I was starting to plan a safari and then move on from Africa (I know not where) but then started to think - why don't we stay in South Africa for a period of 3 or 4 weeks and travel (safari) before and maybe after (or maybe go somewhere else in Africa?)

I've started to look at the communities outside of Cape Town such as Simon's Town - that looks cute for 3 or 4 weeks - any comments? Or safari suggestions? (been somewhat shocked at the cost of some safaris - yikes).

Thanks for any advice

Simonstown is great, if a little quiet. You are on a main commuter train route into Cape Town itself, and it is less than an hour by car depending on traffic and time of day. As a base it puts you within easy reach of Cape point, and areas such as Kalk bay, Fishhoek etc - all of which are pleasant.

I love Cape Town and the surrounding areas - I studied there for 3 years during the early 1980s, and my parents now live there. A lot depends on what you want to see and do. Simonstown is a fair way from the winelands.

As far as safaris are concerned, look at the Kruger National Park - there is a good national parks site Here.

Flying up to the vicinity of the park, and hiring a car from somewhere like Nelspruit would be quite easy. The park is huge (Bigger than Wales) and has huge amounts of animals, but also good quality accomodation, and good roads.

Other things you might consider are moving along the Garden Route between Cape Town and Port Elizabeth. There are numerous places to stay and sights along that stretch of the coast. I really like Storms River , Tsitsikamma and Knysna.

I am not a great fan of Johannesburg and Guateng, although I lived there for several years. Parts of Kwazulu - Natal are lovely, but I have only ever visited briefly.

TimW

Thanks Tim - I think the drive along the Garden Route would be lovely (for some reason I think it will be like the Great Ocean Road in Australia).....and that link is very helpful. Will post again as my plans develop.

Tim and I discussed different suburb area when I was planning my trip to Cape Town. I ended up in a close suburb (Newlands) which was fine for 6 days. I wouldn't choose it for a long stay.

I think it would depend upon what you are looking for. Hout Bay might be interesting. I think it might be a little slow driving in an out of it. But it does look nice. There are also several coastal suburbs nearer Capetown that were nice. The advantage would be you would be close to Capetown.

If you want a nice relaxing resort, I recommend Bushmans Kloof. It is really nice in the spring. We spent 2 nights at the resort. You can see many types of hoofed animals but none of the big 5. It is not as expensive as other resorts but excellent service.

I also highly recommend Namibia. We did a self-drive and really enjoyed the country. Etosha is great for wildlife. We stayed in the park and it wasn't too expensive. There are nice lodges outside. Cardboard Box Travel can help you arrange your trip. The site is also a good resource. The prices for Namibia have gone up since it was discovered by "Brad and Angela" but I think you can still get a better deal than some of the expensive safari resorts in SA.

Feel free to take a look at the pictures of our trip. The link is in my signature.

Hout bay is another really nice area, and much quicker into Cape Town (You can get to Cape Town across the mountain without needing to go around through Camps bay and Seapoint).

A friend who lives out near Simonstown normally uses the Chapmans peak drive across to Hout Bay and then into Cape Town as a way of avoiding traffic.

TimW