South Africa suggestions?

[motion]

I'm flying into Jburg next week and renting a car. The plan is to drive to Durban, then meander down the coast to Port Elizabeth, then Cape Town. I'll do the Table Mountain cable car (weather permitting), but beyond that, I'm looking for ideas. I don't have enough time for a north-bound detour to Kruger. Besides, I'd like to save that for when Mrs Motion goes with me next time. Not really interested in spending much time in Jburg. I might do the big red bus tour my first morning there.

Shark cage, perhaps?

Any suggestions? You guys are great at this stuff and I always value your input!

[Red88Carrera]

If you have time, try to go to a game reserve. There are a few in that area. I shot a pic of this little guy just outside of East London.



These little guys were just a few weeks old, but they let us hold them.

[Mericet]

First and foremost, be very alert over there. It is in general a lot more dangerous than most countries.

I would plan and book some overnight travel through the Eastern Cape area. The allure of a secluded, off the beaten path place to stay has some risk to it as they normally are not as secure. There is some good points in this post: Driving through Transkei with N2 - Eastern Cape Forum - TripAdvisor Personally I would drive to Port Edward and then head to the N2 and use that road until East London.

And be very careful of livestock and pedestrians (who always seem to be wearing darker clothing) if you drive at night.

Again, be careful. And enjoy! This picture was taken from my parents' house this weekend. They live about an hour south of Durban:

[HardDrive]

I would fly from Joburg to Cape Town, and not go north of Cape Town unless you are going to Kruger. And in that instance, I would fly directly to Nelspruit.

If you can manage to catch the sunset from Table Top Mountain, it is amazing. The cafe at the top sells bottles of wine, and crowds gather for the sunset (at least in good weather), and its a fun communal event. Variety of hikes available on top. Very interesting landscape. The drive down to the Cape of Good Hope is beautiful. Certainly worth the tram ride to the cliffs.

My impression of the security situation in SA was poor. Very poor. People don't have fences covered in electrified razor wire and guards with rifles at the gate of their condo because everything it ok. It isn't. I personally had a man try to block our car in and demand money. I made it damn clear to him I had no issue running him over if he didn't back down. Scared the crap out of my wife.

[jhc]

I did two weeks in So. Africa in December and sort of followed the same way you are going. Flew into Joburg, rented a car and drove through the Panorama Route through the Blyde River Canyon to a game reserve near Kruger. Flew back from there to Port Elizabeth and drove the Garden Route to Cape Town.

On the Joburg layover we did a Soweto Township tour, very interesting and jarring to see mansions of those who have moved up next to the original corrugated metal shacks, sometimes left in the front yards as a reminder of their past.

You don't need to go to Kruger to see animals, Addo Elephant Park is a national park with plenty of wildlife to see in Port Elizabeth. That town also has a nice drive on the East side along the coast.

The drive from Port Elizabeth goes to a town called Kynsna which also has a nice waterfront with shops and restaurants. You have to go to a place called the Heads which is the cliffs that form the entrance to the lagoon, you can also take a boat to the far side which has trails along the coast. There's also a lot of parks along the way you can pick and choose for hiking, parasailing, mountain biking etc.

The next town worth stopping is Hermanus which is one of the few places you can do whale watching on land ( we came out of season) also has a nice waterfront and is the beginning of wine country.

If you follow the coast to Cape Town you have to stop in Betty's Bay to see several thousand nesting penguins and then you will drive a spectacular coastline to the city. Otherwise you can also drive through the wine country.

In Cape Town we enjoyed a beach town suburb called Camps Bay. Loved it so much we are still thinking of getting a condo there.

The rand is weak and but we found it more advantageous to get our money from an ATM or CC than exchanging cash, which is the opposite advice I would give for Argentina which is where we just came back from.

Enjoy, the people are friendly, the dollar is strong, the food is good if rather simply prepared and the animals are too tame.

[Heel n Toe]

Have you ever seen "Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown" on CNN? They are very well done and extremely interesting. I've seen about ten of them... my favorites so far are the ones on New Mexico, Koreatown (L.A.), Libya (incredible), Tokyo, Jerusalem, and Detroit. They center around local color and unique foods/restaurants. Instantly engaging and addictive television.

There is one on South Africa, and you can watch it on YouTube here for a couple of bucks... I haven't seen it, but I would definitely want to see it if I were going: Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown - YouTube

Brief promo for it... it would ideally be about 3 minutes long and show some of the restaurants, but it's less than 40 seconds:

[motion]

Thanks, everyone. I've adjusted my plans a bit and will now be driving from Jburg to Durban, East London, Port Elizabeth, then Cape Town. I found a nice inn on a private reserve outside of East London that has lots of animals, so maybe I'll get my fill there.

I'm most worried about the Transkei area, and will definitely avoid driving at night. I'm growing a beard now and plan on wearing a hat and glasses so my Irish looks don't stick out too much. Low profile, as they say

I'm flying from Cape Town back to Jburg.

Heel n Toe, yeah, I have seen that episode and will be watching it again this week to get warmed up!

[sammyg2]

You have an armed escort, right?

[Red88Carrera]

What's the route back to the States? If you are going from J-burg, through Senegal, stay on the plane. Don't swap planes in Senegal if you can avoid it. I learned this the hard way and consider myself lucky to be alive.

[motion]

Jburg to Atlanta. 16.5 hours. Not sure I'm going to survive *that*. Senegal sounds nasty.

[Mericet]

The flight is not that bad motion. On a few flights back to SA I flew through Dakar. Almost 20 hours if I remember and you had to stay on the plane in Dakar for the 2 hours it was parked there.

[motion]

Originally Posted by sammyg2

You have an armed escort, right?

Thanks, Sammy. I hope my wife doesn't see this thread. Probably too late...

[Red88Carrera]

Are you staying at the Inkwenkwezi game reserve by chance?

[motion]

Mpongo Private Game Reserve

[motion]

Originally Posted by Mericet

First and foremost, be very alert over there. It is in general a lot more dangerous than most countries.

I would plan and book some overnight travel through the Eastern Cape area. The allure of a secluded, off the beaten path place to stay has some risk to it as they normally are not as secure. There is some good points in this post: Driving through Transkei with N2 - Eastern Cape Forum - TripAdvisor Personally I would drive to Port Edward and then head to the N2 and use that road until East London.

And be very careful of livestock and pedestrians (who always seem to be wearing darker clothing) if you drive at night.

Does this route look like what you've suggested? (in blue)

[Mericet]

Originally Posted by motion

Does this route look like what you've suggested? (in blue)

A little different but actually better. Another word of caution. They are REALLY strict on speed limits in KwaZulu Natal.

[pharlap71]

Direct flight from ATL to JNB definitely the way to go.

[Neilk]

Went to Cape Town 5 years ago and was blown away. What a beautiful area, it's like San Francisco on steroids. You have beautiful city on the water, mountains, wineries, whale watching and a road even prettier than the PCH. I would love to go back.

I hate botanical gardens, but eh one in Cape Twon is worth going to since they have so many plants you wouldn't see in the states. The coastal highway from CPT to Hermanus is beautiful.

I want to go back and spend a week there.

[creaturecat]

Take the highway above the N2 to avoid the Transkei area.
The R61.

[Z-man]

Many years ago I spent a summer outside of Port Shepstone - out in the bush. Beautiful country / beautiful people. If you can stop at Orbi Gorge national park / it is worth the visit!

Enjoy!