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XP: Tell me about South Africa/Tanzania, Please!
If you've been...
1. Where did you go?
2. When did you go? How long were you there?
3. What was your itinerary?
4. What did you do that you loved?
5. Anything you would change?
6. Did you plan on your own or use an agent/company?
7. Any good books, websites, etc. for research?
I'm starting to research this as our last 'big hurrah' trip before TTC. I had been thinking that we should visit South Africa, but we typically like to end with a few days at the beach. Zanzibar and Seychelles are both more easily accessible from Tanzania, so I'm starting to rethink SA. Most important to us will be a safari component and some time on beautiful beaches, though I'd love to see Cape Town and the winelands. We've been to Napa and Tuscany, so visiting vineyards isn't a must-do.
FWIW, we will have to travel in June/July and would probably be working with 10-12 days.
Also, if anyone feels comfortable throwing out a general idea of what they budgeted, that would certainly be helpful, but I know that can change based on lots of variables.
Re: XP: Tell me about South Africa/Tanzania, Please!
I replied to your post on TK but I'll answer the budget question here.
I think I spent about 5000$ (for just me) on my trip in 2007 and next year is going to be about 8000$ (for H and I).
Obviously the biggest chunk of the budget is going towards airfare. We are also going to be volunteering in Namibia for 2 weeks so the fees associated with that are also included in my budget.
Unfortunately since the World Cup was in SA prices have gone up quite a bit but Southern Africa is still very backpacker friendly. Your budget will really depend on your desired comfort level. For hotels, expect to pay about 150-300$ US per night but you can get a nice private room with a double bed at a hostel for 50$ US per night. Ground transportation is so cheap but it's not very comfortable. Stay alert for pickpockets/theifs - they are an unfortunate reality - but don't be overly paranoid. When I went in 07 I went by myself and I was never bothered. The people are very warm and friendly (much more so than in North America, I found).
My bf and I went on a 2.5 week holiday to South Africa.
We landed in Cape Town and stayed there 3 nights in Camps Bay. (Up market and lovely beach)
We hired a car when we finished touring around Cape Town, you can do everything by bus, taxi and walking. Highly recommend the walking tour, which starts at the tourist office.
We drove down to Cape of Good Hope.
We brought our camping supplies and split it between 2 suitcases. We packed our tent, 2 sleeping bags and 2 thermarest, stove (no gas, we bought it there), kettle, plates, cutlery and cups and clothes.
We drove the Garden route from Cape Town to Jeffreys Bay. We stayed in well known campsites along the way.
We made little stops along the way and had only 2 night stop coming back from Jeffreys Bay.
We then ended our trip back at the same hotel in Camps Bay for 2nights to relax after our amazing road trip.
We were safe the whole time and the people were very friendly.
Tips:
1. Don't leave your belongings on show
2. If your going to camp, go to a well known location, don't wild camp.
3. Don't tour the townships...would you like to be stared at by tourists?? Don't stop in townships either.
4. If you can't rent a car, I think there is the Baz Bus, which can get you around the country.
I could go on and on and on, but I won't!
Have fun and enjoy SA!
We went for a month in February this year as a last big trip before TTC also and now we are pregnant!
We rented a condo in CapeTown for a month which we got for a super discounted rate as it was a month's rental. This is how we were able to afford one right on the beach at Clifton 1. We got it for about $200 a night but split it with my dad and stepmom so it was about $100 per night for us. It was two bedroom, There are one bedrooms with similar views on Clifton 1 that you could get for even less in the winter I bet. Valhalla I think had one that if we went back we would consider. Nothing like waking up to that view and you can walk to Camps Bay for breakfast if you want. We rented from http://www.rentalscapetown.com and dealt with Rose. Since it will be winter there when you go, the rates you can get will be even lower. We used this place as a base and took shorter trips with much less luggage everywhere else. Since you are only going for such a short time, you could do this for a week.
We found the cheapest way to safari there was to go to Hluhluwe Imfolozi.We flew to Durban and rented a car and drove the two and a half hours up to the area. They have room rentals within the park itself at the Hilltop camp which we chose not to do. We stayed instead at the Protea Hotel Hluhluwe and rented out their private lodge which is gorgeous and 4000 square feet with its own private pool and grounds. We got breakfast and dinner included and we could just walk over the grounds to the main hotel and eat in their buffet style restaurant. The food was decent. For 4 people the cost of the room and food for all 4 of us per night was $400 so it would definitely be cheaper for two which is so much less than the $1000 per person per night at so many game reserves. The best part about this hotel was that they have their own range rovers and qualified guide drivers and the cost is about $50 per person to go on a three hour game drive. We saw every one of the big five! It was awesome and we wish we would have planned to stay longer here. We also drove down to Cape Vidal which is amazing as well. We saw monkeys on the beach which is great for swimming and even more animals within the park there as well as went on a hippo tour.
We also drove the garden route from Cape Town for about 3 nights. It is about a 6 hour drive one way. I would stay up in Knysna or Plettensburg bay. We went to Monkeyland in Plett as well as Tenikwa which is a cat sanctuary. Both places rescue animals and take care of abandoned babies. Do the early morning photo tour at Tenikwa if you can (don't tell them you are american) and you get to go in the cages with all the cats including a bunch of cheetas that were hand raised. It was amazing!
We also went great white shark diving near Hermanus which is a gorgeous little town about an hour and a half from Cape Town which you should try to stay at least one night in. We went with http://www.sharkdivingunlimited.com/ which is one of the most reputable companies. It was awesome!.
We went to the winelands in Stellenbosch and Franschoek as well as Constantia. In Stellenbosch we did an expensive but well worth it wine tour with Stephen Flesch. He tailors it to your tastes and we visited 9 wineries that day. He picks you up and returns you into Cape Town so you don't have to worry about driving under the influence. We found the tour in Frommers I think. http://www.gourmetwinetours.co.za/
My cousins that live there all rave about Zanzibar and of course I want to go to the Seychelles. We could not afford to tack either one onto the trip.
We spent about 10-12K for the month for both of us. We planned this on our own using travel books and the internet. The tours just seemed so much more expensive and we were staying longer than just a week or two. If I were to change anything I would not have gone with my dad and stepmom.
If you can find more time to stay longer, I would. The travel there is brutally long and there is so much to see and do with a safari and the beach you will feel so rushed. For the amount of money it will cost just to get there as well as taking smaller side trips, I would definitely try to find more time.
Have fun!