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If you got the idea by the end of day one, then you don’t get the idea of it at all.
That's spot on, I definitely don't get sitting in a car for 8-10 hours a day regardless of what that lets you see. It was good to have done it but 2 days was plenty for me.
I find most people aren’t keen to visit South African beaches as the water is cold and…. Sharks.
What rubbish, I grew up on the South Coast of KZN, we used to go to the beach during school for PE and every weekend, never used a wetsuit or heard of shark attacks.
Ask any surfers about sharks in SA, people on the world circuit have been attacked on film. Botswana is safe. I've travelled round the country a few times and never had any problems, we would also make a point of picking up hitchikers. You also see game running round the country, I've seen zebra, hippos, hyenas, crocs just in their environment. My Mrs persuaded me to do the safari bit, I wasn't that bothered, it completely blew me away. I think the whole day cost us about £45 each, morning on the back of a properly equipped Landrover and afternoon on the boat, all arranged at the hotel.
Staying with the San was a revelation, what a fascinating culture and a completely oppressed people.
Sri Lanka is worth considering too.
just been reading through this again and missed this comment the first time. somebody else mentioned that sri lanks may be a good shout for a holiday with a few days in the maldives which isnt far away apparently.
so.....was sri lanka mentioned for safari duties or beaches?
thanks
Yes both Sri Lanka and India have wildlife watching from open safari vehicles in National Parks. Sri Lanka's best known is Yala NP on the south coast, has Asian elephants and water buffalo, crocodiles and leopards (one of the highest densities in the world). Years ago friends of mine stayed in a high end tented lodge there and loved it, but I get the impression that tourist numbers have gone up exponentially, regulation is very low and now sightings are horribly overcrowded, so you would have to investigate that a bit. Elsewhere in countries like India the entry and number of vehicles in National Parks is very heavily regulated. Sri Lanka is a fascinating country and very different to the parts of Africa mentioned up-thread. But for relaxing on beaches December is not the best time of year due to the monsoon which causes changeable weather with a lot of grey skies and turbid waters.
Obviously at the moment I would be very wary of booking anything that isn't fully refundable, since the coronavirus situation is just ramping up in many of the places suggested up-thread. (If a Government decides to invoke a new lockdown or impose a 14 day quarantine, travel insurance for holidays booked now are not going to cover that disruption.)
But for relaxing on beaches December is not the best time of year due to the monsoon which causes changeable weather with a lot of grey skies and turbid waters.
so is that the same for the maldives then, which arent far away?
thanks
Actually it depends a bit whereabouts you are. On the south-east of Sri Lanka December should be drying out. But it's a north-west / south-east split for where the winds are coming from, so it kind-of depends which area you do your beach stay. For example the better 'safari' National Parks in Sri Lanka are Wilpattu and Yala, both of which get most rain from the northwest monsoon in Oct-Dec, whereas the beach resorts on the south-east (around Galle) are dry in December. Similarly for most of the Maldives, December should be drying out - not as dry as Jan-Mar but less rainy than Nov - you should expect some rainy days in the Maldives but good visibility in the ocean.
so say we decided to just go for sri lanka/maldives earlier or later than our december anniversary, whats the best time of year for this?
thanks
Assuming your primary aim is to sit on a beach and do nothing, then Jan-Mar is best for the Maldives. If you scuba dive, the water should have good clarity then too.
For that kind of connection you'll be best looking for a reputable travel agent who can put together an itinerary for you with regional flights, obviously given current circumstances just make sure everything is fully refundable.
Alternative suggestion. Form the other end of the price range.
5 years ago my partner and I went to Napel. £500-600 flight each.
Stayed in Napel very cheap hotel £15 per night. Could go nice for £50 pet night. Did some local walks. One 2 night guided walk. One day walk. Went round the palace.
To the point of the OP did a trip to Chitwan National Park. Saw rhinos on a walk, crocodile from a canoe, did see a tiger but saw massive foot prints, rode on an elephant. Not the full big game experience but pretty good. About £100 and something (maybe £120?) Per person including accommodation and food and transport. 2 nights.
We went during wet season so not the best time.
Entire trip was ~£1000 per person a bit more but still cheap and amazing. Should be have been more organised as missed some opertunities.
Don't bother, Its just a massive Zoo. Go to West Midlands Safari and save yourself a shit ton of money.
There are plenty of sites which tell you which parts of Sri Lanka are best at what time of year. We just went with a rough plan and moved around based on recommendations that we got once there. When we were down south we were told that Trincomalee was lovely so we got a taxi and went there, via Udawalawa. It was indeed great. We always went with somebody's "uncle" or "brother" and loved the randomness. They always took us to the quieter places, avoiding the awful spectacle of dozens of jeeps chasing a group of animals.
Whale watching: don't go in a boat, whales regard the boats like mosquitoes and you feel bad that you're contributing to their misery. Take a plane and watch a pod of them enjoying themselves.
There are lots of good quality places to stay on Airbnb and Booking.com. Some people book a driver for the whole trip but we enjoyed the fun of busking it with cars, buses, trains and tuk tuks.
Some beaches are fantastic for swimming, surfing, windsurfing. Some parks are great for "safaris". A lot of places are good for just being there. We loved it all. Spent 3 weeks, could have had more. Met lots of lovely people. We're mid 60s and backpacking appeals more than an organised trip. We can't understand how some of the tour companies like Red Dot get their prices. We didn't miss out on anything.
Left field suggestion... India. Not the 'big 5' animals but you can see Tigers and lots of other cool stuff. December is a good time, not too hot!
I back packed some of India for a month about 20 years ago and did 4 days over Christmas at Bandhavgar national park. It's the middle of nowhere, was a day on trains to reach, but selected as best for Tigers. It is the one all the tiger documentaries on TV are filmed at. Yes I saw Tigers, they are really very big.... Very very big when prowling just feet from the elephant you are sat on.
I spent about £550 after flights for my month or there but that was a long time ago and was more basic than I'd do for a'once in a life time' trip! I suspect you could do a variety of budgets though.
Naturally I'm biased...
If it's a mix of safari and water you are after I reckon 10 days in Botswana would satisfy you, although the fancy camps can be pricey so budget might be stretched.
Borders are still closed, but camps are operating for citizens, and there is hope that government health and tourism departments can work out protocols to receive international visitors when intercontinental leisure travel resumes.
My thoughts:
- fly to Maun via Johannesburg
- couple of nights in Makgadkigadi or Nxai Pans (maybe 3 nights if you can loop in Kubu Island)
- night or two in Maun
- couple of nights in Okavango (Oddballs was not too expensive, makoro rides and bush walks)
- couple of nights in Kasane (various riverfront hotels, or Chobe Chilweru for a treat, river cruises and game drives twice a day, luxury spa on site)
- possibly a hop over to Victoria Falls day trip or overnight
- Kasane/Vic Falls return to Johannesburg and onto your night flight home (or a couple of days of city-life exploring Sandton and Soweto)
We did a self-drive road trip with friends from UK passing through Kubu Island, Nxai Pan, Okavango Delta, and Kasane in 6 days, they went on to Vic Falls and South Africa before heading home.
Most of the lodges in Maun could assemble an itinerary for you, and either arrange kitted-out vehicle for self-drive or a semi-serviced option with driver/guide where you pitch in with setting tents and cooking.
Delta Rain - Sitatunga is just outside Maun, the owner rides and they have or had fat bikes for exploring along the river.