South Africa! Where to begin?
The idea of heading to South Africa spawned in January in replacement of our trip to Rome. Rome couldn't work out in March as planned due to the hubs schedule. Hence we randomly chose South Africa. Knowing very little about the country, I spent a few nights reading up - from the safaris, the level of safety and just generally about the country and I was totally overwhelmed by all info. There is so much to absorb and info can also be conflicting at times which makes researching a total headache. Or maybe it is just me not reading thoroughly enough, hence missing pertinent points. Anyway enough whining about the leg work.
Flight: SQ478
Departs from Singapore: 0230 am
Arrived in Johannesburg: 0710am (same day)
Total Travel Time: 10 hours 40 mins
From Johannesburg, we took another flight to Nelspruit and drove about an hour before reaching the hotel.
We stayed in Protea Hotel Kruger Gate, which is really convenient as it is located right next to Kruger National Park itself. The hotel was alright, no complain. I particularly like the alfresco dining area, where evening dinners are hosted.
The safari tours were awesome, to say the least. To all you skeptics out there It is NOT like visiting the zoo at all. You get into an open jeep and the guide drives along the road and then you just wait for the animals to turn up. A lot of whether you actually see anything really depends on your luck. I was quite apprehensive at first, about coming all the way here and not being able to see anything here but alas my fear was allayed on my first safari tour. It was an evening game drive, lasted for 3 hours and we saw al Big 5 - namely the leopard, lion, rhino, elephant and buffalo. Great stuff! I think these are mainly nocturnal animals so a night or evening drive is a must do. We went for a 6 hour morning game drive the very next day and that was lame in comparison.
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| This is our jeep for the morning safari |
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| Only caught the butt of the buffalo... dang!
And these are the others....
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impalas.. the McDonalds for the lions
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Just want to leave a few tips for myself (in the future) and interested first time travelers to Kruger National Park:
- Take a drive from Johannesburg to Kruger or at the very least drive from Nelspruit to Kruger. Having a car will allow you more flexibility outside the confinement of the hotel. Ie. go for a nice drive around Kruger or just dine at some nice restaurants. South Africa does not have a concept of cabs.
- While it is convenient staying close to KNP, you don't really have to do that if you have a car. Next time I'd stay in one of the lodges in Hazyview.
- Don't listen to your smart ass colleagues who say that it's unsafe. Well, just exercise common sense caution like don't flash your 5 carat diamond ring around.
- Always book your tours in advance. We booked our hot air balloon trip too late and there was no more lot for us. Bummer.
- If you have more than 4 days, split your stay between private game reserve and hotels. Private Game Reserves like Sabi Sands offer off road safari tours. Remember that in South Africa, only private reserves offer off-road safaris. If you stay in a normal hotel, you can only join the organised game drives which are strictly on road. Oh Private Game Reserves also cost more, starting from a grand plus.
- If you would like to go for off-road safaris, but are not willing to pay I heard there are cheaper alternatives at Mozambique or Tanzania.
- If you are super free and decided to do a self-drive at the safari, head down to Skukuza and Lower Sabaie. The Big 5 are apparently easier to spot here. We didn't do a self drive, and would not recommend anyone to do it unless you have bionic eyes that can spot animals from a mile. Plus it is usually more fun to do it with a group of people with a guide who has a keen pair of eyes of spotting animals.
Well that's it. We really enjoyed ourselves and I plan to head to Mozambique some day. The hubs kept quiet when I suggested that. Hmmmpf. Let's see where the rest of the year brings us.
