SA is the only country in Africa which, like Australia in Asia, does not follow the educational and financial cycle of the northern hemisphere. SA follows a calendar cycle with the major holiday times in December (summer break) and July (winter break).
For this reason August is prime tourist time for non-South Africans as the game parks and the tropical coast line of Kwazulu-Natal are not taken up by locals. There are an enormous number of game parks in SA, but visitors should seriously consider Kruger Park. No less than 5 days from Johannesburg is required to enjoy Kruger.
From a weather point of view August is the most optimal time of the year. In the north it is not too hot for game viewing and as the winter draws to a close the vegetation is sparse and the possibility to see animals increase. In the south there are still occasional cold fronts with heavy (Mediterranean type) rains but mostly the air is crisp and very clear.
To do game viewing a tour may be taken, but ultimately the best game viewing experience requires that a car be rented. There is no serious game viewing possible in the vicinity of Cape Town. Johannesburg is the starting point for such activities.
Below are the websites for SA Tourism, Lonely Planet, SA National Parks Board, Kwazulu-Natal Parks Board, Cape Town, Western Cape Province Tourism.
http://www.southafrica.net/index.cfm?SitePageID=8470
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/destinations/africa/south-africa
http://www.sanparks.org/
http://www.kznwildlife.com/
http://www.cape-town.org/
http://www.tourismcapetown.co.za/
What to do in Southern Africa ?
Put together, the countries of Southern Africa offer the most incredible scenery in all the world.
Here are the unique destinations: the Namib desert in Namibia, the Okavango Delta in Botswana, Bazaruto Island (incredible coral reefs) in Mozambique, Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe/Zambia (the world’s most voluminous falls), the Luangwa valley in Zambia, the Chimpanzees in Rwanda, the Serengeti plains and Ngorongoro crater in Tanzania, Mount Kilimajaro in Tanzania.
May 4th, 2006
There are a long list of accommodation facilities in Stellenbosch. More information is available on http://www.stellenbosch.co.za/ and www.portfoliocollection.com/destinations/Stellenbosch
We suggest the Stellenbosch Hotel for the experience of staying in a historical monument. Here is a more detailed list of establishments we have visited:
In Town
Life & leisure: owns and operates apartments in Church Street, the centre of town, and 10 minutes walking distance to campus, these apartments are self-service, and they include full kitchens etc.. The rates are from R 345 towards R 525, per single person per night, depending on the apartment. A pre-ordered breakfast is available at R 50 per person day extra. www.lifeandleisure.co.za
Roosenwijn Guesthouse: is located about 1 minute walking distance from campus, and the offer traditional bed & breakfast accommodation. Their rates are R 350 per single person per night, breakfast included. www.stellenguest.co.za
Evergreen Manor & Spa: is located about 2 minutes walking distance from campus, and more luxurious, priced from R 455 per single person per night, breakfast included. www.evergreenmanor.co.za
The Caledon Villa: is around 4-5 minutes walk from campus, and also more luxurious accommodation priced from R 440 towards R 550, breakfast included. www.caledonvilla.co.za
Stellenbosch Hotel: is situated in the historical heart of town, about 10 minutes from campus, and their rates start from R 415 per single person per night, breakfast included. www.stellenbosch.co.za/hotel
Labri Manor: is 4-5 minutes from central campus, and rates start at R 370 per single per night, towards R 425 ppn, all rates including breakfast. www.labrimanor.co.za
In the Winelands
Lanzerac Hotel: Is an old and beautiful winery and hotel, just outside Stellenbosch, much more luxurious, but definitely a more unique experience, starting from R 1140 per single person per night, breakfast included.www.lanzerac.co.za
Kleine Zalze: Situated 6 km outside Stellenbosch on a beautiful wine farm, with very luxurious accommodation starting from R 690 per bedroom (sleeping 2) per night. www.kleinezalze.com
May 4th, 2006
How to get to South Africa?
Approximately 55 airlines fly to South Africa.
With South African Airlines (SAA) joining Star Alliance from 1 April 2006 Johannesburg and Cape Town become hubs in the world’s largest flight consortium.
Your route plans will depend fundamentally on whether you want to spend time in a game park or not. If so you will want to include a stopover in Johannesburg – either on the way in or out. It is, however, also feasible to choose one of the non-stop flights to Cape Town (see below) and buy a domestic return ticket between Cape Town and Johannesburg to go game viewing. There is also a daily flight from Cape Town to Kruger International adjacent to the Kruger National Park.
For domestic flights we recommend SAA (www.flysaa.com) for price, frequency, quality and punctuality, but there are two no-frills airlines (Kulula.com and 1Time.aero) as well as BA, SA Airlink, SA Express and Nationwide to choose from.
Major Airlines flying to Cape Town (either non-stop or with a stop in Johannesburg)
Malaysian, Qatar, Singapore, Lufthansa (non-stop from Frankfurt), KLM (non-stop from Amsterdam), BA (non-stop from London), SAA (non-stop from Frankfurt, London)
Major Airlines to South Africa (mostly with a change of aircraft in Johannesburg)
From Europe and Arabia
Etihad, Emirates, Qatar, Gulf, Air France, Swiss, Lufthansa, KLM, BA, Iberia, Virgin, TAP, Olympic, SAA (From Heathrow, Frankfurt, Charl de Gaule, Zurich), El Al.
From Asia
Singapore, Malaysian, SAA (from Mumbai, Hong Kong, Perth), Cathay Pacific, Qantas
From South America
Malaysian, Varig, SAA (Sao Paulo)
From North America
United, Delta, SAA (Atlanta, Washington, JFK)
From Africa
Botswana, Namibia, Kenyan, Ethiopian, SAA (From Accra, Dakar, Lagos, Kigali, Kinshasa, Nairobi, Dar Es Salaam, Harare, Lusaka, Luanda, Entebbe, Lilongwe), Egypt air
Transport in South Africa
South Africa, like America, Australia and Brazil, is a country where people fly or drive. Bus companies service the major routes but for a tourist that is not adequate.
Car rental is inevitable in most cases. Al the major companies are represented. Favourites are: Imperial (http://www.imperialcarrental.co.za ) and Europcar (www.europcar.co.za ).
NOTE: normally rental car companies do NOT allow you to take the car cross border.
May 4th, 2006