South Africa | Travelfuntimes

Summary:

Flight: New York (JFK) to Johannesburg, non-stop direct flight on South Africa Airways

Travel guides used: www.Imagineafrica.co.za

Safari Lodge: Jack’s Safari Lodge: www.jocksafarilodge.com

taj.tajhotels.com

Day1: Flight from New York to Johannesburg

Day 2: Pick up at airport and drive to Kruger National Park. The drive is over 4 hours and as we got closer to the park the excitement was building up.

The lodge is in the middle of Kruger National Park and it is all-inclusive – daily 2 game drives in the park, breakfast, lunch, dinner and early morning tea/coffee with afternoon tea/coffee. There was a chef who personalized the experience and would come and talk to the guests daily to discuss any dietary requirements or suggestions.

Day 3-5: Each day there was a game drive through the park, starting at 6am and we were back at the lodge to have a hot sumptuous breakfast. In the mid-morning we could go for a walk with a guide, the rangers all carried guns and there would be at least 3 that would accompany us. Lunch would be served on the terrace – nice hot meals each day. The afternoon was spent relaxing, reading, playing cards or just simply looking around from the terrace for any sightings of animals. The lodge is fenced in so that it is safe from the animals.

There was another game drive at 4pm and it would end with drinks served to us standing around the jeep - of course with the rangers guarding us, after which it was back to the lodge for drinks and dinner.

Over the next few days we saw all the “big five” – we sat and watched a group of lions that were just playing around and sometimes they were watching us. We ran into an elephant that was trying to charge at our jeep but our driver revved up and the elephant ran into the tree. Along the way we saw zebras, giraffes, water buffalos, rhinoceros and plenty of kudu.

Day 6: Flight to Cape Town

Day 7- 10: Cape Town sightseeing and day trips to the Cape of Good Hope, wine region, and shark cage diving.

Day 11: New Year’s Eve

Dinner at the restaurant in the hotel with wonderful entrainment. Watched the parade at midnight to ring in the New Year having drinks at the bar on the corner.

Day 12: Trip to Robben Island where Nelson Mandela spent many years in prison – a must see

Day 13: The long journey home – flight from Cape Town to Johannesburg, then a direct flight to New York

Capetown is absolutely beautiful and stunning, it has beautiful coast line with lots of scenic beaches. We spent 5 wonderful days sightseeing around the town, driving to the beach where there are penguins, took a boat to see Seal Island. One full day trip was to the vineyards in Stellenbosch and Franshoek – both are not to be missed for their scenic beauty. For all this, we had used the service of a private tour with a guide – www.imaginaafrica.co.za – very reliable and we highly recommend them as we were very pleased.

Shark Cage diving – it is about 3 hours away from Cape town, the bus picks you up at the hotel and drops you back. Wetsuits and snorkeling gear is provided. This was the most amazing experience and we saw 12 foot long white sharks only a few inches away from us.

Day 10: Flight to New York

We connected in Johannesburg to take the direct flight back home to New York