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[razzel]

I'll be spending 3 weeks with family (kids ages 13 and 17) in South Africa this July. We fly in and out of Jo'burg, and plan to hire a car. Based on research I've done, I'd like to visit parks around KwaZulu-Natal. I want to have one big destination in addition to KwaZulu, and I'm trying to decide between two options: One is flying from Jo'burg to Cape Town, then driving back to KwaZulu via Garden Route. The other is to visit southern Mozambique. The reason for considering Cape Town is that we've heard its a fantastic city, and that the drive east from there is spectacular. The reason for considering Moz is that we'd like to have a chance to snorkel in the Indian Ocean, and that Moz appears to offer more variety of cultures than staying in South Africa.

I'd appreaciate any advice to help with the decision.

[whereshegoes]

Personally, I would FLY to Cape Town THEN rent a car and spend lots of time going up the Garden Route. I think its one of the most beautiful places in the world. Take your time!

[shelleyf]

Cape Town should definitely be part of any journey to South Africa. KwaZulu-Natal is fantastic, but Cape Town and the Garden Route are spectacular (and I'm not just saying that cause its my hometown!)

You should be able to get some pretty good snorkelling done in Durban and surrounds - given the choice myself I'd pick CT over Moz anyday!

And yeah - I agree - flying into Cape Town is a much better idea.

Which airlines were you looking at for your flight from JHB to CT?

[kevandsian]

Hi,

We've just returned from a trip to South Africa and Mozambique and loved every second. Which parks are you considering visiting in Kwazulu Natal? We visited a few and found Umfolozi / Hluhluwe park fantastic. Beautiful scenery and great game viewing. One thing worth bearing in mind is that many of the parks in the region (as is common throughout S.A.) hunted out their game last century, turned the land over to farming and have since turned it back to game. What this basically means is that not all of the species may have been reintroduced so bear this in mind when choosing which parks to visit, depending on your interests.

I have visited CT, Garden Route, Kwazulu Natal and Mozambique and whichever you choose, you wont be disappointed. They are all equally fantastic in their own right. I have to say that I dont think that combining Kwazulu Natal with Cape Town makes the most sense. CT combined with the Garden Route, Wild Coast and Drakensburg would be a good option. A good park to visit in this area woud be Shamwari. Shamwari.

Alternatively, you could drive from Jo'burg to Kwazulu Natal visit some parks, head north to Mpumalanga, visit Pilgrim's Rest, Blyde River Canyon & Kruger National Park (spectacular), and the onto Mozambique. This would also be a really good trip. You could also add a brief trip into Swaziland in there too. Snorkelling and diving in the Indian Ocean off Moz is wonderful. We went to the Bazaruto Archipelago which was truly spectacular. If you wanted to include this you could add a cheap return flight from S.A to Vilanculos on Pelican Air. Three weeks would be a comfortable time frame for this.

Hope this helps,

Sian

[razzel]

Hi,

We've just returned from a trip to South Africa and Mozambique and loved every second. Which parks are you considering visiting in Kwazulu Natal? We visited a few and found Umfolozi / Hluhluwe park fantastic. Beautiful scenery and great game viewing. One thing worth bearing in mind is that many of the parks in the region (as is common throughout S.A.) hunted out their game last century, turned the land over to farming and have since turned it back to game. What this basically means is that not all of the species may have been reintroduced so bear this in mind when choosing which parks to visit, depending on your interests.

I have visited CT, Garden Route, Kwazulu Natal and Mozambique and whichever you choose, you wont be disappointed. They are all equally fantastic in their own right. I have to say that I dont think that combining Kwazulu Natal with Cape Town makes the most sense. CT combined with the Garden Route, Wild Coast and Drakensburg would be a good option. A good park to visit in this area woud be Shamwari. Shamwari.

Alternatively, you could drive from Jo'burg to Kwazulu Natal visit some parks, head north to Mpumalanga, visit Pilgrim's Rest, Blyde River Canyon & Kruger National Park (spectacular), and the onto Mozambique. This would also be a really good trip. You could also add a brief trip into Swaziland in there too. Snorkelling and diving in the Indian Ocean off Moz is wonderful. We went to the Bazaruto Archipelago which was truly spectacular. If you wanted to include this you could add a cheap return flight from S.A to Vilanculos on Pelican Air. Three weeks would be a comfortable time frame for this.

Hope this helps,

Sian

[jdekoe]

I'll be spending 3 weeks with family (kids ages 13 and 17) in South Africa this July. We fly in and out of Jo'burg, and plan to hire a car. Based on research I've done, I'd like to visit parks around KwaZulu-Natal. I want to have one big destination in addition to KwaZulu, and I'm trying to decide between two options: One is flying from Jo'burg to Cape Town, then driving back to KwaZulu via Garden Route. The other is to visit southern Mozambique. The reason for considering Cape Town is that we've heard its a fantastic city, and that the drive east from there is spectacular. The reason for considering Moz is that we'd like to have a chance to snorkel in the Indian Ocean, and that Moz appears to offer more variety of cultures than staying in South Africa.

I'd appreaciate any advice to help with the decision.

I would definitely go to Cape Town, Cape Point, the penquins etc as well as the Stellenbosch wine region. While in Kwazulu area check out Tembe Elephant reserve, it is among SA's best and within driving distance for a weekend of snorkeling in Mozambique. Check out safety concerns near the border area.

John Dekoe (Canada)