South African in month of May?

[WESTEAST]

We are contemplating a cruise Cape Town to Cape Town which sails in May.  May is deemed a shoulder season and the first month of winter and can be rather wet/stormy with cool nights in Cape Town and the Garden route.  Weather is always unpredictable however we are curious to know how travelling and in particular safaris were during this time of year?  

[alicat58]

Gosh, long time since your post and no replies.

 

Cape Town is pot luck but in general May is not too bad weatherwise. I lived in Cape Town for 16 years and would say June/July were more wet. Nights can be colder but not freezing. A little like the shoulder months in the UK.

 

The best place for safari's are what used to be called the eastern Transvaal. There are some places closer to Cape Town but you will not have the same experience. It also depends whether you want to go to one of the luxury lodges or Sanparks reserves. There are some places closer o Port Elizabeth both private and Sanparks. There are malaria free areas.

 

Hope this helps a bit but shout if you want to ask more. I'm not up to date with all that goes as I have been in the UK for more than 22 years.

 

Alicat

[zebra]

I am an ex-South African who lived in three National Parks in Africa and we go back every 2nd year for a 1 to 2 month visit and safari. We spend a month in Kruger National Park which is South Africa's flagship park and it is off the charts amazing ..... life changing experience.  one can rent a car and self drive and it's worth every cent.  I see you are ending your cruise in Cape Town to optomize your SA trip I would suggest you fly from CT to Kruger Park, rent a car and spend a while enjoying the tremendous wildlife experience. Just a thought.  We then fly from Kruger to Johannesburg and then back home to the US.  Any questions, I would be more than happy to help.

[cruisinsusin]

On 5/4/2022 at 4:28 PM, WESTEAST said:

We are contemplating a cruise Cape Town to Cape Town which sails in May.  May is deemed a shoulder season and the first month of winter and can be rather wet/stormy with cool nights in Cape Town and the Garden route.  Weather is always unpredictable however we are curious to know how travelling and in particular safaris were during this time of year?  

Just came  across your question. We did a land trip to the Sabi Sand area in mid to late May this year and stayed at Arathusa. Amazing experience and weather was generally ok- cool morning and evening drives but warm days. Little to no rain. Game sightings were excellent daily.

Cape Town was also pleasant during the days.  Windy and cool on top of Table Mountain.

[WESTEAST]

On 9/5/2022 at 5:50 AM, alicat58 said:

Gosh, long time since your post and no replies.

 

Cape Town is pot luck but in general May is not too bad weatherwise. I lived in Cape Town for 16 years and would say June/July were more wet. Nights can be colder but not freezing. A little like the shoulder months in the UK.

 

The best place for safari's are what used to be called the eastern Transvaal. There are some places closer to Cape Town but you will not have the same experience. It also depends whether you want to go to one of the luxury lodges or Sanparks reserves. There are some places closer o Port Elizabeth both private and Sanparks. There are malaria free areas.

 

Hope this helps a bit but shout if you want to ask more. I'm not up to date with all that goes as I have been in the UK for more than 22 years.

 

Alicat

 

Thank you Alicat for your reply.

Edited October 21, 2022 by WESTEAST

[WESTEAST]

On 10/20/2022 at 8:40 AM, cruisinsusin said:

Just came  across your question. We did a land trip to the Sabi Sand area in mid to late May this year and stayed at Arathusa. Amazing experience and weather was generally ok- cool morning and evening drives but warm days. Little to no rain. Game sightings were excellent daily.

Cape Town was also pleasant during the days.  Windy and cool on top of Table Mountain.

Good to hear the weather in May was as we had expected, cool morning and evening but warm during the day. Still researching but would be interested in knowing what company provided your land trip to the Sabi Sand area? 

[WESTEAST]

On 9/7/2022 at 7:25 AM, zebra said:

I am an ex-South African who lived in three National Parks in Africa and we go back every 2nd year for a 1 to 2 month visit and safari. We spend a month in Kruger National Park which is South Africa's flagship park and it is off the charts amazing ..... life changing experience.  one can rent a car and self drive and it's worth every cent.  I see you are ending your cruise in Cape Town to optomize your SA trip I would suggest you fly from CT to Kruger Park, rent a car and spend a while enjoying the tremendous wildlife experience. Just a thought.  We then fly from Kruger to Johannesburg and then back home to the US.  Any questions, I would be more than happy to help.

Lucky you to return often. Thank you for your suggestions zebra.

[cruisinsusin]

35 minutes ago, WESTEAST said:

Good to hear the weather in May was as we had expected, cool morning and evening but warm during the day. Still researching but would be interested in knowing what company provided your land trip to the Sabi Sand area? 

We arranged it ourselves directly with Arathusa. they have a travel agent who works with them who arranged our flights in country.

[cruisinsusin]

8 hours ago, cruisinsusin said:

We arranged it ourselves directly with Arathusa. they have a travel agent who works with them who arranged our flights in country.

https://www.arathusa.co.za/

We arranged our own flights to and from  South Africa.Their in house TA arranged flights within Africa -we flew Airlink from Johannesburg to MQP to Arathusa airstrip; and Arathusa to MQP to Cape Town on the return - this trip was rescheduled twice due to covid and they were very flexible and helpful. 

[WESTEAST]

On 10/21/2022 at 6:17 PM, cruisinsusin said:

https://www.arathusa.co.za/

We arranged our own flights to and from  South Africa.Their in house TA arranged flights within Africa -we flew Airlink from Johannesburg to MQP to Arathusa airstrip; and Arathusa to MQP to Cape Town on the return - this trip was rescheduled twice due to covid and they were very flexible and helpful. 

Just checked their website and it looks amazing and is rated highly on Trip Advisor. They state one should check with their health professional but seems they recommend taking malaria prophylaxis - did you or other guests have any issues with mosquitos? Expect it was a short flight on a small plane from MQP to Arathusa and saw the lodge has their own runway? Thank you.

 

 

[cruisinsusin]

6 minutes ago, WESTEAST said:

Just checked their website and it looks amazing and is rated highly on Trip Advisor. They state one should check with their health professional but seems they recommend taking malaria prophylaxis - did you or other guests have any issues with mosquitos? Expect it was a short flight on a small plane from MQP to Arathusa and saw the lodge has their own runway? Thank you.

 

 

It was amazing- before traveling, we thought our safari would be a one time adventure but we will definitely be back. We were not bothered by mosquitos but did take antimalarials. It was a quick flight to the Arathusa landing strip and ,for sure, a small plane . Some guests drove in from MQP and it was reportedly a rough bumpy ride. It was great to go directly to the lodge landing strip and be met by our ranger.

[WESTEAST]

14 hours ago, cruisinsusin said:

It was amazing- before traveling, we thought our safari would be a one time adventure but we will definitely be back. We were not bothered by mosquitos but did take antimalarials. It was a quick flight to the Arathusa landing strip and ,for sure, a small plane . Some guests drove in from MQP and it was reportedly a rough bumpy ride. It was great to go directly to the lodge landing strip and be met by our ranger.

Wonderful to know that you will be returning. There are so many choices of where to go on safari that it is somewhat confusing - we are considering an overland safari during our cruise as an option or, one pre-cruise. How many days did you spend at the Lodge?

[cruisinsusin]

8 hours ago, WESTEAST said:

Wonderful to know that you will be returning. There are so many choices of where to go on safari that it is somewhat confusing - we are considering an overland safari during our cruise as an option or, one pre-cruise. How many days did you spend at the Lodge?

We spent 3 nights. By arriving by air in the mid afternoon, we were able to do the evening drive day of arrival, and the early morning one the day of departure, so 6 game drives total.

[WESTEAST]

31 minutes ago, cruisinsusin said:

We spent 3 nights. By arriving by air in the mid afternoon, we were able to do the evening drive day of arrival, and the early morning one the day of departure, so 6 game drives total.

 

Thank you cruisinsusin for all of this information - much appreciated.