South Africa - cheap flights and what to do
South Africa - cheap flights and what to do
Mr AC and I are planning a trip to South Africa in November to visit family out there. Our family live in Bloemfontein but we also want to get out and about to places like Cape Town.
Can people recommend
a) good things to do and places to see in SA
and
b) how to get cheap flights without having to make two stops en route. Currently the cheapest flights aren't direct, but if we're going to Bloemfontein, we're likely to have to connect at JoBerg for a flight there (I'm guessing it's too far to drive it) so not ideal.
Any ideas?
Answers:
OMG, I :throb: SA! :cool:
How long do you have? Is there anywhere else you are planning on going? Just thinking you might be better going into Cape Town (not a lot to see up in Jo'burg/Gauteng area), then getting a connection to Bloem from there....
Are you going to hire a car? Otherwise there are flights (try here or here), buses (try here and here)
What airlines you checked so far from the UK? Where you flying from?
Hmmm, things to do in SA.....where do I start? Certainly a must see is Cape Town.......such a fab city - my absolute fave place in the world.....
What do you like to do? City stuff, animals, scenic stuff, culture/history....a little of everything? The thing with SA is there is so much to see - the last time I was there, four months wasn't enough ;)
Personally, I loved Cape Town - Table Mountain, the V&A waterfront (yes ok - cheesy!), Robben Island, Cape Point/Cape of Good Hope, the Suburbs (leading out to Simonstown and the Penguins!! A wonderful drive from town through the suburbs to Simonstown, then down to the Cape Point Nature Reserve then back up the other side - Rikker Island and the Seals, a wonderful drive through Chapmans peak - the views - WOW!!! Especially at sunset..... :) ), Kirstenbosch gardens.......
All this and all the Winelands and Hermanus/Mossel Bay both viable day trips away (although you'll want to spend longer!!)
If you were going up towards Bloem, maybe do some of the garden route before going Northwards? George and Knysna are both nice (a short trip north would take you to Oudtshoorn too....ostriches, cango caves etc), but TBH, depending on how much time you have (and whether you're driving or not), you may want to do Cape Town and the real close areas more fully instead of rushing about......
As far as bloem goes, well being in the Free State, there's not exactly a *great* deal else to see - but there are a couple nice National Parks, e.g the Golden Gate (ok, mostly birds admitedly), and Lesotho isn't that far (relatively)....amazing riding and walking possibilities......
You should definitely see at least one National Park - hard to say which one, there are so many fab ones! Kruger is obviously Numero Uno, but that's not necessarily a good thing! Are there certain animals you want to see?
Um, think I've rambled on for *far* too long already :o :o :o ......sorry!
HTH, PM if I can help any more.... :)
x
Answers:
irishwench, you took the words right out of my mouth! ;)
I know the Cape Town area really well due to having family there and therefore visited 5 times! I'd recommend all the same places around that area.
Find out about the whale watching season before you go, as a trip to Hermanus to see them in the bay is well worth it - but only if it's the right time of year.
I'd also recommend a trip to Hout Bay - especially if you're doing Chapman's Peak Drive (which is re-open again after years of being closed - yay!) - I'm biased as Hout Bay is where my family live, but it's a lovely little waterfront/harbour with some interesting shops to walk around. It can get smelly as it's a working fishing harbour, but it's worth it - and Mariner's Wharf is one of the nicest, best value restaurants you'll ever find!
Answers:
lastminute.com is good for cheap flights to SA. If you play around a little with the dates (avoiding weekends for example) you can get really cheap deals. I often fly in with one airline and out with another and it is no problem. For cheap internal flights try Kulula - very good service and much cheaper than SAA.
Answers:
1 time are also worth a look....really good and cheap internal flights..... :)
x
Mr AC and I are planning a trip to South Africa in November to visit family out there. Our family live in Bloemfontein but we also want to get out and about to places like Cape Town.
Can people recommend
a) good things to do and places to see in SA
and
b) how to get cheap flights without having to make two stops en route. Currently the cheapest flights aren't direct, but if we're going to Bloemfontein, we're likely to have to connect at JoBerg for a flight there (I'm guessing it's too far to drive it) so not ideal.
Any ideas?
Answers:
OMG, I :throb: SA! :cool:
How long do you have? Is there anywhere else you are planning on going? Just thinking you might be better going into Cape Town (not a lot to see up in Jo'burg/Gauteng area), then getting a connection to Bloem from there....
Are you going to hire a car? Otherwise there are flights (try here or here), buses (try here and here)
What airlines you checked so far from the UK? Where you flying from?
Hmmm, things to do in SA.....where do I start? Certainly a must see is Cape Town.......such a fab city - my absolute fave place in the world.....
What do you like to do? City stuff, animals, scenic stuff, culture/history....a little of everything? The thing with SA is there is so much to see - the last time I was there, four months wasn't enough ;)
Personally, I loved Cape Town - Table Mountain, the V&A waterfront (yes ok - cheesy!), Robben Island, Cape Point/Cape of Good Hope, the Suburbs (leading out to Simonstown and the Penguins!! A wonderful drive from town through the suburbs to Simonstown, then down to the Cape Point Nature Reserve then back up the other side - Rikker Island and the Seals, a wonderful drive through Chapmans peak - the views - WOW!!! Especially at sunset..... :) ), Kirstenbosch gardens.......
All this and all the Winelands and Hermanus/Mossel Bay both viable day trips away (although you'll want to spend longer!!)
If you were going up towards Bloem, maybe do some of the garden route before going Northwards? George and Knysna are both nice (a short trip north would take you to Oudtshoorn too....ostriches, cango caves etc), but TBH, depending on how much time you have (and whether you're driving or not), you may want to do Cape Town and the real close areas more fully instead of rushing about......
As far as bloem goes, well being in the Free State, there's not exactly a *great* deal else to see - but there are a couple nice National Parks, e.g the Golden Gate (ok, mostly birds admitedly), and Lesotho isn't that far (relatively)....amazing riding and walking possibilities......
You should definitely see at least one National Park - hard to say which one, there are so many fab ones! Kruger is obviously Numero Uno, but that's not necessarily a good thing! Are there certain animals you want to see?
Um, think I've rambled on for *far* too long already :o :o :o ......sorry!
HTH, PM if I can help any more.... :)
x
Answers:
irishwench, you took the words right out of my mouth! ;)
I know the Cape Town area really well due to having family there and therefore visited 5 times! I'd recommend all the same places around that area.
Find out about the whale watching season before you go, as a trip to Hermanus to see them in the bay is well worth it - but only if it's the right time of year.
I'd also recommend a trip to Hout Bay - especially if you're doing Chapman's Peak Drive (which is re-open again after years of being closed - yay!) - I'm biased as Hout Bay is where my family live, but it's a lovely little waterfront/harbour with some interesting shops to walk around. It can get smelly as it's a working fishing harbour, but it's worth it - and Mariner's Wharf is one of the nicest, best value restaurants you'll ever find!
Answers:
lastminute.com is good for cheap flights to SA. If you play around a little with the dates (avoiding weekends for example) you can get really cheap deals. I often fly in with one airline and out with another and it is no problem. For cheap internal flights try Kulula - very good service and much cheaper than SAA.
Answers:
1 time are also worth a look....really good and cheap internal flights..... :)
x