I actually left Southern Africa on the 22nd of July. A full 2 months on the move…….It was quite an exhilarating trip, even though I only scratched the surface of that great continent. I wonder if I accomplished enough?
Some trip stats:
Countries traveled in/through on this trip: 11
Flights taken so far: 15
Hotels/Lodges slept in: 20
Nights in a Tent: 18
Car Rentals: 3@17days
Km. covered: 10,000+KM
National Parks/Game Reserves visited: 14
Of which were “World Heritage”: 3
I was quite happy with the way it all turned out, I started this trip by actually coming across a mistake fare, it could be deduced that a fare from Phuket, Thailand to Johannesburg, South Africa should not have been $600+ USD in full fare business class …The programmer probably forgot a “0” when they loaded the fare on the CRS. Malaysia Airlines sold about 100 or so of these fares before catching on. They were good sports that they honoured their mistake. The flights were fab, MH are an excellent airline with great cabin service and warm staff. A highlight of the flights are the “pulled tea” service and “satay” service with all the fixings.
After securing this flight in December of last year I was left with about 5 months of prep time to fill-in 2 months of time from May to July. I started with looking at safaris, I was intrigued by what was written about Kruger National Park, but also Chobe National Park in Botswana, and Etosha National Park in Namibia. I had an extreme urge to “do it all” but not the “dosh” to do it well. I found an overland here: http://www.africatravelco.com/index.php and I booked it here: http://www.e-gnu.com/ ! This trip took care of my parameters, being able to get around a large area while still staying financially solvent. I was quite happy with my overland choice as I was all my other choices on this trip. I would definitely recommend an overland trip to my friends that like the great outdoors, and can handle sleeping in a tent for weeks on end!
I also booked a safari for the beginning of my trip so I wouldn’t have to stay in Gangster’s Paradise too long…it was a good thing too as there were race riots when I arrived Jo’burg. I booked at http://www.vivasafaris.com/ and was picked up at the airport. The guy that picked me up became a friend (pictured earlier) and so I was able to stay a few times at his guest house. I also pre-booked a short stay in Livingston, Zambia. All in all I don’t think I over-planned as I had nothing planned for the last 3 weeks of my stay (other than the timeshare in Underberg, KZN.). So it all works out, and the only down moment I had was when it rained/flooded in the Cape Town area…….I guess I will have to go back…… : )
Gwendibairibasu 