Trip to South Africa

[Thyrsis]

We're planning a trip to SA in August. If we fly into Cape Town which would be a good reserve to visit? Any other hints and tips appreciated.

 

Thanks.

[Lionel]

I think you might want to google for game reserves in South Africa; the major game reserves (Kruger, etc) are not in that part of SA.  Kruger is north east by almost 2,000km, there are some new ones in the Karoo, and other major reserves are in Kwazulu-Natal (far east from CT).  But if you're going for the wine or flora, Cape Town is a good place to start.  Kirstenbosch (in Cape Town) and the whole Cape Peninsula are good for flora.

 

There are a lot of boutique (and very small) game reserves that cater to the tourist trade.  If you want a more "authentic" experience, I think you would do better in the big games reserves (big measured by land area).

 

Is this a private trip, or are you going on an organised tour?

 

Regards

[Thyrsis]

Thanks Lionel, we're organising the trip ourselves so might need to add in an internal flight. Was hoping to 'shoot' wildlife without going to Kruger.

[Miguel]

Hi - there are several smaller game reserves in western Cape  - mostly along Garden Route ie. traveling east along coast from Cape Town. I would do at least a week in Cape Town - and then another week driving to Garden Route along Coast and returning inland - via Kango Caves, Outshoorn etc (different climates and topography.) You could try Gondwana Game Reserve, never been but heard its good. There are also smaller 'zoos' nearer by, Tygerberg Zoo and I know at Spier Farm (In the Cape Winelands) they had a Cheetah Sanctuary (not sure if they still run this.)

 

mig xx

[Carol Carpenter]

if you get a chance....

 

You just have to visit the Monkey Sanctuary and Bird of Eden encloures - they are along the coast from Cape Town. Plan to spend a day at the bird one, and about half a day at the monkey one.  They are right next to each other. The bird one is the largest in the world and is unbelievable. Go early to the Monkey one - so you get to go on the guided tour without too many other people like we did.

 

I can't stress enough how good these two are.

 

http://www.monkeyland.co.za/ 

http://www.birdsofeden.co.za/

 

near Plattenberg bay.

 

I did both (do both and you pay less than the cost of each individually) - the photo opportunities are just non stop.

The parrots can end up that close with all the feeding stations that you might actually want to take a Macro lens as well.

 

Carol

[Thyrsis]

Thanks Miguel and Carol, looking into your suggestions.

[parischris]

We're planning a trip to SA in August. If we fly into Cape Town which would be a good reserve to visit? Any other hints and tips appreciated.

 

Thanks.

I have been to and can recommend Kwandwe Private Game Reserve. It's near Grahamstown and Port Elizabeth. If you travel along the Garden Route by car it's reachable - I took 2 days by car to get there...otherwise fly to Port Elizabeth from Cape Town and from memory the reserve organises shuttle transfers.  Or they have an airstrip you can charter a small plane to fly you into :-). The image below is from a drizzly morning in April 2012.

 

 

I'm going back in September of this year for 4ish weeks and spending 2.5 weeks on safari at three different reserves - Ngala (on the edge of Kruger), Phinda (Kwazulu-Natal, north of Durban), and Twsalu Kalahari. Then to Cape Town and spending 11 days on the Garden Route, whale-watching (the Hermanus Whale Watching festival is on in September). I'll also make a point of taking up Carol's recommendations on the monkey and bird reserves. I was only in SA for 6 days last trip and not nearly long enough to get to the places I wanted to go on the Garden Route.