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Post by nycgirl on Apr 24, 2012 3:20:24 GMT
I was going to PM Tod, but decided to post this in case anyone else would like to give/get info.
My husband and I are planning to visit South Africa from January 4-21 2013. It will be our first time visiting Africa. Kruger is going to be the focal point of our trip, but we are also interested in suggestions for other activities and side trips.
We're shooting for keeping things low budget. We want to do both ranger-led tours and self-guided drives. For accommodations, we will probably alternate between camping in tents and renting modest bungalows. Which campsites in Kruger would you recommend? And how much of the trip do you think we should dedicate to Kruger? (I'm a big animal lover.)
Any advice is greatly appreciated!
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Post by tod2 on Apr 24, 2012 11:41:16 GMT
nycgirl - I would love to help but can I ask you to wait until first/second week June? We leave for Europe tomorrow and I'm just taking a break from packing! There are so many ways to do Kruger from Posh to Poor! Your biggest expense will be the daily tariff you have to pay up front. Tented acc. is from bring your own(not in your case surely?) to sleeping in a more luxurious tent near ablutions - and they are spotless. Will get back to you - in meantime go onto the Kruger National Park website and read all you can and what they offer. Prices can be seen. Remember January is Stinking Hot and the malaria chances are greater. Don't even think of not taking tablets. Pretoriuskop Camp is the highest and least affected by mossies. We quite like it there. See ya!
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Post by nycgirl on Apr 24, 2012 12:27:23 GMT
Thanks, and have a good trip!
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Post by nycboy on Apr 24, 2012 15:49:45 GMT
Thanks, tod, we were thinking of camping in our own tent but if that's not advisable we won't. Look forward to hearing from you, enjoy your trip.
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Post by Kimby on Apr 24, 2012 22:20:08 GMT
We went in November, and stayed in Bushveld Camps, with housekeeping cottages having a small kitchen and a braai (BBQ grill) outside on the patio. We found them reasonable and very comfortable, in locations about a days game-drive apart. We bought groceries in the larger rest camps - they sold frozen meats that we could wrap in a towel and let defrost while we drove to our night's lodgings. Have you seen the travelog I posted on here about our Kruger stay?
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Post by nycgirl on Apr 25, 2012 15:14:20 GMT
Just looked at it now, I don't know how I missed it. It was an enjoyable read, thanks for putting it together.
The Bushveld Camps sure look fun and comfy. I'd like stay at a few after camping out a few nights.
Is there anything you would recommend besides Kruger? Does Johannesburg itself have anything of interest to you?
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Post by Kimby on Apr 26, 2012 2:53:50 GMT
We did not visit Jo'burg, just picked up a rental car at the airport and headed East on the Panorama Route to Kruger. We liked Namibia a whole lot (there's a thread for that, too) and spent a third week in CapeTown province, which was also quite nice. 3 areas, 3 weeks, 3 rental cars. One of our favorite trips ever.
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Post by nycgirl on May 9, 2012 2:36:03 GMT
Just looked at your Namibia thread and it sounds fantastic. We are considering Namibia, too. We'd especially love to see the Skeleton Coast. My main concern is we'll probably only have 2 weeks (not counting flights) and I'm worried that 1 week in Kruger and 1 week in Namibia is too rushed.
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Post by Kimby on May 9, 2012 12:41:58 GMT
We had 1 week in and enroute to Kruger, 1 week total in Namibia, and a final week in CapeTown area. Did not feel too rushed, though there was lots of driving, especially in Namibia.
But we did it all, including the red sand dunes of Soussesvlei in Namibia. If you were just doing the game parks, I think a week in each area would be plenty.
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Post by nycgirl on May 29, 2012 1:01:05 GMT
Booked our tickets! Dec 28 to Jan 14 roundtrip to Johannesburg. Wish I could change the name of this thread, because we have now decided on Namibia in addition to Kruger.
We want to drive through Botswana to Namibia (hopefully visiting a cheetah sanctuary on the way) and see the Skeleton Coast and the red dunes. Maybe we'll visit Etosha if there's time. We're saving Kruger til the end of the trip because the crowds will perhaps have died down a little.
This itinerary is not set in stone, so I welcome any advice. I'll also seek input from TA and my friends.
Our first trip to Africa! So excited!
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Post by Kimby on May 29, 2012 3:16:06 GMT
So excited for you NYC, you'll have a great time. I'm envious.
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Post by nycboy on Jun 30, 2012 20:53:14 GMT
Now that we're done with our trip to Utah's deserts we're turning our focus towards South Africa and Namibia. I've revised the thread title and welcome any advice. Yesterday I sat down with a coworker from SA who guided my around on google maps pointing out various things to see and rough estimates of the driving times. He was very high on Cape Town, which looks gorgeous, and had suggested flying between CT and Jburg. The prices are reasonable but I'm just curious if we'd be biting off more than we can chew trying to do Kruger, Namibia, and Cape Town. We arrive on Dec 29th around 10pm and depart on Jan 15th around 8pm. My initial thought was to fly immediately over to Cape Town for New Years Eve before driving North into Namibia; major points of interest being Sossusvlei, Skeleton Coast, and Etosha. We get a wide variety of suggestions for how long to spend doing this or that, from "minimum two weeks for Kruger" to "I was bored seeing animals after three days"... We also here contrasting experiences on game viewing for the time of year we're going. Tough to predict how it might go but we both love animals, I'm interested in photography, and I don't mind driving for hours on end...
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Post by Kimby on Jul 1, 2012 12:48:56 GMT
We did 3 weeks, 3 countries, 3 intercity flights, 3 rental cars. It was a full trip, with LOTS of driving (even though we flew between Windhoek and Capetown), but one of our favorites ever. With less than 3 weeks, I don't know... You might be biting off more driving than you can chew. And it's not relaxing driving - Namibia seems to have more rental car wrecks per mile than almost any other country.
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Post by nycboy on Jul 1, 2012 13:50:08 GMT
I just wish it wasn't so expensive to fly between Windhoek and CT/Joburg. I wouldn't be opposed to making up the expense by camping in the parks.
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Post by nycgirl on Jul 1, 2012 14:14:13 GMT
I'd love to spend NYE in Cape Town, it looks so pretty, but maybe we should skip it.
Which park did you like better for game viewing, Etosha or Kruger? Do you think they each have something to offer the other doesn't? Or should we only choose one?
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Post by tod2 on Jul 1, 2012 17:45:54 GMT
ncygirl - Cape Town is a very beautiful city but absolutely crazy at NYE. But then you are from New York so could cope very well ;D
Namibia: Been there done that. It's miles and miles and miles.....and some more miles of driving a dead straight tarred road with sand on either side. The towns are very interesting. Accommodation good. The Etosha pan is vast - few animals at waterholes. We spent 5 days just crossing from a camp on one side to the second and third camps to the other side. Sousousvlei is fascinating but unless you have a 4 wheel drive vehicle you can't get to the dunes. They charge tourists huge sums just to drive you a kilometer or two and back. The heat is suffocating and shade scarce. It's not a patch on the beautiful place you have just visited with those amazing rocks. It's just different.
Skeleton Coast: You can't go there. It's diamond country and well guarded. You may be thinking of the part where the old buildings have been eaten up by the desert?
The best city we liked was Swarkopmund. It's German, German, German! Names of roads etc. They have boats to take you to see dolphins, seals and pelicans. Quite fun. If you go I wouldn't go further than that.
Have you heard of The Augrabies Falls? That's up that way and very much like a mini Grand Canyon. I have not been there yet.
Kruger is a personal thing. If you LOVE wild animals - it's good. If you HAVE to see a lion, or leopard, the more time there the better the chance. Then again, I have seen The Big Five all in ONE single day!! That is some luck I can tell you!
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Post by nycboy on Jul 1, 2012 18:53:27 GMT
NYE in New York is awful! We'll take your advice and save CT for another part of the trip or skip it altogether.
Interesting take on Namibia, certainly making me think twice about investing so much time getting there.
We were considering the part of the Skeleton Coast North of Swarkopmund, my main interest being photography. From there we would cross over Damaraland (?or Kaokoland?) headed to Etosha.
I've read about the Augrabies Falls and looked at the pictures, it didn't look worth traveling out of our way.
We LOVE animals, and I'm not sure anyone loves them more than my wife!
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Post by nycgirl on Jul 1, 2012 21:12:06 GMT
Kruger is a personal thing. If you LOVE wild animals - it's good. If you HAVE to see a lion, or leopard, the more time there the better the chance. Then again, I have seen The Big Five all in ONE single day!! That is some luck I can tell you! I definitely want to make animals the focus of the trip. You have amazing luck! I would be so over the moon if that happened with us. From there we would cross over Damaraland (?or Kaokoland?) headed to Etosha. I, personally, am willing to skip Etosha in favor of more time in Kruger. We ordered some guidebooks, but I was wondering, can you recommend a good bird guide?
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Post by nycboy on Jul 1, 2012 23:25:54 GMT
Any guide book recommendations for that matter. (You'd never know the two of us were sitting next to each other.)
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Post by Kimby on Jul 2, 2012 1:09:33 GMT
We used the guide books that we picked up in Kruger's main rest camp/headquarters for identifying birds and game. The maps were quite good too, for the game drives and locations of the rest camps and smaller bushveld camps.
Between Kruger and Etosha, I'd choose Kruger. If I could only do 2 of the 3 weeks we had done, I'd skip the week in Namibia and do Kruger and Capetown, Wine Country and the coast.
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Post by tod2 on Jul 2, 2012 7:44:19 GMT
Excellent advice Kimby! Namibia is so V A S T that although we enjoyed the "Nobody here but us" feeling, we have been put off ever going back because it takes hours and hours to drive from one main town to another. Our time in Namibia covered every aspect possible. Every weird and wonderful thing one can see - We saw. ie: The enormous meoteorite the size of a car. Namibia is definitely a two week minimum place to get the most out of it. Ncygirl & boy: You can't come to Africa and not see Cape Town Just don't plan it around New Year unless you want to pay top dollar for accommodation.
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Post by nycboy on Jul 2, 2012 19:30:15 GMT
That's pretty much the sentiment I got from my coworker as well. He said matter of factly, "Cape Town is the most beautiful city in the world." Thoughts on Joburg to CT and back? Coworker suggested driving one-way and flying back. Any can't miss stuff in between?
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Post by tod2 on Jul 3, 2012 7:14:46 GMT
There is much to see and enjoy in Cape Town. There is NOTHING to see in Johannesburg. It's a ghastly place. It's a confusing place - when we have had to go there to obtain visas, our Garmin was invaluable. JHB is for transfer to somewhere else only
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Post by Kimby on Jul 4, 2012 2:18:32 GMT
And, since the airport is quite a ways out, you can pick up your rental car and start driving the other direction, to Kruger, skipping Joburg altogether.
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Post by tod2 on Jul 4, 2012 11:18:35 GMT
News Flash! I have just completed my bookings for Kruger National Park. Ncygirl/boy, you asked me about favourite camps etc. Well, I have decided to put my neck out and book some NEW camps this trip....and why( because of the the big discount!).
Firstly we have been about 10times to Kruger and always go the safe route and book the camps we liked the best. But I thought...same old thing, nothing new to get excited about, so did a little investigating online with the SANPARKS website, which is the official website for Kruger Park, and this is our plan:
October 14th to 18th, 4 nights - SIRHENI BUSVELD CAMP. ( we are getting a 40% discount on the normal price of R1,220-00 per night, so will only pay R732-00)
Introduction ‘Sirheni’ is a Tsonga word that means ‘cemetery’, after a type of elephant graveyard at a site near to the camp.
Sirheni Bushveld Camp nestles on the edge of the Kruger National Park’s northern plains within the Mopane veld of the region. The Sirheni Dam, on the Mphongolo River, lies next to the camp. The accommodation facilities and the camp’s two bird hides overlook the dam and a wide variety of game and birds are attracted to it. Visitors have been awakened to the sounds of lion and hyena, as there are often kills at the dam. Sirheni has a resident leopard that is seen on a regular basis, often coming down to drink at the dam.
5 Things to seek
1. Reedbuck 2. Elephant 3. Resident Leopard 4. Sable Antelope 5. Roan Antelope
18th to 21st, 3 nights - BATELEUR BUSHVELD CAMP.(we are getting a discount of 40% on R1,440-00per night down to R864-00) This delightful camp is situated on the banks of the Mashokwe spruit approximately 40km south west of Shingwedzi in the beautiful northern Mopane/Woodland savannah of the Kruger National Park.
Named after the majestic eagle, Bateleur, being the oldest and the smallest of the bushveld camps, offers a unique atmosphere and superb game viewing. One of the many features Bateleur offers is a game-viewing hide that overlooks a waterhole just outside the camp. Two dams, Silwervis and Rooibosrand, are within close range of the camp and are restricted to the residents of Bateleur - good to know as there will never be a traffic jam even if the camp is full.
5 Things to Seek
1. Bateleur Eagle 2. Leopard 3. Hippo 4. White Rhino 5. Blue Wildebeest
If you look at a map of the park you will immediately notice that the two campsites are not that far from each other. But, when we are at Sirheni we will concentrate on moving around on the roads northwards. At Bateleur, we will go south more.
21st - ORPEN CAMPSITE. Just one night as we have been here many times before but needed a halfway stop between Bateleur Bush Camp and our next camp. It's a long drive (not in miles/Km) but in the time it takes because the speed limit is 40km on dirt and 50 on tar. Then there are animal sitings which you may stay at for an hour or more. There is no need to get to the next camp anywhere in the park before 2pm, check-in time.
22nd to 27th , 5 nights. CROCODILE BRIDGE CAMPSITE. We have been here many times as well, but because it is at the very bottom of the park, has resident lions, is within reach of other campsites like LOWER SABIE which has a restaurant and big supermarket and a lovely deck to view the river. We also need to be at the exit gate to head home and make it in one day. This is possible from this point.
Most visitors, especially South Africans, all tend to stay in the lower half of Kruger because of it's concentration of animals. You can see everything down here and the main camps like Croc Bridge, Malelane (VERY nice campsite with only 5 or 6 huts and a tent/caravan area. Also BIG kitchen with gas stove & oven, big deepfreeze and fridge), Lower Sabie, and Skukuze I am not a fan of Skukuze as it is HUGE, with too many cars zipping past your hut. It might be OK for camping though. It is actually a small village with Doctor & post office. I like the surrounding area of Skukuze though. The biggest secret is the picnic area at the Skukuze nursery. Here you can buy plants, have a lovely lunch under the trees - picnic table and benches provided, and nice toilet. It is SMALL - only two or three tables in amongst the trees, so go early at about 11.30-12noon to bag a table. There is also the Skukuze Golf Club right next door and lunch is available to all. It is not posh so don't think you will look odd in Tshirt, shorts and trainers! The view is lovely.
You can fly straight from Jo'burg airport to Skukuze Airport and hire a car there. Must be booked in advance, so don't take a chance.
In the end, you can't really go wrong in Kruger no matter where you stay. The main thing to remember is the areas of vegetation are different as you move from down south to way up north. Kruger website shows all this information.
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Post by nycgirl on Jul 4, 2012 21:12:24 GMT
With your comments in mind we're thinking of entering the park in the North and then making our way south when the crowds disperse after NYE weekend.
Thought it'd be nice to make our way to Kruger and spend our first night at the Sable Dam Overnight hide (preparing to bring our own food/water). Then we'd spend a couple days at Oliphants before heading down to Satara. The 4x4 trail out of Satara caught my attention, has anyone done it?
From Satara we'd head to one of the camps in the South which by then should have more availability. Lower Sabie?
We're also interested in doing any of the guided walks, game drives, night drives or even an overnight hike (still have to research if this is feasible). Any insight on those is welcome; are they better out of certain camps or in certain regions?
I guess that gets us up to 8 days or so total but i'm not sure we'd mind stretching it to 10 and saving the rest for flying to Cape Town.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 4, 2012 21:32:43 GMT
When I had just about plotted a trip to Namibia, the company that I was planning to use for some of the activities was Crazy Kudu Tours, which has now become Wild Dog Safaris.
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Post by nycboy on Jul 5, 2012 0:35:55 GMT
When I had just about plotted a trip to Namibia, the company that I was planning to use for some of the activities was Crazy Kudu Tours, which has now become Wild Dog Safaris. That 8 Day Shoestring Safari looks very much like what we wanted to do.
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Post by tod2 on Jul 5, 2012 9:53:50 GMT
I have just read through The Wild Dog Safari itinerary and it brought back all the memories of our wonderful trip! For the money I think it is excellent!! nycboy - I got the idea you and the Mrs. were going to drive this and camp out yourselves. (other side of the road and all ) On a guided tour like this you have all the stress taken out of the transport side and can truly sit back and soak it all up. OK, we spent 14 days there but were also using our own vehicle so my husband was always at the wheel ( I can't remember driving at all). Kruger: Your plan sounds very good. I was hoping you would spot that 'sleep out' in the hide! Also it is right near the entrance gate of Phalaborwa, so no long slow drive to your check-in. I want you to get out a detailed map of Kruger and look at the roads situation surrounding Olifants camp and compare it to the Lataba camp. You should immediately notice that you have only one main route to and from Olifants ( not counting the little side dirt roads ). Now look at Letaba - You can go three different ways and come back to camp three different ways on a main artery road. The camp itself is nicer, and nothing stops you calling in at Olifants to see the view over the river. It's very far down and in the distance so after an hour you would have had time to get out the binocs and try and find a hippo or elephants. We have stayed there and had the hut that sticks out furtherest away on the side of the hill. Unfortunately there was a great big fence right in front of us and a footpath to the locals/staff(maybe) houses so an endless stream of people interrupting the view. Letaba is lush (palms) and also has an area looking over the river closer-by plus a bird hide near the camp. Little side roads branch off like veins and give you the opportunity to go one direction and come back another every-time you leave camp. It also has a swimming pool in the bush campers area apart from a main pool. Now, you asked about the 4X4 out of Satara. Are you hiring a 4X4 vehicle then? or is this a tour like you would go on a ranger drive in the early morning? ( 5 AM IS THE VERY BEST TIME TO SEE ANIMALS!) Don't think the animals like to hide away in the bush where the little dirt roads are - the animals LOVE the heat the tarred road gives off and are always lazing on it. They all have a tendency to want to pee and poo on it too! Must be something to do with other old smells or the texture or heat of the tar......who knows. I will ask a ranger if I can pin one down ;D Satara is an excellent camp because apart from being the second biggest (Skukuza first) it's position allows you to travel in all directions spanning the width of the park. Don't eat in the main restaurant - it's hideous , poor food, and very expensive. Definitely definitely book now for Lower Sabie Camp! It has a large dam on the doorstep and you can make it back to camp in 3min after catching a sunset. Gates to all camps close at around 6.30pm this time of the year and you will be fined if late. Please remember not to get out of your vehicle unless in a designated place or picnic site. If seen, you will most likely be photographed from another tourists iPhone (or camera) the photo sent to a ranger's office or exit gate and when you try to leave the park they will apprehend you, fine you,and ban you! That's not to say I don't get out my door...but I do it in very out-of-the-way places, cut the engine so I can hear if a vehicle approaches, and quick as I can staying right next to my open door, have a nature break ;D The most daring and STUPID thing we have ever witnessed is two girls and a guy sitting in on one of the many large rocks in the crocodile river, having lunch! Yes, they got reported alright. People that flaunt the rules spoil it for everyone else. 8 days is plenty time for a first visit - most overseas visitors spend around three days but then they have to get pretty lucky with game viewing!
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Post by nycboy on Jul 5, 2012 13:29:29 GMT
I've only had a moment to glance at your first couple paragraphs but this great, I can't wait to sink my teeth into it!
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