If you are interested in wine, then you will want to spend some time in the Western Cape region. The main wine area is centered around the three towns of Stellenbosch, Paarl and Franschhoek. These three are an easy drive from Capetown and are places to stay. Of the three towns, I'd probably recommend Franschhoek as the best but the whole is region is good. There are good options for staying either in hotels, B&B or self-catering which is quite popular. There are also some good restaurants in this area. The Constantia area south of Capetown has some nice accommodations but it won't have as wide range of wines as the other areas.
The Cape Town region has some hiking and good trail running. This site has some ideas on hiking/running. There are good marathons and trail runs but they don't happen around Christmas. The mountains are not real high in this region so don't expect high altitude. Another region near by that might be interesting is the Cederburgs. It is popular for longer hikes and canyoning.
I really liked Capetown. It is a lot like San Francisco both in terrain and culture.
There are not a lot of safari options in the Western region. You can see hoofed animals like springboks and zebra but none of the 'big 5'. These you will need to go to Kruger or area north of J'burg. We haven't been to the Eastern Cape yet.
One area that we are considering for the future that does have hiking is the Drakensberg Mountains. It does have some higher altitudes (9,000ft, etc).
The hardest thing will be deciding what to do and where to go with the time you have. We spent all our 4 weeks on the western cape/namibia and had lots more to see. We went in September which is a good time for safari. December is not as good since the trees have follage and the grass is high. It is also rainier. But it is the time of spring new-borns. Here is some information on seasons in Kruger.
Christmas is the high season in Capetown. In general, you'll find the prices in SA much higher than what you'll find in Kenya/Tanzania, Mexico or even Chile. I haven't checked prices in a while and I think there is a good exchange rate. While I was there, I spent on an average of about $50 US out of the metropolitan areas and closer to $100 or more in major metropolitan areas. We saved money in Capetown by getting a week apartment which was about $60 a night US. I did all my planning via the internet except for Namibia but there are several sites like CC Africa that can help you plan your trip.
Thanks Marta, actually Tanzania was very expensive at least staying near Parks like Nogorogoro. I think it was about 300 dollars/night for the "low cost" option,Half board.the high end place about 1000/night.
We spent about 7 thousand dollars on a 3 week trip if you don't include airfare.But we had our own vehicle,guide etc. for the entire time just the two of us!
I am already looking at the Draksburg area, so maybe 4-5 days there,2-3 staying at/near a winery, a few days in town, and maybe a week safari. RR
SA will be similar or more in price. There are some outstanding resorts. We did one small safari in the Western Cape at Bushmans Kloof. We loved it. They have special trips for wildflowers in the Spring which enticed us to stay there. We saw a lot of hoofed animals and interesting cave paintings. The hiking is more like walking or strolling although we did come face to face with a black spitting cobra on when we did a hike on the property.
I need to add that the prices I mention were low season in Capetown. We were there in early-mid September which is roughly equivalent to Feb/Mar in San Francisco weather-wise.
I'll check through my notes to see if I have any suggestions on the wine country. We didn't stay overnight and we probably missed some of the bigger wineries. We did go to Fairview which is the home of 'Goats do Roam' which is in Stellenbosch. The drive between Stellenbosch and Franchenhook is very pretty. Here are my pictures from Capetown and the wineries.
BTW, we may be going back. We haven't decided where to go yet in 2008 and the Drakenbergs are on the list. The chances are pretty slim that our trip will end up being there but I'm still dreaming. Also, 2010 is the soccer world cup and it will be in SA. I expect that there will be an upswing in travel to SA and a lot of new tourism infrastructure getting ready for the games.
Edited to add: I used the Fodor's SA forum for planning the trip. There's a lot to sift through but some good advice both for luxury trips and economical trips.
That looks great. It looks similar to a guest house that we stayed at - Papkuilsfontein. We stayed there in their high season (wildflower bloom time) and the prices do look similar. Papkuilsfontein was one of our favorite places to stay. Good find. Thanks!
We went to Kruger Park for a week and stayed in the park at various camps. We always had a 'hut' that was really a detached motel room, had 2 double beds, private bath, etc. These ran around $70/night (this was 4 years ago). We drove through the park in our rental car but did take a couple of night tours with a park ranger (unfortunately, they cannot control the animals so we didn't see too many). What seemed crazy was, we drove all day around the park and saw some animals but the big treat was at dusk at a watering hole about 1/4 miles from our camp (Lower Sabe) - all kinds of animals from crocs to buffalo to elephants were there.
One thing to remember is that Christmas i South Africa is the highest of High season. Everybody is on summer holidays, many businesses are closed, everything is at a premium. For popular places like the Kruger Park it might be worth making booking inquiries now, as I know places go very quickly
TimW
Posts: 830 | Location: Hampshire, UK | Registered: 28 March 2005
Originally posted by TimW: One thing to remember is that Christmas i South Africa is the highest of High season. Everybody is on summer holidays, many businesses are closed, everything is at a premium. For popular places like the Kruger Park it might be worth making booking inquiries now, as I know places go very quickly
TimW
Do you think I could book two years in advance? RR
Having written a long preamble about what things used to be like (100% non political!), I looked up the SA national parks board website and find that now you can only book 11 months in advance. This will probably work to your advantage.
TimW
Posts: 830 | Location: Hampshire, UK | Registered: 28 March 2005
Times and dates for extended stays would, in my opinion, depend on how long is extended, where you intend to be based (move around, stay in several locations etc), and how well you deal with heat and cold.
I know this sounds silly, but South Africa is large, and has various different climates. I lived in Jo'burg for 5 years, then in East London on the Indian ocean coast for another 10. In that period I studied for 3 years in Cape Town.
My favourite parts of RSA is probably Cape Town and the "Garden route" around Knysna. Both these areas I like best between late March and Mid May. As a rule you avoid the extreme heat of January and February but days can be pleasantly warm, and still of reasonable length.
Cape Town can have almost UK like winters - cold, wet, drizzly and grey - although thankfully much shorter. November and December can be hot, but can also be very windy.
Many people are surprised to find how cold Jo'burg and other parts of the interior can get in Winter. Although days can be sunny and pleasant, the early mornings can often drop below 0C. October is always given as a good time to visit the Kruger Park as the grass is short, the days not too warm, and so it is ideal for animal spotting.
The Indian Ocean coasts tend to be warmer all year round, but I don't know the Natal region at all well.
Hope that is a little helpful.
Posts: 830 | Location: Hampshire, UK | Registered: 28 March 2005
Thanks Tim, thats a big help! We want to spend some time in South Africa, but not sure exactly how to do it.
We are even considering taking our RV with us, but have not looked into it yet, just an idea. Is that totally crazy? My husband just tossed out the possibility of shipping the RV to South Africa, staying for a while ( 6 months?) and then shipping it to South America.
I, obviously, have not done any research, yet, so there is a lot to learn and consider. But your post and the posts on this thread are very helpful.
We were thinking about doing the same months that we do in Spain ( Nov to April), but perhaps we would change that based on knowing more ( like your post).
I am also not aware yet about visa restrictions or RV camping possibilities or long term rents ( monthly furnished rental off season like we do in Spain with places that are usually weekly rentals in the summer high season).
Hi Guys.....I live in South Africa -Durban- so am quite happy to help with a suggested itinery - I write alot under the same name on Tripadvisor and there is LOTS of info there for you. Make sure you spend lots of time in the Cape it is BEAUTIFUL.
The drakensburg is lovely - but in our summer the coast is the best.
Google umngazi River Bungalows - it is in the middle of no - where but is the locals secret gem of a place.
But Franshhoek , Stellenbosch and the Garden Route are my best.
Give me a shout if you end up in Durban - we can catch up for a lunch somewhere.... Remember at the moment it is 40 degrees in the shade - VERY HOT....
Posts: 150 | Location: South Africa | Registered: 21 January 2006
Don't know if anyone is still following this thread..... We're doing our big SA trip from 26 Sept. to 3 November. We'll start out in Kruger, and will spend what for us is big bucks and stay in Sabi Sands at the Djuma Bush Lodge for three nights. Then we're hooking up with a Dutch group called Djoser (love those DJ's!)for 23 days that goes all over God's creation (Okavanga Delta, Vic Falls, Namibia, etc.) and ends up in Capetown. We intend to stay there almost a week before flying home. I'll do a trip report when we get back. Meanwhile, Calzan, does this sound good to you?
Posts: 76 | Location: Chicago, USA | Registered: 26 June 2005
I'm curious, Which Djoser trip are you doing? The lodging or the camping? I took a quick peak at the SA-Namibia-Botswana trip and it looks pretty good. I loved Namibia and wish we could have spent more time. We took 8 days and took in similar sites and route (minus Fish Camp) so you'll have even more time.
I'm looking forward to hearing about your trip and seeing your pictures. BTW, You can find my pictures in the link in my signature.
Marta, your pictures are FABULOUS! I am now even more excited about going! I really wish I had even more time than our 5 weeks--I couldn't get my husband to go any longer, and he'd only go if we took a tour. Djoser caters to more independent travelers, so we'll still be on our own a lot, but it still won't be as flexible as I like. I'm going to the Amalfi Coast for two weeks on April 15th and I'm doing it alone since he is getting less and less adventurous (luckily he doesn't complain when my feet itch so badly I just have to GO). Actually the simple luxury of eating, sleeping, hiking and rising when I want will be such a thrill!
We're doing the lodges with Djoser. We'll both be 66 when we go and I really think both our backs would complain about lugging a tent and setting it up every few nights (and, of course, taking it down.) We had a friend who took this trip two years ago. She said the lodges were "adequate". I just hope they're like the "spartan" place you stayed in Etosha! That looked great to me. Just give me a clean bed, my own bathroom when possible, and enough blankets in case we get cold.
The only thing I'm not looking forward to is the plane ride home. Going out we're stopping in London for three nights which will break it up. For some reason, though, the airlines only let you do that on one leg of the trip. So it's 12 hours to London then another 8 to Chicago. Since we're using miles, there isn't much of a choice.
Posts: 76 | Location: Chicago, USA | Registered: 26 June 2005
Our place in Etosha was a 'VIP' bungalow. It was a full 1 bedroom cottage with a kitchen and living room area. It even had TV! There were other bungalows that looked more like duplexes that were probably similar or a bit more spartan. Probably more like the place we stayed in Waterburg. I have heard that they are upgrading the accommodations so I think they might be a bit better now. My only slight complaint about Etosha was the food. It was a cafeteria buffet at Halali. The food was actually better at Waterburg which had a full restaurant and menu. Even so, we absolutely loved Etosha and want to go back.
The plane ride is tough. It is good that you are taking a break in London and you'll have a chance to get over jet lag. The way back doesn't sound too bad. And you are using miles. We didn't use miles. Our trip was Windhoek - Jo'burg - Atlanta - Seattle. 30 hours that turned into 40 when we missed our connection in Atlanta. We probably would have been better going through London.
Ouch! 40 hours! Hopefully you slept a lot and are not very tall. I'm 5'8" and have a hard time sleeping in planes (benadryl helps but leaves me with a hangover)--we're going to spend at least one night in Jo'berg to break up the SA part of the trip--we discovered that our tour was "reverse" so that the miles we booked took us to Jo'berg first and left from Captetown. Rather than re-book we took that as a way to spend time in Kruger and have more time in Capetown at the end. Somehow it worked out to our advantage. Whatever. Now 20 hours doesn't sound so bad. Thanks!
Now off to Italy.
Posts: 76 | Location: Chicago, USA | Registered: 26 June 2005
