Safari in Kruger or more close to Cape Town?

Hi everyone.

Im currently in South-America, but are going to be in Johannesburg in may2nd. Im meeting a friend there, hes flying in from Europe.

I have a dream to go on a safari in the Kruger national park. But I understand that kruger is far away from cape town, where we are going to spend our trip. We have ca 2,5 weeks in SA in total.

My question is if its possible, and reccomendable to fly in to J.Burg (I have to fly here anyway, but my friend was hoping to fly directly to cape town, via j.burg yes, but just a quick landing and then on again), go to Kruger, and then back to Cape Town somehow?

Or is it going to be too difficult/expensive/timeconsuming? Should we hust go on a safari out of Cape Town in stead? Does anyone know if there are any good safaries/national parks close to Cape Town?

I would really appreciate any help or experience anyone have to share with us!

katrine

How are you planning to travel whilst in SA, hire car, bus or Baz Bus? If you are hiring a car you could drive to Kruger then down to Cape Town or you could possibly do that too with the Baz Bus.
Is it possible your friend could arrange a stopovr in Jo'burg, go do Kruger then onto Capetown?
The alternative I think, would be Addo National Park, its still quite a way out from Cape Town but a good safari park. Off the top of my head cannot think of any closer, but I shall try to find out for you.

Hola!

U ask a good question We havnt decided on how were going to travel whilst there.. Im on a longer trip, rtw, but my friend only has something like 2.5 weeks, so i dont think he wants to "waste" too much time while travelling. I on the other hand, am on a tight budget, time is what i have enough of So its probably going to be compromicing as we go along

Do u know how far the drive from kruger/johannesbug to cape town is? And also this is possible to do with bus or train yeah? Any trips here?

I was hopin it would be possible for him to have a stopover yes in johannesburg, go to kruger, and then to cape town. But offcourse, he is afraid of long distances and much time "lost", but ive heard so much excellent things about kruger, and really nothing about any good or big ones uut of cape town... So if u have any tips here as well, I would highly appreciate it!!

Thanks for ur time so far, u understood my question perfectly :D

Muchos gracias!

Katrine

and what is baz bus?

Kruger is marvelous. So big we only got to see small bits, but we had a fantastic time. There's great places to stay in the park too, along with night drives and tons of activities. I haven't been to any parks near Cape Town, but we went to a few other parks in SA and they were lovely, but nothing as impressive as Kruger. I'd say it's worth the ride out there.

Enjoy your trip!

Okay. The Baz Bus is a transport system geared towards backpackers. They will collect you from one hostel and take you to another. They have set routes and times and are brilliant if you don't want to drive.

Re wasting time travelling, this is not a problem. In SA the travelling is most of the fun, the sights are amazing and loads of places to stop off and explore. The drive from Jo'burg to Cape Town is nothing short of stunning, passing the Drakensburg etc.

If memory serves me correctly it takes around 3 hours to drive to Kruger from Joburg and Joburg to Capetown would have to be done over two days. It is 8 hours from Joburg to the coast and probably around 6 hours to Capetown. You could always take an internal flight from Joburg to Capetown, I don't think it is terribly expensive.

Personally, I would grab a car from Joburg, drive to Kruger then make your way to Capetown in slow time, stopping off on route. You could then still have a week in Capetown which is plenty really. That way you get to see the best that SA has to offer. Or, take the Baz Bus (personally I just love the freedom of a car and its not expensive). Hostels are fabulous and cheap all over.

If you decide to do this, I would happily list you my personal favourite places and some awesome backpackers! Although dont know many places in Kruger itself as I only went there for the day in a private car, maybe Tway could help you there?

Hola

I have to talk to my friend, what he thinks. But I think this sounds like a good way to go bout it And it would be excellent if you could send me any info!

Muchos gracias! :-)

Katrine

Have you considered hitting CT first and then heading back to Joburg and then driving to the Kruger and back before leaving ZA? Just a thought. The drive to the Kruger from Joburg (barring any mishaps) is minimum four hours...maybe five depending on traffic out of Joburg. It is a very beautiful drive though, so the scenery is worth it. I wouldn't recommend driving it in the dark though, so make sure your flights accommodate the driving time, or stay at a guest house in Joburg and leave first thing in the morning for Kruger. Another option is driving to Nelspruit, spend the night, and then move on to Kruger the next morning. You must have enough time to get to your rest camp before they lock the camp up for the night (if you're staying inside the park) or they will not let you in the park.

The only Game Reserve I know of within driving distance to Cape Town is Aquila Game Reserve. I have never been there, but have heard that it is nice. It's malaria free and if you go on a self-drive with your own transportation, pretty reasonable. It is less than a two hour drive away and it does have the big five. Hope that helps! Good luck and have fun!

I can't help with transportation--we were with a small tour group for 3 weeks, so we just boarded the bus and went. I do recommend a drive through the Drakensburg, though. Absolutely stunning views and great little towns along the way. I have a few pics and a run-down of Kruger in my blog, if you'd like a little more info. Definitely make the side trip--it's so worth it.