Need advice

[ActionBob]

agree with action bob the EC is probably for you. it will involve a overnight in joberg and flight down the next morning as I assume you are in the usa. trust me there is nothing you want in jonerg. suggest you contact the aforementioned PH's and tell them your thought and budget and see what they quote you. good luck. fyi it is relatively easy in my opinion to kill at least 1 good animal a day with the right PH

Good advise but another thought;
Consider the flight through Paris. Your wife may love it or hate it... here's what we did on the second trip. Get a flight across the Atlantic that leaves lands in Paris at 7 or 8 in the morning, Paris time.. Your guns should be checked straight through but you will have a document to turn in in Paris (Lori can help with this). Do the math backwards but they will feed you on the plane, then take a light sleeping pill or drink a 6 pack or whatever helps you get some sleep... But try hard to get to sleep 6 hours or so before you land. I think they wake you up and serve breakfast as well. Your connecting flight down to Joburg likely departs about 11PM so you have all day. The airline has your guns and checked luggage, you don't need to do anything other than the one piece of paper as long as the guns are in France less than 24 hours. You will have your carry ons... Contact a reputable tour company to hire a private driver with a van, the driver will meet you inside the airport and escort you around all day. Pull out your cameras, throw your bags in the van for the day and have him give you a private tour of Versailles or downtown Paris. Let your wife set this up as she wishes. You will have the van until evening when he drops you back at the airport, you can grab a bite in the airport and have plenty of time to get on your flight... Although do show up at the gate early... The French are not always efficient at processes moving people

Now the bad is you add a few hours to flight time and it likely costs a couple hundred dollars more each. Then the real bad is you spend two nights in a row trying to sleep on a plane. But you must get some sleep on the flight down to Joburg. The good is you get to take your wife on a mini tour of Paris for very little extra cost... And the really good is; 1. you arrive in Joburg early in the morning and can connect directly to Port Elizabeth or most any other connecting flight in RSA or Zimbabwe so no overnight in Joburg (saves that couple hundred back again). 2. You stay awake, have your outfitter pick you up in PE (or whatever town you decide) and have him take you directly to camp that night for a quick shower, meal and a sound full nights sleep... AND you are then on the local time when you wake up in the morning. No real Jet Lag if you did it right and planned your sleeping time.

 

[Matt McKenzie]

Should I be concerned about the weather in Capetown in early July?

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

@ActionBob has a good idea here. That first 24 hours or so will be a bit brutal but arriving in Joburg with little or no jet lag is great. It's much better than waking up for the next 2-3 nights at 2am unable to get back to sleep.

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

Should I be concerned about the weather in Capetown in early July?

It will be the coolest time of year but it should be dry. The wet season in RSA typically is over by the end of May with July being one of the driest months of the year.

 

[billc]

anyone giving you an answer about weather will be guessing just like back home here. The weather can be great or cold in july as it is winter there. This year from a lot of reports and what I dealt with when there the weather was as cold as I have ever had there in the 50 plus day I have spent in SA.

As for jetlag I have never been able to fly through it or around it is just part of the journey. If time is limited to me the best flight is out of jfk. You leave around 11am and get there by 8am the next day. You could then do your trip in the area there or still have time to get flight to some place else with no problem.

I don't care if you hunt and tour the limpo ,northwest or east cape area you will have a fun trip. With good planning you can do a lot in 1o to 14 days.

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

Most of southern Africa (RSA, Zim, Zam, Nam, Bots) is indeed dry and cool in May-July and my favorite time to hunt there. However, Cape Town is cool and wet, according to this:

http://us.worldweatheronline.com/cape-town-weather-averages/western-cape/za.aspx
Unpredictable Winter
Winter in Cape Town is never particularly cold, and temperatures can still reach the low 20s Celsius. Overnight, the mercury may drop to around 12°C, but it's rare for it go lower than 10. June, July and August are some of the wettest and windiest months in Cape Town, with some heavy but short lived storms and dramatic skies.

However, there is also plenty of warm, dry, sunny weather, so if you're visiting Cape Town during the winter months, you'll need to pack for all seasons and include a waterproof jacket or coat.

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

Interesting tha rainfall in CapeTown is at it's highest in July, that doesn't align with the rest of the country.

 

[peras]

Interesting tha rainfall in CapeTown is at it's highest in July, that doesn't align with the rest of the country.

The Cape is the only province which is a winterrainfall area. This is the main rainfall time there.

 

[ActionBob]

@ActionBob has a good idea here. That first 24 hours or so will be a bit brutal but arriving in Joburg with little or no jet lag is great. It's much better than waking up for the next 2-3 nights at 2am unable to get back to sleep.

I've been over 4 times, twice through Paris, once through JFK, and once through Atlanta. So did the quickie Paris tour twice and then decided that I'd try the more direct route... I mention the trade offs but found the jet lag to be a real difference. And I can only take so much big city, Paris or otherwise... However as I get older it is more difficult to get any semblance of comfortable in the coach seats Have yet to splurge on business or first class... But perhaps in the future?

If you do take the direct flight, try to align some sleep on the plane with the local time at your destination. As Phil mentions, those few days trying to get on schedule really suck and do detract from your trip. I don't normally use sleeping pills but for this they are worth having.

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

I've been over 4 times, twice through Paris, once through JFK, and once through Atlanta. So did the quickie Paris tour twice and then decided that I'd try the more direct route... I mention the trade offs but found the jet lag to be a real difference. And I can only take so much big city, Paris or otherwise... However as I get older it is more difficult to get any semblance of comfortable in the coach seats Have yet to splurge on business or first class... But perhaps in the future?

If you do take the direct flight, try to align some sleep on the plane with the local time at your destination. As Phil mentions, those few days trying to get on schedule really suck and do detract from your trip. I don't normally use sleeping pills but for this they are worth having.

If you can arrange to fly through Munich, that's a great little visit. You can catch the train right outside of the airport and be in the cathedral district in about 30 minutes. A visit there on a nice day as we were fortunate to do 3 years ago is really enjoyable way to break up the flights. A visit to the Hofbrau Haus which is in that area is of course mandatory.

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

Victoria Falls is another good option and easy to get to from Joburg. I've stay at the Royal Livingstone Hotel (http://royal-livingstone.anantara.com/ ) on the Zam side and it's 5 star. Hope to go back sometime and stay on the Zim side (better view of the falls) and stay at the Victoria Falls Hotel (http://www.victoriafallshotel.com/)

 

[Bsto270]

If no one said it yet I would recommend a call or email to Lori at Travel Express. She just helped me book airfare for my wife and I and it was smooth as could be, especially for someone like me who has little experience with time zone differences and international flights. If I was taking my own rifle I would certainly had utilized her company's services for that as well

 

[Matt McKenzie]

OK. Well, a lot has happened since I originally posted. We haven't made it to Africa. The wife was diagnosed with breast cancer, she went through treatment and got it whipped, and then it came back in the lungs. Treatment again and currently she's symptom free but taking preventative drugs and getting scanned every three months. The clock is ticking and we're doing "bucket list" stuff as quick as we can while she's still able. It was Italy last fall. We're off to Hawaii in May and this year's fall trip was supposed to be Ireland, but she hit me up last night about maybe changing to Africa, since she knows I want to go.
Victoria Falls is important to her. A short plains game hunt is important to me. My current thought process is 4 or so days hunting and 3-4 days of "resort" type vacation. Ideally, the hunting would be relatively close to the other, so we're not spending much of our time on travel between.
Are there nice resorts near Victoria Falls? Is there good hunting near there? Should I deal with the hassle of bringing a gun or should I just rent one? Is September too late in the season? How about mid August? Should I go through a travel agent to put it all together? What do I need to look out for?
I'm not wealthy, so I want to make my dollars stretch as far as possible, but I'm not cheap, so I don't want to short-change ourselves trying to save a buck.

All opinions are welcome.

 

[Bruce]

Hi there ! Always grood to plan every thing ahead of time . I can can offer you a tailor made safari that will suit your ever need , you could mail me at andrifoxsafaris@yahoo.com . Hope to hear from you soon , best regards Andri Fox

I have hunted with Andri and he is too class. The add on fishing with him is a bonus.
Cape Town a FAR better bet than Joburg and it is not that far from Andri.

 

[thriller]

Make sure she can go to Africa my mom can’t for another year since she had stomach cancer last year (something about live virus vaccines). Besides that all your talking about sounds very doable and I wish you the best of luck.

 

[Limcroma Safaris]

Matt,
Firstly, very sorry to hear about your wife's health issues. I am very glad to hear she is on the road back to recovery. I don't think there are many folks where cancer hasn't affected the life of some family member or loved one... Our best wishes to your wife on a speedy recovery!

Please let us know if we can be of any assistance in your safari planning.

 

[jeff]

It,s just a short flight to Vic Falls from Joburg, hunt the Limpopo and then fly to see the falls, a good outfitter can arrange all.

 

[Bruce]

I have hunted with Andri and he is too class. The add on fishing with him is a bonus.
Cape Town a FAR better bet than Joburg and it is not that far from Andri.

OK.. just read your latest post. Very sorry to read about your wife's health issues and all the associated hassles. Be strong and we all hope and PRAY THAT SHE RECOVERS FULLY.
Tienie and Stanton, of Mbalabala Safaris operate out of Bulawayo in Zimbabwe. They have some excellent PG areas and it is a short hop over to the Falls from Bulawayo ( short flight) or +- 3 hrs drive. WELL worth the visit to Victoria Falls. There are many resorts in the area, day trips, boat cruises, helicopter flights over the falls etc etc.

 

[wesheltonj]

I hope your wife continues her recovery, my wife will hit 10 years this November.

A little different advice. Fly from JNB to Kasane, Botswana and stay there. I would recommend Chobe Safari Lodge. Plan for one FULL day for Chobe National Park. In the very early morning, take the 1/2 day or the 3 hour Jeep tour (1/2 day is better) and then that evening take the Water tour. For VF, you can take a day trip from Kasane to see the falls. Next, I would either fly back to JNB and then to Cape Town or greater Kruger Area for final sights seeing or to both If you have the time. Take your hunt in the Western Cape if going to Cape Town, or if Kruger, somewhere in that area. Leave the gun at home an rent.

In the Cape Town area , where is the V&V water front, Camps Bay Area, The Penguins, The Cape of Good Hope, the wineries, shark diving, just to name a few items. In Kruger, its a huge game park, with lots go game to see, but that's about it.