South Africa Safari Vacation

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South Africa is in the Southern Hemisphere so all the seasons are reversed from those in Europe or North America.
Most Baby Animals are born in the Spring so that's when you want to get there for the best game viewing.
Spring in South Africa is usually in late October and November and you will possibly have to book a year in advance - especially for the most popular game park in Africa - The Kruger National Park.
Kruger is South Africa's biggest Game Park and is best reached from Johannesburg by air or by road.
I suggest staying nearer to Kruger and I stayed at the Crocodile Country Inn tel 01311 63040 Nelspruit which was delightful (about 2 1/2 to 3 hours drive from Johannesburg.
If you don't feel like a long drive after your flight then stay in the Johannesburg suburb of Sandton - a nice area with good hotels and accomodation.An excellent luxury hotel is the Protea Hotel Balalaika Sandton . Protea hotels are often a little cheaper than some other hotel chains but this one is a great 4* hotel near to shops & restaurants and has a nice swimming pool.
The Kruger National Park is Big - REALLY big - about the size of Wales ! If you possibly can arrange a few days here to see a fair bit of it.
I stayed in a thatched hut in Satara in the middle of the Kruger and have never seen so many wild animals in my life !
I would suggest that you rent a car ( from your airport - don't forget to check the car out before you leave the airport) to get the best out of a South Africa Safari as you can then sit watching cheetahs or lions for as long as you like without bothering anyone else.
As you enter Kruger you will be given a PERMIT - DO NOT LOSE THIS or you can be fined.
Its one of the ways the authorities try to stop people camping in unauthorised areas ( dangerous do NOT camp outside of rest camps.
Restcamps usually have a shop and restaurant and talks and lots of stuff about the immediate area
MY TOP TIP !
Every rest camp has a game viewed today book - a sort of daily log of what's around -take a pen & paper and note down what has been seen and where... that's how I saw the lioness and cubs !
Its a really useful shortcut to game viewing and you'll see lots that you otherwise would miss.
Make sure you fill up with gas as you enter the park. Cash is almost always required at gas stations.You will probably arrive late in the day and you get to see lots of zebra,springbok and even lions on your way to your lodge.
DO NOT LEAVE YOUR CAR until you arrive at your lodgings.These animals are wild and dangerous.
As you enter the park you have to pay an entrance fee and this is quite reasonable.
There are maps available at all the entrances to the Kruger National Park and you REALLY need one of these. Roads vary from proper metalled roads to tracks.(You see the best wildlife sightings on tracks of course !)
It's essential to get up really early - the campsites,lodges and huts are in safe compounds and the gates are opened just before dawn.Make sure you have food and water before you go out for the day.
Do't wait till you have had breakfast or you will miss the animals and birds !
Africa gets very hot in the daytime and wildlife only comes out of the shade in the very early morning and just before sunset.
Remember you MUST get to your lodgings before Sunset - no vampires - just lions and leopards looking for food !

What will you see ? That depends on which part of the Kruger you are staying in.
On the Skukua to Lower Sabie Road you will almost certainly see lions (I was lucky enough to see a lioness with three cubs !) and elephants.

Elephants can also be dangerous - don't get too close - I saw a group of drunken Italians teasing one from thier car - I got out of there fast !

Various kinds of antelope are fairly common and an identification books for mammals and birds will be a big help.You may be lucky enough to see Springboks Pronking (A kind of aerial jumping dance) early in the morning.
Leopard are fairly shy ( but I saw two playing on rocks in one of the rivers !)
A pair of good binoculars is ESSENTIAL as sometimes you will only see wildlife in the distance.
Look out for the incredible Hammerkop (It's head really does look like a big hammer !).
Don't forget to look up as sometimes you can see leopards in the trees.

A Digital camera is great (keep it in a ziploc plastic bag to keep out the dust which may damage your camera and will certainly give you dust spots on all your pictures) and one with a 300mm or longer zoom lens would be an asset and produce unforgettable pictures. Take lots of memory cards for your camera - they are a bit hard to get sometimes in South Africa.

Guided tours are available from most of the rest camps (see reception for details).These are good if you are a little wary about being close to wildlife on your own.
I do NOT however reccomend the night trips in the Kruger National Park as these are usually in large ex-military lorries converted with seats and the problem is not with the staff but with other visitors- some of whome can be VERY noisy and will frighten away the animals.
If you want to do night drives (and these can be VERY exciting) then you would be better off to spend one night in one of the private luxury reserves which suround the Kruger.
Do NOT try to do a night drive on your own - firstly its VERY dangerous and night is when predators really get going and secondly you'll get a really heavy fine when you turn up at a rest camp after opening hours.
ON NO ACCOUNT try to do a bush walk without a professional and armed guide.
These are expensive but in my opinion well worth it. The Guides/Game Rangers are friendly and knowledgeable and you view the game in open jeeps with armed guards to keep you safe.The small parties they take around are very well looked after and you will get uch closer to the wildlife than in any other way.
The accomodation varies from better than basic up to very luxurious (and is priced accordingly !)
Wherever you stay do be sure you take warm and even waterproof clothing. The early morning game runsa can be bitterly cold and sweaters and jackets are definitely needed.
As you will be spending a lot of time in the bush, take an anti-histamine cream to treat any insect bites.

These are :
Elephant
Rhino
Buffalo
Lion
Leopard

And its the aim of all game ranger to show you all of these !
Fortuately, most African animals are moderately territorial and can be found pretty much in the same area each day (so if you go back on your own,you'll see the same animals !).
All of these have their young in the Spring and early Summer and it really is the best time to view them (but it sometimes DOES rain then !)
The drier Winter months give more chance of seeing animals though (June to August) as you'll see more wildlife around the waterholes then.

If you fly from Johanesburg to Skukuza, staff from the luxury resorts will mett you and take you to your game lodge.
Its very well organised and a delightful way to watch game.
The Game Rangers will show you the very best of their reserve and the night game drive are unmissable.
These reserves are not cheap though and a package tour may well save you money.
Reservations MUST be made in advance and you may well have to fax them your passport too !
These are ones I have stayed at (near Kruger National Park) and thoroughly recommend :
Londolozi tel 011 803 8421

Londolozi Website

Mala Mala tel 011 789 2677

Sabi Sabi tel 011 483 3939

SabiSabi & Mala Mala Website

All will give you details of their current rates and availability.
Mostof these also offer single rooms.

Be QUITE SURE that you have taken your Malaria tablets before visiting any game park in South Africa.

An easy drive from the Garden Route, Addo National Park is around the size of Wales (UK).
Its a really great spot to watch Elephants with two large waterholes where Elephants visit daily. You can stay in the park lodge and they have a pretty fgood restaurant too.

Its actually TWO National parks joined by a corridor.
Restcamps with good facilities and I had one of the best meals here in the whole of South Africa.

The main attraction in this reserve is the Black Rhino - with unbelievably long horns !

You can go on a guided walking tour fairly close to the rhinos. All the wildlife here is fairly tame (I had to push a zebra's head out of the window (I think it wanted to go to Ireland !)

It's a bit in the middle of nowhere but I really want to go back there again - it's wonderful.
I saw pretty much all the wildlife except for big cats.

The reason that the wildlife here is so tame is that they don't permit hunting.

Do find time to visit this idyllic National Park you will love it !.

In some (but not all) of the private game reserves they finance them by selling permits to kill wildlife. Now while I don't object to people killing wildlife for FOOD, I DO object to anyone killing wildlife for pleasure. It's barbaric and savage.

Sorry about the rant but the only way to stop game reserves selling hunting permits is to suggest that people choose alternative game reserves. Check up on the reserve you are visiting and if they sell hunting permits,choose somewhere else. (I visited one luxury reserve where ALL the game fled at the approach of any vehicle - so you won't see much game as well !)