Capetown trip - advice please

purerandom

hi my girlfriend and I are hoping to go to capetown next christmas. i want to look into it myself but i have got a quote from a local tavel agent. I would like to know if people find this value for money or would i be better organising it myself? the below itinerary comes to a total of €2820 per person including taxes. Do people think it is a good agenda and any reccommendations are welcome

here is what is on the agenda:-
dec 23 fly to capetown arriving on the 24th

stay 4 nights in the Cullinan hotel (4 star)

Group b car delivered to hotel on Dec 26th

28th\29th - nothing planned or booked...freelancing it (want to do wine valley at this point)

30th fly to George and pick up another car, freelancing it again (hopefully drive through the garden route)

Jan 4th 2 nights at kariega ukhozi lodge - safari included

Jan 6th - fly home

shanagarry

It sounds rather expensive to me, as you're not really getting a whole lot for your money, even though it is peak time in the region.

At a rough guess, you would probably get the long haul flight for maybe E1,000pp, leaving E1,800 for everything else, which from what I can see is 4 nights accommodation in Cape Town, c. 10 days car hire, flights to George and two nights at the safari lodge.

The Cullinan is a nice hotel and very central, but if you aren't fussed about having 4 star hotel accommodation, there are cheaper options available. In particular, I would suggest you look at guesthouses. They're not at all like the Irish B&B, they're more like boutique hotels with pools etc and the owner rarely lives on site.

Do you really want to fly to George? It's only about 4 hours drive from Cape Town on an excellent road, so by the time you're at the airport etc, you won't save much time. If you're starting from the winelands it's even closer and you would actually have to double back on yourself to get to the airport. It's not the most interesting of drives, but you could deviate by Route 62, which is beautiful.

I'd also think about the safari experience. Personally, I find the safaris on the Garden Route a bit staged as the animals aren't naturally living there - many of them are only a step up from giant Fotas as, while the animals aren't segregated, they are 'managed' as there isn't enough land to replicate their natural habitats. It also brings you 80 mins past Port Elizabeth. I personally wouldn't go past Storm's River on the Garden Route, there is nothing really to see past there. If you are keen on a safari, I would suggest going to either Addo, near PE, which is a national park known for it's elephants. It has a few lions, but you will mostly see ellies. Or else fly up to Kruger. That will obviously cost more, but it is the true, genuine, safari experience. You can do the visit cheaply once there - hire a car, self-drive and stay in national park accommodation (www.sanparks.org.za)

So, in short, I think you could get much, much more than what you're getting for your money - E5,600 should easily pay for everything for two of you.

I'm living in Cape Town at the moment, and love helping others experience what I love about the region, so please don't hesitate to ask if you have any more specific questions.

Todd Gack

Yeah I would also say you could do it much cheaper yourself, the flights are available for about €750, hotels aren't overly expensive and you could rent a car for the whole time there for €400 or less.

Best take a tour for the winelands which are stunning and well worth a vist, magnificent scenery around Stellenbosch, Paarl and Franschoek. 4 days in Cape Town is more than enough, the city itself isn't anything special, the must sees are more out and around like Table Mountain, Cape of Good Hope and Robben Island. With 2 days you could see the lot, cause there is plenty to see along the Garden Route area.

I'd agree on the "safari", they are essentially what we'd call safari parks and not the same as the national parks which have the animals running free. You drive around and see the animals but they're managed like in a zoo and not wild, any carnivores are seperated from the antelope. The areas aren't particularly large either and the gamekeepers know exactly where everything is, much like a zoo. They're not at all worth going out of your way to see. If you can try get to a game reserve but they are mostly in the north east. Do try do the Great White Shark dive in Gansbaai which is only a hour or two from Cape Town. It's well worth it.

Qprmeath

Drive to Franschoek from Capetown. Its by far the highlight of the wine region. The City Inn hotel in Cape Town is cheap and is more than adequate. Was there 5 years ago so maybe check it out on Trip Advisor to be sure. Agree with Todd Gack about the safari. Did an expensive day trip from Cape Towm to see a very limited amount of animals.

purerandom

thank you all for your information, much appreciated.
def going to sort it all ourselves now. i may be back with more queries in the near future!

thanks again

Trampas

would it been over Christmas/New Year up it a few hundred euros?

heading myself to SA in a month and will be driving as well but will be going other countries aswell so can't really help on price

mav79

Hey purerandom, the trip does sound a bit expensive but it'll be well worth it, myself and my wife stayed in the cullinan and went to kariega two years ago, it was the best trip of our life,can still vividly remember the safari in kariega, unlike krugar you don't stay on roads you go offroad to get to see the animals. The carnivores are kept separate from the lodges but it means you can go for walks on your own around the lodges and still see animals up close. The lodges are luxurious as we went in may it was a bit too chilly to use the private pools on your deck. Enjoy your trip if you can appreciate the beauty of south africa you will love it.

miss no stars

Oh do stay in Spier at Stellenbosh and the Groot Constantia vineyard is WELL worth a visit. Boulder's beach is lovely and because it's just to the east of the cape the water is a LOT warmer than in places like Kamp's Bay. Plus there's the added benefit of having penguins running around you while you lay out on the beach!

purerandom

hi all, this went on the back burner but is now something we need to get sorted. I am wondering what are the best airlines to fly with and what are the reccommended routes? any advice would be great. do we need any 'special' papers (apart from passports) or jabs before we go i wonder?

shanagarry

There are no direct flights from Ireland, so you will need to connect through the UK/another major European hub/middle east. You then have the option of flying direct to cape town or having another connection via Joburg.

Personally I much prefer coming straight to Cape Town as it's a long enough journey without having to change planes again in Joburg. I also prefer connecting through the UK or Europe than the middle east. The middle east (flying with the likes of Emirates/Ethiad/Turkish Airways) flights are generally cheaper but it makes the trip a good bit longer and you are also over and back between timezones.

To fly UK/Europe direct to Cape Town, your options are BA, SAA, Virgin, Lufthansa, KLM. They're all fairly similar really.

You don't need any shots. The only thing you might need are anti-malarials if you go on safari in a malarial area (generally towards the north west).

You don't need any visa in advance, you will get one at passport control when you arrive. You might need to have proof of your return flight handy to show them, but other than that it's quick and hassle free.

littletiger

We stayed in the Cullinan hotel. It is a really nice hotel and you can see the flyover where the film Speed was made from the rooms.

It is not too far away from the waterfront. We walked it a twice during the day, never after dark.You would want your wits about you even during the day. We got taxis most of the time-cheap and much safer.

We were told teh first chance you get go up table mountain. We booked into the hotel in the early afternoon - got into a taxi and went straight up and had a great time. We didn't see the top of the mountain for the rest of the visit with the thick cloud.

shanagarry

I don't know who told you Speed was filmed there littletiger - unfortunately that's definitely not true! Although those unfinished highways are used for lots of photo and film (mostly ads) shoots.

No need to be worried about walking around the Cullinan, totally safe.

purerandom

hi folks,
we are getting the ball rolling on this and if someone could help me with the following queries that would be great


Which area of the wine lands is the best for staying in? Stellenbosch or Franschhoek or does it make much difference? What length of time do people recommend we stay there?

What are the driving distances from Stellenbosch and Franschhoek to Knysna Quays and can anybody recommend a decent b & b or hotel that doesnt cost a fortune?

Likewise, what is the driving distance between Knysna Quays and Plettenburg Bay and again where should one stay whilst there?

Finallly the accomodation in Shamwari is extremely expensive for 2 nights so we were thinking of going to the Amakala Game Reserve instead! Is that far from Plettenbury Bay?

Is it worth paying a visit to Port Elizabeth also?
And then finally, how long would it take to drive back to Cape Town for our flight home from Amakala?

Trampas

purerandom wrote: »

hi folks,
we are getting the ball rolling on this and if someone could help me with the following queries that would be great


Which area of the wine lands is the best for staying in? Stellenbosch or Franschhoek or does it make much difference? What length of time do people recommend we stay there?

What are the driving distances from Stellenbosch and Franschhoek to Knysna Quays and can anybody recommend a decent b & b or hotel that doesnt cost a fortune?

Likewise, what is the driving distance between Knysna Quays and Plettenburg Bay and again where should one stay whilst there?

Finallly the accomodation in Shamwari is extremely expensive for 2 nights so we were thinking of going to the Amakala Game Reserve instead! Is that far from Plettenbury Bay?

Is it worth paying a visit to Port Elizabeth also?
And then finally, how long would it take to drive back to Cape Town for our flight home from Amakala?

I stayed in spier in Stellenbosch

I think around 4 hours to get from Stellenbosch to Knysna.

Knysna to Plettenburg is short distance. 30mins or so.

I didn't like Knysna. I'd stay in Plettenbuurg. We went in April so no whales.

Its a long drive from Port Elizabeth to Cape Town. Fly back?

Which Cullinan hotel are you staying in? I stayed in one in Cape Town and came back to my room to find the room was half cleaned. Back was stripped and duvet on the chair and cleaner had gone. Not pleased