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#1
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Travel to South Africa in August
Hello,
I'm new to this group but have tried to read some old posts covering the subject. Some were very helpful, so let me now ask a few questions, hoping for some more hints. I'm flying in August for a professional meeting in Cape Town. August is winter there, right? So: (a) What kind of weather to expect? (b) If it's winter, why do organizers insist on reserving the hotel as soon as possible, preferably right now? More than that, they also ask not for a deposit, but for an actual pre-payment of the full hotel stay. Is it customary? (c) I've gone through some hotel reservation sites. Looks like _all_ of them demand a pre-pay. Again, is it customary, and why? I'm certainly _not_ going to pre-pay half a year in advance. If the conference is in August, when do you think I should seriously think about reserving a room? Is it really such a big problem? (d) I'd like to stay a few days in South Africa (not necessarily Cape Town) after the conference but don't think will have more than 4 days to spare. What do you suggest for me to see? A visit to the Kruger Park? (e) I'm located in the southern US. The best connection for me is the direct SAA flight from Atlanta. However, the fares are rather less than favorable. $2,000 minimum. Is this what it should be? Thanks, jrk |
#2
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Travel to South Africa in August
jrk wrote:
I'm flying in August for a professional meeting in Cape Town. August is winter there, right? So: (a) What kind of weather to expect? Could be unpleasant - it's the worst month of the year with wind, rain, temperatures in the 50's (farenheit) sometimes. But that's just some days. Others are OK. (b) If it's winter, why do organizers insist on reserving the hotel as soon as possible, preferably right now? More than that, they also ask not for a deposit, but for an actual pre-payment of the full hotel stay. Is it customary? I say yes. Just as it is here in the US in many places if you book directly with the hotel and want the lowest rate. (c) I've gone through some hotel reservation sites. Looks like _all_ of them demand a pre-pay. Again, is it customary, and why? I'm certainly _not_ going to pre-pay half a year in advance. If the conference is in August, when do you think I should seriously think about reserving a room? Is it really such a big problem? I would not prepay a room in Cape Town in August unless this is such a huge event - or one of several running concurrently - that hotels will all be jammed. I don't kow what your budget is, but there are moderately priced hotels for $100 US all over town. (d) I'd like to stay a few days in South Africa (not necessarily Cape Town) after the conference but don't think will have more than 4 days to spare. What do you suggest for me to see? A visit to the Kruger Park? Here, you need to do a lot more independent research before asking questions so broad. Kruger is 1000 miles (or more) away - like a huge US state park, with lodges, tenting areas, rustic campgrounds.. things that travel agents don't do for you. The private safari camps just outside Kruger are more commonly visited by Americans, but they are expensive. Really expensive. Some of the posters here may have some good ideas for safaris. East of Cape Town, you could do the shark cage diving in Gansbaai.. 2 hours away, easy to reach with your rented car - B&B's there. Great whale watching in August there as well. The winelands are no more than an hour's drive from Cape Town - beautiful country with a complete range of accommodations and no real need for a guide - though if the budget allows it, one would be helpful. (e) I'm located in the southern US. The best connection for me is the direct SAA flight from Atlanta. However, the fares are rather less than favorable. $2,000 minimum. Is this what it should be? A good agent can get you a consolidator ticket on SAA for about $1850 - $1875, including all taxes. Tell them to contact Mcabee in Atlanta for the ticket. You can't. Mcabee only sells to agents. And, if you choose, that could be flying in to Cape Town, back from Johannesburg, with you handling your travel within SAfrica separately. Actually, the British Airways tickets from the US are cheaper by about $125, but you have to go through London and the trip is longer. SAA is a really good airline, more leg room, good dining, individual entertainment screens at your seat, etc. I recommend it. |
#3
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Travel to South Africa in August
On 22 Feb 2006 11:35:41 -0800, "jrk" wrote:
Hello, Hello from Johannesburg. I'm new to this group but have tried to read some old posts covering the subject. Some were very helpful, so let me now ask a few questions, hoping for some more hints. I'm flying in August for a professional meeting in Cape Town. August is winter there, right? So: (a) What kind of weather to expect? The weather in Cape Town is often pretty crappy during that period, with wind, rain, and cold. If you're lucky you could be there during a week of clear weather where daytime temps will be around 18C and quite comfortable. If you're unlucky, it will be cold 1t about 10C with rain, so take a rain jacket, a small umbrella, and some fleecy stuff. It never gets terribly cold (seldom below freezing except occasionally at night) South Africans don't usually have central heating in homes and shops, so you will spend a lot of time wearing your warm clothing, even indoors. Mainstream hotels will have heated rooms, but common areas might not be. (b) If it's winter, why do organizers insist on reserving the hotel as soon as possible, preferably right now? More than that, they also ask not for a deposit, but for an actual pre-payment of the full hotel stay. Is it customary? I can't speak for the organisers, but you should be able to reserve most hotels with a credit card as security. Have a look at: www.citylodge.co.za for clean, comfortable hotels at a reasonable price. August is not a high tourist season, so accomodation should be easily available unless there are several conventions in town at the same time. (c) I've gone through some hotel reservation sites. Looks like _all_ of them demand a pre-pay. Again, is it customary, and why? I'm certainly _not_ going to pre-pay half a year in advance. If the conference is in August, when do you think I should seriously think about reserving a room? Is it really such a big problem? also try www.capestay.co.za (d) I'd like to stay a few days in South Africa (not necessarily Cape Town) after the conference but don't think will have more than 4 days to spare. What do you suggest for me to see? A visit to the Kruger Park? Kruger Park is about 2100km (about 1300 miles) from Cape Town, making it an uncomfortable drive. Flying is an option www.flysaa.com has return flights Cape Town to Nelspruit/Kruger at R2350 ($385). A direct flight will be about 3 to 3.5 hours. I'd really recommend spending a few days at Kruger if you can. (e) I'm located in the southern US. The best connection for me is the direct SAA flight from Atlanta. However, the fares are rather less than favorable. $2,000 minimum. Is this what it should be? I've just had a look at www.flysaa.com and they have fares starting at $1850 during August. By the way, the Atlanta-Cape Town is not a direct flight. You will fly Atlnata to Johannesburg, then fly domestic from Johannesburg to Cape Town. I am not aware of any flights directly from Atlanta to Cape Town. If you have the time, I'd highly recommend that you spend a little time in Johannesburg. After all, it is the heartbeat of the whole continent, and an amazing, vibrant city. Thanks, jrk |
#4
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Travel to South Africa in August
Thank you all three (so far) guys who responded. Great help.
As to the specifics: Is this a big convention? Are there others going on at the same time? Surely you can get a good deal when you register with the convention itself. But I also find your experience difficult to stomach. No, it's not that big. Around ~500 people, I should think. That's why I've been rather surprised by insisting on pre-payment rather than a deposit. Plus, the prices I find on the internet are about 20% lower than the "special rates" arranged by the convention (but also requiring a pre-payment). My budget is around $100-120/night. I guess I'll wait until much closer to the actual trip. No, Kruger park is a flight and a drive away. Stay in Cape Town there are many things to do and see around the town. There are wine tours in Stellenbosch and Franschoek for instance, there's Cape of Good Hope and Cape Point, there's Simonstown and False Bay, Robben Island, Table Mountain, Kirstenbosch gardens, a visit to a township. Actually, I plan on flying direct (via JNB) to Cape Town first, doing the business part, and then remaining there for an extra weekend to do at least some of the trips recommended above (I may be able to do some more during the conference, too, depending on the program and on the weather.) Then, I plan to fly to JNB and do the Kruger park. No, safaris in private parks are not on the agenda. But I hope I'll find a reasonable arrangement to do a 3-day tour of the park. Then fly back to the US from JNB. (e) I'm located in the southern US. The best connection for me is the direct SAA flight from Atlanta. However, the fares are rather less than favorable. $2,000 minimum. Is this what it should be? Can't help you there, I'm afraid :-) Thanks to the other poster for referring to McAbee. I know the company; used their services before. In my case, I do live in nothern FL, so need to add the short flight to and from Atlanta to the total fare. Looks like $2,000 is what to expect. By the way, there used to be a non-stop flight ATL-CPT when the SAA was flying the B747s. For a while it was the longest non-stop flight in the world (around 16 hours). On the way back, the plane would make a stop at Cape Verde due to the prevailing jet-stream. Once they replaced the 747s with A340s, they land at Cape Verde both directions, and fly only to JNB. Again, many thanks. You may expect a report some time in late August. jrk |
#5
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Travel to South Africa in August
jrk wrote: Thank you all three (so far) guys who responded. Great help. As to the specifics: Is this a big convention? Are there others going on at the same time? Surely you can get a good deal when you register with the convention itself. But I also find your experience difficult to stomach. No, it's not that big. Around ~500 people, I should think. That's why I've been rather surprised by insisting on pre-payment rather than a deposit. Plus, the prices I find on the internet are about 20% lower than the "special rates" arranged by the convention (but also requiring a pre-payment). My budget is around $100-120/night. I guess I'll wait until much closer to the actual trip. No, Kruger park is a flight and a drive away. Stay in Cape Town there are many things to do and see around the town. There are wine tours in Stellenbosch and Franschoek for instance, there's Cape of Good Hope and Cape Point, there's Simonstown and False Bay, Robben Island, Table Mountain, Kirstenbosch gardens, a visit to a township. Actually, I plan on flying direct (via JNB) to Cape Town first, doing the business part, and then remaining there for an extra weekend to do at least some of the trips recommended above (I may be able to do some more during the conference, too, depending on the program and on the weather.) Then, I plan to fly to JNB and do the Kruger park. No, safaris in private parks are not on the agenda. But I hope I'll find a reasonable arrangement to do a 3-day tour of the park. Then fly back to the US from JNB. (e) I'm located in the southern US. The best connection for me is the direct SAA flight from Atlanta. However, the fares are rather less than favorable. $2,000 minimum. Is this what it should be? Can't help you there, I'm afraid :-) Thanks to the other poster for referring to McAbee. I know the company; used their services before. In my case, I do live in nothern FL, so need to add the short flight to and from Atlanta to the total fare. Looks like $2,000 is what to expect. By the way, there used to be a non-stop flight ATL-CPT when the SAA was flying the B747s. For a while it was the longest non-stop flight in the world (around 16 hours). On the way back, the plane would make a stop at Cape Verde due to the prevailing jet-stream. Once they replaced the 747s with A340s, they land at Cape Verde both directions, and fly only to JNB. Again, many thanks. You may expect a report some time in late August. jrk |
#6
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Travel to South Africa in August
jrk wrote: Thank you all three (so far) guys who responded. Great help. As to the specifics: Is this a big convention? Are there others going on at the same time? Surely you can get a good deal when you register with the convention itself. But I also find your experience difficult to stomach. No, it's not that big. Around ~500 people, I should think. That's why I've been rather surprised by insisting on pre-payment rather than a deposit. Plus, the prices I find on the internet are about 20% lower than the "special rates" arranged by the convention (but also requiring a pre-payment). My budget is around $100-120/night. I guess I'll wait until much closer to the actual trip. No, Kruger park is a flight and a drive away. Stay in Cape Town there are many things to do and see around the town. There are wine tours in Stellenbosch and Franschoek for instance, there's Cape of Good Hope and Cape Point, there's Simonstown and False Bay, Robben Island, Table Mountain, Kirstenbosch gardens, a visit to a township. Actually, I plan on flying direct (via JNB) to Cape Town first, doing the business part, and then remaining there for an extra weekend to do at least some of the trips recommended above (I may be able to do some more during the conference, too, depending on the program and on the weather.) Then, I plan to fly to JNB and do the Kruger park. No, safaris in private parks are not on the agenda. But I hope I'll find a reasonable arrangement to do a 3-day tour of the park. Then fly back to the US from JNB. (e) I'm located in the southern US. The best connection for me is the direct SAA flight from Atlanta. However, the fares are rather less than favorable. $2,000 minimum. Is this what it should be? Can't help you there, I'm afraid :-) Thanks to the other poster for referring to McAbee. I know the company; used their services before. In my case, I do live in nothern FL, so need to add the short flight to and from Atlanta to the total fare. Looks like $2,000 is what to expect. By the way, there used to be a non-stop flight ATL-CPT when the SAA was flying the B747s. For a while it was the longest non-stop flight in the world (around 16 hours). On the way back, the plane would make a stop at Cape Verde due to the prevailing jet-stream. Once they replaced the 747s with A340s, they land at Cape Verde both directions, and fly only to JNB. Again, many thanks. You may expect a report some time in late August. jrk Hi jrk, I hope you will read this before you get to South Africa. I am part of an tour operator in South Africa and you do NOT have to pre-pay in full so far in advance. The norm is a 10% deposit at the time of booking and the rest around 30 - 60 days before arrival depending on certain aspects. Secondly, you may be able to get better flight rates on the internet or from our partner in the US who deals with South Africa on a daily basis and often have specials. Cape Town is great and you are able to see a lot, but I would suggest you see some of the African wildlife when in Africa! You may feel deprived when youre here and in the vibe, but cannot change your arrangements to get to at least the Kruger Park. I do not want to advertise on this forum and therefore if you want any assistance from me please advise me here and I shall give you my contact address. |
#7
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Travel to South Africa in August
VK wrote: Photos and trip report he http://www.photosafariindia.com/articles.htm Great site, Vandit. Thanks for the advice. jrk Vandit |
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