Iceland (northern lights) or S. Africa (safari)

[jmc325]

Opinions wanted!

My husband and I are making plans for our "big trip" for next year. I keep going back and forth between Iceland and South Africa. I really wish we could do both (HA!). Either trip would be fall of 2017 for about 10-12 days.

Typically we are drawn to mountainous, snowy areas (this years big trip was to Banff), so I was leaning towards Iceland, especially since it's been a dream of mine to see the Northen Lights. The more I think about it, I think I like the safari idea. Ugh, I'm torn!!!

I will admit, South Africa seems like a more intimidating trip to plan... if anyone has any suggestions, or can point me to websites/blogs with helpful information for either locations, that would be amazing!

[tres3]

I haven't been to either, but I've done the northern lights in Finland and I went on Safari in Kenya. Both were amazing trips. I don't think you can go wrong with either choice. My brother in law's family just did 2 weeks in South Africa and raved about it. The Rand is so undervalued right now they got a luxury trip for a value.

[moorea]

I've done both, and hands down, I enjoyed South Africa much more - it was the safari that really made it so memorable.  We came back from that trip and immediately starting looking at other safari trips to plan!

We booked our South Africa trip through South African Airways Vacations. I researched the hotels in Cape Town and some lodges, but our agent at SAA actually booked all the flights and hotel reservations - so it was very easy! Also , you don't have to pick out a package on their website - the agent can help you create one.

With Iceland, there's no guarantee you'll see the Northern Lights. We didn't. Well, our tour guide said we saw them a little bit, but it was so underwhelming and a disappointment. The highlight for me in Iceland was the Blue Lagoon. We did Iceland for a long weekend - I couldn't imagine spending 10-12 days there. It was cold, sunrise was at 10:30 and sunset around 3:30. I've traveled extensively and that trip was the worst jet lag I've ever had, I think because of the lack of daylight.

I'm not sure where you're coming from, but one thing to note, our South Africa trip was considerably more expensive than Iceland. Do you have a budget?

[kicks]

I'm biased towards S Africa but that's because I used to live there. I think you should do a lot more than safari if you do go. The food, the beaches, the hiking, the wine are all fabulous throughout the country. Planning really isn't bad at all. I'd do 2 days in Joburg to get a sense of the important history of the country, then 3 days on safari, then at least 3-4 days in Cape Town. I always use trip advisor as a starting point for all my international vacations and S Africa would be no different.

Good luck with your decision!

[jmc325]

Dec 12, 2016 8:21:08 GMT -5 moorea said:

I've done both, and hands down, I enjoyed South Africa much more - it was the safari that really made it so memorable.  We came back from that trip and immediately starting looking at other safari trips to plan!

We booked our South Africa trip through South African Airways Vacations. I researched the hotels in Cape Town and some lodges, but our agent at SAA actually booked all the flights and hotel reservations - so it was very easy! Also , you don't have to pick out a package on their website - the agent can help you create one.

With Iceland, there's no guarantee you'll see the Northern Lights. We didn't. Well, our tour guide said we saw them a little bit, but it was so underwhelming and a disappointment. The highlight for me in Iceland was the Blue Lagoon. We did Iceland for a long weekend - I couldn't imagine spending 10-12 days there. It was cold, sunrise was at 10:30 and sunset around 3:30. I've traveled extensively and that trip was the worst jet lag I've ever had, I think because of the lack of daylight.

I'm not sure where you're coming from, but one thing to note, our South Africa trip was considerably more expensive than Iceland. Do you have a budget?

Thank you moorea, this is really helpful. I'll admit, we are just in the very beginning stages of talking things out, but I think our budget is about 3-5k/pp. I would be so disappointed to go all the way to Iceland and not see the Northern Lights, but I know that's a risk with that trip. I'm happy to hear that you had a good experience with South African Airways Vacations, I'll do some more research into that agency. Any musts we should consider when planning? Also, what time of year did you go?

We will be flying out of Houston.    

[jmc325]

Dec 12, 2016 8:58:23 GMT -5 kicks said:

I'm biased towards S Africa but that's because I used to live there. I think you should do a lot more than safari if you do go. The food, the beaches, the hiking, the wine are all fabulous throughout the country. Planning really isn't bad at all. I'd do 2 days in Joburg to get a sense of the important history of the country, then 3 days on safari, then at least 3-4 days in Cape Town. I always use trip advisor as a starting point for all my international vacations and S Africa would be no different.

Good luck with your decision!

Thanks for all of this. I've traveled quite a bit, so I don't know why I'm so intimidated with South Africa. I guess since it's such a once of a lifetime trip, I want to make sure it's done right.

[orriskitten]

Out of those options, I'd pick SA. I live in Iceland and there is no guarantee that you'll see the lights.

That being said, if you do choose Iceland, aim to do the ring road if you're here for 10-12 days. Reykjavík is a small city and easily seen in a couple of days. The caveat to that is the weather could possibly be terrible. Roads could be closed and if you're not comfortable or familiar with driving in snow and on ice then I take it back and think it's a terrible idea lol. This fall/winter has been unusually mild, but the last two fall/winters we had thick snow from mid October.

Some of the sights are just amazing. I mean, stuff straight out of nature documentaries about the arctic and many varied levels for every area of the country for hikes and excursions. We were able to do a number of hikes with two small kids last summer and see amazing things, but there are also glacier hikes and stuff and diving in the gorge where the continents meet.

If you choose Iceland I'm happy to share ideas, just want to make sure you're aware of the possibilities of crappy travel here.

[Vespasia]

I have been researching South Africa for my next big trip (still a way away but I love to plan) and I want to go so badly. I am hoping to do several days in Cape Town and the wine region and then 3 nights on safari. This trip recap here seemed almost perfect: pandce.proboards.com/thread/547074/trip-recap-cape-kruger-safari

The one big thing to keep in mind is the travel time. South Africa is 20-30 hours of travel each way while Iceland is just an overnight flight. I think the only way we're going to do it is if I can swing business class. 10-12 days might be tight if you lose 4 to travel but it that is your time on the ground you should be in better shape. 

[kicks]

Dec 12, 2016 9:24:20 GMT -5 jmc325 said:

Dec 12, 2016 8:58:23 GMT -5 kicks said:

I'm biased towards S Africa but that's because I used to live there. I think you should do a lot more than safari if you do go. The food, the beaches, the hiking, the wine are all fabulous throughout the country. Planning really isn't bad at all. I'd do 2 days in Joburg to get a sense of the important history of the country, then 3 days on safari, then at least 3-4 days in Cape Town. I always use trip advisor as a starting point for all my international vacations and S Africa would be no different.

Good luck with your decision!

Thanks for all of this. I've traveled quite a bit, so I don't know why I'm so intimidated with South Africa. I guess since it's such a once of a lifetime trip, I want to make sure it's done right.

Are you interested in SA because of going on a safari or for the other aspects of the country?

I've only done a safari in SA, Botswana and Namibia (and never stayed anywhere fancy), but from what everyone has told me safari in Kenya and Tanzania is better than SA. So if you are really in to the safari scene I'd save your splurge money for one of those countries.

With that said, I think SA is highly overlooked and recommend it to just about anyone as it is so diverse that you will most definitely find something that you love there. Your money goes very far and there is a lot to do, so I think it's pretty easy to plan a trip yourself tailored to your budget and interests.

[orriskitten]

Dec 12, 2016 11:36:58 GMT -5 @daylily said:

I just booked an Iceland trip for February. From what I can tell from my research, while there is still plenty to do in Iceland in winter, I'm not certain there is 10-12 days worth in winter. We're doing 5 days which seems perfect. SA sounds amazing for that length of trip.

And I'm excited to know we have someone here who lives there! Hi orriskitten! I may very well annoy you with some questions at some point if you don't mind.

I don't mind at all! I love talking about Iceland and can help with ideas closer to the date when the weather situation is clear.

[moorea]

Dec 12, 2016 9:22:32 GMT -5 jmc325 said:

Dec 12, 2016 8:21:08 GMT -5 moorea said:

I've done both, and hands down, I enjoyed South Africa much more - it was the safari that really made it so memorable.  We came back from that trip and immediately starting looking at other safari trips to plan!

We booked our South Africa trip through South African Airways Vacations. I researched the hotels in Cape Town and some lodges, but our agent at SAA actually booked all the flights and hotel reservations - so it was very easy! Also , you don't have to pick out a package on their website - the agent can help you create one.

With Iceland, there's no guarantee you'll see the Northern Lights. We didn't. Well, our tour guide said we saw them a little bit, but it was so underwhelming and a disappointment. The highlight for me in Iceland was the Blue Lagoon. We did Iceland for a long weekend - I couldn't imagine spending 10-12 days there. It was cold, sunrise was at 10:30 and sunset around 3:30. I've traveled extensively and that trip was the worst jet lag I've ever had, I think because of the lack of daylight.

I'm not sure where you're coming from, but one thing to note, our South Africa trip was considerably more expensive than Iceland. Do you have a budget?

Thank you moorea , this is really helpful. I'll admit, we are just in the very beginning stages of talking things out, but I think our budget is about 3-5k/pp. I would be so disappointed to go all the way to Iceland and not see the Northern Lights, but I know that's a risk with that trip. I'm happy to hear that you had a good experience with South African Airways Vacations, I'll do some more research into that agency. Any musts we should consider when planning? Also, what time of year did you go?

We will be flying out of Houston.    

We went to South Africa this past September - over Labor Day.  We spent 5 nights in Cape Town and 3 nights on a safari in Kruger.  We traveled from NYC so I was worried about the long travel/multiple flights and only staying 8 nights, but it worked out fine and we weren't tired.

The one thing I'll note is that the safari lodges book up - there's just limited rooms.  We booked about 4 months prior to our trip, and I did all this research to find a lodge we wanted to stay at, but when I told our SAA agent, she said they were booked up.  She did find us a room at what turned out to be a really nice lodge (but was never on my radar), so something to be aware of.  

Also, for the safari, the jeeps usually seat 3 to a row.  Some lodges will fill them up.  Some limit to 2 a row so each person has a "window" seat.  It was important to me to find a lodge that only did 2 to a row - I didn't want to get stuck in a middle seat!  Something for your agent to ask the lodge if that's important to you. Happy to share more details about our lodge if you pursue SA.

For Cape Town, you can buy tickets for Table Mountain in advance.  We bought them right before we left home - they're good for a week.  We went up the first nice day (which was actually the day we arrived!).  Good thing - there wasn't another clear day the rest of the days.  So something to keep in mind.

If we had more time (like you do), I'd add in the wine region/Garden Route.

[gigem]

I am definitely biased for South Africa or any other travel in Africa over Europe. And South Africa is not at all intimidating to plan!

I think if you are looking for Planet Earth type of safari than I would recommend Tanzania or Kenya but if you want a mix of unique cultural experience, beautiful landscapes and outdoor activities, mini-safari, amazing wines, breath-taking beaches then you should do South Africa. You could fly into Johannesburg for a few days and then fly town to Port Elizabeth, do the Garden Route, spend 1 night in wine country, and a few days in Cape Town or further down the peninsula and fly back via Cape Town in 10-12 full days but there would be a lot of quick stops, the safari might have to be a day trip. As others have said the USD will take you far, but don't wait too long to book. October is a pretty good time to go, won't be as expensive as Dec-April, could be cold/cool and some rain- try for as late in October as you can (we might even see you there haha). As kicks brought up, it is imperative to not to lose focus on what lies beneath that beautiful country.

[mich1]

I just got back from South Africa in Sept. We 'won' a safari at a charity event, and decided to take a vacation out if it. The safari, I had to schedule directly with the lodge, and you really need to book early. I booked us in Feb. and we barely squeaked in. The lodge was the only thing I booked until the summer.

We lucked into a phenomenal deal with Emirates. We flew SEA to JNB, CPT to MLE, MLE to Dubai, then back to SEA. Total airfare was about $1300 each.

I booked us into guest houses, and we wound up in some incredibly nice places. We were in Johanbesburg for 5 days, and totally useless for 2 of them! We rented a car and drove with our own GPS, which worked quite well. The safari lodge was about 6 hours from JNB, so it wasn't a horrible drive. The lodge was 'safari light', in that while we went on 2x/day game drives, it was in a fairly small reserve. We saw everything but leopards in the 7 days we were there. One thing to note is that when you go out, you don't always see all the animals. It took us a couple days of searching to see the black rhinos, and the cheetahs were difficult to find too. The hippos hid under the water one only came out once, during our drive. It was a nice taste, but when we go back we will go elsewhere. We drove to Durban, spent 3 days there and dumped the car to fly to Cape Town.

We were in CPT for 6 days (and wound up getting married here). I wish we had more time there. We did one day of visiting vineyards, and wanted to do a couple more days. We did hire a driver for this, so we could enjoy drinking. We stayed in Camps Bay, and had another rental car here too.

We had incredible weather. We had one day of rain in Durban, and one day in Cape Town (both the days we were leaving). The temps were in the mid 70s. We left Seattle 8/26, returned 9/29, but we also went to the Maldives for 8 days, send Dubai for several more.

We found South Africa incredibly inexpensive, once we got there. Car rentals, food and hotels were very, very reasonable. For instance, we had our wedding lunch at a restaurant where the 4 of us had massive amounts of seafood, several bottles of wine and it was under $100! Comparable in the US would be about $500.

[sunnysally]

I loved SA. You should check out Rhino Africa. We used them in 2014 and they were able to get much better rates than I found on my own. We told them our budget and the things we wanted to do and with a little back and forth they crafted an amazing itinerary. We squeezed a ton of stuff in so we did charter flights to our safari lodge. We also added time in Zambia and Botswana which added significantly to the price so I know you could have an amazing trip within your budget.

I also want to go to Iceland, but like others have said the Northern Lights are not a guarantee and I think the short days at the time you are planning make it less enticing for that length of time. Of course, it all depends on what you like to do.

[rupertpenny]

I would do SA.

Like others said, there is no guarantee for the northern lights and I think 10-12 days is too long for Iceland, especially in the summer. To fill that kind of time you need to do a road trip and that could be dangerous in winter due to weather and lack of daylight.

My family lives in Iceland so I've spent a lot of time there and I start getting restless around one week. Because of the relatively short travel time from the east coast and good deals on Iceland air I really think Iceland is better for a shorter trip.

[chicago]

Ditto lots of others in saying I'd pick SA. We did 2.5 weeks in South Africa and Seychelles in July 2013 and a long weekend in Reykjavik in November 2013. I booked the Iceland trip because I had read that the stars had aligned for prime Northern Lights viewing. Granted, we were there a short time, but we didn't see them...our tour guide said we did, and there's some faint green on my camera, but it wasn't at all what I expected or hoped for. I'd like to go back sometime when the weather is more favorable and there's more daylight.

Both places are incredibly cool, but the diverse experiences of SA were really fantastic for us. We used Rhino too, and our experience was fantastic with them. We booked almost a year in advance and wound up having to change our dates in order to get into our preferred safari lodge, so I agree with the advice to book as soon as you're able.

[gigem]

i've been using a.frica tra.vel resour.ces for 6yrs for trips all over southern and east africa they awesome, they always find great places for us to stay and given us great advice that i'd never have been able to do on my own. they are UK based

if you consider a trip to tanzania i recommend acc.ess 2 tan.zania

[tres3]

This is who we used to book our Kenya Safari trueafrica.com/. They did an amazing job and really thought of everything. I would use them again for our next trip to Africa (probably SA)

[Champagne Supernova]

I just got back from SA about a week ago and I'd do it all over again despite of the 2-day travel all the way from Seattle. We were with Thompsons Travel and they took care of everything. Small group of 16 people too.

[sb]

We visited Iceland for a week in December and did not see the lights. There is no guarantee no matter when/how long you go. It was also unseasonably warm the whole time we were there so there was virtually no snow.

That said, it was an incredible trip and I highly recommend it. It's a great place to visit if you like hiking and seeing natural sights (like glaciers, mountains, waterfalls, etc.). But don't go if the only reason for going is seeing the northern lights.

[kelley182]

We loved South Africa but I haven't been to Iceland so I can't compare the two. I was intimidated by it so we just used a travel agent. I know we paid more doing it this way but it worked out well.