Deciding best place to go in August - would love help!

[claassenam]

Yes, thank you obrienk for another insightful post about Africa - now I am torn between Kenya and South Africa/Botswana (not to mention the southeast asian areas I mentioned)! I think it will ultimately come down to cost and availability. Jasher and obrienk, do you know which of the two African safari areas (one being Kenya and the other being So. Africa/Botswana) might be better value for an American couple? In terms of highest level of luxury accomodations and services for the money? Also, how do they compare in terms of crowds in August? We are most interested in seeing (in the following order): lions, cheetahs, zebras, elephants, rhinos. It sounds like Amboseli might be right up our alley, briank. Although, I'm still very interested in South Africa jasher - wow, this will be a difficult decision...thanks again for all of your valuable information and for the travel company recommendations obrienk.

[jashermd]

Hello,

If you want to escape the crowds, Southern Africa is the place to go -- since many of the best game-viewing areas are privately owned there are strict capacity controls to keep the number of visitors down, whereas many of the best game-viewing areas in East Africa are in national parks without the same sorts of capacity controls. I've been to East Africa and love the sheer spectacle of the migration, but I can't say that I didn't notice that there were a lot more tourists than I've ever seen in Southern Africa.

For the best value for money on luxury accommodation I'd definitely recommend South Africa, as the dollar is very strong against the Rand and it will be low season in August even though it's one of the best times for game-viewing (August is high season in virtually every other safari destination).

Botswana is expensive, but IMO very good value for money. The camps aren't as luxurious as those in South Africa but what you're really paying for is access to pristine, untouched wilderness areas.

You'll see lions, zebras, and ellies wherever you go. For close encounters with big cats (lions and leopards) and great rhino sightings, I'd recommend the Sabi Sands in South Africa. You can drive off-road and at night which is key to finding the big cats. For cheetahs, I'd recommend Phinda (an LL property). Cheetahs are more numerous in East Africa than they are in Southern Africa, but the fact that you can drive off-road in Southern Africa to find them balances things out. Some of the best cheetah sightings I've ever had were in Botswana.

A Sabi Sands-Phinda combination should enable you to see the animals you'd like to see, and many more besides (with the caveat, of course, that wild animals are impossible to predict so there is always an element of luck).

Cheers,
Julian

[obrienkf]

South Africa vs. Kenya? I have never been to South Africa, so making such a distinction is impossible for me. That said, if what you also want iswine, I suppose it would be SA.And you could probably easily connect to Namibia, the wild red dunes, which are allegedly stunning scenery. Both Kenya and South Africa have their challenges in terms of 'security' and although a traveller with common sense would be pretty safe, I would suggest that using a company that is credible, and that has some experiencewould be one of my first criteria. My current understanding is that South Africa continues to have more than its share of security issues, driven in part by neighbouring difficulties in Zimbabwe.The cities in both these countries are more dangerous than they say. So, don't stay low end in either countries urban centres. That's a definite no-no!



Don'ttry to do 'Africa' on the cheap. At least not "too" cheap. You want competent and qualified game guides, with experience, high end 4 x 4 transport and credibility. And stick to the animals that you really want to see. Both countries offer these animals. Bothhave solid, and wonderfulluxury tented camps available .... I would look for camps that are affiliated somehow in some 'chain' or club of high end camps, by this I mean those that offer 3 days in oneplace, and three days in another type trips ... and check out their websites.



My own experience (and I am not affiliated with these folks in any way, except that they became good friends when I was living in Kenya...) theproperties / hotelliers that I previously mentioned. (The Galana river property was under construction when I was there. I've checked that website, and it looks better than what was planned).The other hoteliers thatare top notch in Kenya are the Lonhro (?) chain, places like the Mount Kenya Safari Club (great golf, and William Holden'sanimalorphanage is on site) and AberdaresCountry Club --- which is linked to the Ark.Softer safari's, for sure, if you dont want to stay in a tent. But there is nothing like a luxury tent in Africa.



There are, in fact, too many wonderful places to see in tourist friendly Africa and all difficult to discern. The only thing that I can state with certainty, I would negatively recommendZimbabwe, at the present, as the country is in chaos.... sadly. It was a great place to visit 10 years ago.....



And the other tidbit ... no matter where you go, learn the standard words of courtesy in the local language. Swahili in Kenya, words like Kwaheri, Lala Salama, learn how to ask for a beer politely (in Swahili .... nataka tuska baridi tahfadali ... i want a beer, cold, please ...... ) and the words for the animals..... and you'll find yourself welcome as a brother / sister.... even if they giggle abit at your pronunciation.... google swahili .... there must be a list for standard sentences, and nouns.



enjoy your trip.....

[jashermd]

Hello,

I've spent a lot of time in South Africa, and I honestly don't think that SA's cities are signficantly more dangerous than major cities in other African countries (or in the US, for that matter). You wouldn't want to stay in Hillbrow in Joburg, but by the same token you wouldn't want to stay in the Bronx or in South-Central LA either. All cities have their good neighbourhoods and their bad ones. Personally, I find that normal city precautions suffice (not leaving valuables on view in your car, not flashing lots of cash, etc). Follow the same precautions you would in New York when choosing where to stay and where to go, and you should be fine.

Cheers,
Julian

[claassenam]

Thanks for the insight Jasher. Don't worry, it takes a lot to warn us away from any worthwhile destination - the truth is there aren't really any truly safe destinations right now, anything could happen anywhere. As we know very well these days in the US, UK, Spain, India and any other supposedly safe destinations. At the same time, as you say you just stay in the right parts of town, take the proper precautions and let fate take its course. I have to admit despite obrienk's wonderful information on Kenya, we are leaning towards South Africa since I love the idea of combining the city sites with several safari locations in one trip. Also, I have heard that the crowds in August would be much more manageable at the safari parks in S.A. We love wine, so seeing that wine country area does sound appealing!

[jashermd]

Hello,

If you go with the private reserves, there won't be any crowds at all -- the number of visitors and vehicles is strictly controlled to prevent crowding. Phinda, Ngala, and the other CCA properties are located in private reserves.

If you love wine and decide to go to SA, you should definitely take a look at the SA wine bible, the Platter Guide. You can look at the online version (http://www.platteronline.com) or buy a hard copy from any branch of Exclusive Books (the SA version of Borders/Barnes and Noble). It's full of great information on the wineries, including award-winning vintages, tasting room arrangements and hours (some places require appointments, so it's worth taking a look at it before you go if you have something specific you want to see), and great maps of the winelands.

One thing to keep in mind when planning your trip is that the Winelands are pretty quiet on Sundays so it's best to avoid this day if you can, or use it to rest and relax at your hotel.

In addition to wine-tasting, you can also taste goat's cheese (at Fairview in Paarl) and meet the ambassador cheetahs from the De Wildt Foundation (at Spier).

Cheers,
Julian

[claassenam]

Thanks again for all of this excellent information on Africa and Asia, now I'm throwing out another idea....Bali.

We're hitting a roadblock in that we are considering purchasing a new home in which case the vacation funds are tighter than first anticipated. If that is the case, South Africa is likely out due to the high costs of the luxury safari resorts I am dying to try, and even though southeast Asia is much less expensive, I'd really like to do that through Orient Express or at least do it 5-star which ups the price considerably. I've been spoiled in the past by some pretty lavish trips and it is hard to go back to 3- or even 4-star accommodations when hitting the cities like Bangkok and Chiang Mai where there are so many amazing resorts and hotels!

A final consideration is that my husband will likely be brain dead after studying all summer and taking his 3 day exam, so maybe we need to try something a little less adventurous. I've been perusing the LL offerings (I'd love to do this LL all the way!) and there seem to be several Bali resorts that seem to have all the luxury and interest we desire at very good prices. The ones right now are the Viceroy Bali, the Kupu Kupu Barong, and the Hotel Tugu Bali, all of which are in Ubud which sounds like a delightful little town. Has anyone stayed at these or any other Luxury Link resort in Bali that can give some recommendations? Also, and this is important, can my husband surf in that area? I'm not necessarily looking for a resort right at a surf break or on the beach but if there is some day trip access to surfing that would make or break the deal for him!

[marolyn]

Santa FE and Taos are wonderful sites for late summer trips. LL even has a Taos hotel/spa listed right now. While I have not seen any Santa Fe properties listed on LL, maybe they will arrive for us. During late summer, Santa Fe is cool, hosts the Opera and Chamber Music Festival, and has theatre. Food and fashion and jewelry are great as are the art museums and artists. On Canyon Road, many galleries have Friday evening openings with complementary wine, food and music. We regularly schedule a gallery "crawl" on Canyon Road. Taos' art community is quite strong also. Food is great, chile is hot and people are very friendly. Enjoy New Mexico! Cheers...Marolyn

[claassenam]

Thanks Marolyn! I keep hearing over and over how fantastic Santa Fe is, I didn't realize August would be a good time to go! This summer we really want to do a trip that requires a lot of travel time - this may be our last chance to spend that kind of time traveling for a while - but perhaps the next trip when we want to stay closer (we just live a couple flight hours away in California) we'll look into Santa Fe. It's also great to know that LL has a good package in Taos. How far away is Taos from Santa Fe proper?

[marolyn]

I'm delighted to hear that you will keep Santa Fe and Taos in mind. The fall is wonderful there, and winter is glorious. Skiing at both places is great although Taos is more like alpine skiing than Santa Fe. Snow in town is dry, airy and does not stay beyond its welcome. In other words, it's great.
Taos is about 1 1/2 hours north of Santa Fe. The new road is very good and runs along the Rio Grande River at points. The old road is full of charm and art and furniture shops, although it gets a bit sporty in places. If you want to know more, just let me know. I know you will enjoy it when the time is right. Cheers...Marolyn