South Africa - Itinerary for april - 2 young kids - worried about safety

[Hellobell]

Im abit late at planning and have nothing booked apart from flights we land in PE and depart from Cape Town.

We are slightly worried about safety and were considering cancelling this trip as we will have a 3yr old and 5yr old with us and i ended up reading alot of scary forums about SA safety last night which i wasn't fully aware of before booking ! yes my fault i know. However two SA friends have tried to reassure us that if we follow all safety advice we should be ok.

2 nights near addo park

3 nights kynsea or plett bay (as a base)

2 nights Franschhoek or Stellenbosch

4 nights CT (not sure which area would be good ) If anyone can reccomend safe secure locations please let me know

It’s a rough idea :)

I’ve been to SA 6x. All over.

Not a chance I’d do this type of trip with children those ages. Not because of safety. Just because…. Well no way

Why because of safety or ? My kids have travelled all over Asia with us so the whole travelling aspect isn't a problem, I'm concerned about safety issues. Thanks

as I clarified
not because of safety
not type of holiday that I’d consider with a 3 or 5 year old. Not even close

ok thanks :) yes i get we all have different types of holidays lets say an adventure haha because reality is im not sitting around a pool relaxing while my kids play but i live on a small sunny island so we have 4 months of sun, relaxing and beach/pool days so we do love a family adventure vaycay, im happy to know its not about safety i know i have to be very cautious there and heard a few mixed reviews just not sure if its worth the worry but ive gone and spent 4k on flights that i would lose if we cancelled ;(

I would look at a few websites of family travel specialists and see their suggested itineraries. They will have suggested places to stay, things to downtown. Try stubborn mule or Rickshaw travel etc. you don't need to book through them but just use them for ideas.

Cape town would be Camps Bay for me. Love Franschoek and Knysna too.
It has gotten more dangerous. I know somebody who lives there and she sats it's got more dangerous (I went 2009). Not sure I'd go with children tbh.

Typo- Things to do - not downtown!

I would go to SA but if you felt you didn't want to, rather than wasting the ticket could you fly to SA and then fly on to somewhere else? Namibia, Botswana, Mauritius?

thanks i do like the feedback you gave and will check out those sites, tbh we love adventure and in the Philippines pre kids we saw some scary stuff but I would never want to put my kids into danger, I feel like there is so much mixed feedback about SA, we would be doing very touristic things and nothing out of the normal but im still worried a little maybe once im there ill calm down abit and chill, and yes i might actually check out that now with the airline maybe Mauritius would be safer, it was an actual destination we considered. Thank youuu

love SA and think it’s a great destination with kids.

My inlaws live in Knysna. My children have been -it was pretty safe and a lovely place to visit. Central CT is a bit scary in places but if you were to stay in a nice waterfront hotel and just the do the waterfront, Table Mountain, botanical gardens and a trip up to the winelands, you would be fine.
If the right time of year, I'd also recommend a trip to Hermanus for whale watching. Hermanus is smaller and you can walk around easily -you don't need a car to get around there.

We took DS when he was a few months off 3, it was fabulous.

We started in Cape Town and stayed about a 20 min walk from the V&A waterfront but in hindsight I would stay at the waterfront.

We then did a family friendly game reserve then stayed in Kysna. This was the place I was less keen on walking around the town centre but we stayed in a fabulous resort just outside and drove to where we wanted to go.

Then we went to Stellenbosch which was amazing and finally a few nights in Camps Bay. I would also recommend staying in Simonstown.

We felt safe but weren’t out at night because of the toddler, so stayed in apartments so DH and I would chill in the evening drinking wine. Whilst it isn’t the same we are born and bred Londoners so a lot of stuff is second nature to us like having bags secured, not standing in the street on an iPhone etc.

If you are going to be stressed and miserable the whole time it’s not worth it though, and that’s down to individuals. We are quite adventurous though- DS is early primary and has been to South Africa, Brazil, Thailand travelling around rather than sticking in a resort.

Ah love this thanks do you remember the name of the resort outside Kysna that you stayed at ?

We are the same we would be back by 6pm as kids will need to be bathed and put to bed and we can relax over some wine and nibbles.

Try getting rooms at the Knysna Belle ... beautiful!

I’d be very careful on Table Mountain these days. It’s become something of a mugging hotspot for tourists hiking — not just on the mountain, but in the National Park in general, for sad, but entirely predictable, reasons. I used to hike there years ago when we visited, but I wouldn’t now. A local friend was held at knifepoint a few months ago — luckily not injured, but the robberies are often violent.

Around this time last year there was a big story about some hikers fighting off attackers with pepper spray, and one of the attackers later falling to his death, presumably because he couldn’t see.

yes i read also about the Table Mountain and would not hike it anyhow with the kids, is it not even safe to get the cable car up and down ?

You’ll be fine doing the trip by cable car. It’s busy at the top, or on well-used trails like the Platteklip Gorge.

And Ashbourne Boutique Guesthouse at Franschoek

@Hellobell I've just come back from CT and had a fantastic time and didn't feel worried at any time. We've been twice before and done the Garden Route and felt safe.
We stayed in Hout Bay and Franschhoek; we'd hired a car but did use Uber in the evenings for restaurants, wine tasting etc. I'd recommend you stay around the Waterfront which is very safe for tourists. Like most places, don't walk in unknown areas at night, don't flash expensive jewellery etc about.
Our adult children came with us this time and were blown away by it and they have travelled alot plus my son lives abroad. My daughter said it was only place she's ever been that she contemplate living! She and her partner run alot and went out training most days and never had an issue.
Enjoy - it's a beautiful country!

At that age I'd prefer Hermanus over CT. I have photos of me on the beach there at that age. But unless they're great car travellers it's quite a lot of road time.
Knysna>Plett
Can recommend Amanzi Island Lodge on Leisure Isle. Nice to have the beach across the road.

Re safety - no driving after dark. Leave nothing in the car. Windows up.

My kids still talk about the scratch patch! There’s one in Simonstown & one at the Waterfront.

Awh thanks so much for all the feedback it has made me feel much more comfortable, we booked our stay in addo park tonight and feeling more excited about it all now, will follow your safety tips aswell as everyone else’s and I’m sure we will be fine and have a great time 🥰

@Hellobell you'll have an amazing time; it's a beautiful country!

Just back from CT. We also went to Stellenbosch, which was lovely.

We stayed in Sea Point/Bantry Bay, but probably wouldn’t return to there. There is a lovely big prom, but there is quite a lot of rough sleepers lying around. There was nobody around walking etc after sundown. Everyone gets Ubers everywhere without issue.

Camps Bay or the Waterfront would be best for CT. We went up table mountain in the cable car. Did not feel unsafe. We also used the HOHO bus, which stops at Camps Bay and Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens and Monkey World.

There are lots of families around.

Same (havent been 6 times) but not a chance I would take such young children to SA.

@ChocolateTruffleAssortment The scratch patch is legendary. When I went back to CT in my early 20ies I went back and I can guarantee it's still as amazing as it was when I was a child. We're heading to CT in December and I can't wait to take my daughter.

OP, I take my daughter to SA every 12-18 months. Different as I'm South African but it's a great holiday for the right kind of child. My DSC struggle a bit more going (but one struggles in those sorts of environments, he found Mozambique and India really difficult too)

You need to be aware of the safety advice in general. Also be aware that the politics are not totally aligned to the west. Since the US has pulled aid etc Russia has slid right in. Be aware of the complex political landscape both internally in SA but globally right now.