DZLD Vs DATJ

[rrjz]

Hi
I have read a few posts about both trips. I thought I had made a decision on which trip that I would like to do but now I am not so sure. I would like to see Kruger NP, but not sure it will be worth missing a week in Cape Town. I am planning to do either trip next Dec 2013, so I am in the early planning stages. I recently got back from DUEA tour and it was amazing. I am not sure either of these tours will top that one but I am going to try. Here are a few options I have for traveling.

If I take DZLD
- I can take a week in Cape Town to myself after the tour
- I don't get to see Kruger NP
- Shorter overall tour, same length of time

If I take DATJ
- I see Kruger NP
- I only get a day or two in Cape Town before the tour
- Longer tour, same length of time

Anyone have any opinions or suggestions?
Thanks for any replies.

[chardonais]

I haven't been on either of these trips - they seem to be the same other than one ends/begins in Livingstone and the other continues on to Joburg.

While I have heard that Cape Town is a beautiful city and I hope to see it one day, if it were me, I would be more interested in seeing parts of another country as opposed to extended time in a city.

I have been to Zimbabwe and loved it. Matobo NP was full of elephants and rhinos and is very interesting with these precariously hanging boulders in the park. There isn't much in Bulawayo, but Victoria Falls town is a nice place to wander and seeing the falls from the Zimbabwe side offers a different (and I think better, but I'm biased ) view. Not sure if you would be visiting the Great Zimbabwe Ruins, but they offer a bit of history and are nice to wander around.


Dianna

[alysa]

i like this forum because its so interesting and knowledge able.

[catraveller]

You can't go wrong with either trip and it really depends on what you are looking for.

I spent 2 months living in SA this summer and travelled for 1 month around Africa afterwards - to many of the places on your previous trip and these future trips. I personally LOVE both Kruger and Cape Town, but they are vastly different. I found Kruger NP a different safari experience from the Ngorongoro, Serengeti, and Chobe. While there is good game viewing in the park, it is VERY busy and VERY commercial compared to the other 3 parks. Traffic jams are common. Lots of cars and lots of people. Looks like the trip does 1 day at the Kruger NP and 1 day on a private game reserve. I found the private game reserves to be a fantastic experience where you can drive with the open safari vehicles off-road with little to no other jeeps around. Looks like you have/will have a fair amount of safari experience under your belt, so personally if you can only do one or the other, I would choose CT because it will be more different from what you've seen already. The Cape Peninsula area is absolutely gorgeous. There is lots of stuff to do in and around the city and peninsula - shark diving, wine farms, Cape of Good Hope, Cape Point NP, Hout Bay, Robben Island, Table Mountain, Boulders Beach, etc. If you have time, you can even hike up Lions Head or do some of the Garden Route.

Honestly, the ideal situation would be if your flight home from CT goes through Joburg (which most do since this is a main hub) and you can extend this layover for a few days. If you can spend 4 or 5 days in CT and then do a layover in Joburg for a few days, you can use this time to get to Kruger. There's a number of companies that do safari packages including transport to and from Joburg. Depending on what area of Kruger, it is about a 5 hour drive. Try to pick one that includes both the Kruger NP as well as game drives in a private reserve. The company I used is called Tydon Safaris and it was fantastic. That way, you get to see both Kruger AND CT!

[rrjz]

Thanks for all the replies! I have decided to do the DATJ trip with a few extra days at each end. Although for Jo'berg I am only staying one extra day. I would rather have most of my free time in Cape Town at the beginning of the tour. Its still just over a year away but I am already excited to make a return to Africa! 13 more months!

[chardonais]

Good choice! Joburg isn't a great city, so it's wise to spend any extra time in Cape Town.