Cape Town Vacation - Travel Guide

Cape Town is popular for its rich multicultural background. It is, in fact, one of the globe's multicultural metropolitan areas and is the 2nd most densely populated city in South Africa with an estimated 3.5 million residents. Cape Town also covers the largest inland area in the entire South African territory. The city is bordered by the Indian and Atlantic Ocean and the view when you are on Table Mountain of Cape Good Hope is simply breathtaking. This particular city is a preferred amusement venue of many international rock trips and famous jazz artists.

Cape Town is wonderfully gorgeous simply because of its shimmering shorelines as well as vineyards that decorate the edge of the actual city. The scenery within this city are like no other, unique and elegant. Visitors really like to watch whales and dolphins parade along its shore lines. Luxury boat racing activities are usually additionally a common happy and thrilling exercise with regard to people and visitors.

If a person want to relax through pampering yourself, you may discover plenty of luxurious spas in Cape Town. A person can additionally find majestic African hotels, mother nature influenced accommodations, and a store shopping area with more than 400 global manufacturer stores.

Tourism is a very active business here in Cape Town as millions of visitors come and enjoy all of nature's wonders and fun activities every year. But of course, your vacation will not be total with out viewing the Kruger National Park, a safari recreation area along with all the wild animals you may discover in Africa. You can also visit historical places such as Robben Island where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for eighteen years. The waters in Cape Town are relaxingly warm particularly in St. James Beach where you can also see colorful beach houses that truly a spectacle to behold. Boulders Beach one of the most beautiful beaches in Cape Town where you can also marvel at the sights of African penguins.

For good entertainment, great authentic African food and liquor, you can find it all in the well-liked bars and cafes in the center of Cape Town. For sightseeing, you can enjoy the stunning views on top of the Table Mountain. Surfing is actually one of the most beloved sports in the city where the yearly Red Bull Big Wave Africa Surfing Competition is held.

Climate: Though Cape Town remains gorgeous all year round, activities come to a halt during the winter months of June through August. These are the months when and cold and wet seasons are experienced. Winter season happens from May to September with large cold fronts from the Atlantic Ocean with large precipitation. Rain falls occur in winter time as well. 

Summer time occurs from November through March that is generally warm and dry although frequent strong winds can also be experienced. These strong winds are loved by locals as it cleans the air of pollution. Hot scorching days are experienced for about two weeks in the month of February or March.

Transportation: Cape Town has cable car methods that take people on top of mountains. International flights are also available via the Cape Town International Airport and it will serve local flights as well. The Port of Cape Town is base to numerous ships and is one of the most frantic shipping ports in the globe. It's Metrorail system is one of its effective public transports, Golden Arrow Bus Services, metered and min-bus taxis, as well as minibuses that operate in fleets.

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How to Choose a South Africa Safari

So, you've made the critical decision and settled on a holiday in South Africa. It's going to be brilliant. Cape Town is jaw-dropping, the beaches of the Cape Peninsula are beautiful (and more often than not virtually empty), the food is wonderful, the wine even better, and the Garden Route is a road-tripper's dream.

This is only the tip of the proverbial iceberg. The Big Five will play a big part in every South Africa holiday, but trying to choose a safari really can be a hair-pulling, teeth-grinding affair. The South African safari market is ridiculously saturated (mainly because it is ridiculously lucrative) and there are so many options that it can be difficult to know where to begin.

The good news is that there all kinds of safaris out there - something for every budget and every kind of person (except perhaps those who don't like animals). Whether you're a backpacker or an investment banker, there is bound to be an ideal solution. It's just a matter of knowing what's available and what the jargon means in real, tangible terms.

Hopefully, this pocket guide will set you on the right track to your perfect South Africa safari:
WHERE TO GO ON SAFARI IN SOUTH AFRICA:
First, you'll need to decide where to go:
1. There are no decent, ethical game reserves near Cape Town. Full stop.
I used to work for an excellent South Africa safari specialist, and I lost count of the times that I was asked about safaris near Cape Town. It just isn't possible. Yes, if you Google 'safari near Cape Town', you'll come across a number of hits claiming to be Big Five game reserves a couple of hours outside Cape Town, but don't listen to a word of it. Truly wild animals need space, probably around 5,000 hectares as a bare minimum, and none of the "game reserves" near Cape Town offer this kind of room to roam. If these reserves are indeed home to the Big Five, it probably means a couple of lions, usually within some kind of enclosure, a few elephants and some depressed giraffes. Basically, they amount to nothing more than glorified zoos. They are unethical and certainly fail to provide any kind of authentic safari feeling. You're likely to leave feeling very sorry for the two overweight lions in their oversized cage who can't be bothered to even raise their heads when your safari vehicle screeches up to a halt less than a metre away. I've seen it and I'm sufficiently scarred.

2. If you want a real bush safari experience, you need to head north.
Understandably, many holidaymakers to South Africa would prefer to fly in and out of Cape Town, by-passing the fabled badlands of Johannesburg altogether. However, not only is the area north of Johannesburg very beautiful indeed (Blyde River Canyon, God's Window and more) but, unquestionably, the South Africa's best safaris are found in Kruger National Park or Madikwe Game Reserve. These reserves are huge - Kruger, at over 2 million hectares, is about the size of Wales - and they feel really, truly, authentically wild. Madikwe is less visited and perfect for travelers eager to do something different. It hugs the border with Botswana and spans a massive 76,000 hectares - compare that to the 3,000 hectare "reserves" near Cape Town. It also has the advantage of being totally malaria free. Both Kruger and Madikwe are brilliant for really exciting safaris. It's worth making the journey north if you're passionate about wildlife, and you're likely to see whole herds of animals doing what wild animals do - not just a lone rhino at a man-made watering hole.

3. The Eastern Cape can be a great compromise.  
Sometimes, getting up north just isn't possible. If time is tight or you've got a whole family in tow, you could opt for a safari in the malaria-free Eastern Cape. Again, there are a host of options available, some far better than others. As ever, the bigger the game reserve, the more authentic the safari experience. Unfortunately, the curse of the Eastern Cape seems to be that you pay for each hectare through the nose. 

Kwandwe and Shamwari (the setting for the BBC's 'Safari School' programme) are both over 20,000 hectares and both the most expensive choices. Despite its size, I still found Shamwari fairly tame and spoilt by its own commercialism. There are just a couple too many lodges in the reserve, so you tend to come across other vehicles very regularly and the animals are found mainly by walkie-talkie contact between rangers rather than bushtracking. I saw the Big Five, but I didn't get the big feeling.

Some of the smaller reserves in the Eastern Cape can actually provide a far warmer and more memorable safari experience. Bukela, in the Bushman's conservancy, is a family-run lodge with game drives into the 8,000 hectare Amakhala Game Reserve. There's a real community feeling here and you get far more sense of living remotely in the bush, even if it is low scrub rather than wild plains.

Pumba (6500 hectares) is another small but lovely reserve, and Kariega (7,500) offers some really reasonably priced accommodation as well as horse-riding along the beach at Kenton-by-Sea.  
Addo Elephant Park is definitely something not to be missed as you're almost guaranteed to see dozens of elephants gathered around waterholes and crossing streams. Although technically a Big Five reserve, Addo is all about elephants, and you should combine it with another reserve if you really want to see lions as well. You can stay outside Addo in one of the beautiful guesthouses in the Sundays River Valle, surrounded by citrus orchards and ostriches, and drive into the park with your own car during the day. Alternatively, all of the lodges and guesthouses in the area offer game drives into Addo with an experienced guide for an additional fe

WHERE TO STAY ON SAFARI IN SOUTH AFRICA:
Next, you'll need to choose what kind of accommodation you're after. Here are a few hints about lodges and rest camps as well as what's included and what's not:
Private game reserves: Think glossy brochures, impeccable service, chocolates on the pillow and G&Ts at sunset. Private game reserves will provide the full safari works - one morning and one evening guided game drive (usually in an open top vehicle, with stops for morning coffee and sundowner cocktails), and all meals are included in the price. So, although the rates may seem gut-wrenchingly high, you can take comfort in the fact that you won't spend much when you're actually there (unless you have a penchant for vintage wines).

You'll find lots of exclusive reserves in what is known as Greater Kruger - Sabi Sands, Timbavati, Thornybush. Basically, these reserves are still part of Kruger, but privately owned. There are no fences between the land owned by these reserves and the public part of Kruger National Park, so the animals can wander between public and private at will. The really crucial thing is that the game rangers can go off-road in the private reserves, and really track the animals through the bush, while all game drives in public Kruger must stick strictly to the roads.

Rest camps: These are the other end of the scale. Operated by South African National Park rest camps are the cheapie options in the public part of the Kruger, Addo Elephant, and other National Parks.
Prices start very low indeed (a little over a tenner), and you can opt for camping, caravanning or one of the accommodation types available. These range from wooden chalets for 10 people to forest huts for 2 people, some with and some without private bathrooms but almost all with their very own braai (South Africa barbeque) set up outside. There will invariably be a kind of site-shop, so you can stock up on boerewors for dinner. If you love camping or getting close to the great outdoors, you'll love it (I know I did!).

Safari-wise, it's all about self-drive. You'll get up early and scour the road network hoping to come across wildlife as you drive, and there's nothing like the feeling of just happening upon a herd of elephants in your own car. It may not be off-roading, but it's brilliant in other ways. One tip: If you're planning on a rest camp safari, be sure to book really early because they fill up incredibly quickly - sometimes YEARS in advance.  

Of course, you can always mix and match. Why not give yourselves a few nights in a basic forest hut before moving to a private reserve for some luxury and exclusive game drives. That really could get you the best of both safari worlds... and you won't burn a hole in your pocket the size of the Fish River Canyon! 
Fingers crossed that this information will inch you closer to the right safari for you. South Africa is just wonderful, and however you choose to do it, you're sure to have a pretty unbeatable experience.

And, if you need an extra helping hand to build your South Africa itinerary, feel free to get in touch.
Bryony Holland
South Africa Travel Plan http://www.southafricatravelplan.co.uk
Oil lanterns in Kruger. Garden Route adventure trails. Sleep in beehive huts and bush chalets. At South Africa Travel Plan, we'll help you build your very own South Africa adventure.

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