# Anyone visited S/A?



## hibbeln (Aug 19, 2007)

I was just thinking about it, and everyone seems to buy S/A for the low MF and trading ability.  But do people GO there?  Or at least, North Americans?  I'm thinking that might be a fun trip for the family.  I would have to check the airfares from  Detroit, but.....

Any idea which North American school holidays would be good to go on?  (Easter?  Northern Hemisphere summer? Thanksgiving? (That's in November)).
Are the resorts in such a place that you can also see animals and tour around?
Is S/A a popular spot for Europeans to travel to?

Thank you to anyone with thoughts on it.


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## billymach4 (Aug 19, 2007)

I thought the SA timeshare leverage has seen better days? Can someone fill in the blanks. Something about the exchange value of the SA Rand currency?


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## grest (Aug 20, 2007)

South Africa is a huge European tourist area is what I have been told, and that's what has given it good trade power.  This has lessened over the last several years, so that standard resorts don't pull as well as they used to.  Depending on the value of the US$ against the SA Rand, maintenance fees change and we seem to be paying more, but it's still not too high for the most part.  There are very many resorts, some near game preserves so that you certainly can see animals if you wish.
Connie


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## esk444 (Aug 20, 2007)

Check the airfares, I think you'll see why South Africa isn't popular with North American tourists.  The few direct flights from the U.S. really cater to business travelers and are fairly expensive.  Cheaper flights might have a convoluted flight plan requires a few days travel each way.


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## robbiefields (Aug 20, 2007)

hibbeln said:


> I was just thinking about it, and everyone seems to buy S/A for the low MF and trading ability.  But do people GO there?  Or at least, North Americans?  I'm thinking that might be a fun trip for the family.  I would have to check the airfares from  Detroit, but.....
> 
> Any idea which North American school holidays would be good to go on?  (Easter?  Northern Hemisphere summer? Thanksgiving? (That's in November)).
> Are the resorts in such a place that you can also see animals and tour around?
> ...



Yes, people visit South Africa, judging from arrivals at a favorite Bed and Breakfast olf mine here, Germans are the top in bound tourist group.  More Britons arrive but many are here to visit friends and family.  Yes, many Americans come but for the most part extremely wealthy ones.

For a while,  South Africa was one of the great travel bargains, but it's a challenge these days. 

Thanksgiving is probably the best time you mention for coming.  High season for tourist arrivals are the summer months of  January and February to cater to European snowbirds.  Local school holidays are absolutely the peak season for accomodation in the country, apart from business centers.  If you don't mind a bit of chill, the winter months of June, July and August are a lot less crowded.  The Cape tends to be cold and wet, particuarly this winter, the north dusty and cold.  The Kruger at a lower elevation is probably delightful in the winter.   

There are private game parks all over the country.  The downside to the Kruger is that it is located within the malaria zone.

As for accomodation, don't restrict yourself to looking at  timeshare resorts and if you do, they generally rent overnight accomodation to the general public.  Either the resorts are full or empty, depending on the season.

Why trading values were high for South African t/s had NOTHING to do with in bound tourism.  It was about the market OUTBOUND.  Unlike the USA, local owners own their weeks primarily to stay at the same resorts the same week(s) every year, rarely would they exchange within South Africa.  So for RCI to be viable here, they have to provide foreign exchanges for their South African members.


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## hibbeln (Aug 21, 2007)

Ah, thank you!  I feel much more fully educated now!

I will look at airfares.  We'll see how badly I choke when I see them.  If they're not stratospheric, perhaps we'll look into a Thanksgiving exchange there one of these years......?!


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## jfjfbf (Aug 22, 2007)

SA is an amazing country with lots of variety. It is, however, an expensive trip to get there. When I went a couple of years ago I used 80k Mileage Plus miles per person. This was no bargain, but I had the miles and the airfare was around $1500/person. Another problem with SA, is the distance. I live in CA, so it was a very long trip in coach (SFO-Frankfurt-Capetown--about 22 hrs of flight time, not counting layovers).
But once you are there, there are so many things to do. We spent about a week viewing wildlife in Sabi Sands game reserve (adjacent to Kruger Park) and in Swaziland. We saw the big 5 many times over as well as white rhinos and just about every other type of wildlife you'd like to see. We also spent a week in Capetown. We had tremendous weather and Table Mountain had almost no clouds the entire time we were there. Capetown has awsome beaches and some surprises like wild penguins and baboons about a half hour away. They also have very well respected wine regions an easy drive away.
As for trades, we stayed at the Peninsula in Capetown and it was a very nice timeshare. The second bedroom was small, but all units are ocean view and it was very will run.
I understand that there are timeshares near Kruger and other areas, but I actually recommend spending some money to go to a private reserve where you are likely to see far more wildlife then in Kruger.
Enjoy.


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## hibbeln (Aug 22, 2007)

Here's a question for you, Jfjfjfb.  Did you get TIRED of looking at animals after a week?  I hope that doesn't sound strange, but I always wonder if the amazement just keeps on for the whole week, or if after awhile you start thinking "Ho hum, another pride of lions...."    Of course, on a trip out west last summer, we were STILL leaping wildly out of the car to pant breathlessly after seeing our 1,000th elk and buffalo........


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## jfjfbf (Aug 23, 2007)

I understand your thought and that is possible, but I'd be more concerned with taking too little time or going to the wrong place so that you miss the animals that you truly would like to see. That is another reason I'd recommend a private reserve. We were actually pretty lucky that we saw so much game and so much variety. No one will ever guarantee that you will see the big 5, but those are certainly some of the most incredible interesting (Lion, Leopard, Elephant, Rhino and Cape Buffalo). If you don't see a lot of wildlife, you'd be much more likely to get bored driving around just looking for game. Also, you are far more likely to see prey (hooved animals) and those do get boring to look at pretty quickly. But the predators are amazing to see. You sometimes park 25 feet from a pride of lions in an open vehicle....We had a leopard run by so close that if I leaned over I could have touched him (although I may have lost a hand or more). To ensure that you see what you want, it is also good to go to multiple places. For example, we were in Sabi Sands for 3 nights, but then we also spent a few nights in Swaziland. The other cool  think about the private reserves is that you may go off road to get nearer to the animals. The way they run the game drives you really wouldn't get bored for at least a couple of days. I think 3 days would be a minimum, but if not broken up with other activities, then I do think a week would be too much. However,if you're going all that way, I'd prefer to be a little bored in seeing too much repitition rather then going home without having seen the animals you had hoped to see in the wild.


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## Carolinian (Aug 24, 2007)

It's been over 10 years since I was there, but it is an amazing country.  You definitely need more than a week. I spent 3 weeks myself, there, basing myself three places; a B&B in a town just north of Jo'burg, a hotel on the Victoria and Alfred waterfront in Capetown, and a hotel on the Golden Mile. in Durban. Travel between cities was by rail (Jo'burg to Capetown) and air (Capetown to Durban and Durban to Jo'burg).  I used a rental car for some long hauls (Kruger Park, Swaziland, Botswana, Sun City) from the Jo'burg area, and again for shorter trips from Capetown.


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## tedk (Aug 24, 2007)

To go on safari you must have a interest in wildlife, if not then you will be bored. As previously written a private game reserve is the best option, which affords you opportunity to go off road. As for being 25 feet from a pride of lions i have been near as 5 feet, this also applies to leopard, rhino elephant and many more. How near you get is up to your ranger and how they read the situation. I have been going on safaris every year for the last 13 years or so and i love it. For me part of the excitement is not knowing whats around the corner, if you want to see everything go to a zoo. Where you go can also determine what you can expect to see, for last 4 years i have been stopping for a week in sabie sands. I have managed to not get bored yet. Probably the nearest timeshare to the kruger park is the protea kruger gate 2143, so that may be a good start.
                 ted


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## hibbeln (Aug 26, 2007)

Yes, we love wildlife, love the wildnerness, would rather be in a rural area or the woods than in the city, so it might prove fun for us!  I think we will look into a week at a timeshare first, then ponyback on some time at a private game reserve. 

Any suggestions for good (not ridiculously expensive) game reserves that would be good with kids? (They'll probably be 14 and 12 by the time we get there).


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## jfjfbf (Aug 26, 2007)

If you are planning a trip, in general you will want to keep a couple of things in mind. First, the SA school holidays can be very crowded (and expensive)  and they can change every year. It would be smart to avoid these periods if you can. Second, since it is in the Southern hemisphere, the seasons are reversed (our winter is their summer, etc).

As for places to stay, as noted I would recommend a private reserve. There are many reserves and there are many game lodges within each reserve. To see animals you can do anything from self driving in a rental car into Krueger for the cost of the gate fee, to paying around $1700 per person, per day for the most expensive. We went to Elephant Plains in the Sabi Sands Reserve. This is the same reserve as Mala Mala and many others. We had tremendous wildlife viewing and even saw a leopard make a kill and spend about a half an hour dragging it a long distance and up high into a tree. I would recommend Elephant Plains, but they all seem to be pretty nice and seem to follow similar schedules.

We also had great wildlife viewing, including two extremely rare white Rhinos in Swaziland at a place called Stone Camp. I would recommend this as well. The reserve was much smaller, and the rangers would not drive off road, but the animals were still roaming free. It was also very reasonably priced compared to the places in SA. Both of these places had websites when we went and I booked all online.


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## michelle (Aug 27, 2007)

If you dont particularly need to stay in a t/s for game viewing, 
I would suggest staying inside Kruger National Park. They have lots of accommodation options, and most are pretty cheap. You would need a car and will do the game viewing/driving yourself and I would suggest buying your groceries before entering the park as shopping/dining is limited and more expensive.

I would suggest staying 2 nights in one camp, then 2 nights in another camp,... for as long as you want to stay. The reason for this is that the park is enormous, and the speed limit is very low, so you cannot cover too much distance at a time. Also, you see different animals in different areas and the vegetation changes.

Different camps have different attractions (including night drives) and I would warn you to check the size of the rooms, as some are very small. My favourite camp is Byamiti, which only has a few units, with an open kitchen/dining area and most are 1 bedroom with 2 twin sleeper beds/sofas in the 'lounge'. It is a small camp and you really feel like you are right there in the wild! We also stayed in Lower Sabi, but I thought the camp was too big and the accommodation too small.

I think my parents and sister and her family have been to pretty much every camp in the park, so if you need more 'personlized' opinions, I could help.


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## tedk (Aug 27, 2007)

Not having been to Kruger Park i cannot comment but have met lots of people who  had not seen a leopard till they had come to Sabie Sands. Mala Mala is in Sabie Sands reserve but unless you are stopping there you cannot go on their land, it covers a great area and is a lotta dollar to stay there. Elephant Plains is one of a number of lodges in that area with their own property, who then come to transversing agreements with other lodges to go on each other properties. Depending where you are staying depends where you can go, as i have been in situations where we can see for example lions but cannot go over the road. Reason being the owners had no agreement to allow the other on. If money was no problem i would stop on Mala Mala at their cheapest lodge, otherwise one of the lodges in Sabie Sands. I prefer to go in  May as first of all airfares from UK are cheaper, then a lot of the lodges lower their prices. Also you have less rain, daytime hot but mornings / evenings can be cool. 
       ted


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## hibbeln (Aug 27, 2007)

Thank you everyone, I'm writing this all down!  Obviously, I need to do some MAJOR research on this.  I think we would stay at a timeshare for general sightseeing, then go to a preserve.
So I'm guessing Christmas and Easter would be nightmares for both airfare and crowds?  It's so hard to travel and accomodate the kids' school schedules!


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## hibbeln (Aug 28, 2007)

Can anyone suggest a helpful guidebook or travel book to help me get started sorting out a trip to South Africa?  I'm starting with no background knowledge at all, so I really need to do some reading.  Thanks!


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## Carolinian (Aug 29, 2007)

hibbeln said:


> Can anyone suggest a helpful guidebook or travel book to help me get started sorting out a trip to South Africa?  I'm starting with no background knowledge at all, so I really need to do some reading.  Thanks!



Try the Lonely Planet or Rough Guide series fro SA.


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## hibbeln (Aug 29, 2007)

Thank You!


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## robbiefields (Sep 2, 2007)

Carolinian said:


> It's been over 10 years since I was there .. Travel between cities was by rail (Jo'burg to Capetown)



Other than the luxury trains, train travel is not recommended at this time in South Africa.  Even The Blue Train no longer calls at Johannesburg, bypassing it on its run from Pretoria to Cape Town.

Intercape buses are a great, safe and inexpensive way to see the country.

Namibia has some interesting and very slow trains.


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