Destination: South Africa!

JT in front of the former cooling towers in the Soweto neighborhood of Johannesburg

Katie and I had a spectacular time in South Africa this past April. Here are the top reasons to go:

1) Incredible wildlife viewing

Kruger National Park was like nothing we have ever experienced before!! In just over 3 days in the park, we saw over 300 elephants (some very close!), dozens of giraffes, 100s of blue wildebeest, buffalo, crocodiles, hippos, jackals, kudu, hyaenas, steenbok, warthogs, waterbuck, zebras, dozens of bird species, and an impossibly-high number of impala. All from the comfort of our rental car - which you are free to drive at your own pace through the park. But, make sure to exit the park or make it back to a camp by closing time (6 pm while we were there)! They shut down the park at night to fight poachers. If you are out after hours, you are assumed to be a poacher.

Adult elephant and calf passing in front of our rental car in Kruger National Park

2) Language and lack of significant cultural differences

Besides driving on the left side of the road and the long flights to get there, South Africa is a surprisingly easy country to visit! There are 11 official languages in South Africa, but almost everyone we ran across spoke English. Most people will also speak Afrikaans. If you are a lover of languages, you can learn a few phrases of Akrikaans before going.

Entrance to Robben Island complex - greeting in both English and Afrikaans

3) Historical events

Most people think of apartheid when they think of South Africa - and for good reason! Apartheid was a major problem before it was finally ended in 1994. But, South Africa learned an incredible amount from their dark history and adopted an new constitution in 1996 that outlaws discrimination based on not-only race, but "gender, sex, pregnancy, marital status, ethnic or social origin, colour, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, conscience, belief, culture, language and birth.".

The Flame of Democracy at Constitution Hill in Johannesburg. Lit at the sight of a former holding facility for uncharged political prisoners (who could be held indefinitely without charge)

While in Johannesburg, visit the mostly-black neighborhood of Soweto (where Nelson Mandela was born and raised), the incredible Apartheid Museum, and Constitution Hill. In Cape Town, visit Robben Island - where Nelson Mandela and many others were imprisoned for their political beliefs - and get a tour from a former prisoner!

Our tour guide, a former prisoner, recalling when he was finally freed

Read all about our experience in South Africa on our personal blog: http://jtkatie.blogspot.com/search/label/South%20Africa?updated-max=2015-04-28T18:00:00-05:00&max-results=10

Convinced? Here are the best flight deals to get there:

• Houston: $710 rt
• LA: $852 rt
• San Francisco: $874 rt
• Miami: $710 rt
• Tampa: $740 rt
• Seattle: $949 rt
• Boston: $774 rt
• Austin: $909 rt
• Dallas: $909 rt
• Atlanta: $929 rt

Travel dates:

• Houston: depart Oct 26-Dec 6 or Jan 11-Feb 29
• LA: depart Aug 24-Dec 3 and Jan 12-Feb 22
• San Francisco: depart Oct 26-Dec 3 or Jan 14-Feb 29
• Miami: depart Oct 26-Dec 3
• Tampa: depart Oct 26-Dec 6 or Jan 10-20
• Seattle: various dates from Sept-April
• Boston: depart Oct 26-Dec 6 or Jan 15-22
• Austin: depart Oct 26-Nov 28
• Dallas: depart Oct 26-Dec 3
• Atlanta: depart Oct 27-Dec 5 or Jan 10-Feb 3

Flight booking:
Click here to book with Cheapoair - use promo code NY15 for the best fare
Click here to book with SmartFares - use promo code SFAIR15 for the best fare
Click here to book through Hotwire
Click here to book with Momondo

Hotel booking:
While in South Africa, we booked our hotels through Booking!
- Johannesburg: 5th Avenue Gooseberry Guest House
- Phalaborwa (outside Kruger): A Traveller's Palm
- Cape Town: Three Cities Inn on the Square
Click here to start you hotel search on Booking



Adjusted Cost Per Direct Mile: all of these are under 5!!
<4 = INCREDIBLE deal. If you have an interest in ever visiting this destination, book now! Or, you may be interested in making a "mileage run" out of this
4 to 5 = EXCELLENT deal
5 to 6 = great deal
6 to 7 = good deal