Squirrelhumper Posted January 29, 2020 Share Posted January 29, 2020 Anyone been? I'm off there for 2.5 weeks in May. Fly into Jo'Burg and staying a night there then getting the Blue Train from Pretoria to Cape Town. In Cape town for 4 days then got car for 10 days and doing Safari at various places (Pumba Game Reserve, ,Lalibela Game Reserve, Grootbos Reserve) Staying at couple of nights at Fancourt so playing The Links. Anyone got any recommendations for Cape Town specifically? Think the game drives etc will take up a lot of time elsewhere. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squirrelhumper Posted January 29, 2020 Author Share Posted January 29, 2020 Also, anyone been in May? Think it's okay during day temp wise but cold at night? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bob Mahelp Posted January 29, 2020 Share Posted January 29, 2020 (edited) May in Cape Town is autumn, so as you say you can expect fairly decent temperatures during the day, then dipping down at night. I've been several times to CPT at the end of April (sadly not May), and the weather was pretty perfect. You'll probably get a bit of rain, but that's just par for the course there. As to what to do, I'm sure you've investigated thoroughly so you've probably heard it before. All the tourist things that you've heard about are absolutely worthwhile....go up Table Mountain, investigate the young and beautiful at Camps Bay, head to Big Bay at Blouberg for the classic mountain across the bay photo, if you can make a township visit, even the most touristy part...the Waterfront....is pretty cool. The Winelands and Cape Point are both amazing day trips, but you may not have time for that. To do it 'in minature' , a drive down to Hout Bay then along Chapman's Peak, a picnic at Cape Point vineyard, then back to the city via the vineyards of Constantia will satisfy you. I'd avoid the Waterfront for dinner, and concentrate on Bree Street, Kloof Street and de Waterkant areas. You'll find much better restaurants with a much more 'local' (although still very well-off) clientele in them. It's an amazing city, probably hard to beat anywhere in the world. Enjoy. Oh yeah, and take Ubers everywhere. They're as cheap as chips, and I'm finding these days that if you pick up a taxi on the street there's a fair chance you'll get ripped off. Edited January 29, 2020 by Bob Mahelp 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squirrelhumper Posted January 29, 2020 Author Share Posted January 29, 2020 Spot on mate, thanks very much. My missus has been a few times through work but always good to get info from other folk that have been! Will look into a few areas you've mentioned. Absolutely buzzing for two nights on the Blue Train! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fullerene Posted January 30, 2020 Share Posted January 30, 2020 (edited) I was in Cape Town in December since that is where I got a flight to St Helena. The hop on hop off buses were useful. The red route includes the cable car station where you go up Table Mountain. The queues seemed long but actually fairly quick. The blue route includes the Botanical Gardens, then the Bird Park (where you actually go inside the cages and there are also adorable small monkeys that clamber all over you if the assistants let them) then Hout Bay then a drive around the coast until you are back at the Waterfront. The bus to Cape Point includes a beach that has a large penguin population and you get incredibly close to them (although you are on a walkway that stops you getting too close). Edited January 30, 2020 by Fullerene 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spud131 Posted January 30, 2020 Share Posted January 30, 2020 It's a fantastic country, was there for honeymoon in December. My biggest piece of advice would be to invest in a half decent camera with a good zoom lens (200-300mm) for the game drives. I got some phenomenal pics when I was there but there were people in our vehicle wasting their time trying to take pics with their phones through sets of binoculars etc. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fullerene Posted January 30, 2020 Share Posted January 30, 2020 1. Table Mountain, 2. Botanical Gardens, 3. Monkey House, 4. Clifton, 5&6 Watefront, 7&8 Near Cape Point 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squirrelhumper Posted January 30, 2020 Author Share Posted January 30, 2020 Thanks folks, much appreciated. Defo getting a decent camera before we go. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adamski Posted January 30, 2020 Share Posted January 30, 2020 I was there in May last year, although flew into Johannesburg and then went in the opposite direction from you: drove through Swaziland and KwaZulu Natal to Durban. 2.5 weeks and pretty much all of it either in national parks or driving between them. It was an awesome trip - wildlife everywhere and I'm sure you'll see plenty along the way in the places you're going. As others have said, take a good camera. It was warm during the day, but I went on some night game drives and was absolutely freezing! And that was a touch closer to the equator than where you'll be. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wee_bairn Posted February 3, 2020 Share Posted February 3, 2020 On 29/01/2020 at 11:23, Squirrelhumper said: Anyone been? I'm off there for 2.5 weeks in May. Fly into Jo'Burg and staying a night there then getting the Blue Train from Pretoria to Cape Town. In Cape town for 4 days then got car for 10 days and doing Safari at various places (Pumba Game Reserve, ,Lalibela Game Reserve, Grootbos Reserve) Staying at couple of nights at Fancourt so playing The Links. Anyone got any recommendations for Cape Town specifically? Think the game drives etc will take up a lot of time elsewhere. You’ll absolutely love it. Lots of great advice above. One thing I ticked off my bucket list when I was there was cage diving with great white sharks. Not sure if it’s something you’d consider but it was an unbelievable experience. A restaurant suggestion for a steak would be Hussar in camps bay. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doulikefish Posted February 3, 2020 Share Posted February 3, 2020 Wine tour is a must in Cape Town they are quite generous with the tasting freebies 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul wright scores Posted February 4, 2020 Share Posted February 4, 2020 On 30/01/2020 at 09:26, Squirrelhumper said: Thanks folks, much appreciated. Defo getting a decent camera before we go. I did a safari in Tanzania a few years ago so I would say another definite is to take a good pair of binoculars with you. A suggestion is to go to the Merchant City Camera shop in Parnie Steet, Glasgow (Near the Saltmarket) 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squirrelhumper Posted February 5, 2020 Author Share Posted February 5, 2020 On 03/02/2020 at 17:59, wee_bairn said: You’ll absolutely love it. Lots of great advice above. One thing I ticked off my bucket list when I was there was cage diving with great white sharks. Not sure if it’s something you’d consider but it was an unbelievable experience. A restaurant suggestion for a steak would be Hussar in camps bay. Aye, I think I'm for doing the cage diving when we are staying at the Grootbos resort which is out at Walker Bay. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squirrelhumper Posted February 5, 2020 Author Share Posted February 5, 2020 12 hours ago, paul wright scores said: I did a safari in Tanzania a few years ago so I would say another definite is to take a good pair of binoculars with you. A suggestion is to go to the Merchant City Camera shop in Parnie Steet, Glasgow (Near the Saltmarket) Will look into it, cheers mate. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bernardblack Posted February 7, 2020 Share Posted February 7, 2020 Wine tour is a must in Cape Town they are quite generous with the tasting freebiesThis. We did one with a personal coach driver. I would recommend watching what time you start it as we started early and they are not shy.....Table Mountain and a safari too. We went to Aquila and stayed overnight which was incredible waking up to that view. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tarapoa Posted February 18, 2020 Share Posted February 18, 2020 Think I started a similar thread on South Africa, prior to our visit there in Oct/Nov 2017 and got some great advice as ever from the P&B community. Worth digging it out. It's a real mixed bag of a country, but a great experience. The Cape province is generally superb - especially loved the resort of Hermanus - but the usual attractions of Cape Town and the Cape Peninsula and the wine areas round Stellenbosch are first class. The shark dive was great, but seasickness, rather than these enormous monsters swimming past our cage was a bigger problem as it was a choppy day and touch and go whether they'd do it. Being a cliched tourist we also did Sun City, Kruger and then Victoria Falls, which meant visits to Zam and Zim - and quite a bit of driving in the north-east of the country. Our chillout few days away from it all were in a village called Paternoster on the Atlantic coast around 100 miles north of Cape Town. The boutique hotel was very nice, but the ocean there is freezing (unlike the Indian) and the village gave you an idea of the problems there when we found out the local restaurant owner had been brutally murdered by people from the very community on the edge of the village he had apparently been very generous too - all because he was associated with having a few rand by the local tik addicts. Reading some of the stories of violence, and hearing it on the radio - it's clear you don't want to go into the wrong area or get lost, which we did in both Kempton Park and then Pretoria when leaving the airport in our rental car. It can be quite an unnerving place, with every set of lights having a window washer, and given all the carjacking stories, I drove through a few roads to avoid them. Some areas have signposts saying they are dangerous and not to stop. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Honest_Man#1 Posted July 10, 2022 Share Posted July 10, 2022 Is it worth taking the time to fly to Kruger to do a safari there vs one of the options closer to Cape Town? From the reviews online it seems like it is. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spud131 Posted July 11, 2022 Share Posted July 11, 2022 Is it worth taking the time to fly to Kruger to do a safari there vs one of the options closer to Cape Town? From the reviews online it seems like it is.We done a 4 day safari when we were there at Naledi game lodges which is in a private game reserve (not Kruger). We absolutely loved it, the reserve was big enough and plenty of animals, we saw 4 of the big 5 whilst we were there.It's a 2 hour flight to a place called Hoedspruit and then another 30 mins transfer to the lodge.The staff at our lodge were saying it's often better to do a safari at a private reserve instead of Kruger as there are so many safaris taking place in Kruger that you can sometimes be one of maybe twenty vehicles parked up watching the same pack of animals whereas at our one there was maybe only one other vehicle there at the same time.My sister did a safari somewhere near cape town when she was there however said it was more of a 'Blair Drummond' style Safari park with the lions being in a different section to the gazelle etc.If you want any more info just give me a shout. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Honest_Man#1 Posted September 16, 2022 Share Posted September 16, 2022 Anyone done a sunrise hike up Lions Head? Fine to park up and go yourself or better to go with a guide? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richey Edwards Posted October 3, 2022 Share Posted October 3, 2022 My parents are currently in South Africa on holiday. They're having a great time. I am vaguely jealous because apparently it's roasting there, and I'm in Ayrshire freezing my bollocks off. On 10/07/2022 at 23:00, Honest_Man#1 said: Is it worth taking the time to fly to Kruger to do a safari there vs one of the options closer to Cape Town? From the reviews online it seems like it is. My parents are doing some sort of guided tour holiday travelling to different parts of South Africa. They are currently in Kruger. I was speaking to them ten minutes ago via their very bad WiFi and they really enjoyed the safari. They got some photos from it that I will post below. South Africa is a country I have never been to myself, but I would love to go. It looks absolutely amazing. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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