In February 2020 I was at the Destinations Travel show in London discussing with the people from JY options for visiting South Africa. We were aware of some nasty bug in SE Asia but no-one seemed particularly bothered as travel plans were formulated. And then the world shut down and travel plans were put on hold. In 2020 this trip included a Victoria falls add on which is no longer offered but on the bright side the money saved there paid for a more comfortable seat in premium economy and with night flights both outward and inward this was money well spent. On the subject of Covid there were no vaccination etc requirements for this trip.
In numerical terms this was the smallest group I have ever travelled with through Just You with only 8 travellers, 4 men and 4 ladies. The tour manager, or as they are now known holiday director, was Suzanne Von Jaarsveld. She is from South Africa and has worked in the travel industry for all her adult life. She was extremely hard working and efficient who guided us safely around this delightful country. Part way through the trip we flew from Port Elizabeth to J’burg and thus had 2 drivers – Rodney took the wheel for the first leg then when we got to J’burg we had Johan behind the wheel. Both drove us safely and both became a part of the group. Because of the size of the group we used mini buses with luggage towed behind in a trailer. There was no formal rotation on the bus as we moved around as a matter of course. Also with such a small group it was easy to keep track of everyone.
Most of us were first time visitors to South Africa and I got the impression at the end of the trip that for some of us it would not be our last visit.
In Cape Town we saw all the usual mainland sights but several of us would have liked to visit Robben Island but that is a full day excursion and could not be fitted into the itinery we had. Perhaps time for this could be included on future tours.
As regards the optional excursions that were on offer then:-
- Winelands tour and tasting – having become a non-drinker during Covid I passed on this but the others went and all came back very happy!
- Cape Town township tour. Only 4 of us did this and we had a good local guide who gave us a lot of background and history to the townships which I found very interesting and I would recommend this to future travellers.
- Knysna nature reserve – we all did this and it was a very good day out. A word of warning though especially to those who like me wear bi-focals. My prescription gives me good distance and close up but is not so clear on where the feet are going! There was a longish climb down-hill with uneven steps which I negotiated slowly without incident but rather wished I had brought my walking pole with me. Sticks are offered and I suggest you grab one for an easier descent.
- Jane Goodall Institute – no-one did this as all preferred the optional one day drive in Kruger.
- Kruger game drive(s) – there was one full day drive included and a further one day drive as an optional. Everyone did both. Animals are very fickle and you never know what you are going to see as you set out. We travelled in 9 seater 4x4 vehicles and had comfort and food breaks every couple of hours when we operated our own informal rotations so everyone got to move around the vehicles. See more about the drives below.
Hotels were excellent. There are some long drives and days are full so prepare for early starts cases at 6.30am for a 7.00am departure were not unusual.
The Kruger safaris were excellent and whilst we did not see all of the big 5, the lions being particularly elusive, the cat highlight, and for some the main highlight, was a very rare sighting of a female cheetah with 2 cubs.
An extra we were treated to was a tour of Soweto. There were riots here in June 1976 and there is an iconic photograph of a young boy who had been shot and killed being carried away alongside his sister. Our guide was that very sister who led us through the streets with her first hand account of the events of that day. A very moving experience. We also got to visit the former home of Nelson Mandela.
There were lots of shopping opportunities at various craft etc stalls along the way but if you prefer high end shopping and have some rand left over there are some excellent shops at Johannesburg airport.
Overall an excellent tour that I heartily recommend with thanks to my fellow travellers for their company.
