required (no yellow fever), but malaria and typhoid might be recommended.

Thanks!

 

[CruisingGoddess]

What about immunizations. Did you need any special ones? When do you think the best time of year to go would be (I do not like the heat either). Any special clothing needed for the safari part?)

I took anti-malaria meds but DH did not. I would say it was 50/50 in our group of people who took it. According to my research, mosquitos aren't a problem during the winter months (May-July). We didn't even need to wear insect repellent. If you are visiting outside of those months, I'd recommend taking anti-malaria meds if you can. Mosquitos will be more of a concern during the safari and Kapama is located in the Greater Kruger National Park, where malaria has been found. It's another good reason to visit during the winter months (May-July). I would happily go back during that same period if I were to visit again.

Other than bringing clear glasses for the dust, I don't think you need anything special for safari. If you plan to go during the winter like I did, pack warm clothes for the game drives. We wore jeans and short-sleeved shirts for all the game drives but covered up with a jacket when we got cold. They also provide blankets in the game vehicles.

I found this link on Kapama's web site to be helpful when packing:

http://www.kapama.co.za/what-to-bring/

I had a hard time looking up the weather for Kapama when planning. Hoedspruit Eastgate Airport (HDS) is literally across the road from Kapama so if you look up the weather for Hoedspruit, South Africa, it should be fairly accurate.

Do you recall what time the group met on the first day of the tour? I want to make sure our daytime plans don't interfere.

While the guides greet you at the hotel when you arrive, you are own your own for Day 1 so technically, you don't meet the rest of the group until the morning of Day 2. According to my photo timestamps, I think we meet at 8 am that morning.

Do you recall what time you arrive from Kapama on that last day?

I have a photo on the plane at 11:55 and the flight was an hour long so we arrived around 1 pm.

 

[CruisingGoddess]

I finally got some of my photos uploaded! Here's my photos from Day 1-4 in Cape Town:

http://bit.ly/1MpQpra

 

[LuckyBelle1]

Thank you so much for your responses and for posting pictures of your trip -- it looks amazing and I would love to see the pictures from the rest of your trip if/when you get a chance to post them. We will be there in December, so we will plan on taking anti-malaria medication and see if the travel clinic recommends anything else.

Thanks again!

 

[CruisingGoddess]

I just posted all the safari photos from our trip:

http://www.ipernity.com/doc/cruisinggoddess/album/831126

Preview:

]

Got some AMAZING animal shots! It's so fun to relive the trip.

 

[sayhello]

I just posted all the safari photos from our trip:

http://www.ipernity.com/doc/cruisinggoddess/album/831126

Preview:

]

Got some AMAZING animal shots! It's so fun to relive the trip.

WHOA! I can hardly wait to check out all your photos! It's late, but I'll check them out tomorrow or this weekend!

Sayhello