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Have you indicated timing? Remember the seasons are reversed between the northern and southern hemispheres, so July in Cape Town is not very different from December in San Francisco or Seattle; in other words, not beach weather.
Some things to consider: Mombasa is in a tropical zone, and it's humid, hot and rainy pretty much around the year. In northern parts of South Africa, including the wonderful Kruger National Park, and parts of the east coast like Durban, the summer is the rainy season, as well as being generally hot, humid and buggy. Mombasa is also in a malaria zone, something to consider. Most of South Africa isn't.
In my experience Kenya is a more expensive travel destination than South Africa; its infrastructure is less well developed, and getting around is more time-consuming and complicated. If you want to go on safari, Kenya also tends to be more expensive and with fewer areas, lodging choices, and seasons to choose from. By comparison South Africa has numerous areas in which to see wildlife, at all times of year, and you generally have a much wider range of accommodations both in the cities and in the countryside.
Cape Town is a terrific destination, and while worries of urban violence shouldn't be disregarded, it's really not much of a factor for tourists. Citing a murder in Khayelitsa as a reason for staying away from Cape Town is a stretch; you'd be daft walking alone along a street there at night, just like you would walking in any American or European big city slum. I don't know the statistics, but I'd bet your chances of encountering crime are way higher in Mombasa than in Cape Town.
What I'd recommend is a holiday that starts in Port Elizabeth on the Indian Ocean in South Africa (numerous connecting flights from Cape Town or Joburg.) Get a car and visit Addo Elephant National Park, a short drive on good roads from the airport. You can self-drive in Addo, and there are numerous comfortable and inexpensive accommodations all around.
Then drive down the Garden Route through places like Jeffreys Bay (big surfing scene) Plettenberg Bay (great beaches) or Knysna. The scenery, beaches, accommodation and food are all marvelous.
Cut over to Franschoek and Stellenbosch in the Winelands, for even more amazing scenery, food and wine. Then end in Cape Town for yet more of the same. Map - https://goo.gl/maps/miZUQrogHLr
head to east africa for a safari, specifically arusha, tanzania. from there, go on safari to the serengeti and especially the ngorogoro crater. i've traveled around the world a bit and my time there was unforgettable.
after the safari, hop on a plane to zanzibar. beautiful island, warm water, amazing beaches, etc, etc. stone town is a slice of the middle east in africa. head back to the mainland via ferry to check out dar es salaam if you like, or just head home.
the people in kenya and tanzania are some of the warmest and kindest i've ever met. you'll also feel like you actually went somewhere new, instead of just a new locale with the same faces and stores and food as what you might run into in south africa. yes, i generalize a bit, but during my time living in africa, westerners headed for cape town or j-burg for a taste of western life after living in central or western africa.
edit: you can also check out nairobi for big city life. it's known as nai-robbery, but i didn't feel too weirded out when i was there. lots of westerners around.
Last edited by mundele; 12-29-2016 at 04:39 PM..
Reason: added content
I think also Tunisia and Algeria are relatively stable countries that have cities and beaches. But are you sure you don't want to try this trip on other continents? Like for example Europe, Asia, Americas, Australia, Antarctic...
Tunisia and Algeria? Have you watched the news in the last five years? Those places are dangerous. Who goes to beaches in Antarctica? You are familiar with the climate right? And why is wanting to go to Africa so strange?
Tunisia and Algeria? Have you watched the news in the last five years? Those places are dangerous. Who goes to beaches in Antarctica? You are familiar with the climate right? And why is wanting to go to Africa so strange?
Yeah definitelu Want to steer clear of places with high terrorist activity. A friend of mine Was murdered in Egypt..
Sidi bou said does look like a cool place though !
head to east africa for a safari, specifically arusha, tanzania. from there, go on safari to the serengeti and especially the ngorogoro crater. i've traveled around the world a bit and my time there was unforgettable.
after the safari, hop on a plane to zanzibar. beautiful island, warm water, amazing beaches, etc, etc. stone town is a slice of the middle east in africa. head back to the mainland via ferry to check out dar es salaam if you like, or just head home.
the people in kenya and tanzania are some of the warmest and kindest i've ever met. you'll also feel like you actually went somewhere new, instead of just a new locale with the same faces and stores and food as what you might run into in south africa. yes, i generalize a bit, but during my time living in africa, westerners headed for cape town or j-burg for a taste of western life after living in central or western africa.
edit: you can also check out nairobi for big city life. it's known as nai-robbery, but i didn't feel too weirded out when i was there. lots of westerners around.
In my post above I forgot to mention Zanzibar, I'm getting old and daft and combine Dar and Zanzibar as the same place in my mind.
East Africa is the only place I come home from and think to myself, "Was I really there?" From having lions walk around you just 10 feet away, elephants as big as a house, seeing the migration from the Serengeti to the Mara (or vice versa ), sleeping in a tented camp and hearing the night, seeing a 9 year old Maasai boy herding cattle, diving in the Indian Ocean.............. I know enough enough.
I agree Arusha is a good starting point for a safari, but still am partial to starting in Nairobi and working south through Amboseli and the Mara. Its pretty cool to see Kilimanjaro from the Kenya side.
When staying in Arusha I think its best to hire a driver, don't be that guy (me) causing massive confusion in the round-abouts .
For those of you mentioning Kenya, is that safe? Is the travel warning expired?
No, the travel warning is still in effect. But the warning is primarily concerned about the potential for violence in the northern parts of the country and in Nairobi, not the safari areas.
I like the idea of an east African safari and also Tanzania. It was something I previously overlooked.
Is this a high budget trip?
I went on a 5 day Safari in Tanzania/Serengeti for about US$2000, including hotel, food and guide and everything. They pick you up from the airport and take care of everything from day 1. You only have to give a decent tip at the end of trip. We gave him $150 and he was quite happy.
And those hotels are fantastic, with great food and beautiful natural settings. Worth every cent. The service was so good that I had the impression of exploiting those people.
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), sleeping in a tented camp and hearing the night, seeing a 9 year old Maasai boy herding cattle, diving in the Indian Ocean.............. I know enough enough.
