South Africa itinerary help please!

[Endgame57]

Another quest for ideas on SA. I have looked at some of the historic threads which are helpful, but just need to get some clarity on what is going to work with two teens end of August early September. I’m planning to book it all independently as it seems straightforward enough with so many options online. I did have a chat with Trailfinders but their lack of transparency with pricing is annoying and I think they are keen to maximise their own commissions with what they suggest. BA flights are pretty good at the moment £920ish pp return. Thinking of flying into Cape Town, spendIng 4/5 nights at the VA Waterfront in a self catering apartment and doing Boulders Beach, Cape of Good Hope, Table Mountain etc. Also think a drive to Hermanus would be good as it should be whale season hopefully and it’s only a 1.5hr trip, so doable for a day. Might also drive out to the Winelands and visit Franschhoek or Stellenbosch, not sure if it’s worth staying overnight or just doing it as a day trip again? Then thinking of flying from CT to Kruger for 3/4 nights safar. I’m not sure if it’s possible to do this without getting picked up at Joburg? Would rather not fly into Joburg and then have to transfer to Kruger, but would do it if it was a lot cheaper. After safari, a flight to George and 4/5 nights either in Kynsa or Plettenberg Bay and driving around to experience the area as well as some downtime, although weather might not be very beach friendly end of August. Then fly home from George.
Haven’t included Oudtshoorn for the ostrich farms or caves as I think this might be a bit too commercial and a tourist trap? Interested to hear others opinions!
All of this for 12k which I think having looked at accommodation prices should be doable. Safari is the pricey bit, probably 3/4k.
Any thoughts/suggestions/opinions would be appreciated. Thank you!

@Endgame57 That's a very busy itinerary! I've been to SA several times and think you'll have very full days with that plan plus a lot of travelling which wastes a lot of time. Last month, I did a fortnight and we stayed just in the Eastern Cape area and it felt busy! We did 3 days in Franschhoek which is beautiful and much nicer than Stellenbosch and then moved to the outskirts of CT for the remaining time. We had a car so went to Boulders Beach, the Cape etc. Hermanus is lovely and worth spending a couple of days especially during the whale season.
You might be better to fly to CT, spend several days there. Fly to Port Elizabeth, although it's got a new name now, do a safari there and avoid having to take malaria tablets, pick up a car and drive leisurely back to CT via the garden route.

If it were me I would probably fly into JHB, do a transfer to Kruger for your safari, then fly to CT. I would skip the flight to George and just do some trips from around CT.

Iwould recommend trying g to fit in Victoria Falls if you can. It’s a two and a half hour flight from Cape Town. We stayed in this hotel and did a helicopter flight over the falls we’ll never forget.

https://www.victoriafallshotel.com

@KimberleyClark we are going there in April and staying in the same hotel! Which company did you use for your helicopter flight please as we haven't booked that yet?

August in Cape Town can be pretty wintry - last year was cold and rainy. Maybe start with Kruger as someone suggested and head to the western cape afterwards ?

You’re going back on yourself. Fly to Jo-burg and do your safari, then fly down to CT and from there do your trips including a drive along the Garden Route to Plet / Knysna.

Ideally fly into Jo-burg and out of CT.

I highly recommend doing you safari at Madikwe rather than Kruger. Kruger has a highway running through it and you get multiple vehicles crowded around the animals.

But keep in mind it will be winter so the weather in CT, Plet and Knysna won’t be beach / pool weather (19-20 ish).

And I wouldn’t stay at the Waterfront as it’s basically a shopping centre. I’d suggest staying in Camps Bay and then you can drive / Uber to the Waterfront for shopping / dinner.

Franschook is great if you are foodies but there isn’t much for teenagers to do.

It was a company called mjair, we didn't book it in advance it was a spur of the moment thing, just went to the leisure activities desk at reception, said we wanted to book a helicopter flight, they did the rest.

Camps Bay is beautiful!

Are you self driving in the Kruger? Best and cheapest way to do it.

We're going this summer - as others have suggested, we're flying into JHB, out to Kruger (Sabi Sands) then internal flight to CT and back to the UK from CT. We have scaled back the itinerary (wanted to fit in Umhlanga) but it felt too manic as we only have 2 weeks.

Camps Bay is lovely! We stayed in a great Airbnb in Hout Bay which had a pool, hot tub, sauna and games room. Although we had a car, we used Uber to get to restaurants and the Waterfront as it was the easiest and cheapest option.

We went in August 23 and had gorgeous weather the whole time.

We flew into Joburg and then drove to a game park near the coast rather than Kruger. An SA family who were at the same reserve said it was the best safari experience they had done, and they had done many, including Kruger. As it was relatively smaller, we saw all the animals in 24 hours and it was a gorgeous place to stay, so definitely worth considering IMHO.

Our whole trip was amazing and we did loads of stuff - would you consider driving the Garden route to CT - it was stunning and a very easy drive. Also we stayed in Camps Bay (rather than V&A) which would be great for teens!

Amazing responses, thank you everyone. Will
have a major rethink!

We have done several trips to SA and mostly in August. It’s winter there so choose carefully what you want to do and where.

I think you have various options. You can fly to JB and then transfer to Sabi Sands. We like bush camps and there are some great ones there. More than enough to see in 3/4 days. I’d book a package for this Then retrace your steps and go to CT.

I agree - the Waterfront is not that special. We have stayed at guest houses in residential areas of CT and they were wonderful with secure parking. Camps Bay is great too.

Yes to going around the Cape but you need a couple of nights for the Winelands. Not really a day trip. Are dc interested?

Better is staying in Hermanus after CT. You really should see whales very close and from Gansbaii, sharks trips. I like the Garden Route. Rather than the ostrich farms, we drove the Swartberg pass. Amazing! Knysna and Plett are pleasant and you can end up in PE. Or don’t go so far and drive back to CT via a different route for a flight home. Spending time to see the whales is fantastic though.

August is depressingly cold in CT btw. Don’t go expecting warmth. It’ll generally be dry & sunny, but you’ll want to pack a jacket.

I go to CT in august, felt very pleasant, not hot but not cold.

We love South Africa and Zimbabwe and try to go every 18 months. Not long back from Christmas trip.
Wild Horizons and Shearwater are the two major activity organisers in Victoria Falls. Both have offices in the town and plenty of locals will also try and sell you activities. You won't have any problems getting helicopter rides.
Don't book trips to the falls. It's walkable from the town and very easy to do yourself.
Afternoon tea at Victoria Falls hotel a must.
Consider day trip to Chobe in Botswana ( get double entry visa upon arrival) its actually nearer to go on game drive in Botswana than it is to go to Hwange.
Enjoy. Only slightly jealous

Another option for safari is Shamwari which is along the garden route near Port Elizabeth.

You could do a day or two in CT on arrival then fly down to Port Elizabeth and pick up a car.

Spend 3 nights on safari then drive along the garden route towards CT stopping for a few nights in Plet / Knysna and a night in Hermanus. It’s just under 600 miles from PE to CT: an hour from PE to Shamwari, 4 hours to Knysna, 4 hours to Hermanus and an hour to CT.

I recommend the Pezula resort in Knysna

This sounds like a good idea, are you using a tour operator or have you booked it yourselves? Do you plan to hire a car whilst in CT to do some trips?

Yes the safari camps near Port Elizabeth are supposed to be very good and malaria free. I wonder if that might be less hectic than trying to do Kruger? Although the impression I get from others is that Kruger is unbeatable and would be a much better safari. Not sure if that’s really the case though.

@Endgame57 I've done a safari at both and think Kruger is better however if you've never been on safari before the parks near PE are good enough to get the experience!

This actually sounds like a great plan, I need to decide whether it’s really worth focussing on Kruger for the safari or whether Eastern Cape would be just as good and less hassle with flights.

If you’ve not done safari before, don’t go to the Kruger, it’s too vast. My fav is the pilansberg. Lots of animals, much smaller, Not far from jhb.

avoid centre of Cape Town to stay, it’s soulless. Personally I love Fishhoek, coz it has a lovely vibe.
Cape Town will be cold. Don’t go expecting summer temps, even when you look at air temps, the wind can make it feel blinking cold.

Not brave enough for that!