HM in South Africa

I already saw one bride who went to South Africa and said that she had a great time. I never did follow up for a review...just wondering if anyone else did SA or knows of it. FH and I want culture and beaches- something far away too- might be the last time we can take a big trip like this for a while! We are also thinking of Tahiti/Bora Bora but don't know....any thoughts? TIA!

Re: HM in South Africa

My sister went to South Africa last August and she absolutelty loved it. She went to Capetown for 4 days, then did a 3 day safari in Kruger National Park and also flew to Zambia for a few days to see Victoria Falls. She said Johannesburg was not very nice, but that Capetown was beautiful.

Re: HM in South Africa

WOW>. I would LOVE to go there!

Re: HM in South Africa

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Posted by BRod-Cheng

My sister went to South Africa last August and she absolutelty loved it. She went to Capetown for 4 days, then did a 3 day safari in Kruger National Park and also flew to Zambia for a few days to see Victoria Falls. She said Johannesburg was not very nice, but that Capetown was beautiful.

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Thanks for the info, it sounds great- now allwe need is the vacation time! It's still on the list tho!

Re: HM in South Africa

I would LOVE to see SOUTH AFRICA one day, I heard its suppose to be stunning!!!!

Re: HM in South Africa

I have been to SA 2 times. my ex was south african...

anyway i went in 2000 for 2 weeks. i landed in johannesburg (jo'burg) and stayed with my ex in pretoria, which is the next city over. jo'burg is a bit dangerous so i didnt really see that. we went to sun city for a day then we drove 12 hours across south africa to go to cape town. it was a really great drive and so nice to see africa like that. we stayed overnite in some town b/c the drive was long. we then got to cape town and stayed in the city area. then 2 days later we moved to another accomodation and stayed at Blaustrand (could have the name a little off, but it means blue beach in Afrikaans). that was a nice area right across from table mountain.

while we were in cape town, we did the wineries that were about an hour away in stellenbosch, and went to cape of good hope, which is amazing.

we then went back to his place in pretoria, and were suppossed to go to Kruger, but didnt b/c the accomodation wasnt available. since i was on a strict budget, b/c the plane fare was expensive, he organised accomodation and cars thru his friends, which were really really cheap, but really nice.

one thing, if you do decide to go to Kruger you have to take malaria medicine, which sometimes can make you sick.

the second time i went with a friend in 2003, but only to cape town. i wasnt dating the guy anymore, but went on a 1 week trip b/c it was a great deal. then i saw more history stuff, like robbin's island etc. i was with a tour group, but i was free to do things on my own, as well as tours that they had. there was one instance where the hotel we were in, while in a safe area, had changed our locks mid stay. there was also a murder scandal down the block the week before and me and my friend did get haggled when we walked out of our hotel one time. the crime rate is very high there.

if you do decide to go, do go on an organised tour. it can be a dangerous place for just you and your FH to go to. even my ex who was a native, still used to get worried about the crime, b/c car jackings happen often.

also the exchange rate is amazing and the history of the country is so amazing as well.

FM me if you have any specific questions i may have left some stuff out.

and sorry this is so long. i love SA.

Re: HM in South Africa

AndreaLMT, Funbride and Moosey911 went to South Africa on their honeymoons. Buckles & I went to East Africa (Tanzania) ...

AndreaLMT's SA Honeymoon Review

Moosey911's SA Honeymoon review

Jan05bride's EA Honeymoon Review

Re: HM in South Africa

we are looking into going to Africa in June. I am wating for travel agent to get back to me. It is real expensive but worth it i hear. we are going to go to SF the lost city.. It is cold in june. then to Kenya for a safari.. then to schayells an island off the cost of africa.. once I get an agenda I will post

Re: HM in South Africa

Tracie143:

You might want to contact Buckles (an '05 bride), as she went to Africa in June .... you may also want to look into where the Great Migration is in June also - I believe it is in the Northern Serengeti, which is in Tanzania and not yet in Masa Mari, in Kenya.

DH and I originally were doing Kenya also, and because of all of our research and the information we received we realized that it would be a shame to fly across the globe and miss what Kenya & Tanzania are famous for - the Migration.

If you see this website African Dream Safari's, it shows that the Great Migration is in the Western (northwestern) portion of the Serengeti. The reason most people go to East Africa on Safari is to see the Migration - I hope your travel agent steers you in the right direction of where to be.

From the website:
Typically in late May (the beginning of the dry season), the great herds depart the plains and follow the Mbalageti and Seronera Rivers into the western corridor. A smaller population heads directly north through the central areas. The western corridor is the wildebeest’s wet/dry transitional zone. The vast herds will remain here until about July when the dry season completely parches the land and they must venture north towards Kenya and its greener pastures. The movement through the northern Serengeti fluctuates from year to year but the herds usually reach the Mara watershed in Kenya by early August.

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The zebra follow a similar migration route except for a few differences. ..... Toward the end of the wet season, zebra move more directly north through the central Serengeti and reach the northern Serengeti and Masai Mara earlier than the wildebeest.

Game viewing in central Serengeti is at its best during the dry season (June – November) as resident animals are more concentrated in the immediate area due to the lack of water on the plains. Resident herbivores include impala, buffalo, hippo, warthog, topi, hartebeest and giraffe. Resident carnivores include lion and leopard.

In addition to the resident wildlife, significant concentrations of migratory animals are found in the Central Serengeti during the dry season including cheetah, Thomson’s gazelle and hyena.


Western Serengeti
The corridor stretches west from Seronera in the central Serengeti to almost Lake Victoria. The relatively narrow corridor is roughly 50 miles long and is characterized by dense stands of acacia tress interspersed with broken woodlands and open plains. The dominant feature is the Grumeti River, which runs almost the entire length of the corridor.

The western corridor straddles the northward migration route of the enormous wildebeest herds. Typically in mid May (the beginning of the dry season), the great herds begin to depart the plains and follow the Mbalageti and Seronera Rivers into the western corridor. The western corridor is the wildebeest’s wet/dry transitional zone. The vast herds will remain here until about July when the dry season completely parches the land and they must venture north towards Kenya and its greener pastures.

The pinnacle of the northward wildebeest migration takes place in the western corridor with the famous Grumeti River crossing. The river is infested with the Nile crocodile, the world’s largest crocodile. For some of these prehistoric animals, it has been a year since they have last eaten and they eagerly await the wildebeest river crossing. Additionally, The Grumeti River also supports a unique riverine forest, which is home to the beautiful black and white colobus monkey.

The western corridor is also home to significant numbers of resident wildlife. There are large populations of resident wildebeest and zebra that do not join their migratory cousins as they pass through every year on their journey northwards. Other resident animals include giraffe, buffalo, eland, topi, impala, waterbuck and Thomson’s gazelle. These resident animals support large concentrations of predators including lion, leopard, cheetah and hyena. The big cats are frequently sighted but not to the extent as seen in the central Serengeti. However, there is simply no other area in Africa that could compete with the central Serengeti’s localized predator densities.

The best time to visit the western Serengeti is from late May to mid July, which coincides with the northward wildebeest migration. Additionally, mid to late November is a good time to catch the southward migration when a significant portion of the wildebeest herds gather in the west before making their final movement to the southern plains.






Here is a map, if you see Grumeti in the Serengeti, Tanzania - that is most likely where the Migration will be in June.

Re: HM in South Africa

Thanks so much for the information. it is great. I am going to call my travel agent..

Re: HM in South Africa

does anyone know what airport you would fly into tanzania

Re: HM in South Africa

Arusha or Dar Es Salaam. You go through Amsterdam. The plane stops in Arusha first then Dar Es Salaam.

If you fly from London, you go into Niarobi in Kenya and hop a small plan into Arusha.