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22 hours ago, Trend said:

Starting to look at things for a cruise out of Cape Town for next February. Any advise on tours from various ports would help.

 

As noted by Omega1, tell us the ports, timings, etc.  There are many great options to consider.  Below from my live/blog you can read much and see countless visuals to consider the many potentials in these interesting area.  Cape Town is wonderful, requiring some serious time for there either before or after your cruise.  With whom will you be sailing?  Happy to answer any and all questions on my live/blog. 

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

AFRICA?!!?: Fun, interesting visuals, plus travel details from this early 2016 live/blog. At 44,646 views. Featuring Cape Town, South Africa’s coast, Mozambique, Victoria Falls/Zambia and Botswana's famed Okavango Delta.

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2310337

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We will be on the Aramark Quest and we visit Port Elizabeth from 7am-9 pm

we visit Richards Bay from 6:30 am - 9 pm.then Durban 7:30 am-6 pm

and last East London 1pm -7 pm.

We are docked in Cape Town at the end for two days.

Any advise would be helpful as I find the cost of tours in SA very high compare to other places we have traveled.

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18 hours ago, Trend said:

We will be on the Aramark Quest and we visit Port Elizabeth from 7am-9 pm

we visit Richards Bay from 6:30 am - 9 pm.then Durban 7:30 am-6 pm

and last East London 1pm -7 pm.

We are docked in Cape Town at the end for two days.

Any advise would be helpful as I find the cost of tours in SA very high compare to other places we have traveled.

 

 

SA isn't an expensive country, so tour prices shouldn't be high.

But ..........

1. Ship-sponsored tours are generally over-priced. Are you comparing ship-sponsored in SA against independent arrangements elsewhere? 

2. Distance adds to prices, have you checked how far to the places on those tours?

 

I strongly suggest that at appropriate ports you consider doing your own thing with a car rental. From about 50CAD for the day :classic_smile:

Gas about 1.40 CAD per litre.

Roads are mainly quiet, other than in the parks the roads you'd be using are all metalled but in places you do need to keep a constant eye open for pot-holes. Unmade tracks in the parks are fine for an ordinary 2WD car.

If you choose to rent a car, you might want to find sharers thro your cruise RollCall. Can be more fun / less-stressful with like-minded others. 

 

My response in the thread linked by Mercury hold good for you, other than that you don't mention that you're spending post-cruise time in Africa.

If not, do take the opportunity to visit a game park from Port Elizabeth or Richards Bay or both.

 

From Port Elizabeth to Addo Elephant Park. To repeat, elephants are what it's known for but it has stacks of other animals except for big cats.

About 26 miles / 30 minutes from PE. Entry fee R307 (about 30CAD) pp.

 

From Richards Bay to St Lucia and (just beyond St Lucia) to iSimangaliso Wetlands Park. The part of the park that you'd visit from St Lucia would be the southern end - "wetlands" is a misnomer for this part, it's bush.

St Lucia is under 50 miles, about 75 minutes from Richards Bay. Entry fee R50 (5 CAD) pp and R20  (2 CAD) per vehicle.

 

You can self-drive in the parks, very easy. Or at the parks you can join a 4x4 safari vehicle for a fee (def available at Addo, probably not at iSimangaliso).

 

Do double-check my figures - no refunds from me for any mistakes :classic_wink:

 

There's plenty of info about Cape Town on the web. The ship berths close to the city centre.

 

Sorry, can't help with Durban or East London.

And they may have little to offer.

 

JB :classic_smile:

 

 

 

 

Edited by John Bull
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Thanks so much for info and yes we are doing post cruise 3 day near Kruger and then Victoria Falls 2 days.

My husband spends his days in a car driving so when on holiday he tends to like to relax and leave driving to others.

We generally do our own tours booking private guides or group from role call.

Just surprised at cost quotes so far like even from Cape Town to the wine region for a day stopping in two or three wineries. Or the Cape area tour to Boulder Beach and area so any tour people you can recommend would help.

 

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1 hour ago, Trend said:

Thanks so much for info and yes we are doing post cruise 3 day near Kruger and then Victoria Falls 2 days.

My husband spends his days in a car driving so when on holiday he tends to like to relax and leave driving to others.

We generally do our own tours booking private guides or group from role call.

Just surprised at cost quotes so far like even from Cape Town to the wine region for a day stopping in two or three wineries. Or the Cape area tour to Boulder Beach and area so any tour people you can recommend would help.

 

 

Sorry, no suggestions for tour operators - we usually do our own thing.

But ...........

 

Wineries you can combine with the Cape Town ho-ho bus, though that restricts you to wineries reasonably near a stop.

 

For Boulders Beach it's well worth leaning on your other half to drive that day.

You can incorporate it in a circular route down the west coast to Hout Bay (Cape Town to Hout Bay is simple but quite heavily-trafficked so a bit slow), quiet and scenic Chapman's Peak Drive & the coast road after  Kommetjai & thro the nature reserve to the spectacular Cape of Good Hope. Then return up the east coast to Simonstown & Boulders Beach, and a variety of alternative routes back to Cape Town.

Easy in a day, mebbe even time for a vineyard in Constantia on your way back to Cape Town. 

https://goo.gl/maps/HdV4o9E8T5x

 

JB :classic_smile:

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Great advice from JB (and others). I would wholeheartedly endorse the benefits of renting a car to explore down to Cape Point, including the African Penguin colony at Boulders Beach. The circular route via Hout Bay that JB suggests is an easy drive and Chapans Peak Drive is spectacular.

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1 hour ago, Omega1 said:

Great advice from JB (and others). I would wholeheartedly endorse the benefits of renting a car to explore down to Cape Point, including the African Penguin colony at Boulders Beach. The circular route via Hout Bay that JB suggests is an easy drive and Chapans Peak Drive is spectacular.

 

I just noticed .....

Google's route from Cape Town to Hout Bay goes inland.

I've amended it to follow the coast thro Sea Point & Camps Bay - 3 minutes longer but more interesting

https://goo.gl/maps/7MudEzZMLxn

 

JB :classic_smile:

Edited by John Bull
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47 minutes ago, John Bull said:

 

I just noticed .....

Google's route from Cape Town to Hout Bay goes inland.

I've amended it to follow the coast thro Sea Point & Camps Bay - 3 minutes longer but more interesting

https://goo.gl/maps/7MudEzZMLxn

 

JB :classic_smile:

As you say, it’s a better route. The inland Ou Kaapse Weg is very busy these days. It’s also worth the very short detour to the delightful coastal community of Llandudno en route to Hout Bay.

Edited by Omega1
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17 hours ago, Trend said:

Thanks so much for info and yes we are doing post cruise 3 day near Kruger and then Victoria Falls 2 days.

My husband spends his days in a car driving so when on holiday he tends to like to relax and leave driving to others.

We generally do our own tours booking private guides or group from role call.

Just surprised at cost quotes so far like even from Cape Town to the wine region for a day stopping in two or three wineries. Or the Cape area tour to Boulder Beach and area so any tour people you can recommend would help.

 

 

In Cape Town you can buy an all inclusive iVenture 5 days pass. As well as 5 full days unlimited travel on the HoHo it includes two full day guided tours to Boulder Beach Penguin Colony & Cape Point (Cape if Good Hope) and to Stellenbosch & Franschoek Vineyards with included wine tastings and a cheese plate big enough for lunch for two people. There's also a half day township tour, harbour cruise and canal cruise. The regular hoho around the city stops everywhere and includes the Table Mountain Cable Car, the magnificent Botanic Gardens, walks in two different townships, cellar tour and tastings at Groote Constantia (look out for their famous pinotage) and entry fees elsewhere including the Aquarium. It's an excellent deal and a great way to explore Cape Town at your own pace even if you don't get to do everything!

Susan

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In Cape Town, we took a private full day tour to Cape Peninsula with Rob from Cape Convoy. Happy to beat the tour busses and crowds with an early start. Rob knows all the less touristy spots including an empty beach with penguins. He was happy to cater the tour to our needs (seeing as much wildlife as possible) and after a full day, he dropped us off at the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens where we had a late lunch. 

 

Just a word about Table Mountain Cable Car...it shuts down due to weather frequently so if possible leave an alternative day to do this. The cable car was closed two days before our visit and the lines, at times, were several hours long. We got there very early (before opening) and still had to wait an hour. It is, in my opinion, a "not to be missed" attraction.

 

We took the HOHO bus to the beach and had lunch at a seafood restaurant. Another restaurant we liked is called Willoughby & Co. Its in the mall at the V & A Waterfront, so ambiance isn't great but the food (sushi) was good. Don't let the line scare you away...it moves quickly. 

 

Hope this helps.

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Thanks for all the great info from everyone. I will try to follow up on it, not sure I can convince a man who drives 40K a year for business to do that on his holiday but I will try.

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Lots of great information! Thanks! We travel in January so we are checking into tours as well. We will be on the Azamara Quest ports of call:

Victoria, Seychelles Jan 5th 8 am - 10 pm

Praslin, Seychelles Jan 6th 7:30 am - 3pm

Mombasa, Kenya Jan 9th 7:30 am -Depart on Jan 10th at 8 pm (2 days)

Zanzibar, Tanzania Jan 11th 8 am - 4 pm

Maputo, Mozambique Jan 15th 9am - 3pm

Richards Bay Jan 16th 6:30 am - 10pm

Durban Jan 17th 8am -10 pm

Port Elizabeth Jan 19th 7 am - 10 pm

Cape Town Jan 21st arrive at 7 am -Staying for 7 days.

Another can suggest tours for other port would great appreciate it. 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 3/30/2019 at 8:18 PM, Ruth said:

Lots of great information! Thanks! We travel in January so we are checking into tours as well. We will be on the Azamara Quest ports of call:

Victoria, Seychelles Jan 5th 8 am - 10 pm

Praslin, Seychelles Jan 6th 7:30 am - 3pm

Mombasa, Kenya Jan 9th 7:30 am -Depart on Jan 10th at 8 pm (2 days)

Zanzibar, Tanzania Jan 11th 8 am - 4 pm

Maputo, Mozambique Jan 15th 9am - 3pm

Richards Bay Jan 16th 6:30 am - 10pm

Durban Jan 17th 8am -10 pm

Port Elizabeth Jan 19th 7 am - 10 pm

Cape Town Jan 21st arrive at 7 am -Staying for 7 days.

Another can suggest tours for other port would great appreciate it. 

 

Are you staying in Cape Town for seven days or are you splitting the time with somewhere else?

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On 4/8/2019 at 3:13 PM, Omega1 said:

Are you staying in Cape Town for seven days or are you splitting the time with somewhere else?

Larry & I are planning on staying in Cape Town for several days! Who else is?

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23 hours ago, Ruth said:

Larry & I are planning on staying in Cape Town for several days! Who else is?

It would certainly be worth considering  splitting your time with 2 or 3 nights in Franschhoek to immerse yourselves in the wonderful food, wine and scenery.

Edited by Omega1
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2 hours ago, Omega1 said:

It would certainly be worth considering  splitting your time with 2 or 3 nights in Franschhoek to immerse yourselves in the wonderful food, wine and scenery.

Thanks -I plan to look into this know. Was planning on day tours -Now looking into spending a couple of nights -Thanks

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On 4/12/2019 at 1:45 PM, Omega1 said:

It would certainly be worth considering  splitting your time with 2 or 3 nights in Franschhoek to immerse yourselves in the wonderful food, wine and scenery.

I absolutely agree. Franschoek is one of our favourite places!

For a different experience, try Courcheval cottages. We loved our stay there.

Reubens Restaurant is highly recommended. 

Best picnic on the outskirts of Franschoek is at Boschendal.

The Franschoek wine tram is a wonderful way to visit the wine farms.

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28 minutes ago, Mercury said:

I absolutely agree. Franschoek is one of our favourite places!

For a different experience, try Courcheval cottages. We loved our stay there.

Reubens Restaurant is highly recommended. 

Best picnic on the outskirts of Franschoek is at Boschendal.

The Franschoek wine tram is a wonderful way to visit the wine farms.

Boschendal picnics are fantastic. Our favourite restaurants in Franschhoek are Bon Vivant, Roca (Dieu Donne), Miko (Mont Rochelle) for dinner. With Cafe BonBon and Delaire Graff for lunch.

There are so many wonderful restaurants you can’t go wrong really.

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I used 2goafrica fir the falls and Capetown. Thrust set me up with a wine tour ..hit five wineries in one day plus a drive thrust one town Abdul lunch in another. Since I was only drinking red I found it easy.

 

the falls Instsyed in Zambia and  could  walk  to thst sude. I also went to the other side fir a half day  and did the falls.

 

 

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On 3/26/2019 at 2:16 PM, Trend said:

We will be on the Aramark Quest and we visit Port Elizabeth from 7am-9 pm

we visit Richards Bay from 6:30 am - 9 pm.then Durban 7:30 am-6 pm

and last East London 1pm -7 pm.

We are docked in Cape Town at the end for two days.

Any advise would be helpful as I find the cost of tours in SA very high compare to other places we have traveled.

 

In Durban check out https://www.zulusafaris.com/ for a day tour.  We did  the  Durban City Tour and Phezulu Cultural Village tour the first part of April   Guide was excellant.  In East London we didn't do a tour and was advised not to do a DIY walk around in the downtown area.  Took the ship's shuttle to a mall (free wi-fi) that was similar to malls in the US.

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