SO and I won a safari at an auction a couple weeks ago. We've got 2 years to take it, so I am trying to think of ways we can get the biggest bang for our $$. As we'll be flying from either Seattle or Vancouver to Johannesburg, and that the safari is only 6 days, I'm trying to figure out what else we need to do since we are flying that far. SO likes to scuba dive and I'm somewhat disabled. So now I'm looking for ideas as to what we can do for 'part 2' of our vacation.
Do we want to go to the beach? I've been reading and apparently there are some nice resorts with good scuba diving on the coast of Tanzania. Morocco has always been on my bucket list. Paris as a stop over is an option as it is my second favorite city to Istanbul....or someplace different.
We have time, but I have yet to even figure out what time of year we want to go......
Post by sunshinedaydreams on Apr 26, 2015 16:20:07 GMT -5
I would highly recommend going to Victoria Falls if you're in SA. The falls are really phenomenal, and not too long/difficult to get to from SA. We stayed on the Zim side a few years ago at Ilala Lodge and really enjoyed it. We spent 3 days there, and I would say that's about the right amount of time. You could do a helicopter ride over the falls. If you're ballsy, and it's the right time of year, you could swim in the Devil's Pool.
How much extra time are you thinking of spending there? Keep in mind that just because you're on the continent of Africa doesn't mean that getting to other places in Africa will be all that easy. You'll likely need more time than you're anticipating to transit from one place to another.
For example, to get to Tanzania (at least when we were there in 2011), there is one flight a day to Dar Es Salaam, and one flight a day back. You may have to stay over in Dar or Jo'burg for a night to be able to catch the flight the next day. On top of this, you would be looking at further transiting, either by plane or car, to the beaches. I believe our flight from Jo'burg to Dar was about 4.5 hours, so between getting to the airport ahead of time, the flight, and getting from the airport to a hotel, we lost essentially a full day transiting from SA to TZ.
Just from a quick search online right now, it looks like there are no direct flights between Jo'burg and Morocco, so you could be looking at 20+ hours of transiting to get to Morocco.
To answer your initial question about the beaches... We stayed in Bwejuu on Zanzibar, and there were really great reefs right off the shore, but to snorkel or dive, you had to take $$$ boats out. Zanzibar was beautiful, but IMO, not worth going to TZ just for that. It's also $100 for a visa to enter TZ, and you have to get additional $$$ vaccines and anti-malarials (not required for SA entry). If I were you, I'd probably shoot for time in Cape Town if you want beach time, and not bother with the time-consuming, expensive moving around to another country.
When we flew to Johannesburg for a safari, we drove over to Mozambique for a few days of diving and snorkeling with the whale sharks at Tofo. Crossing the border (especially with the rental car) was pretty confusing, but I really enjoyed Tofo itself.
I suspected that getting around Africa wasn't going to be easy, so thanks for the head's up on that. Looking at the map, I see that the Maldives are not that far away and am wondering if this can be an option for SO. He has dived there several times, and it's one of his favorite places to dive. Since we're 80% there, I might bring this up as an option for him as well.
Also, any opinion as to when in the year to go? We could have as much as 3-4 weeks, depending upon when we go.
I suspected that getting around Africa wasn't going to be easy, so thanks for the head's up on that. Looking at the map, I see that the Maldives are not that far away and am wondering if this can be an option for SO. He has dived there several times, and it's one of his favorite places to dive. Since we're 80% there, I might bring this up as an option for him as well.
Also, any opinion as to when in the year to go? We could have as much as 3-4 weeks, depending upon when we go.
I'm not sure which parts of Africa you're referencing, but getting around isn't difficult at all. Granted I lived in Cape Town when I was traveling a lot, but it was my first time being there and I literally had no experience with planning trips in Southern Africa. It was pretty easy to figure out with a little bit of internet research. I did a combo of driving a lot, flying, hitch hiking and buses while there and never had any major problems.
If you want to do the beach then I'd suggest either going to Mozambique or Cape Town. Mozambique if you're a little more adventurous as driving in Mozambique is a little more risky than some people might be comfortable with, but I did it twice and we had a few bumps in the road, but it wasn't bad and I'd definitely go back.
As far as the time of year to go...if you're going to Cape Town I'd absolutely avoid winter between June - September (to be on the safe side). It is rainy and cold during those times and you can't really predict it too far in advance. October and November would be perfect. Dec-Feb it's really warm and nice, but specifically in Cape Town the wind is INSANE and the beach would be no fun. It will be pretty warm/hot in Joburg from Dec-Feb. So yeah I think the perfect time for SA is Oct-early Dec. If you are going to be in SA, I think it would be a disservice not to go to Cape Town, it's a gorgeous city with a variety of things to do for people with all sorts of interests. You could also drive the Garden Route if you want to extend your stay.
I didn't make it to Tanzania, but several of my friends said Zanzibar is overrated.
I also traveled to Namibia, Zambia, Zim and Botswana that all have safaris if you have any questions about those countries.
Also, any opinion as to when in the year to go? We could have as much as 3-4 weeks, depending upon when we go.
We went in September and it was great for safari. It's dry season so you can go off road to get closer to the animals which you can't do in the rainy season because of the mud. It was a tad chilly, but not a problem at all with a fleece jacket.
We also did Victoria Falls and Cape Town and loved both. I could have easily spent a week in Cape Town since you can do a lot from there. Wine tours, shark cage diving, the Cape of Good Hope, etc. Such a cool place. We're hoping to go back and do it again one day.