20-35 years of age
A cultural meltingpot of the world's history in an amazingly eclectic country.
My time in South Africa was spent in Johannesburg and Cape Town. Johannesburg is a big city with lots of neat markets and was a perfect starting point for the trips I've done in southern Africa.
Cape Town is amazing! The culture and history are overflowing in every part of the city. There is just so much iconic history in Cape Town that I would recommend taking one of the city tour buses - it was a great way to take it all in and learn a lot. The preservation of old buildings and the demolished areas of District 6 portray a city comfortable with its past and interest in educating the masses.
Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, nestled amongst the mountains represent a stunning collection of botanical knowledge. The gardens have rolling green lawns with Fynbos, proteas, and cycads everywhere. Proteas have the most amazing flowers and I would recommend going at time when the majority are in bloom - well worth the wait to see their brilliance.
Table Mountain is a must. It is an iconic natural feature and provides stunning views of the city.
From night clubs and posh bars to amazing food and incredible scenery. Cape Town has been the highlight of my trips to South Africa and I highly recommend it for everyone.
35-50 years of age
A beautiful country with great food, wine and people!
50-65 years of age
South Africa is a great country to travel in. The parks might be a little more 'civilised' and even be more crowded than in other countries, but the wildlife in Kruger and the wilderness aspect of the Kgalagadi is fabulous. The birding can be great and south of Cape Town the coastal scenery is stunning.
Email Janet Pellizze | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very diverse and varied experience!
The reserves and botanical gardens are breathtaking! I recommend seeking tours that offer transport to and from the destinations.
We found people friendly, food and activities affordable and readily accessible.
Email Elizabeth | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The corrupt leadership of the country and the disparity between classes is heartbreaking.
The most beautiful part of the trip was taking the panoramic scenic route from Johannesburg to Kruger national Park. Kruger was awesome and we saw all of the big 5. Cape Town is a fantastic city and is a cross between Sydney, Australia, and San Francisco, California. We especially enjoyed the V & A waterfront. We would highly recommend the hop on hop off bus to get a feel for where you want to return to.
Email Jordana | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great for budget and convenience, but more downtime than expected
Safari With Us booking at Kruger adventure lodge was overall a good experience for the price we paid, which while not cheap was definitely the cheapest we found compared to others for the value it offered. This package definitely maximizes budget and convenience (transportation to/from airports and safaris each day, breakfast and dinners included), however the package included more downtime than was expected with little to do on site.
The package advertised activities at night, full day safari and optional game rides on the third day. All optional rides were ~$100 extra each, there were no activities at night, unreliable WiFi only in the reception area, and the full day (which does start at 5am) ended before 3pm with nothing to do in the evening. So, what we thought was a 3 day safari was actually 1.5 (evening ride day 1 and 5am-3pm day 2). The game rides were incredible and made the experience absolutely worth it, but more transparency about what we were actually getting up front would have been nice.
The staff were mostly friendly (especially those who drove us and receptionists up front), with exception of 1-2 wait staff who seemed caught off guard when we sat down to eat and were not friendly at all.
The rooms were clean and spacious, though the AC does go out, the fridge did not work, and we found a frog in our bathroom on the last day.
Overall, I would still recommend this tour package if you are looking to maximize on budget and convenience while still getting to see some incredible things, but not if you are looking to maximize your time on Safari or a luxury lodging experience.
Email Alexa Gil | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Ok
Food, transportation, guide were great... but the wildlife and safari experience was regular
Email Wendy M | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Wildlife
My accommodation, food and transport to Ndaka at Nambiti game reserve was excellent and so was the weather and wildlife. Our game ranger and staff went the extra mile and had sighting of 4 out of Big 5
Email Marilyn Monarch | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
One of the most magnificent adventures of my life.
Naledi Bush Lodge and the entire staff were helpful, gracious and knowledgeable.
Email Peter | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
a pleasant trip along the garden route
Cape Town was great as always, but for the weather, cold grey and foggy. Winchester Mansions hotel was very comfortable. unable to see anything at Cape Point and table mountain cable car was shut. V&A shopping improves with each visit.
Drove the garden route and stayed at Franschoek, The Avondrood Guest House, lovely, wine tram was great. Stayed at The Belvidere Manor Kynsa, nice complex of chalets outside Knysa, very pretty views and visited the Craggs sanctuaries , all of which were very good. Bird World is a very special place!
Drove to Port Elizabeth. Only stayed at one private game park on this safari, Lalibela which,we found out when we arrived, was under reconstruction( not the lodge, the reserve !!! ) . We were shown a video explaining their long term plans and why we would go on to see huge areas of devastation so the vibe was very muted at Lentaba lodge. Had we known they were taking hundreds of mature non indigenous trees out with heavy equipment we would not have stayed there. The bush has yet to grow back. The effect on the wildlife must be substantial. We paid for a chalet upgrade ( it was our wedding anniversary and my wife's special birthday ) only to find it was nearest to the very noisy generator which switched on every 4 hours when they experienced the Government induced power cuts. Very obtrusive in the room. It was so noisy it drowned out conversation at the pool! Sounded like a jet engine! . Weather was not good, with rain and mist and little sun, not a good time of year to safari. In all a holiday with some highlights but could have been so much better. Not good value for money to us.