travel to africa in Dec 08

[brijesh712]

Hi,

I am interested in going to Africa in Dec with my family which includes my husband and 2 kids 11&14. we'll have almost 2 weeks and I was trying to book some tours thru some company directly there as it would be better and perhaps cheaper. Since I have 2 weeks I was also thinking of doing a few days in South AFrica, a few in Zambia, Tanzania and perhaps a few days in Kenya. Let me know if this is practical na dif Dec is a good time. Weather may be better then. Please connect me to any company tou may be comfortable with. If private tour is better then we prefer that in the interest of time. Please give me any input.

Thanks

AR

[kyshel]

I hope you've looked at the Africa posts when you go to the destinations tab. You can send private message with specific questions or ask there. I've only been to Joburg and Madikwe game reserve near Botswana. Our 3 night LL safari was our best trip ever. I am heading to Cape Town in a few weeks, but that will be a short stay. Some of our other contributors (most notably, jashermd, have traveled Africa extensively and is a great source of info and inspiration. I'd personally love to see more in Botswana, which is only 4 hours drive from Joburg. I would start checking on visas for other countries (SA requires 2 blank pages on arrival) Then there are vaccinations (yellow fever and/or hepatitis)plus anti-malarial options to consider for some areas. I also use tripadvisor.com for local assistance; they have been extremely helpful with my upcoming Cape Town visit). Good luck and keep us posted. Welcome!

[claassenam]

Hi Brijesh712 - I'd definitely take this to the Destinations section - as Kyshel said, we have a couple Africa "experts" who can surely help you. They are very knowledgeable regarding what kinds of animals you would see in these locations at the time of year you want to travel - very important if you are looking for a top-notch safari tour.

Take my input with a grain of salt - I have yet to actually make it to southern Africa, although I have been trying for a while! However, based on my own research into safari-style tour, I think you may be trying to hit too many countries in too little time. Why not focus on 1 country, maybe two? (These are big places, not like hopping from one European country to another!) - there is enough to do within South Africa alone to fill a full two weeks, or you could spend several days in South Africa, visiting the cities and one or two safari camps, then move on to Botswana, Tanzania or Zambia for several days. Kenya seems like it would require an entirely different trip, but of course anything is possible if you want to do it that way! Especially as you are traveling with kids, it would seem you'd want to settle down into a location for at least a few days before having to pack up and move on immediately. Finally, as I understand it, once you are out in the bush, travel between these areas is fairly time consuming - you can't just hop on a train.

Good tour companies that have been discussed in these boards include Cheli and Peacock, Cox and Kings, CCAfrica, Abercrombie and Kent - you may want to go ahead and start looking into the tours they have available. Even if you don't go with these tour companies, they can give you a good itinerary template to work around. Definitely do a search for Africa both on the home page (to see what kinds of offers Luxury Link has that you might want to try) and in the message boards - there is already a lot of excellent information there.

[kyshel]

You just had to mention that Cheil and Peacock package, didn't you, Claasenam?!! I'm still drooling over that one! I am hoping to see the combo "water water, everywhere" package "re-surface" (Ntwala? I think?)
Anyway, all good info and tips. I'm a bit concerned with Kenya right now; due to recent political tensions, Delta has withdrawn it's proposed route to Nairobi. I think jashermd was the one who mentioned that Botswana has never had any significant government instability? Do you recall that?
I think a lot of people drive and combine trips with South Africa (like the Garden Route) but there are restrictions about rental cars at borders--You have to arrange a transfer vehicle at the Botswana border--same rental company--but required switch. I'm sure there are lots of logistics to investigate, but after getting a taste of south Africa, it's a destination worthy of the effort.

[jashermd]

Hello Brijesh,

Glad to hear that you're planning a trip to Africa -- it's a wonderful place! I've posted a more complete reply on the Destinations board for Africa.

Cheers,
Julian




Message Edited by jashermd on 05-26-2008 01:13 AM

[kyshel]

You reply to Brijesh was one of the best posts in the forum. We really appreciate the time you take to offer advice, particularly on a subject which so few of us know. Bravo!

[jashermd]

Hi Kyshel,

Thanks for your post - it's always nice to know that people find my responses helpful! Personally I've found your insider's perspective on the airline industry fascinating and very educational too.

Cheers,
Julian

[rejoice]

Hi brijesh,

Just joined Luxury Link today so this is the first time I've seen your post. I've spent a lot of time in Kenya over the last 18 years, so have booked my safari's through local travel and tours agents there. Sorry I can't give you specific information on booking from here.

I can, however, give you a taste of Kenya through my YouTube video. If you're interested, you can see it here:About Kenya video Please excuse the quality. The clips span several years, some pre-digital. :-)

I do hope you include Kenya in your trip, and for more than day or two. There's a lot to see there. Joyce