South Africa Solo

[lovetravellingoz]

Chobe & a river cruise

The elephants, hippos and crocs are a highlight at Chobe...the pics below are all from the boat.

The cats you will be lucky to see on a river cruise but are there if they take you out on a vehicle.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

on to Victoria Falls.

Well apart from the Falls and your river cruise to get up and close with Rhinos I found the Walking with Rhinos experience very good. They will pick you up from your hotel.

You walk around the national park with a guide and soldier (with rifle). It makes for a different experience from most animal spotting where you are bouncing around in a vehicle.





Mother and calf

 

[lovetravellingoz]

In Capetown.

See if you can book into The Test Kitchen. The Test Kitchen One of the world's best restaurants at a fraction of the price you would pay in Australia or in Europe. Try and book in now as is enormously popular. We loved it.



Do one or more of the Free Walking Tours (you actually tip at the end. Many different themes and locations. Choose those that appeal to you.

 

[Denali]

Well apart from the Falls and your river cruise to get up and close with Rhinos I found the Walking with Rhinos experience very good. They will pick you up from your hotel.

You walk around the national park with a guide and soldier (with rifle). It makes for a different experience from most animal spotting where you are bouncing around in a vehicle.

View attachment 177890



Mother and calf

View attachment 177891

How long is the tour/walk? Thanks

 

[lovetravellingoz]

How long is the tour/walk? Thanks

Apart 3 hours all up from the time they pick you up till they drop you back.

About 2 hours in the park. With us the walking was in 3 stints. They move you around in a safari vehicle. One of these was once they had found the rhinos and you walked in to just see them. The other walks was general animal spotting including birds (birds are often spooked when you just drive around).

 

[aussie_sue]

Apart 3 hours all up from the time they pick you up till they drop you back.

About 2 hours in the park. With us the walking was in 3 stints. They move you around in a safari vehicle. One of these was once they had found the rhinos and you walked in to just see them. The other walks was general animal spotting including birds (birds are often spooked when you just drive around).


Does this walking tour originate outside the park, or do you need to stay at one of the camps?

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Does this walking tour originate outside the park, or do you need to stay at one of the camps?

They pick you up from where you are staying. They then drive to the park picking up a National Parks Guard complete with rifle along the way.

In our case this was from the Zambesi Waterfront Hotel in Livinstone.

 

[drron]

Just a few contacts we used when in South Africa and southern Africa,
In Capetown we used an individual who is an accredited agent.Basically a car and driver,very reasonable and a CPT resident.Not sure if he still is working but email is-
[email protected].
Another top class guide-but more for putting together an African itinerary-also based in CPT-Roddy Bray.I think he is now back in England but still organising tours.He set up this website which now goes beyond Africa,

Welcome To GreatGuides.Org

GreatGuides.Org promotes the world's outstanding people in tourism, social development and conservation, and enables them to publish multimedia online.

www.greatguides.org

 

[TomCC]

Getting close to leaving within a couple of weeks, got a couple of questions for anyone who has gone in recent years:

- Are vaccinations for yellow fever and malaria required for South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Botswana (basically Vic Falls trip)? Everything I have read suggests not although in some instances recommended and the latest list on the smarttraveller website says no too:

https://www.who.int/ith/ITH_Annex_I.pdf

But being me, these late things stress me out so any experiences shared would be much appreciated!

- Anyone purchased & used a KAZA visa previously?

 

[TomCC]

You won't need any vaccinations or malaria meds - yellow fever not required nowadays.
No visa reqd. for SA. You will get one on arrival at VFA airport. If you crossed the VF bridge to Zambia you get one at the border crossing

Apologies, revisited this reply from vetrade and does look to be the case. But as always nervous late in the piece Any experiences shared though are much appreciated.

 

[JohnM]

This is probably your best worldwide general advice site: Travelers' Health | CDC. But if Smarttraveller says no, then don't bother.

Specifically:

Yellow Fever Vaccine & Malaria Prevention Information, by Country | CDC Yellow Book 2024

Information about how to order the U.S. government publication about traveling titled "Health Information for International Travel" (also called the "Yellow Book"). Provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

wwwnc.cdc.gov

Malaria | CDC Yellow Book 2024

Information about how to order the U.S. government publication about traveling titled "Health Information for International Travel" (also called the "Yellow Book"). Provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

wwwnc.cdc.gov

IMO, it might not be a bad idea to get the yellow fever vaccination anyway. Even if it's not required for your current destinations, you may in the future go somewhere where it is (or is required for you to get back into Australia from there). I've never had any side effect from the yellow fever vaccination.

You may also think about other vaccinations for things like Hepatitis. Best talk to your GP or a travel doctor.

I have quite a full suite of vaccinations and I keep my vaccination certificate booklet stapled into the back of my passport so it's readily at hand.

There is no vaccination for malaria. You need to take prophylactic medication (prescription needed) for the duration of your time in a malarial area (plus a day or so before and several weeks after). Doxycycline is the cheaper of the two main medications. I use Doxy and have never noticed any side-effects. If you have fair skin, wear good sun-protection as it can increase sun sensitivity.

I can't help on the KAZA visa as I haven't used it.

 

[JohnM]

There is no vaccination against nervousness - just chill! . It will be all easy-peasy .

PS. Bear in mind that the travel itself is highly infectious - and you don't want to be vaccinated against that .

 

[Bundy Bear]

Looking to read the final report once Tom returns from South Africa, I have JNB and CPT on a must visit list and looking to visit before Qantas retire the 747.

 

[TomCC]

Thanks @JohnM & @Bundy Bear really appreciated, yes will certainly let you know how it goes

 

[Cessna 180]

I was in SA and VFA around this time last year. I found it all very straight forward.
I overnighted in JNBat the airport City Lodge hotel and then off to VFA in the morn on SAA using velocity points . Make sure you have onwards travel out of Zimbabwe booked. Even though I had a ticket out of JNB for later on, the check in staff at SAA would not accept this.
So I had to quickly nip back to the hotel to get Internet and book a fully refundable ticket on BA out of VFA back to JNB. I was half prepared to do this in case there was an issue.

On arrival at VFA I just filled out a form in the corridor coming off the plane and then paid I think $50 US in cash for a KAZA visa.

Then once in town I just walked across the bridge several times and they just stamp your passport on each trip, no issues.

I stayed at the N1 motel and just walked everywhere. They offered a pick up from the airport for around $20 from memory.

I didn’t take malaria medication and don’t recall really seeing any mozzies either.

 

[V Singh]

@Cessna 180 ..Good guide. Plan JNB-VFA-JNB in Sep20. Looking forward to the trip.

 

[TomCC]

Just back to Sydney awaiting the connection to Perth. It was spectacular, one of the greatest experiences of my life. Thank you to all that contributed, will do up a trip report in that forum in the coming week.

Will cover:
- Cape Town
- Franschhoek
- Shiduli Private Game Lodge
- Victoria Falls
- Johannesburg

If the worst moment of your trip is dropping a gifted bottle of 2015 Voyager Cabernet Sauvignon from the customer service team on the floor of Syd arrivals then it's been an absolutely fantastic one (vale bottle though ).

 

[craven morehead]

Just back to Sydney awaiting the connection to Perth. It was spectacular, one of the greatest experiences of my life. Thank you to all that contributed, will do up a trip report in that forum in the coming week.

Will cover:
- Cape Town
- Franschhoek
- Shiduli Private Game Lodge
- Victoria Falls
- Johannesburg

If the worst moment of your trip is dropping a gifted bottle of 2015 Voyager Cabernet Sauvignon from the customer service team on the floor of Syd arrivals then it's been an absolutely fantastic one (vale bottle though ).

Looking forward to the TR

 

[Bundy Bear]

Yes looking forward to the trip report

 

[JohnM]

Aren't we all...? And will the new addiction show...?