Africa safari

minder2009

Hello all.

I am thinking of going on a safari maybe to include Kruger park.
Thinking 18 months or mor ahead....saving hard! I have been enquiring with the travel department ...the sent me an itinerary of a trip they did last year ..lasts 17 days includes a good few escorted tours...seems good program...they tell me it cost at that time near 3 k per person...9k ...so far for 2 adults and a child.


Is that expensive ? Appreciate any information or views that anyone had ...in particular if they went on a group type tour...which I think we would prefer.

Many thanks

Minder

bamboozle

we did a private safari to tanzania last year covering the serengeti (great migration) ngorogoro crater, arusha national park and another park whose name escapes me but its famous for tree climbing lions.

we did 11 days safari but to be honest 5-7 days safari is more than enough, i'd recommend going private so at least this way the driver is there to cater to your interests and you make the most out of your days, if part of a group you could end up with folk only interested in birds or cats etc.

Safari is an incredible experience and i'd love to do it all again.

ardmacha

In Kruger you can just drive around yourself, if you wish. Tours are needed in East Africa.

Spook_ie

The Travel dept are a very reputable tour operator. I assume the 3k pp includes flights ? if so, then for a 17 day trip thats quite good. I would read the small print re what is the meal basis ? do they used named accommodation ? Tripadvisor is also a good place to get info on specific hotels and lodges. Its a long time since we did a safari to south africa, we were in Sabi Sabi. More recently we have done a safari to Kenya, 5 Adults and 5 Kids.

sarkozy

ardmacha wrote: »

In Kruger you can just drive around yourself, if you wish. Tours are needed in East Africa.

Yep, I agree. If you're spending any amount of time in that region, and can rent a car (relatively good value in South Africa), then do it yourself. By all means book into a guided tour for a couple of days once you get there, but I agree that safari gets boring after not too long, and there's so much more to see.

From that side of South Africa, you have so much on your doorstep. Durban and St. Lucia for beaches and relaxation, the 'wild coast' of Eastern Cape for surfing, you can go north into souther Zimbabwe to see the natural beauty and stone ruins of the ancient Shona empire, take a jaunt into sub-tropical Swaziland, or even (and my favourite), drive to Maputo, the capital of Mozambique, where you can enjoy the jazz bar scene, eat amazing seafood at the fish market, take a ferry across to Inhaca island for some beautiful beach action and even go diving in the world's southernmost coral reefs with whale sharks!

But that's just me.

I spent a year-and-a-half in Lesotho and travelled all around. Safaris were grand for a day or two, but if you're going all that way, see what you can. It doesn't cost all that much. And you've 18 months to plan!

bungaro79

i did a group tour of kruger in 2005 with a crowd called livingstone tours and i would recommend them. i was on a backpackers budget but i was delighted with what we did and saw. think they offered a lot of different packages though so check them out and see if any suits ye.

Le_Dieux

sarkozy wrote: »

Yep, I agree. If you're spending any amount of time in that region, and can rent a car (relatively good value in South Africa), then do it yourself. By all means book into a guided tour for a couple of days once you get there, but I agree that safari gets boring after not too long, and there's so much more to see.

From that side of South Africa, you have so much on your doorstep. Durban and St. Lucia for beaches and relaxation, the 'wild coast' of Eastern Cape for surfing, you can go north into souther Zimbabwe to see the natural beauty and stone ruins of the ancient Shona empire, take a jaunt into sub-tropical Swaziland, or even (and my favourite), drive to Maputo, the capital of Mozambique, where you can enjoy the jazz bar scene, eat amazing seafood at the fish market, take a ferry across to Inhaca island for some beautiful beach action and even go diving in the world's southernmost coral reefs with whale sharks!

But that's just me.

I spent a year-and-a-half in Lesotho and travelled all around. Safaris were grand for a day or two, but if you're going all that way, see what you can. It doesn't cost all that much. And you've 18 months to plan!

Having also lived in South Africa ( PE ) for many years, I can fully endorse what Sarkozy says above. One thing that nobody seems to mention is the innoculations needed when visiting the Game Parks especially. Whatever You are planning OP, keep in mind the time of year re malaria etc. Also, remember from November to March the temps are well over 40c a lot of the time!

Whatever decision You arrive at, You will enjoy Yourself - SA is a beautiful country.