In 2016, my sister, Amanda, and I went to South Africa. We booked this trip through G Adventures more than a year in advance as we’d always really wanted to go on a safari. I’ve been on three trips with G and all have been fantastic, and I’d definitely recommend checking them out so I’ll write about them in another post! The trip we booked was called Explore Cape Town and Kruger National Park. We chose this trip (there’s so many) because it allowed us to visit two cities, see the Boulders Beach penguins and enjoy two safari locations. G Adventures tours include all transportation required within the scheduled portions of your tour, some meals and many “extras”, such as included tours, excursions or experiences, which are always listed in “What’s Included”. They also provide a estimated budget for meals that aren’t included. Then, you just need to factor in any additional activities you want to do and other spending money (i.e. souvenirs, alcohol, shopping, etc.) We booked our flights through KLM and were very pleased; they’re probably my favourite airline. The flight had one layover in Amsterdam (they’re a Dutch company so that’s very common when you fly with them) for about one hour each way. The flight from Calgary to Amsterdam is about eight hours and the flight to Cape Town and from Johannesburg were 11 hours each (the longest flight we’ve both ever been on).
The G Adventures itinerary was 10 days total; however, since we were flying half way around the world, we added one extra day in Cape Town and two extra days in Johannesburg so we could explore and experience the cities more. The tour included free time in Cape Town, but since we wanted to cage dive with great white sharks, we “lost” one day in the city. The tour didnt’ include free time in Johannesburg, which is why we added two days there. The updated itinerary that I linked includes a tour to the Soweto Township in Johannesburg (more on townships later).
We arrived to Cape Town around 9:00 p.m. after leaving Calgary at 3:25 p.m. the previous day (there’s a nine hour time difference). We chose to utilize pre-booked, private transportation, which we arranged through G, and headed to the hotel. We chose to do this because we had never been to Africa before and were unsure about public transportation late at night. We booked our first night at the same hotel that the tour was utilizing, so we didn’t have to worry about checking out and waste precious exploring time.
Our first day in Cape Town, after having a rough sleep (jet lag is a bitch, people), we went on a tour of Robben Island. For those that don’t know, Robben Island was where a lot of the apartheid political prisoners were held, including Nelson Mandela. If you decide to visit Robben Island, book your tickets before you get to Cape Town as this tour sells out. I think it’s important to learn the history of the places you visit, and there was some dark history to learn about in South Africa. Apartheid ended in the 90’s; the 90’s. Mind blowing. The tour takes you to the island, via boat (obviously, it’s an island) and then you are taken around the outer grounds on a bus, where you see various facilities and the areas where prisoners were put to work. After this, you receive a presentation, from a former prisoner, within the prison, and then you are able to tour the cells and other buildings. This is a real eye-opener. Prisoners were given tiny mats to sleep on, black prisoners received just enough food so they wouldn’t die, and they received a drink that would make them sterile. The conditions were awful, and it makes me sick to think about, but it’s a very important part of South African history and worthwhile to visit. The cost for this tour is R550 (South African Rand) which is approximately $50CAD. When we visited, the conversion was approximately 10:1, but it’s changed slightly now.
After our Robben Island experience, we headed back to the mainland and went on the City Sightseeing Hop On, Hop Off bus for the afternoon. Our first stop on the bus was Table Mountain, which is a flat-topped mountain overlooking Cape Town, where you can take a gondola to the top. Costs vary depending on season, but we went in October and the cost today is R360, which is approximately $33CAD. Unfortunately, the day we went it was quite cloudy, so you couldn’t see the city from the very top, but we were able to get a good view from where we got on to take the cable car to the top.
Next, we wanted to visit Imizamo Yetho Township. Townships are areas within cities where black people were forced to live during apartheid, and many still live in them. The Township that we visited was one of the nicer ones and offers tours to show people their way of life. We had to switch bus routes for this, and when we got off at the stop to switch, we were told that we missed the last bus going there. While we were bummed, we saw a taxi parked by the curb so we told him where we wanted to go and arranged a price. As soon as we started driving, he reaches out of his window and removes the taxi sign from the roof of his car. Amanda and I are wondering what the hell we just got ourselves into, but we go with it. Then, he tells us that we’re at the drop-off point and we were like nope, we aren’t, here’s where we actually need to go. Once we get there, he says that he’s going to charge us more. I told him no, this was your fault so we aren’t paying more. We argued back and forth for a while, with neither of us backing down, so eventually I think we gave him R5 more and went on our way. Looking back, it may not have been the best idea to argue with him, since he was a gypsy cab, but we weren’t about to be taken advantage of. Anyway, a guide from the Township greets you at the bus drop-off point and brings you in. You visit the various homes and buildings within the Township and they explain what life is like living there. Most Canadians could not imagine living like they do, but everyone we saw and interacted with seemed happy. We visited their community centre and learned about the different programs that they offer both children and adults.
After our visit to the Township, we got back on the City Sightseeing bus and continued back to a drop-off point closer to our hotel. We wanted to stop at Fisherman’s Wharf to explore, but unfortunately, we ran out of time. The bus took us along the coast, so we got to watch the sunset on our way back to our hotel. That night, we met up with our G Adventures Guide, or CEO (Chief Experience Officer), as they call them. They usually hold a group meeting the night before the trip begins so you can meet your travel buddies, but because of our exploring, we missed it.
We started out bright and early for the first day of our G Adventures itinerary with a tour of various parts of the city. Since I work for a municipality, I always try and see/visit the City Hall of each city I’m in (super nerdy, I know) and we got to see it in Cape Town. After the City tour, we visited Kirstenbosch Gardens, which is a massive botanical garden that houses various plants and flowers that are native to South Africa and almost everywhere you go looks like a postcard. Basically a dream for all of you plant lovers out there.
The Boulders Beach penguins were up next. Yes, they are as cute as you imagine. In recent years, a boardwalk had to be created as people were causing issues with the penguins and their nests, as they would try to get too close to them. Some of the penguins will still wander up quite close to the boardwalk, you’re just advised not to touch them (which can be hard because they’re so dang cute and the babies are fluffy!) We were given free time to explore this area, so Amanda and I just watched these little cuties walk around on the beach and come in from swimming (they fight the waves so hard to do this and it’s an adorable struggle). While here, we also visited the Cape of Good Hope, which is the most southwestern point on the African continent. After this, we headed back to our hotel and stayed close to there for dinner. The next day was a free day and we had to be up early since we were going cage diving and were being picked up at 4:00 a.m.
We booked our cage diving experience through White Shark Projects, which is based out of Gansbaii, a two hour drive from Cape Town. The cost of the excursion (R2,320 or approximately $210CAD) included pick-up from Cape Town, which was nice. Once we arrived in Gansbaii, we were shown a video of what the day would entail as well as the various safety precautions we were required to follow. We were quite scared of getting seasick, so we had taken ginger gravol, had anti-nausea wrist bands as well as patches for behind our ears (side note: these give you extreme dry mouth so don’t wear two at once). However, this worked, as neither of us got sick, as more than one of our boat buddies was leaning over the edge feeding the sharks with their breakfast. At no point were we scared, even while we were in the cage. You are put into groups and the groups take turns going into the cage. If I remember correctly, you can fit about six people in at once. You do not need to scuba and you’re only wearing snorkel equipment (along with a wet suit and weights so you don’t just float back up while you’re underwater). When the crew sees a shark coming, they yell “down, down, down” so you hold your breath and pop under the water to see the sharks swim by you. We probably spent 30 – 45 minutes in the water, and then once you’re done, you can watch the sharks come up and swim by on the boat too. Because of this great tour, cage diving is an experience I would definitely recommend. After this once in a life time morning, and since we always have to have jam packed days, we spent the afternoon having high tea at the Mount Nelson Hotel.
We’re now finished in Cape Town and heading to Johannesburg. This flight was included within the G Adventures itinerary/cost, since it’s part of the tour itself. We stayed at a lodge outside of Johannesburg, since we were heading out to Kruger the next morning. The way to Kruger from Johannesburg is called the Panorama Route, and we made stops at Blyde River Canyon, Bourke’s Luck Potholes and God’s Window. Definitely some of natures wonders! We arrived at Kruger and stayed in a tented camp, Nkambeni Safari Camp, near one of the gate entrances. This tented camp was about as close to actual camping as I’d like to get. It had twin beds with mosquito nets, a sitting area, flush toilet and shower. It also had a lodge where food was served, a gift shop as well as a pool, although we didn’t use it. The pool overlooked the hippo pond, so one night we went down and watched a hippo in the water. The two mornings we spent there we headed out early for game drives, where we were fortunate enough to see the Big 5 (lion, rhino, leopard, elephant, African buffalo), among plenty of other animals, including the African wild dog, which is notoriously hard to find! It’s hard to explain what it’s like seeing animals like this in the wild, but it’s almost magical.
When you go on safari, they recommend that you dress in muted colours, such as army green and tan, which Amanda and I followed diligently. We went out and bought “safari clothes” and even hats. Well, much to our surprise, most people did not follow this rule. I’m not sure who thinks wearing bright pink to a safari is a great idea, but apparently it didn’t stop some people. After Kruger, we headed to Karongwe River Lodge, and let me tell you, this place was amazing! At this location, all of our meals were included and they provided us with upscale food options. I even got to try spring bok, which is like a small African deer. Coincidentally, we also saw a cheetah eating the same thing, although hers was a little more fresh! This was my favourite location for safari, as it’s a private game reserve so it’s a bit more upscale (gotta love that boujee life). Our room was basically a private cabin, which had a sitting area, bar, shower, beautiful claw foot bathtub, large bed and deck facing the dry river bed. At night, when you returned after dinner, they had turned down your bed and left slippers on the floor for you. Top notch service! Additionally, since the cabins are located within the reserve, you are walked back to your room each night by a staff member, since animals (especially leopards) can get into the same area where you are. You are advised not to run if you see one, since it makes you seem more like prey and kicks their predator senses into overdrive. A side note about leopards, one day I was sitting on the deck and there were monkeys above me in the trees. All of the sudden, they started to make an extreme amount of noise and run about the trees. I chalked it up to monkeys being monkeys and went on with my business. I didn’t know at the time, but another guest on our tour asked if I had seen the leopard that was walking about in the river bed (which I had not). Moral of the story, if you hear monkeys start acting up and making a bunch of noise, they’re trying to warn their buddies to be aware of a danger so you might want to pay attention!
The game drives here were magical too. Since it’s a private game reserve, there’s less people, which means less traffic. Each group gets a guide and a spotter, and if there’s something really cool to see, the guides will communicate via radio so more guests will get to experience it. During our time there, there were three occasions that drew the attention of all other groups; baby lion cubs, a cheetah eating a meal and when an elephant cornered our group and wouldn’t let us leave. There were five lion cubs that were spotted with their mother, so all of the groups headed in that direction. We ended up watching them for quite some time, and it reminded me of The Lion King, because they were all perched up on a rock overlooking their kingdom (or at least that’s what I told myself when I was singing ah zabenya).
The next big event was when a cheetah was spotted eating a spring bok so all of the groups headed in that direction. When we arrived, we were instructed to get out of the vehicles (say whaaaat?) so we made our way over to where the cheetah and her kill were. She was located within a brushy area so the vehicles wouldn’t have made it over there. We were instructed not to crouch down, because that makes you smaller than the cheetah (cheetahs are relatively small and are therefore less likely to attack a full grown human), Wouldn’t you know it, people were crouching down to get photos of the cheetah and I’m like “damn, didn’t you hear the instructions?” We watched her for quite some time; she would eat some of her kill, then look around for lions, hyenas and leopards, since they would try and steal what she worked hard for!
The next event that drew a lot of attention involved our group. We were close to a river bed watching some elephants when they decided they wanted to cross. Obviously, you move out of the way when a herd of elephants wants to cross your path. Our driver/guide reversed the vehicle to allow them through, and all but one of the herd went on their merry way. One big bull elephant decided that he wanted to have a little fun, so he stared at us and came a bit closer. Our driver backed up. The elephant came closer. Our driver backed up as far as he could (there was a huge tree trunk lying down behind us) and the elephant still wouldn’t budge. By this time, the other tour groups were coming to see what was happening to us. We all were quiet as could be because we didn’t want to startle him and get him spooked, all the while thinking “damn, is this it? This is how I go?” Eventually, the elephant got bored with us and moved on his way. After all of us had probably peed a little.
We were lucky to see so many magnificent and special animals on this trip. We also learned about the dangers that they face, especially elephants and rhinos. At this particular reserve, they cut the horns off of the rhinos, which saves them from being poached. Even at private game reserves, poaching is a real threat to these beautiful creatures.
After Karongwe, we headed back to Johannesburg. The trip was over after this night, but Amanda and I had two more days planned for this city. The first day, we went on the City Sightseeing bus and visited the Soweto Township (now included in the G Adventures itinerary), the Apartheid Museum and Constitution Hill. Similar to Robbens Island, the Apartheid Museum and Constitution Hill are sad, but important parts of South African history to learn about. Constitution Hill was a prison where Mandela and Ghandi were both held. I would recommend both of these places, so you can gain some insight into what really happened during apartheid. We were advised by our G CEO to return to our lodge before dark, so we didn’t ask questions and obliged. At no point did we feel particularly unsafe, although Johannesburg did seem more “sketchy” than Cape Town. Most homes and businesses had barbed wire around their properties and signs stating that armed guards would respond if alarms were set off. The next day, we traveled about an hour and a half to an Elephant and Monkey Sanctuary. Here, we were able to interact with both animals, for a cost of R875, approximately $80CAD, although we did think it felt a little weird after seeing the same animals out in the wild. It was still a cool experience though! There was an option to ride the elephants, but neither of us did that (more and more places are recommending that you do not participate in activities such as these). I’ll leave that up to you to make that decision for yourself! We were warned when we went into where the monkeys were that they liked to steal things and run away with them, so you were told to keep your purse zipped up and not to set anything down that you couldn’t live without! Once this activity was over, it was back to the lodge to prepare for our long way home!
While the trip review is over, there are just a few more pieces of advice that I have. When we were in the “bush” for our safari, we took malaria medications. Everywhere we went provided mosquito nets, but we wanted to take extra precautions (along with bringing bug spray with DEET). If you go to a public health nurse and tell them where you’re going, they’ll provide you with a list of recommended vaccines and medications. As for electronics, it’s a must to bring your phone and camera in order to capture the special memories you’re going to experience. South Africa has different power plugs than we’re used to in North America, so you need to buy an adapter. You can purchase these on Amazon and they’re fairly inexpensive. Also, you should budget to tip your G CEO, guides and rangers at the safari locations, waiters and maids. Sometimes people forget stuff like that when they’re focused on food, drinks, excursions, etc. Overall, we did not have many safety concerns while visiting South Africa and we found the prices for activities, food, souvenirs, etc. to be reasonable. All in, including flights, the G Adventure trip and all of our excursions and spending money, we each spent around $5,500CAD.
If you’ve made is this far, I thank you for reading about our South African adventure! It was truly a trip of a lifetime and I would recommend doing the same trip or something similar in a heart beat! Let me know if you have any questions about it or if I can help you in any way!
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