South Africa next summer

[zurigo]

We're considering going to South Africa next summer with our 16-year-old DS and have come up with a rough itinerary. If anyone has done a 2-week trip to the Cape area in Jul/Aug, or knows this area well, I'd welcome any constructive comments as this is a new country for us. In particular, if you have any good suggestions for a convenient safari destination, that would be great. We don't want to go whale watching, so please don't recommend this.

Also, if anyone has any info on how safe it is to self drive and/or whether it's a good idea to book through e.g. Trailfinders, and what the advantages of that might be, I would appreciate it as we usually book everything ourselves and we'd probably prefer to do this. TIA

1 Arrive Cape Town
2 Table Mountain Skyway Tour & City Tour
3 Cape Point and penguins. Beach time, if nice.
4 Robben Island (approx. 4 hrs). Food Tour
5 Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens
6 Drive to Stellenbosch. Guided walk of historic town and wine tasting.
7 Guided hike in Jonkershoek Nature Reserve (UNESCO WHS).
8 Day trip to Franschhoek. Visit Motor Museum.
9 Drive via Swellendam to Mossel Bay.
10 Drive to Plettenburg Bay via Knysna and Forest Trail.
11 Drive to safari place (TBC)
12 Safari
13 Safari
14 Drive to Port Elizabeth
15 Fly home

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We went three years ago. It was absolutely incredible. We did Cape Town, then flew to Port Elizabeth and went to Amakhala safari reserve (45 minutes from PE). I cannot rate them highly enough, awesome experience. Weather was lovely.

All the places/activities you've listed will be lovely. The only thing to say is that Cape Town in July will be dark/wet and cold (sometimes, and obviously not as bad as a British winter) which may not be ideal. I tend to go to SA in May or September when it's not too hot or cold.

With where you're going I'd look at Addo for your game park experience, it's really nice.

Despite growing up in SA I now refuse to drive there at night as it's too dangerous, but that's not specifically true everywhere, and Cape Town is generally safer than most places. Just be very careful that you know where you're going, keep doors locked and never stop for anyone. Beautiful country, you'll love it.

We’ve just come back from South Africa with DS8 although we split our time between Cape Town and Johannesburg/safari and flew between. Agree with PP about the weather in Cape Town. It was colder than I expected! We did have some sunshine but there was no chance of us going to the beach. It was a lot warmer in Johannesburg/safari (we went to a lodge in Dinokeng reserve which was incredible), but it had been cold in Johannesburg the week before.

Your itinerary looks great. You could add Hermanus for whale watching? We saw whales this time. Boats do get cancelled if the weather is bad but we were lucky and ours went ahead (the earlier boats seem more likely to go). We got a 6.30am boat and stayed overnight nearby. I’d probably have preferred the 9am but it was sold out by the time we booked. It was cold, had to wear lots of layers!

We really liked Franschoek - the wine tram is fun and Babylonstoren is gorgeous if you can go there.

My partner and I went to Cape Town in Feb 2017, we enjoyed it and saw such spectacular scenery but in 63 countries, it's the only place we've been that felt palpably unsafe so don't walk the streets too late night, don't go up places like signal hill unless in a fair sized group and we didn't consider self driving because of the risk of smash and grabs on the highways being even worse in an obvious rental car. Hop on Hop off bus system wa good for getting about and a good tour down to cape of good hope including things like Boulders Beach, Simons Bay and Chapmand Peak.scenic route is with doing.

Loved lots about our trip to Cape town (7 days) and then flew up to J'B to do Dinokeng (3 days), but CPT was rougher than I expected in parts (other than V&A which is heavily policed). I would not want to hire a car (we saw one getting hi-jacked). Such a beautiful country, very cheap to eat out etc. great wine regions, but yeah, not sure I would go back.

We went to Cape Town and drove the garden route in February and absolutely loved it. I’m not sure I would go in July/August though due to the weather. We went to Pumba Game reserve which was fantastic, highly recommend. One other thing is I wouldn’t stop in Mossel Bay and would carry on to Knysna which was much nicer in my opinion. We did an overnight stop in Mossel bay to break up the journey but it was our least favourite place, just not much there and a bit rough. Hermanus on the other hand was lovely and worth a visit. Our experience of driving was absolutely fine, we didn’t feel unsafe but kept to daytime driving. We had a brilliant holiday, the people were lovely and the food!!!…

I wouldn’t go in July or August - that’s winter. Part of the appeal of SA is the outdoor life, pools, walking and the beach. Hiring a car is fine but I wouldn’t drive at night and you need to take notice of all safety tips. In 11+ visits I have never had an issue. Lots of safari day trips from Cape Town if you would prefer an organised tour. My son went this year and loved everything except Addo where he had a couple of experiences which spooked him. I didn’t get that at all in Addo but my last visit was probably 20 years ago.

Your itinerary looks great for other times of year but Cape Town was 15 degrees and grey last August and we never made it up Table Mountain as it was always cloudy. For us, it was the start of a trip up to Namibia, which was much warmer. Central Cape Town felt very uncomfortable, except the V&A waterfront area and I wouldn’t recommend walking round. The hop on, hop off buses are very useful (we also used them for the Cape Point tour) and Uber is easy. We’ve booked lots of trips through Trailfinders in the past and will do so again, though I’d be happy to do the Cape independently. There’s no obligation if they give you a quote. If you go through them, the holiday is protected as a package and you only have to pay a deposit until 12 weeks before. The biggest downside for us is that they don’t have many cheaper options in a lot of places, though you can just use them for parts of the trip. They used to have really good packages and deals but there doesn’t seem to be the same price advantage these days.

Way too much packed in. Refuce by a third, or even a half, but spread across the same number of days. So Table Mountain on one day - nothing else. Robben Island on another day - nothing else. Use the remaining time to just relax, read, wander round shops etc. It's a holiday not a route march.

Table Mountain cable cars don’t run if it’s windy, so you need flexibility for that. You won’t get a beach day so drive down to the Cape instead. Maybe stop off at Constantia?

You will need to be aware that Cape Town has its townships. However it’s unlikely you will go nearby them. Plus you need to stay in an up market area. You heed restaurants within easy reach of you drive to one and pay a car minder.
The botanical gardens won’t keep you occupied all day. The waterfront is like any other waterfront - DS is a bit young, but going to The Silo is a treat.

As for driving - it’s fine. Keep windows closed at traffic lights and don’t ask for directions. Keep very vigilant for speeding cars and don’t drive at night. Stop at stop signs or you will be in trouble. Hire the best car you can. Don't leave anything visible in the car at all. We’ve driven extensively with no issues ever. Collect the car from the airport and off you go. We also love guest houses. They are stylish and much nicer than big hotels. Owners and managers will help you with everything.

If you need to get money from an atm, take great care. Most visitors are perfectly safe if you follow simple rules and keep your wits about you.

It’s a shame not to try and see whales, but you might be a bit early to see them from the coast at Hermanus. You don’t need a boat trip.

Safari areas around the cape are rewilded areas. Like extra large zoos. Luxurious accommodation usually. Agree Knysna is great - I think you are rushing the garden route and you’ve got too long in CT. You are rushing some places that are great.

SA is relatively inexpensive when you are there. It’s got a lot to recommend it.

Cape Town is beautiful. I’ve been twice and DH lived there for years before I met him. I’ve been in January so mid summer and it was amazing then last year we took the kids in May-June and the weather really ruined it for me. It was wet and windy and although not cold by our standards, the place we stayed was not built to keep the heat in so it felt draughty and cold inside. I had to have a bath every night to warm up and wear a fleece onesie to bed! If you can reconsider your timing then it might make a huge difference to your experience. Having said that I do love the city and would go again in a heartbeat at any time!

You could also consider Namibia or perhaps a split Cape Town and Namibia trip. We just got back last weekend, it was fabulous holiday, and was > 30 degrees (verging on too hot) most of the time except on the coast in Swakopmund. Lots of animals in Etosha, Google the webcam for Okaukuejo waterhole in Etosha (best viewing from sunset onwards). Flights a bit of a pain, nothing direct from the UK, we went via Germany.

Agree with others that the weather isn't great at that time of year. You can visit penguins but you wont' be getting beach time. Doesn't mean you can't do it, but bear that in mind. For Safari, it might be worth flying up north and doing that there - better weather (albeit cold at night) and more options.

Driving to Knysna in one day is totally doable - I wouldn't bother stopping in Mossel Bay. V beautiful as you drive past, that's all you need. the drive to Knysna is about 5 hours so just go straight there.

Driving in Cape Town is totally fine (although be warned - cape townians are completely weird and crazy in parking lots of shopping centres. I grew up there and I still find it hard to get my head around). Always lock doors and windows and don't leave anything in sight - no jumper left on the seat or shopping bag. Otherwise, it's totally fine and gives you a lot more flexibility than anythign else you do. ("Car Guards" are a thing - anywhere you park you'll see men who will catch your eye. Sometimes they wear bibs that look more official. They are there to look after your car. Tip them when you leave - R5-R10 is standard. But bear in mind that's less than 50p so feel free to be generous).

Kirstenbosch is one of my favourite places in the world but if it's very wet, it can be very unpleasant. Save that for a day when the weather is at least half way decent.

Another wonderful hike is up Lions Head and the views are spectacular. Your 16 year old might really like that one.

I'd also say that there's a lot here that might be less interesting for him in a city that is amazing for young people. The Waterfront might be quite touristy but it's fun and vibrant and you can visit the aquarium if you need an "activity". Ad there are things like pedal boat rides or I think DS once went on some kind of body surfing/paddle board thing with his godmother around there which he said was amazing fun.

Cape of Good Hope is a great drive. Seeing the penguins is fun. We stayed in Camps Bat rather than Cape Town and drove in from there. I'd be very carefully checking out safari options as most are private owned fenced land and therefore with a set number of animals and can feel, like a sort of zoo unless very large. We did Kruger which felt much wilder, though you may spend longer not finding any animals. We stayed in a lodge overlooking a dry river bed and watering hole and saw many animals from the lodge (I can't recall it's name).
We drove through Soweto and felt reasonably safe, but thenspeed limits were constantly changing and we got stopped once for accidentally speeding.

@Dr13Hadley We’ve been late August and it’s been lovely spring weather. I’d definitely choose August over June or July. However going to Kruger or Sabi Sands for a safari is better than anything in the Cape or Garden Route area. Warmer during the day too.