Christine & Adam’s Big South Africa Trip

My wife, Christine, has a milestone birthday in 2010, and, more than anything else, she wanted to go to

South Africa for her birthday present. Why? There’s always been something magical in our minds about

South Africa – the magnitude of Table Mountain, the beauty of the Winelands, the remoteness of the

Cape of Good Hope, the allure of safari, not to mention the political and social history. We have

traveled extensively, both before we met and together, and we felt ready to explore Africa for the first

time.

As experienced travelers, we are accustomed to researching, planning, and booking all of our own plans.

In fact, we did that last year on a trip to Europe (Istanbul, Rome, and Florence). We started down that

path, but we quickly learned that Africa is not like other places. It is very large, it is very remote, and

moving around from place to place is complicated and expensive. We quickly realized that we were out

of our depth, so we decided to get some help.

Thank you, Conde Nast Traveler! I remembered reading about your recommended travel specialists –

true experts for specific types of trips. Through your pages, I found Linda Friedman of Custom Safaris.

Almost immediately, the trip started to come together. Linda was amazing! Within days, we were on

the phone with United, changing the tickets that we had already booked to an itinerary that made more

sense. At the same, Linda had the “hard conversation” with me – “What do you want to get out of this

trip? And what is your budget?” Initially, we were all over the map. We knew we wanted to visit Cape

Town, and we knew we wanted to go on safari. Christine and I also talked about Namibia, Kenya, and

other places before we really understood what we were getting into. Budget? No idea. The trip was

slated for April/May, 2010, and here we were in October, 2009, trying to plan the trip, and I was missing

answers to some pretty fundamental questions. Through Linda’s help, we established a reasonable

scope and determined some budgetary basics. This required a lot of patience on Linda’s part, and

several iterations to develop the right combination of urban (Cape Town), safari, luxury (it is supposed

to be a nice vacation after all), and budget (you still have to pay for it). In the end, we decided to visit

Cape Town for 6 nights and go on safari for 7 nights. The safari was split over two regions: Sabi Sands

(Kruger National Park) and kwaZulu-Natal to give us different resort and game experiences. Finally, a

plan that made sense!

We were getting excited!

All throughout the time between October and April, we were in constant contact with Linda. We

mapped out activities in Cape Town, talked about restaurants, and created a little structure for our trip.

We received a giant box one day that contained all kinds of great things to help us prep for our

upcoming journey! I won’t spoil the surprise for others who are working with Linda.

The big day finally arrives…time to fly…we survived a major scare at the end of the planning process –

would we even be able to go on the trip that we’d been planning for months? Living in San Francisco,

we were flying on United Airlines because that’s where we have status/frequent flyer miles. We booked

an itinerary in coach and upgraded to business class using miles since it’s such a long trip. So far, so

good. However, our itinerary on United was SFO to Frankfurt, Frankfurt to Johannesburg, Johannesburg

to Cape Town. The volcano eruption in Iceland completely shut down European flights for a week, the

ban was lifted 3 days prior to our flight! We were speaking with Linda multiple times per day

throughout all of this, coming up with a series of alternatives in case our flight did get canceled. In the

end, it worked out, but it was very stressful. A good argument can be made for trip insurance.

Cape Town Long trip, but we finally made it! Sadly, our luggage did not. We had a several hour layover in Frankfurt,

but somehow Lufthansa did not manage to get our bags on the flight to Johannesburg. After two days

of travel, not what we wanted to hear. Luckily, Linda provided us with a 24 hour contact in South Africa

to help us if anything came up. While waiting for the flight to Cape Town, we called the service and had

them arrange with our driver in Cape Town to help us visit a shop for some essentials before dropping

us off at our bed & breakfast.

Linda arranged for us to stay at a lovely place called the Four Rosmead which is a small bed & breakfast

with a handful of rooms. The Four Rosmead is stylish and comfortable – a remodeled/converted house

built in 1903. Our room, Oranjezicht, was quite large with a nice view of Table Mountain from the room

and balcony. What really sets the Four Rosmead apart is the staff – Lin, Nadine, Simone – they were

wonderful! They truly went out of their way to help us make the most of our trip, helping with

restaurant bookings, a last minute trip to Robben Island, loads of recommendations on interesting shops

to visit, etc. The positive reviews on Trip Advisor are to be believed – this place is special! The breakfast

is worth getting up early for! We enjoyed a nice breakfast out on the patio every morning.

Things we did in Cape Town Visited lots of interesting shops (Africa Nova, Jewel Africa, African Trading Port, etc.)

Explored the V&A Waterfront, Long Street, and lots of little streets in between

Spent an afternoon on Robben Island (bleak, fascinating)

Went to the local markets – Pan African Market, Greenmarket Square

Listened to live music at Mama Africa

Full day Winelands tour (arranged in advance by Linda) (FANTASTIC!)

We visited: Fairview, Delheim, Haute Cabriere (cool winery in a mountain cave that specialized

in sparkling wine – a fav for us), and Boekenhoutskloof (maker of Chocolate Block, pictured

above).

We had lunch at La Petit Ferme in Franschoek which was fantastic! And we explored Franschoek

which was a neat little town with interesting shops.

Full day Table Mountain and Cape Tour (arranged in advance by Linda) (also FANTASTIC!)

We were met by our guide, Helmut, early in the morning, and we beat the crowds to Table

Mountain. We were at the cable car station and up on the mountain in 15 minutes. The views

were spectacular, and it was a wonderful hour or two wandering around.

After leaving Table Mountain, we started to explore the beautiful Cape Point area. We passed

through fishing towns and drove along the coast. Helmut was very informative, sharing a lot of

information about the local Fynbos (flora).

Along the way to Cape Point, we encountered a small group of wild baboons. Our first wildlife

experience!

Lunch was at Two Oceans at Cape Point – touristy, but very fun. Incredible views! We had a

seafood platter, a little sparkling wine, lots of sunshine, and great service.

We visited the iconic Cape of Good Hope (windy, beautiful).

On the way back, we stopped at the African Penguin Colony and watched the penguins play for

a while. That was a real treat as we have a particular affinity for penguins!

At the end of a great tour, we stopped at Groot Constantia for bit more wine tasting. Groot

Constantia is the oldest winery in South Africa, founded in 1685. Talk about old vines! The

grounds are lovely – there were several wedding parties while we were there. It was also a

public holiday on May 1st, so the mood was very festive.

On our own, we took the cheesy, touristy double decker bus to Kirstenbosch Gardens – and

absolutely loved it! The gardens were incredible and the setting on the backside of Table

Mountain was idyllic. The bus ride was also fun as we got to see a lot of the ocean side of Cape

Town that we hadn’t visited before. The weather was nice so it was great to relax for a while

with the breeze and the great views.

We ate at some great restaurants in Cape Town:

o Royale Eatery – casual, fun, great vibe, interesting burgers, etc. Very lively!

o Jardine – cutting edge cuisine, very California feel, Alice Waters would feel at home

o Savoy Cabbage – local, organic, many “game” dishes (I had warthog), the tomato tart is

to die for

o Haiku – dim sum, sushi, stir fry – all Asian food – extremely well executed

o Melonuci’s – at the Waterfront, great view, nice pizza, superb grilled calamari

o Eastern Food Bazaar – the ultimate 5 dollar lunch – a mish mash of Indian, Middle

Eastern, and other interesting cuisines – not fine dining, but really fun for what it is

o Nobu @ The One & Only Cape Town – beautiful setting, great sushi and drinks, super

fresh fish

Our time in Cape Town was complete. We had so much fun! So much we didn’t do, but we enjoyed the

experience to the fullest. We said our goodbyes to our new friends at The Four Rosmead, and set off

with Helmut for the airport. Next stop…SAFARI!

Savanna Private Game Reserve, Sabi Sands, Kruger National Park Well…not so fast. Our “luck” with travel logistics continued true to form. Our flight from Cape Town to

Nelspruit had to turn back after an hour into the flight due to mechanical problems. After a few more

hours hanging out at the Cape Town airport, we were underway again. Meanwhile, we called the 24

hour contact number that Linda provided, and they updated the logistics to get us to the lodge.

Originally, we were supposed to take a light aircraft from Nelspruit to the lodge, but we arrived too late

for the flight to work. We were met by a driver, and off we went to go find the lodge. The whole thing

was handled seamlessly with no stress.

Finally, we arrived at Savanna Private Game Reserve. Ten steps from the driveway, and you’re in a

beautiful open air living room / dining room. We were greeted by our butler, Phumi, and escorted to

our room (number 6). WOW! Our room was beautiful and had its own private plunge pool. We now

understood what a luxury tent looked like. And we understood why Linda recommended Savanna.

As we were exhausted from a long day of travel, the staff at Savanna setup a private dinner for us on our

patio. What a treat! And a perfect example of how thoughtful and accommodating the team at

Savanna is. Truly nice people. This type of service is what we love about small, boutique properties.

5:30am – the phone rings. Be at the main lodge in 15 minutes, ready to go. A quick cup of coffee, a

biscuit, and time for the morning game drive! We met our ranger, Patrick, and our tracker, James, and

the other two people who would be on our game drive. Patrick and James were fantastic! They had a

great sense for finding the animals, they offered plenty of photo tips, but, most importantly, they were a

lot of fun!

Patrick found us a beautiful sunrise…

…and we knew it was going to be a great day!

The game viewing at Savanna was spectacular! Before we went on the trip, we had heard that Sabi

Sands was very consistent and consistently good. We were at Savanna for 3 nights, and we saw every

animal on our “list” except for giraffes and cheetahs. The giraffes were probably luck, the cheetahs

because there aren’t many in that part of the country. The best part was the leopard sightings. On our

first morning game drive, we tracked a leopard across several miles where she had hidden her cub. We

listened to her gently bark to call the cub out of hiding. We watched the cub play – jumping on the

mama leopard’s back, climbing, exploring, and jumping across gorges. We tracked the mother and her

cub back to where we started as the mother had a kill waiting, hidden under the brush so the cub could

feast.

Before we left the US, I rented a nice zoom lens for my Canon DSLR from BorrowLenses.com. We were

very close to the animals, but the big zoom really allowed me to focus in and capture the detail I

wanted.

The sundowners were a nice break during the afternoon game drives, and we were surprised by bush

dinners / breakfasts which gave us an opportunity to enjoy a nice meal outdoors. The food was

excellent, and our wine glasses were never allowed to get more than half empty. Tash and the rest of

the staff took really good care of us.

The scenery was beautiful, we saw a ton of animals, and the weather was wonderful. There’s no way to

describe how amazing it is to see the animals in their natural habitat. It’s so different than a zoo where

you might see one or two of a particular animal, but in isolation. It’s something else entirely, when you

see zebra, wildebeest, and rhino (several of each) mingling together, munching on the grass. The

animals also know that there are predators around, and they are extremely alert for any signs of danger.

You also feel a bit of adventure and adrenalin being in an open top Land Rover, only a few feet from

leopards, lions, etc., and often creating a path where there is no road – driving over trees and bushes,

ducking from the acacia thorns. The foodchain becomes very real when you’re on safari.

Phinda Private Game Reserve, kwaZulu-Natal Last stop. 4 more nights before our great trip ended and the long journey home began. For once, we

did not have any travel issues! It was a 6 hour journey, door to door, to go from Savanna to Phinda, but

it went smoothly. Phinda is comprised of several different lodges, all with a different feel – different

style, different size, and different setting. We stayed at Forest Lodge for 2 nights and Vlei Lodge for 2

nights. The resorts were both beautiful, but very different. Forest was larger and livelier (16 rooms vs. 6

for Vlei), and it was like staying in a luxury tree house. We had floor to ceiling windows on all sides, and

we were literally in the forest with the monkeys.

Vlei was beautiful, serene, and a cut above – very relaxing, and a great way to end the trip. Both places

were filled with lots of warm, rich woods and nice stonework. The bathrooms were beautiful.

The bush dinners at Phinda were truly great. The food was fantastic, and they really went above and

beyond to make a beautiful setting. One night we were serenaded by the Forest/Vlei Choir who sang

traditional Zulu songs. That was a lot of fun! Eating under the most magnificent night sky you’ve ever

seen is an experience to be treasured.

We had a private plunge pool at Vlei where nyala, impala, and monkeys would come to drink.

The game viewing was really good, although not quite up to the same level as Savanna. The highlights

were the cheetahs, the black rhinos, and the hippos in their watering hole. We had morning coffee with

the hippos on our last day. And we saw a ton of giraffe, zebra, elephants, white rhino, lions, nyala,

impala, wildebeest, warthogs, birds, and more.

One of the true highlights was watching three cheetahs on the hunt. Two brothers and their sister were

together in a pack. They were up on top of a hill, keeping a watchful eye on the bush. The female went

out to hunt, but she narrowly missed taking down an impala. She went back to the hill, and one of her

brothers went on the hunt. He was successful, taking down an nyala in just a few seconds. While he

applied the finishing touches, his siblings came down to join him. One kept a watchful eye out for lions,

while the other assisted with the kill. The nyala let out a few dying bleats which were sad to hear, and it

really helped remind you that this is truly about survival. The cheetahs proceeded to eat their kill

immediately for fear of another, larger predator taking their meal.

The safari experience was filled with memorable moments – from trying to get a picture of the camera

shy warthog…

…to watching leopard cubs at Savanna learn how to climb a tree while their mother watched in

protective silence…

The food was phenomenal, and it never stopped! This turned out to be a good thing or I would have

gone hungry on the last day – a monkey snuck up on me from behind and stole a bunch of fruit off my

plate! He proceeded to sit in the tree, out of reach, and taunt me while he ate it.

The trip of a lifetime – we have stories, photos, and mementos that will remind us of the joy we felt on

this trip, and how far away from our normal lives we were.

When does that flight to Kenya leave?

Thank you Thank you to all of our new friends and the people who helped us make this the trip of a lifetime!

Conde Nast Traveler – http://www.concierge.com/cntraveler

Linda Friedman, Custom Safaris – http://www.customsafaris.com

Four Rosmead Boutique Guest House – http://www.fourrosmead.com

Savanna Private Game Reserve – http://www.savannalodge.com

Phinda Private Game Reserve – http://www.phinda.com

Details Photos by Christine and Adam Greenspan using Canon cameras

cmgreenspan@yahoo.com and ajgreenspan@gmail.com

http://www.orangeskyphoto.com

Happy Birthday to my lovely wife! I love you always!

Loose Ends… Yes – we eventually got our luggage. Lufthansa sent it over by messenger, more than 36 hours after we

arrived in Cape Town. We were woken up after 11pm the day after we arrived. Thanks!

The Frankfurt Airport is to be avoided if possible. It’s big, it’s confusing, it’s boring, the people don’t

seem to be very friendly, and the smoke spilling out of the smoking booths is very unpleasant.

South Africa is wonderful and worth visiting, but make sure to allow for enough time in country. At the

end of our trip, we had 10 boarding passes each. It takes 1-2 days to get to South Africa, and another 1-

2 days to get back. From the west coast, it’s a 9 hour time difference, so the jetlag is similar to Europe.

We left on April 26th and returned to San Francisco on May12th. We had beautiful weather for the

entire trip, but rainy weather was headed into Cape Town as we departed (start of winter). It was about

10 degrees warmer in Sabi Sands and kwaZulu-Natal than in Cape Town.