South Africa 2017 - Final Thoughts

[MakiraMarlena]

I just did the South Africa ABD a month ago. If I had the cash, and the time, I'd do it again, right now.

 

[LuvEeyore]

Just read this report all in one sitting and it was wonderful. Loved all the pictures. Maybe this will end up on my bucket list of ABD trips. Need to complete the first one Dec 2018

 

[Cousin Orville]

As some of you have seen on the news, the President of Zimbabwe was overthrown by the military this week. So, probably not the best time to plan a trip there until things settle down. There's a long dark history with the (former?) President, but I think it's safe to assume he did not want to give up power even while Zimbabwe's people have been struggling. Hopefully it will be for the best as I can attest the people were lovely and country was well worth visiting. It's a little surreal though having seen it 3 months before a military coup.

In other political news, our Interior Department has started issuing permits for elephant trophy hunting in Zimbabwe and Zambia.... no words. It was told to us by 2030 there may be no elephants left in the wild. Awful.

Just read this report all in one sitting and it was wonderful. Loved all the pictures. Maybe this will end up on my bucket list of ABD trips. Need to complete the first one Dec 2018

Thanks you! Glad you enjoyed it!

 

[MakiraMarlena]

regarding the South African wine, I picked up some from Total Wine, including a Spier pinotage - we didn't get to taste any wine at Spier either. Also, the restaurants at Animal Kingdom Lodge, and Tiffins at AK have an extensive selection of South African wine.

we had a day free before the tour so we hired a guide and did a private tour of 5 wineries in Paarl and Stellenbosch, we did get plenty of wine (and cheese). There wasn't a lot of talk about wine on the ABD tour itself, but lots of it seemed to magically appear at dinner. Some of my favorites I can't get here, but I don't think there is any bad wine in South Africa.

 

[Jess_S]

As some of you have seen on the news, the President of Zimbabwe was overthrown by the military this week. So, probably not the best time to plan a trip there until things settle down. There's a long dark history with the (former?) President, but I think it's safe to assume he did not want to give up power even while Zimbabwe's people have been struggling. Hopefully it will be for the best as I can attest the people were lovely and country was well worth visiting. It's a little surreal though having seen it 3 months before a military coup.

In other political news, our Interior Department has started issuing permits for elephant trophy hunting in Zimbabwe and Zambia.... no words. It was told to us by 2030 there may be no elephants left in the wild. Awful.

Thanks you! Glad you enjoyed it!

I saw the news about the Interior Department and I was heartbroken. I had the opportunity to speak to the head of the national parks in Kenya many years ago while interning at a nature documentary company. To this day, I remember his stories about his rangers basically having to go to war to protect the animals. Sadly, I think the US has just made the jobs of those who protect African wildlife more dangerous. (There is a connection between legal hunting and poaching because legal ivory and elephant trophies make it easier to hide illegal ones).

I'm glad that you and your son were able to safely travel to and from Zimbabwe. It's amazing in hindsight to realize how close in time you were to the coup.

 

[AquaDame]

As some of you have seen on the news, the President of Zimbabwe was overthrown by the military this week. So, probably not the best time to plan a trip there until things settle down. There's a long dark history with the (former?) President, but I think it's safe to assume he did not want to give up power even while Zimbabwe's people have been struggling. Hopefully it will be for the best as I can attest the people were lovely and country was well worth visiting. It's a little surreal though having seen it 3 months before a military coup.

Yeah, I've been watching it along with my coworker who is from there. FWIW, he doesn't feel particularly worried about his family there - he thinks it won't affect citizens much, or at least much more than has been the case for awhile now. The people were very hopeful that the vice president (that he fired) would take over from him in the next election but he moved to get rid of the threat and - they presume - help his wife step into power after he "won" it by messing with the polls. From what I gather this may actually be the will of the people... or at least as close as they can hope for right now.

 

[heart]

Thank you so much for a wonderful trip report!

 

[Disney_fans]

Thank you for taking the time to write such a great trip report. My family (2 adults, DD 18, DS 16) are booked on this ABD for June/July 2018 (only 6 months to go), so we will definitely be using your tips.

For your post-trip to Victoria Falls, why did you choose the Zimbabwe side over Zambia? I’m still making arrangements for that portion of our trip. I had read that a lot of people fly into Livingstone, Zambia to see the falls and then do the Botswana excursion, but your trip via Victoria Falls Airport, Zimbabwe looks great, too.

 

[Cousin Orville]

Thank you for taking the time to write such a great trip report. My family (2 adults, DD 18, DS 16) are booked on this ABD for June/July 2018 (only 6 months to go), so we will definitely be using your tips.

For your post-trip to Victoria Falls, why did you choose the Zimbabwe side over Zambia? I’m still making arrangements for that portion of our trip. I had read that a lot of people fly into Livingstone, Zambia to see the falls and then do the Botswana excursion, but your trip via Victoria Falls Airport, Zimbabwe looks great, too.

I chose the Zimbabwe side for a couple of reasons. I wanted to stay specifically at the Victoria Falls Hotel. And from what I read, the best views from of the Falls were on the Zim side. I can’t really compare as we didn’t have time to go to the Zambia side, but I can assure you we had a great experience. I’m not sure if the current political issues would change any of this. I would consider working with a local travel specialist to see what they recommend. I used Rhino Africa, but there are many.

 

[AdamEfimoff]

I chose the Zimbabwe side for a couple of reasons. I wanted to stay specifically at the Victoria Falls Hotel. And from what I read, the best views from of the Falls were on the Zim side. I can’t really compare as we didn’t have time to go to the Zambia side, but I can assure you we had a great experience. I’m not sure if the current political issues would change any of this. I would consider working with a local travel specialist to see what they recommend. I used Rhino Africa, but there are many.

Silly question for people that went oyo and with adventures by disney any safety hints or problems you faced.

 

[Cousin Orville]

Silly question for people that went oyo and with adventures by disney any safety hints or problems you faced.

I faced no issues in SA, Zim, Botswana. I mentioned in my trip report I was concerned about venturing into Johannesburg, not that I had much interest to do so.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

at Cape Town we were asked not to wander outside of the waterfront area on foot after dark, to take cabs or uber if we wanted to go elsewhere in the city. no issues while on the tours.

 

[*WDW*Groupie*]

Silly question for people that went oyo and with adventures by disney any safety hints or problems you faced.

We left our hotel (the Cape Grace) on foot after dark to head to the V&A shopping arcade on the recommendation of the concierge at our hotel (side note -- the pedestrian bridge adjacent to the hotel is closed so we had to walk the long way around to the shopping arcade). Getting there wasn't an issue. However coming back the area was completely deserted and we (my teenage daughter and I) had a pack of teenagers follow us most of the way up a dark passage between a vacant parking lot and the water. I have never, on all my travels, felt so vulnerable. Now I am an avid athlete and my daughter is also a competitive athlete as well, so when I realized we were being followed (or they just happened to be going the same way as us), I quickened our pace to an almost jog. When we got back to the hotel I realized how shaken I was as those kids didn't look like they belonged in the area. So, to answer your question, I would not recommend being in the waterfront area of Cape Town alone on foot after dark. Use hotel cars or cabs (like we did for the remainder of our stay). I will also add that I was very upset that the Cape Grace would give such poor advice to their guests and let them know.

All other areas of South Africa and Zambia we visited were perfectly safe (another side note -- we were never alone in Zambia -- we only left the lodge with a guide as were in a rather remote area).

We were not on the ABD South Africa tour - we did the tour on our own and it was AMAZING. Such a beautiful country.

 

[AdamEfimoff]

I would send a letter to Cape Grace that is not good enough

We left our hotel (the Cape Grace) on foot after dark to head to the V&A shopping arcade on the recommendation of the concierge at our hotel (side note -- the pedestrian bridge adjacent to the hotel is closed so we had to walk the long way around to the shopping arcade). Getting there wasn't an issue. However coming back the area was completely deserted and we (my teenage daughter and I) had a pack of teenagers follow us most of the way up a dark passage between a vacant parking lot and the water. I have never, on all my travels, felt so vulnerable. Now I am an avid athlete and my daughter is also a competitive athlete as well, so when I realized we were being followed (or they just happened to be going the same way as us), I quickened our pace to an almost jog. When we got back to the hotel I realized how shaken I was as those kids didn't look like they belonged in the area. So, to answer your question, I would not recommend being in the waterfront area of Cape Town alone on foot after dark. Use hotel cars or cabs (like we did for the remainder of our stay). I will also add that I was very upset that the Cape Grace would give such poor advice to their guests and let them know.

All other areas of South Africa and Zambia we visited were perfectly safe (another side note -- we were never alone in Zambia -- we only left the lodge with a guide as were in a rather remote area).

We were not on the ABD South Africa tour - we did the tour on our own and it was AMAZING. Such a beautiful country.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

I walked over to the Cape Grace to visit the bar (during the day) and I wouldn't have gone that far over there at night anyway (the bridge was still partially open then too). Hanging around the area where the mall and the stores are was fine though. just keep an eye out.

All that happened in the waterfront area is a guy came up and said something in English and then he asked me for money - in Spanish. no idea why he thought he should ask in Spanish.

 

[*WDW*Groupie*]

I would send a letter to Cape Grace that is not good enough

The Cape Grace was pre-booked and pre-paid by our S. African travel agent. I wanted to switch hotels (this happened on our first of four nights), however the Cape Grace would not allow it since the TA had pre-paid (meaning they wouldn't refund the amount I had already paid). I tried to work with the TA but she said the best she could do was transfer us to the One and Only (my first choice that she talked me out of) for an additional cost of $3,000.00 (with no refund from the Cape Grace). In summary, I wasn't impressed with the Cape Grace at all. Add to that the tired and out-dated rooms with fixtures 18" off the ground (I *may* be exaggerating, but I am tall and it seemed that the fixtures were quite low to the ground) and I would never, not ever, recommend the Cape Grace to anyone.

I want to be mindful to point out that this has *nothing* to do with ABD as I booked through Singita Travel, a S. African travel agent. I can say that our stay at the Cape Grace was not at all enjoyable. I continue to fail to understand how it ranks so high on Trip Advisor. I would rank it as a 3* hotel unless it undergoes a major refurbishment. The staff did try to make amends (they offered to upgrade us to a larger suite, which I declined as it was just as tired as our room and was on a lower floor, therefore the view of Table Mountain wasn't as good) for their extremely poor advice (that put the safety of myself and my daughter in jeopardy -- and as a parent traveling solo I take our safety very seriously) but I just wanted to leave and I felt like they held me hostage by not refunding my money. My advice to anyone planning on traveling to Cape Town is to avoid the Cape Grace.

 

[Jasrhon]

I first started reading your trip reports because we are booked on the China ABD ne t month and between your 2 reports and the ones from Say Hello and Calyso I feel that I am very well prepared and excited. I enjoyed your 2 China reports so much I have been making my way through the rest of yours. I heard a lot about your trip first hand since Jennae flew right from SA to join us for our Prague extension after our Danube ABD last summer. She told us that SA was her top recommended ABD of all time and I can see why. Your photos were absolutely breathtaking and I have loved following along with you.

 

[Cousin Orville]

I first started reading your trip reports because we are booked on the China ABD ne t month and between your 2 reports and the ones from Say Hello and Calyso I feel that I am very well prepared and excited. I enjoyed your 2 China reports so much I have been making my way through the rest of yours. I heard a lot about your trip first hand since Jennae flew right from SA to join us for our Prague extension after our Danube ABD last summer. She told us that SA was her top recommended ABD of all time and I can see why. Your photos were absolutely breathtaking and I have loved following along with you.

Thanks! That’s very nice of you to say that. We’re in Spain right now finishing up that ABD. I’ve really enjoyed my time in here as well. Not sure if/when I’ll write up a Spain trip report, but you or anyone can check out pictures on my Instagram - cousin_orville

 

[CaliKris]

Enjoy the rest of your time in Spain! When you get a chance, I would love to hear your thoughts on the Spain ABD. Looking to book Spain ABD or Morocco Nation Geo. next year. How museum heavy is Spain? Is there a good mix of activity/adventure vs. whisperer time?

 

[Cousin Orville]

Enjoy the rest of your time in Spain! When you get a chance, I would love to hear your thoughts on the Spain ABD. Looking to book Spain ABD or Morocco Nation Geo. next year. How museum heavy is Spain? Is there a good mix of activity/adventure vs. whisperer time?

I’ll try to put something together and post it. Overall, I enjoyed Spain quite a bit. It was a perfect balance for us. It was lighter on Barcelona focusing more on Madrid and the south of Spain. We’ve been to Barcelona a few times before. So, this was perfect for us. There’s a lot of whisper time. I’m not crazy about that either, but I’m not sure how it could be avoided unless you went private. We went to the Picasso Museum and the Prado which I enjoyed and wanted to see both. I went to see Picasso’s Guernica (at Madrid’s modern art museum) on our own. Certainly there’s a lot of palaces and cathedrals worth seeing in the area. But we also cooked paella, had a relaxing day by the pool/beach time, and had a lovely day in Sevilla. Overall a solid ABD. Weather was unusually cool and perfect for us. I’d love to do morocco as well... probably in the winter or spring. I’ll try to post some more to give you a better idea.