South Africa Pre-Cruise Safari Considerations

[UUNetBill]

As stated in the title, I'm trying to gather information on people's experiences with pre- or post-cruise safaris in South Africa.  We're in the early stages of planning a cruise somewhere down there and I'm looking at some of the posted options for safari packages, and I'm seeing a LOT of different choices.  I've seen a few shorter one-stop safaris at the $3,000/pp range and weeklong multiple-reserve choices that knock close to $8,000 or so per person.

 

For those who have done any of these, what are the main things to look for in a safari program?  Specifically wondering about ease of access, accommodations, availability of animal viewing, service, etc.

 

Some of the options I've seen are listed below - has anyone been on any of these who might care to enlighten me?  Pros, cons, things to look for, any 'must-dos', etc?  Thanks in advance!!

 

Bill

===============================================================

PRE - KRUGER AND SABI SABI BUSH LODGE - 5-day and 2 nights at lodge, $4-4,600/pp

PRE - KRUGER COMBO SAFARI - 7-day, 2 locations, $7,700/pp

PRE - EASTERN CAPE SAFARI - SHAMWARI BAYETHE - 5-day, ~$4,000/pp

PRE - BOTSWANA AND MASHATU LODGE - 6-day, lots of travel, ~$8,000/pp

PRE - EASTERN CAPE DOUBLE SAFARI: GORAH & LONG LEE - 6-day, 2 locations, $5-6,000/pp

[mrlevin]

Bill, why would you book this through Regent?  I have stayed at fantastic game lodges and resorts in South Africa and would book through a TA that knows South Africa or directly with one of the tour operators; Regent greatly overcharges.

 

Marc

[moogwan]

Highly recommend you book your own safari pre- or post cruise. I will get back later with a couple suggestions as I have to run out right now.

 

[lprp]

30 minutes ago, mrlevin said:

Bill, why would you book this through Regent?  I have stayed at fantastic game lodges and resorts in South Africa and would book through a TA that knows South Africa or directly with one of the tour operators; Regent greatly overcharges.

 

Marc

100% agree. Check out Singita.

[briar14]

Bill, I second Marc’s recommendation. In 2022 we enjoyed an excellent post cruise safari arranged by our TA. It was everything we hoped for, the accommodations were excellent, and we saw tons of wildlife. One tip I would have is to use a provider that can go “off road” in to the bush, tracking the animals.

[gcorgain]

MY TA, who is an ex-regent employee strongly suggested I go with a safari specialist as opposed to Regent. He loves Regent, but believes for safari's you will do better on your own. We did and were very happy. Best vacation I've had.

[cwn]

Agree with all above posts! Arrange it yourself direct with provider or a TA, not with Regent given the problems with their providers right now and you will also spend much more for less.
 

Be sure and go with a group that provides off road drives with 6-8 people (best) and go to the greater Kruger area or do a self drive and stay in Kruger Nat Park. This area is more diverse than the Eastern Cape, We have been to both areas.
 

We have done self drives twice in Kruger NP. We flew to J’burg rented a SUV and drove to the park. The accommodations are good and located in various places in the park. Fabulous trip! Safe easy trip in spite of what you might hear  We did Addo Elephant NP this way also as we drove from Kruger to Cape Town though the Eastern Cape.  
 

We have also stayed at a game lodges with drives twice a day. If you really want to go whole hog go to the Serengeti and do a private Safari. We did this and then caught a cruise. It was a wonderful week long Safari….beautiful animals and country side, really a life changing experience!.
I will try to find the link to our blog.

 

Safaris are expensive, do some reading about the various options, decide what you want to see and how you want to see it….fancy lodge or closer to nature but comfortable, large area to explore large variety of animals or happy with smaller camp. Trucks with built up bench seats for a large group or small and personal in a large jeep. We lean toward more nature/less fancy, we can get all the high end stuff on the ship or at a resort. The Safari is for the animal experience and a comfortable lodging not so much the fine resort m, at least for us. We have done 5 - 3 to 7 day and 2 - 1 day safaris. I think the min time is two full days/ three nights, but more is better!
 

At lodges there are usually a game dive in the AM and PM. The rest of the time is at the lodge relaxing. On a self drive in the NP you can stay out all day. There are protected rest spots you can picnic and relax watch the annimals and visit with the SAfricans who will ask all kinds of questions about how you found this place !!!

3 hours ago, UUNetBill said:

As stated in the title, I'm trying to gather information on people's experiences with pre- or post-cruise safaris in South Africa.  We're in the early stages of planning a cruise somewhere down there and I'm looking at some of the posted options for safari packages, and I'm seeing a LOT of different choices.  I've seen a few shorter one-stop safaris at the $3,000/pp range and weeklong multiple-reserve choices that knock close to $8,000 or so per person.

 

For those who have done any of these, what are the main things to look for in a safari program?  Specifically wondering about ease of access, accommodations, availability of animal viewing, service, etc.

 

Some of the options I've seen are listed below - has anyone been on any of these who might care to enlighten me?  Pros, cons, things to look for, any 'must-dos', etc?  Thanks in advance!!

 

Bill

===============================================================

PRE - KRUGER AND SABI SABI BUSH LODGE - 5-day and 2 nights at lodge, $4-4,600/pp

PRE - KRUGER COMBO SAFARI - 7-day, 2 locations, $7,700/pp

PRE - EASTERN CAPE SAFARI - SHAMWARI BAYETHE - 5-day, ~$4,000/pp

PRE - BOTSWANA AND MASHATU LODGE - 6-day, lots of travel, ~$8,000/pp

PRE - EASTERN CAPE DOUBLE SAFARI: GORAH & LONG LEE - 6-day, 2 locations, $5-6,000/pp

 

[captn337]

I booked the Sabi Sabi tour with Regent in December, I am now considering looking at booking at seperate tour on my own after listening to responses. I'm sure my wife dosen't want me doing any driving.😀 Will look into it.

[UUNetBill]

Wow, appreciate the thorough and quick replies!

 

I know the Regent options are pricier, but my wife likes booking through Regent just in case anything goes south with transportation or transfers or luggage or what have you. 

 

I’ll have to check with our TA to see if they regularly do Africa. Might be worth a little extra to have it all under one umbrella. But if it’s a *lot* more that’s a different story. 
 

Sounds like Kruger is the better option?  What about Botswana?  Too far for too little return?  We’re still about 2 years out but never too early to get educated. Thanks to all for the input!

[moogwan]

Back again. We have been on 6 safaris over the past 15 years. Our first one was going to be our bucket list trip, one and done. When we got back from the first one we looked at each other and said we have to do this again. There is something unbelievably surreal about seeing the amazing animals close at hand. I remember one time when we were sitting in the safari vehicle just past sunset listening to a lion roar about 10 feet from where we were. Talk about the hair standing up on your head! We have mostly done 9-10 day safaris. We are going back one more (?) time in 2025 for 11 days. Recommend the Kruger/Sabi Sand area. Leopard Hills is wonderful, as is Mala Mala Rattrays. Lion Sands has several different camps at various price points. Pretty much each of the above are wonderful in their own ways and provide a fantastic experience both with their accommodations and game viewing. Check out their websites.

[Lonedaddy]

5 hours ago, UUNetBill said:

Wow, appreciate the thorough and quick replies!

 

I know the Regent options are pricier, but my wife likes booking through Regent just in case anything goes south with transportation or transfers or luggage or what have you. 

 

I’ll have to check with our TA to see if they regularly do Africa. Might be worth a little extra to have it all under one umbrella. But if it’s a *lot* more that’s a different story. 
 

Sounds like Kruger is the better option?  What about Botswana?  Too far for too little return?  We’re still about 2 years out but never too early to get educated. Thanks to all for the input!

I like the point that regent handles your excess luggage and all the travel logistics.  We are doing the Victoria falls and chobe on our post cruise Dec 24 and they handle all the small flights and send luggage to jburg.  If you are staying in SA like Kruger it might be as simple as just booking flight to JNB and then off to Kruger.  I would certainly look at other options besides regent for that.  You have plenty of time to book the regent to hold it and then if you find a better option drop the regent pre post and go on own.  

[RELS]

35 minutes ago, Lonedaddy said:

I like the point that regent handles your excess luggage and all the travel logistics.

 

This! We really enjoyed our Regent extensions in South America, which included great hotels, internal flights, and skilled guides. We signed up for the Gorah/Long Lee Safari for January 2026, anticipating another great extension.

 

37 minutes ago, Lonedaddy said:

You have plenty of time to book the regent to hold it and then if you find a better option drop the regent pre post and go on own.  

A great point, and we will consider it.

[jillyf]

We sailed Dubai to CapeTown at the end of 2015 and added 10 days in the Winelands and Sabi Game reserve before flying home to Australia.

We had 3 nights at Arathusa Safari Lodge which is in the Sabi Sands Game reserve, a large unfenced area abutting Kruger National Park.  The luxury lodge sits on a large dam that has frequent visits from many different animals, as well as having resident hippos.  The staff were wonderful and we enjoyed our comfortable villa between relaxing, eating and morning and evening safari’s.

We booked through Rhino Travel Agency and were very happy with them. Worth a look at their website to see what is available in different areas. https://www.rhinoafrica.com/en/destinations/sabi-sand-game-reserve/3013

 

My husband’s blog will show you a little of what we did.  Unfortunately the photos don’t do it justice.

 http://www.thefletchers.com.au/The_Fletchers/South_Africa_2015/South_Africa_2015.html

 

I have also had 3 nights at Chita Chita Lodge by myself a few years before, In the same area and enjoyed it too.  

We met a fellow Regent traveller while in Cape Town and they did an included post cruise trip to a safari camp and thoroughly enjoyed it. They were in a small group and seemed to have much the same experience as we had. 

I would go back tomorrow, however age has caught up with us and travel has become closer to home now. 

Jill

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[UUNetBill]

8 hours ago, Lonedaddy said:

I like the point that regent handles your excess luggage and all the travel logistics.  We are doing the Victoria falls and chobe on our post cruise Dec 24 and they handle all the small flights and send luggage to jburg.  If you are staying in SA like Kruger it might be as simple as just booking flight to JNB and then off to Kruger.  I would certainly look at other options besides regent for that.  You have plenty of time to book the regent to hold it and then if you find a better option drop the regent pre post and go on own.  

Yep.  A quick search of our TA's site and a few other travel sites tell me there are a lot of luggage restrictions that seem to get tighter the deeper into the country you travel.  I'm thinking if you're doing the safari pre-cruise you'd almost need to ship a bag or two via Luggage Free or something that would kind of offset any cost savings.  We're already booked for Europe next summer so a trip to Africa would probably be a '26 trip - unless we really get the safari jones and move things around a little.  🙂

 

7 hours ago, RELS said:

This! We really enjoyed our Regent extensions in South America, which included great hotels, internal flights, and skilled guides. We signed up for the Gorah/Long Lee Safari for January 2026, anticipating another great extension.

We just came back from a South America/Antarctica cruise last week, and we did the five-day extension to Iguazu Falls on both the Argentinian and Brazilian sides, and it definitely was nice just leaving our bags in our hotel rooms in Buenos Aires while we took our smaller bags on the flight to Iguazu.  There's a lot to be said for that convenience - and the accommodations in Brazil were top-notch, too.

 

I think there are compelling reasons to book either way (via Regent or independently) so we'll need to start looking into the options.

 

Again, thanks for all the input!

[mj_holiday]

Dec 2022 we did Cape Town to Cape Town, things just opening up from Covid.  We did a Pre-cruise to Victoria Falls.  All of the logistics were great.  In J'burg a Regent rep walked us (just across a road) to the Intercontinental gave us green ribbons for our suitcases that were to go to the ship. The next morning the Rep got us to the airport and walked us as far as security. After we got out of immigration in Zimbabwe we were met by a rep and we went to the Victoria Falls Hotel.  The only hiccup during the trip was the hotel had different expectations for our eating (way more dinners planned) than we did.  We headed to Cape Town had delayed flights and were late getting in, were met by a Rep and taken to the Radisson Blu, our suitcases we had left with a ribbon were in our room shrink wrapped. 

Our post trip, Winelands, had some very nice winemaking  places to go and the Aquila Camp was good, but no over night.  We stayed in Cape Town.  I to was worried about getting into the vehicles, the one we got into to go see animals was very, very easy to get into.  If looking at 4-6 days type safaris, I would try to find some pictures of the vehicles. Attached is the vehicle used at Aquila and they had a ramp to step from.  DH and I are not ones to head to a camp for 3 or 4 days, so this suited us.

[cwn]

8 hours ago, UUNetBill said:

Yep.  A quick search of our TA's site and a few other travel sites tell me there are a lot of luggage restrictions that seem to get tighter the deeper into the country you travel.  I'm thinking if you're doing the safari pre-cruise you'd almost need to ship a bag or two via Luggage Free or something that would kind of offset any cost savings.  We're already booked for Europe next summer so a trip to Africa would probably be a '26 trip - unless we really get the safari jones and move things around a little.  🙂

 

We just came back from a South America/Antarctica cruise last week, and we did the five-day extension to Iguazu Falls on both the Argentinian and Brazilian sides, and it definitely was nice just leaving our bags in our hotel rooms in Buenos Aires while we took our smaller bags on the flight to Iguazu.  There's a lot to be said for that convenience - and the accommodations in Brazil were top-notch, too.

 

I think there are compelling reasons to book either way (via Regent or independently) so we'll need to start looking into the options.

 

Again, thanks for all the input!

Luggage can be a problem traveling in SAfrica. Pre Covid LF would not ship into/of out of SAfrica. This may have changed since we were there in 2018. They will drink wrap it at the airport or in some hotels for you. Helps prevent tampering (petty airport theft is a problem there), Took all our cruise luggage and arranged with the J’burg Hotel to store it, wrapped it before we left the airport, easy to do and felt better with the extra effort. You will most likely fly in/out of J’burg for a safari camp in the north/east. Then fly or be driven to camps in Kruger area, but you can make storage arrangements between arrival and transfer….or drive yourself…fabulous part of the country.
 

This far out you have time to research lodges/camps in your choice area…1.check out Regent package camps as if you were putting the trip to it by yourself…know the good ones will make private transfers to the camp from airport as easy as possible. We had done other Regent add ins and they were nice, but doing it yourself gives so many more options.

2.check size of the group for safari vehicles and type or vehicle and a must for us ability to go off road to get close as possible  plus extra chances to explore outside of planned am/pm drives

3. Check if there is land for animals to roam freely in and out of lodge property especially into Kruger NP. Or like area. This will make less zoo/theme park like  

4. Most important to us the first time we went was a place that offered the chance to see the big five roaming freely… not lions or Leopards fenced off somewhere. We thought it would be a one time experience, but as so many have done before us we figured out how to do it again and again. 

SAfrica is a beautiful country, outside of the big cities the people are friendly and love to tell you about their area and want to learn about you. The roads and rent cars are very good with little traffic and all signs are in English, everyone speaks English and maybe another language plus. Whatever Safari plan you pick don’t skimp on the time in country, you will fall in love with it. Don’t be afraid to go out on your own if you want.

[PaulaJK]

It is so interesting to read folk’s enthusiastic reports of very positive safari experiences. We are now trying ti set up a safari adventure in line w a cruise. We used an independent agent previously and probably will do so again. You do not have to worry about luggage as CPT or JNB hotels will hold your luggage for your return.  We did this successfully out of CapeTown/ Taj Hotel. We totally loved Leopard Hills, thought that we would just like to try another experience but as we read the reviews, we may return there. Such enthusiasm and excitement…have a marvelous time.….

[captn337]

I’m finding after doing some research that Regents prices are in line with booking on your own for Sabi Sabi tour with less headaches. It’s not Leopard Hills as far as luxury, but it is certainly up to Regent luxury.  Booking Little Bush Camp is $1400 per night per person on their site. With flight to CPT and hotels Regent is well in line with what they charge.  I wish it was more nights, buy this small taste will have to suffice until we book a full tour at a better time to see the animals.  Regent cruises is this area in December because the seas are better suited for cruising.  

[mountaindoc358]

We were on the Gorah/Shamwari double safari in Dec off of the Voyager and thought it was wonderful. We had a 5am disembarkation for a 6:30 flight to Port Elizabeth. We were allowed a 50# checked bag per person on the flight and Regent transported our emaining luggage to the hotel for storage. There were 8 of us on the tour so the group could all do the game drives together. The transport to Gorah was great in a private vehicle with guide/driver. We had 4 game drives at Gorah and then transferred to Shamwari Long Lee Lodge (the most luxurious of the lodges on property) for the afternoon game drive. We left Shamwari at 5am (with breakfast box) for an early flight back to Capetown. We missed the morning game drive on the last day and I thought they could have booked a later flight for us, especially since we were on our own after we got to the hotel. The lodges were both wonderful and had watering holes next to the lodge to watch wildlife during the day. Food was fabulous and service was great. You can view Shamwari on Netflix (Shamwari Untamed series). We paid $3679 pp through Regent (after our 25% discount for Titanium) plus tips to staff at the lodges. It was promoted as a 6 day excursion but only 4 nights in lodges, the last night in Capetown. I had
contacted a local travel agent in Cape Town (rhinoafrica.com) and was quoted $6300  pp for 5 days in Kwandwe Ecce Lodge including flights to Port Elizabeth and transfers to lodge, but no transport to CPT airport. We loved the safari, a highlight of the cruise, and would do it again with Regent. 

[fizzy]

My long time family friends own Makweti safari lodge in south Africa. Very luxe and I believe it is only around 10 guests at a time.

[Zqueeze1]

 Bill:  do the 5 Jan 25 Cape Town to Rio cruise and you can still do the safari as well as samba in Rio with us!

 

Z and TB

[1982CruzStart]

We have done 2 safari post cruise tours with Regent. The first and our favorite was Kapama private reserve just outside Krueger. The lodge was lovely, the staff great and the food delicious. We could watch a few animals right outside our balcony.

One of the benefits of letting Regent do everything is that when there was a flight issue from Jo'burg to the local airport, the tour company jumped in and arranged a bus so that we didn't miss any more time. Otherwise we may not have been able to arrive until the next day, missing 2 precious drives.  They kept our excess luggage for us and it was waiting when we got to the hotel in Jo'burg. We had transfers to the airport from the hotel.

We had 2 game drives per day.  They served a light breakfast early in the morning, we did the game drive and then came back to a huge breakfast laid out for us. We had the opportunity to go to the cheetah rehab facility 1 day between game drives and it was fascinating. On another day between drives we were able to do an elephant encounter that was very memorable. These elephants are rescues only.  A once in a lifetime chance to get up close with an elephant. There was the opportunity to do one game drive by elephant but we opted to not do so as the time was shorter, you tended to see less and we wanted to maximize animal viewings. 

We saw a group of elephants playing in the water, a cheetah that had been released from the rehab center just lounging around a tree and many more up close encounters.  Half way through each game drive we stopped for a snack and drink. Morning was coffee etc, afternoon was a cocktail as we watched the sunset over the mountains. The afternoon drive was half in the dark so we were able to see nocturnal animals.

The only animal we didn't see was the elusive leopard though our ranger did everything to make that happen. We even had a game drive on our way to the airport to catch our flight. They have a local airport literally across the street from the reserve.  We were flown back to Jo'burg for an overnight there.  It was late December and we had perfect weather, not too hot, no rain and no bugs. It was great. 

 

We recommended it to friends on another post cruise tour and they loved it as well.  There was a couple at the resort that had made all their own arrangements off the ship. 

 

The 2nd one was at Shamwari Bayethe at the Riverdene facility. Luxury tents with small individual plunge pools.  Each very private.  We had a very good time there as well but because it is a much bigger reserve than the first one, we spent more time driving during the game drives then seeing animals.  We did however see a leopard and it was just lying by the road and didn't seem bothered by the vehicles nearby.  

The staff was great, the food very good and the accomodation very comfortable with monkeys hanging around the outside of our door.  The one downside for me is that we didn't have the same ability for extra experiences that we had at the first one. It meant a lot of downtime between the morning and evening drives without access to lodge facilities like the first one. 

 

Bill, regardless of what you end up doing it is an experience that you will never forget.  I understand people telling you to do it on your own, stay longer etc but some of us don't have the luxury of the extra time to stay longer or the time to do all the research to book everything yourself. 

 

 

[Pam]

Leopard Hills is a fantastic place to stay!  We did direct land safari trips with a group of friends twice; we stayed at Singita Boulders and Ebony the first time (filled both resorts), Leopard Hills and Madwike the second (which was our least favorite because at Madwike you couldn't go off road).    We were booked for a third trip but my husband passed away rather suddenly.  S. Africa was his dream trip and I think he would have returned again and again.

[flossie009]

Hi Bill,

In December 2015 we enjoyed a fabulous pre-cruise safari at the Pumba Game Reserve.

This was an included Regent pre-cruise and the arrangements were excellent.

The Game Lodge and the animals seen on the daily Jeep Safaris were experiences we will never forget.

 

 

 

 

[Carol From California]

We did the pre-cruise safari through Regent when we did the Cape Town to Cape Town cruise in December, 2018. We chose Bayethe at Shamwari. It was absolutely fantastic. We paid $799/pp through Regent. It was 3 nights at the lodge, not 5. I see that prices have gone up. I would look into doing it privately as others have suggested.