I'm going on this trip to South Africa as well. I've done a couple of Just You holidays before. I'm not doing the add on to Victoria Falls though.

Jennie

The Justyou trips I have been on before have had a good cross section of different people of all ages on them so I have no reason to think our trip will be any different.

I'm really looking forward to it only 10 weeks to go lol!

I'm off to S.Africa on Thursday 18th! I'll come back & tell you how it all went. We rtn on 5th March. Take Sterling to pay for your optional excursions, don't pay by card as there will be a % added on. msn weather is showing 26C Thurs, 29C Fri & a sizzling 39C Sat.! phewwwww!!

Helen

Yes thats the same reason I'm not doing the Victoria Falls - 16 days is quite a long holiday already. Where in America have you been with Just You? I've been to Canada and Alaska with them and Argentina and Brazil. They've all been great holidays.

Jennie

I've done a few holidays in America. I've done the California holiday which includes LA, Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon and I've been to New england and New York. I think South Africa will be very very different. I've also been on a few holidays to South America which were my favourite. I'm looking forward to seeing Africa and going on safari, which will be great.

Jennie

I talked to you the day I was off to S. Africa on 18th Feb - got back yesterday.We had the most brilliant time & were lucky with our Cape Town weather, getting up the mountain on a brilliant day.It gets closed a lot due to cloud & winds. I did the Winelands tour & thought the scenery was lovely & it was interesting, but I don't think any of us bought any wine, cheaper in the shops! You'll stop for coffee when you leave Cape Town at a nice place called Bodega da Vinho which has a wine shop attached to it. I bought 4 bottles of Savignon Blanc which was award winning, for £2.54 a bottle.

We had bad luck with weather along the Garden Route, it just wouldnt stop raining. We seemed to be following a weather front so it stopped us walking on the beach at Plettenberg Bay & the scenery became a bit of a blur through the rain. You'll stay at the Premier Inn - The Moorings in Knysna which was lovely, swam there in the pool. Featherbed was a good day out.

Apart from Cape Town & all we did, the best part of the holiday for me was Swaziland onwards. Loved the rolling scenery, Game Lodges - well all of it.

When we got up into The Kruger (take 12 Malaria pills "Malerone" with you,) the weather played up again & stopped us seeing Blyde River Canyon & God's Window, but Bourke's Luck Potholes were incredible.

You don't need to take any dressie clothes, just shorts, T-shirts,trousers, stoute sandals, a waterproof, a wooly hat for the early morning Game Drives 3.30a.m. get up, 4.30a.m. leave 2 mornings running!! I did all the add-on Game Drives & the 2 included ones.

The last Game Lodge Hippo Hollow had a warm pool where I swam again.

We had a fun bunch of 27 of us - 4 men, rest girls. Rudy the S.African Tour leader you'll like - got a wicked snense of humour, the Justyou Tour Manager with you will be different. Nigel the S. African Tour leader from Durban onwards is very knowledgeable, so be prepared to learn all the S.African history - actually it was jolly interesting. Worth mugging up on the Boar War & our role. Heaven knows what the British thought they were doing then.

Take Immodium with you, the Malaria pills gave quite a few of our group a runny tummy.

The food was really good, apart from the 2 breakfast picnics we had, but that didnt matter. We all liked the hotel at Port Elizabeth The Kelway.

I got through about £500, all in Rand, & that was without buying anything much apart from bartering for a few nic-nacks, buying lunches, coffees/drinks & optional excursions.

Pretty travel weary after all the travelling & time on the coach, airport, plane etc but all in all it was a fantastic experience & coming home a bit shattered has been well worth it.

Have a fantastic time & even if the Game Drives make you feel a bit done in, we saw fantastic sights & I wouldn't have missed any of them.

Good Luck

HelenJ

Pam

I've booked this trip for September with included add an. I'm intrigued about the malaria tablets. Where did you get them, and how do you know how many need and when to start taking them ? Any vaccinations needed ? As you can see, lots of questions. Any info will be gratefully received.

Thanks for all that info on the holiday. Now we know everything we need to know before we go. That can be very handy. I'm glad you had a good time. Did you take some good photos of the animals and which ones did you see?

Jennie

I took over 500 photos!! We saw 4 of the Big Five, some spectacular experiences on every drive - I did them lall, well worth it, not much to do at the lodges if you dont go. Loads & loads of rhinos, giraffes, birds of all varieties. Leopards avoided us!I kept a running record of all the birds & animals we saw & its well worth it when you come back & load your photos onto your pc. I also kept a diary in a notebook & managed to update that daily which is lovely to look back on.

The nurse at my doctors told me to go to www.travelpharm.com tel no. 0115 951 2092.They are totally reliable. You'll pay £27 rather than about £32 in Boots. You need 12 & start taking them the day before you fly from Port Elizabth to Durban, keep going with them till you finish them all. When you leave Durban you enter a malarius zone. I didn't get bitten at all, just slapped on the spray whenever I thought of it which wasn't very often! We were advised to take them at night after food as if they are going to give you a jippy tummy you have the night hours to cope with that rather than be out in a jeep!

They give you advice on the tipping, but it is really up to you.

I loved Cape Town but on the day you leave ask your Tour Manager to take you to Blue Mountain Beach where you can get a photo of Table Mtn. as you see it in pictures with the flat top, as we all had loads of pics with craggy peaks from different views & all got a kick out of the beach view. The trip up the mtn is fantastic - look at it on the internet, the cable car has a revolving floor(its not scarey at all,) so that everyone can get great views.

Remember a fleece, waterproof & a woolly hat for the very early morning game drives - we left 2 mornings running at 4.30a.m.!They prefer you to wear subdued colours in the jeeps, beiges, greens - not pink, white or bright colours. Take a baseball cap or a sunhat which'll stay on - I got quite wind burnt even with a peaked hat on.

Enjoy it all - it was certainly a knackering tour but BRILLIANT!!

Helen

Manor House, Merlyn Way, Ilkeston, Derbyshire, DE7 4RA - ring them first. The Malaria pills you need are called "Malerone".

Helen

Thanks again for the information. Its all very useful when somebody has been on the holiday you are going on. I'm making lots of notes so that I'm all ready to go in 6 weeks time. I'll be checking my wardrobe for green/beige clothes for the safari.

Jennie

Returned yesterday - had the time of my life and I know you will too !! Agree with everything Helen has said. Every day is even more fantastic than the one before and the real Africa starts after Durban. Got my Malerone from Asda Pharmacy - cheaper than other pharmacies. Take a small torch as lodges dark at night and wild animals could be around plus they can have power cuts. Take a S.A. adapter - I bought one at the airport and we were all borrowing them. Hairdriers available at all hotels. Zambian add on an absolute must if you can - awesome !!! Took advantage of everything and no disappointments - even microlighted over Victoria Falls on day we left - what an experience !!! Have a great time - it really is the holiday of a lifetime.

Best wishes

Pam

So glad you had a great time & agreed with what I said about it all.

Helen