Highlights of South Africa (2012)

This was (as usual) a fabulous trip. A beautiful varied country with classic African (duh) animals and a super complex socialpolitical environment. Our guide, Johnathan, was enthusiastic and involved and always willing to discuss awkward questions. He dealt skillfully with difficult travelers and unexpected travel snafus. He made us laugh.
There were too many "Highlights" to list.
My single most important suggestion would be to take the pretrip. Entabeni was a beautiful intimate slow paced safari adventure. Michelle knew everything we asked and showed us the animals and birds and even a puff-adder (!) in a sensitive way. She was willing to just stop and watch a giraffe chew a bone for 20 minutes - none of this dashing about to 'bag' a lot of animals. Entabeni made the trip for us (plus I always appreciate the chance to get to know a subset of the group before being faced with everyone).
Thank you Johnathan and Michelle.

Traveler: Rennau Ross from Rochester, NY traveled on March 13, 2012

Grat trip. We would recommend it to everyone. If you decide to go, be sure to do the pretrip Safari. You won't be disappointed. The entire trip was a great value and our tour guide was the best.

Traveler: Vincent Lupoi from Wilmington, NC traveled on March 13, 2012

We've really enjoyed most of the trips we've taken over the past few years but this year's trip to South Africa is far-and-away the best trip we have ever taken. The land is great, the people are friendly, and if you love seeing animals in their natural settings, this is the place to be. We loved Cape Town. We loved the wildlife parks. There was very little we didn't love. We didn't much like Johannesburg, however, but every other part of the itinerary was very nice.

The trip was fast-paced and exciting. We took the pre-trip and the post-trip (we loved the pre-trip and really loved the post-trip) so we were gone a long time. The accommodations were warm and comfortable and the views from most of the hotel rooms was spectacular. The food was nearly always quite good.

One of the fun things about this GCT tour - and we're told that it is true of other GCT tours - is the people you travel with. Many are long-time GCT veterans. Ours was a fun group. Nearly everyone seemed to enjoy the trip as much as we did. Some of the people we met are sure to be good friends for a very long time.

We were very fortunate to have an outstanding tour director who turned an excellent tour into an absolutely outstanding tour. His name is Jason Mair. If you are lucky enough to have him as your tour director when you come to South Africa, then you are very lucky indeed.

We are delighted that we decided to take this trip with GCT (and our tour director Jason). We had no idea how wise a choice we made until we were actually on the trip. You can be sure that this is only the first of many GCT trips for us.

Traveler: Barbara and Roger Shulze from Oakland, MI traveled on February 28, 2012

My husband and I have just returned from the South Africa Highlights trip, and we agree that it was the best GCT trip ever. The flight was long (16 hours), but not as grueling as we had anticipated. We were met by a friendly GCT person at the airport, and taken to our hotel. Our tour kept up a brisk pace, with some early morning starts, and a busy itinerary.
We saw an interesting cross section of South Africa. It ranged from opulent beach areas to squalid poverty in the shanty towns. Kruger Park and Addo Elephant Park were highlights, and we saw the Big Five as we had hoped, along with many kinds of antelope, warthogs, giraffe, monkeys, baboons, and many beautiful birds. The parks were all we had hoped for. At a breeding and rehabilitation center we had the chance to pet some big cats, and that was a real thrill. The home hosted dinner was a terrific way to get to know some people and their views of the politics of South Africa. We shared a delicious meal and wonderful conversation with our hosts, Edgar, Millie, and Yvonne. The beaches of South Africa are some of the most beautiful we have seen, and the geographical diversity of South Africa was a surprise to us. South Africa is a beautiful country, with mountains, vast farmlands, gorgeous beaches, scrubland, Eucalyptus forests and animals all over. We were surprised to see zebra grazing on the outskirts of Capetown. We would see baboons and ostrich walking close to roads and highways.
The hotels were usually very comfortable and up to date. One hotel had very small rooms, but was clean and comfortable. The Protea Hotels were usually very nice, and the huts we had in Shakaland were a unique experience for us. They were not without tourist amenities. The food on the trip was overall, really good. One thing that wasn’t mentioned in the brochure for the trip is that South Africa has a unique type of electrical plug. If you have camera chargers or computer equipment that do not need transformers, you still need a South African plug, which is not in standard plug kits that you can buy in the U.S. They have three large round prongs. Some of the hotels loaned them out. You can buy them on Amazon and they are inexpensive. It would save a few headaches if you take one with you. Another point is that several of the hotels only had one outlet in the room, and if a frig or TV was plugged into it, you had to forfeit the TV to charge your equipment.
Our trip was in March, and the weather was warm. I wouldn’t bother to take any jeans on this trip, they are too hot. I had one pair of travel khakis that dried quickly and were wonderful, and some shorts. I wore these every day. I packed some very light weight tees that dried quickly, and other tops were not worn. If you are bothered by air conditioning, a light fleece was plenty. Also, an umbrella is handy for the rare rain shower. I would take a lot less the next time.
South Africa was a special place, but much of the credit for that label goes to our Program Director, Jason Mair. He was by far the best guide we have ever encountered. He made each member of the tour feel special. His knowledge about South Africa was so extensive about every aspect of the culture, flora, fauna, and history. He worked so hard to make the trip special for each participant. He managed the day so we were able to get the best weather and sunset view from Table Mountain, which was clouded over most of the time. He was always working to make our trip more meaningful, interesting, fun, and comfortable. If we ever go back, we would try to get him again as our Program Director.
Another unexpected occurrence was the pilfering of our luggage at the Capetown Airport. In the U.S. we’re told not to lock or use TSA approved locks, but in South Africa, lock everything, outside pockets, main compartments, and do not put anything valuable in your checked luggage. A couple of wall hangings that I had bought and my raincoat were stolen from my checked luggage. I had neglected to lock the outside pocket in my rush to the airport. Other travelers in our group had their luggage tampered with as well. Lesson learned!
We would definitely recommend this trip. It was one of the highlights of our travel experiences. GCT did a wonderful job organizing our trip, and it is a wonderful value. Keep up the good work, GCT!

Dr. and Mrs. Gerald Crawford
Florence, Alabama

Traveler: Gerald Crawford from Florence, AL traveled on March 03, 2012

We did expect a better, consistent level of accommodations. In Johannesburg and Swaziland we were unable to go anywhere outside the hotels to walk or explore on our own...

Traveler: Maryirene Tsaousis from Huntington, NY traveled on October 22, 2011

We've been home just over two weeks and the sights and people that we experienced, remain vivid in our minds. We were blessed with Thabie, our PD, the weather and our small group of like minds. We took over 700 photos and I know, some of the others took even more. (Hint... extra batteries?} Johannesburg was interesting and on the brief side. The major memories we have, are of visiting Soweto and Freedom Square and the moving Hector Piererson memorial and listening to the still young history of the new South Africa. That was only the first day...The next day included the excellent Apartheid museum. I kept several of the handouts for my album.

I think the scenery that we saw on the way to Kruger was simply fantastic looking landscape. We will never forget Klein Drakensburg escarpment or the Potholes at the mouth of Blyde River Canyon. The whole Panorama route, stunning.

The early morning hours weren't so hard to get used to...Especially when you hope to see the Big Five in Kruger. We did pretty good with our drivers and comfortable open safari vehicles and saw a lot of antelopes, giraffes, leopards elephants, warthog, different types of birds, baboons, an almost spotted rhino but no lion this time...We had gridlock several times as elephants and giraffes had the right of way...We left on the 4th day and headed into the kingdom of Swaziland, enjoying boxed lunches. As we eat no meat except for fish and poultry, Thabie always made sure of our food choices. Again this was different countryside with lots of lush sugar cane plantations. We could have skipped stopping at a Swazi glassblowing workshop on the way,But I suspect it was really a chance to use clean restrooms...We got to our hotel in Mbabane. It was a bit too spread out for my taste and legs. Again, Thabie came to our rescue and got us a close in room. That night we had a spectacular thunder and lightning show in comfort at the hotel.The next day, after a candle-making demo., we continued to the Mbabane craft market and bought fresh fruit and vegetables for the Fontein Social Care Center children we were going to visit. That was a moving highlight for us, personally. The children were so beautiful. They sang for us in very sweet voices. Next, we headed for Zulu land and this was a lot of fun. Even though it sort of reminded me of Disneyland...As a recreation of Zulu life from before. We enjoyed the visit and accommodations very much.
From Durban, we flew to Port Elizabeth. We found this city to be very charming . On one of leisure times, we walked over to the "BoardWalk" and enjoyed a lunch there and simply browsing in the many little shops . About this time, one member of our small group fell on his face and the hotel immediately took care of him and had him looked at.. Lucky for him, nothing was broken but badly bruised. This is a reminder to watch where you step as it is not the same as being at home.
Leaving Port Elizabeth, we took the Garden Route...stunning coastline and more charming little towns on the way
The next place I fell in love with was the city of Knysna where we stayed for several days. We found the hotel Graywood to be a very interesting place, full of antique train artifacts. From this hotel, we visited Featherbed nature reserve, the town of Oudtshoorn with a great museum and the Safari Ostrich farm,(I collected some lovely feathers from the ground to take home...) In the evening, we walked to a great little pub for a fish and chip dinner outside.
We headed to Capetown in the A.M. and passed by Mossel Bay and the quaint town of Swellendam where we had a very nice lunch. Since it was still fairly early and beautiful clear weather, Thabie took us to breathtaking Table mountain. We had been told by friends not to miss this! And we took it all in. Wow!
Next day we took the optional township tour that is really worth taking and learning from... how far this young country has come and still needs to go. It wasn't pretty but needs to be seen to understand the struggle to improve life for those who still have so little except for hope. In the evening we had a home-hosted dinner with a delightful couple, Angie and Peter and came away from this with a warm memory and a full tummy.
Another high light from here was a visit to the Cape of Good Hope and a group picture in back of the sign that tells us we are at the most southern tip of Africa. We had a special luncheon at "Black Marlin" in Simon's Town before getting to Boulders Beach at False Bay and another super highlight. Penguins! These are African Penguins that were called at one time, Jackass Penguins because of their braying calls. I was able to get a photo of one adjusting it's position on it's egg!
The next day we went to the wine country in Stellenbosch where we visited an estate to sample different wines. Of all of them, I preferred the dessert wine. I like our local California wine, more. Well, it was our last evening together and we went to the Ritz where we enjoyed the revolving views at sunset atop the twenty first floor. The dinner was elegant as was the music.
We can't rave enough about this trip. We give it more than 5 stars if we could. My suggestions for this trip are: Take a wash cloth and remember to take plastic zip lock bags to put it and your wet bathing suit into. Take a walking stick. Take a couple of long sleeved shirts to protect against sunburn or bug bite. Take a scarf for open safari jeep. Travel light to leave room for all the stuff you are going to buy ...And most of all, stay mellow and flexible. Enjoy!

Traveler: Gary Kirschner from Larkspur, CA traveled on February 04, 2012

There are not words that can be added to the praise for this trip. Our fellow travellers were wonderful and the tour guide, Johnathan Muller, was outstanding; they made the trip a joy. It started out slowly as we lost a day because there were problems with the aircraft, South Africa Air did not do a good job of keeping us informed but we got to Jo'burg after an arduous 15 hour flight. We saw little of Jo'burg; the airport is modern and large, the city is like any large city. Highlights included walking down the street where two Nobel Peace Prize winners had homes in Soweto; visiting the Apartheid Museum (more time is needed there); and visiting Pretoria. The landscape of the Panoramic Drive to Kruger was magnificient and seeing the big 5 before breakfast in Kruger was amazing. The visit to a school in Swaziland was very moving, buying them food and school supplies and serving them food and holding a very sweet little girl was a trip highlight. The visit to Shakaland was unique, including the womwan who came away with a scorpion in her luggage--she captured it and set it free at the next hotel. A stop at the resort town of Knysna provided a little time to unwind. Cape Town is special, Table Mountain provides views that are hard to equal (even for a person who fears heights, it is a must). The mall, the waterfront, the city, the gardens, the beach, are beautiful. Most meaningful was a trip to the township, Langa. Yes there is extreme poverty, but there is also hope and we met some beautiful people there. We were amazed at the progress made since Apartheid ; there is much yet to do, they have 40% unemployment and AIDS is rampant; but non-whites now have oppoortunities and important positions. We are so pleased that we got to share this country.

Traveler: Dr. Joe Stone from Webster, NY traveled on December 07, 2011

My wife and i thoroughly enjoyed our So. Africa trip. We took the optional pre-trip to the private game reserve at Entabeni which was the most enjoyable few days of the entire trip.
The game drives in the early morning and evening were spectacular. Our program director (PD), John Finch, was top-notch- experienced at guiding and photograph-taking. My advice - tip the locals in Rands and tip the PD in dollars. There are enormous fees involved in exchanging rands for dollars, so don't wind up with rands at the end of the trip. Take lots of photos. Our group of about 35 people was among the most compatible of any we have travelled with, making it a most pleasant experience. After visiting a local school and seeing that they had no spoons, many of us chipped in and bought spoons which our PD delivered to the school on his next visit.
We appreciated the scheduling flexibility of the PD to change our visit to Capetown's Table Mountain, taking advantage of nice clear weather. The variety of things that we saw were well-described in GCT's literature and they certainly selected a fantastic set of places for us to visit. So. Africa is a country that is emerging from an area of apartheid. They have a very liberal constitution whose effects you can see from the locals with whom we visited, but they still have a long way to go. It was well-worth the 17 hour flight we had from DC to Johannesburg via Dakar. The food, both on the airline and at each stop on our trip, was excellent. All in all, we thoroughly enjoyed the GCT trip.

Traveler: William Howard from Mc Lean, VA traveled on October 15, 2011

The trip was diverse and extrordinarily interesting. The plusses were an excellent guide, Johnathan Muller and a well thoughtout itinerary. The accomodations ranged from acceptable to quite comfortable. I would suggest that if the Protea Wanderer Hotel could be replaced with an in-park hotel at Kruger that would be an improvement. The commute to the park and the hotel facilities were moderate negatives.

I might also add that the Shaka-Zulu Hotel and exhibit were great but that in a downpour the room units (which had thatched roofs) were not waterproof as warranted although the water inside was a minor inconvenience and overcome by the other amenities at the village and hotel.


The ability to meet and socialize with South African nationals including Johnathan (our guide), our drivers and our hosts for a family dinner in Cape Town were very informational and interesting. The visit to the GCT supported school in Swaziland was educational and heart-warming.

South Africa is a physically beautiful venue and I felt the trip gave us great opportunities to view its beauty. Knysna, Stellenbosch and Cape Town were especially memorable.

If I could suggest one improvement (other than improving the Kruger hotel) it would be to find a winerey that in in addition to its physical beauty, provided good wines to taste. South Africa produces wonderful wines but on out trip to the winery in Stellenbosch I was disappointed with the offerings of their wines. I would suggest that of the South African wines we consumed on the trip those at the winery were the least exciting.

In summary the trip was well concieved and well executed. We dined on excellent and well prepared food. Our guide was excellent, articulate and intelligent and knew his country and its people exceptionally well. The learning experience of the travellers was as good as on any trip on which I have gone and even the weather cooperated. For future travellers, traveling in the South African Spring or Fall I would suggest that lighter clothing would be in order. I took one pair of short pants when I could have used half a dozen and four or five sweaters when one or two would have sufficed. J-burg and Kruger are verging on tropical and Cape Town at the extreme southern tip is quite temporate.

Traveler: Edmund Walton from Falls Church, VA traveled on November 09, 2011

It was beyond our expectations or wildest dreams.
We recommend taking the pre-trip to Entebeni, the wild life contact is amazing and the post trip to Victoria Falls, especially the helicopter flight over the falls. We didn't realize how many animals there are or how near to them we would be, or how big they are.
Riding on an ostrich was a nail-breaking experience for my wife and a memory for a lifetime, much to the amusement of our group.
Meeting up with old friends in Knysna, who we hadn't seen in 30+ years, was very special for us and they joined us for a day.
The children at the orphanage school in Swaziland could use metal spoons and forks to eat their meals, currently they use their fingers to eat from their bowls. The utensils can be bought at Woolworths, in South Africa, at a reasonable cost prior to the school visit.
The visit to a black township, Larga. in Capetown was an eye-opening experience. There were only positive vibes coming from the people and they all are looking forward to the future, however bleak it seemed to us.
Our home hosted dinner in a Cape Town house with June and her daughter was very nice and the conversation was enlightning.
The only unfortunate part was our safari tour guide in Kruger National park who was very poor, in fact our tour director Johnathan Muller proved to be much more observant and knowledgeable.

A very memorable trip.

Traveler: Rodney Riding from York, PA traveled on November 05, 2011

IF YOU ARE GOING TO SOUTH AFRICA IN JUNE, JULY OR AUGUST MAKE SURE YOU UNDERSTAND THAT IT'S WINTER. YOU WILL NEED A WARM HAT, GLOVES AND LAYERS OF CLOTHING ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE TAKING THE PRE-TRIP EXTENSION. BECAUSE THIS WAS MY FIFTH TRIP TO AFRICA I DIDN'T BELIEVE THE WEATHER COULD BE ANYTHING OTHER THAN WARM. NOTHING COULD BE FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH.

YOU WILL FIND THAT IT IS MUCH CHEAPER TO PURCHASE VISAS WHEN YOU ARRIVE IN ZIMBABWE, ALSO IT'S HASSLE FREE.

IF YOU WANT TO PURCHASE AFRICAN ARTIFACTS WAIT UNTIL YOU GET TO CAPETOWN. THERE IS AN AFRICAN ARTIFACT MARKET IN TOWN THAT HAS THREE FLOORS OF THE MOST DIVERSE OBJECTS FROM ALL OVER THE AFRICAN CONTINENT. IT'S THE REAL THING. BE PREPARED TO FORGO SOME OTHER ACTIVITY SO THAT YOU WILL HAVE ADAQUATE TIME TO BROUSE AT YOUR LEISURE. VERY LITTLE TIME IS ALLOTED FOR THIS ACTIVITY.

IF YOU GO TO VICTORIA FALLS IN ZIMBABWE DON'T GO TO THE INCLUDED DINNER AND SHOW. THE FOOD IS TERRIBLE AND THE SHOW LEAVES MUCH TO BE DESIRED. SPEND THE EXTRA MONEY AND GO SEE THE SHOW AT THE VICTORIA FALLS HOTEL. YOU'LL HAVE TO MAKE RESERVATIONS AND ARRANGEMENTS FOR TRANSPORTATION. YOU CAN DO THIS AT THE HOTEL WHERE YOU ARE STAYING.

I HAD THE SINGULARLY UNIQUE EXPERIENCE OF MY TRAVEL ADVENTURES ON THIS TRIP. I GOT CHASED BY A WHITE RINO. LISTEN TO THE GUIDES WHILE ON SAFARI. DO NOT GET OUT OF THE VEHICLE. ANIMALS DO NOT SEEM TO HAVE THE ABILITY TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN YOU AND THE VEHICLE AS LONG AS YOU ARE INSIDE. HOWEVER, THE MOMENT YOU STEP OUT THINGS CHANGE. REMEMBER: INSIDE THE VEHICLE, OUTSIDE THE FOOD CHAIN. OUTSIDE THE VEHICLE INSIDE THE FOOD CHAIN!

MAKE CERTAIN TO CHECK YOUR FLIGHT TIMES FOR YOUR RETURN FLIGHTS. OFTEN THERE IS NOT SUFFICIENT LAYOVER TIME TO CONNECT FLIGHTS IF YOUR JO'BURG FLIGHT ARRIVES LATE TO THE UNITED STATES. COUPLED WITH LATE ARRIVAL AND WEATHER I MISSED SEVERAL ONWARD FLIGHTS AND HAD TO PAY FOR OVERNIGHT ACCOMMODATIONS.

PROGRAM DIRECTORS ARE VERY WELL INFORMED PEOPLE BUT I DON'T FEEL IT'S RUDE TO GENTLY SUGGEST THAT SOMETIMES A SIMPLE YES OR NO IS FAR MORE HELPFUL THAN A DISSERTATION.

IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS, ASK. OFTEN THINGS CAN BE RESLOVED TO YOUR SATISFACTION IF BROUGHT TO THE PROGRAM DIECTOR'S ATTENTION.

BE PREPARED TO TIP EVERYONE AND THEIR COUSIN. AT ONE POINT I DECIDED ENOUGH WAS ENOUGH AND GAVE TIPS ONLY TO THOSE I THOUGHT DESERVED THEM.

THIS WAS A GREAT TRIP. NO, EVERYTHING WAS NOT PERFECT BUT GRAND CIRCLE GIVES GREAT VALUE FOR THE DOLLAR. KEEP AN OPEN MIND AND STAY FLEXIBLE. BEFORE YOU FIND TOO MUCH FAULTS IN OTHERS REMEMBER THAT YOU HAVE SINS OF YOUR OWN. I MET SOME GREAT PEOPLE AND ONE OR TWO I COULD HAVE DONE WITHOUT. BUT I FIND THAT IF YOU DON'T LET FIRST IMPRESSIONS CLOUD YOU JUDGMENT YOU DISCOVER THAT JUST BECAUSE A PERSON DOES SOMETHING ONCE DOES NOT MEAN THAT IT'S SOMETHING THEY DO ALL THE TIME.

THE HOTELS ARE NICE. SOME OF THE LOBBIES ARE SPECTACULAR BUT THE TRIP IS IN THE EXPERIENCE WITH THE PEOPLE, THE CULTURE AND THE LANDSCAPE. I SAW SOME THINGS THAT BROKE MY HEART BUT THAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU SEE THE WORLD.

Traveler: Elliott Helem from Philadelphia, PA traveled on July 23, 2011

We recently traveled with Grand Circle to South Africa. It was an amazing trip, a trip of a lifetime. To see the animals in their natural habitat was wonderful. The people were friendly and helpful. The landscape was beautiful. We took the post trip to Zimbabwe. Victoria Falls is an amazing site. The water was not flowing fully but it was still beautiful. We went on an elephant safari which was fantastic. Elephants are such huge yet gentle creatures. Feeding them was a riot, we laughed so hard. I think most of the food ended up on the ground for the warthogs. One of the baby elephants didn't like the warthogs much and started chasing them. They ran and he turned around to us as if to say look at me I ran them off. He was also wiggling his ears and swinging his trunk.
All and all it was a fabulous vacation. One we will remember the rest of our lives.
Everyone should visit Africa once in their lifetime.

Traveler: Gayle Fox from Elk River, MN traveled on September 21, 2011

I didn't expect to love this trip as much as I did (I'm a city traveler who usually picks European cities with art museums!) but it was exceptional.
My travelmates were fun and trip leader Thabie Moji very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about her wonderful part of the world.
Take extra memory cards and batteries for your camera because photo opportunities abound. I recommend a zoom lens to help capture all the animals you will encounter.
This is one of my favorite trips ever!

Traveler: Joyce Morris from Isle Of Palms, SC traveled on September 28, 2011

South Africa is a trip not to be missed. It was more than a trip, it was an ADVENTURE! Everyday was a new experience. Seeing the wild animals of Africa was wonderful, BUT the highlight of the trip was meeting and interacting with the local people, especially the children.

The post trip to Victoria Falls was well worth the time, especially the elephant ride!

This my third trip with GCT as a solo traveler, and I met many other solo adventurers who became like family.

Mosquitoes were never a problem as many feared they might be!

If you can only take one trip this year, I strongly recommend South Africa. It will change you life forever!

Of course, the credit goes to our to our guide, Thabie Moji, who is from South Africa and shared her love of her country and her expertise with us daily!

Traveler: Paula Williams from Pleasant Hill, CA traveled on September 28, 2011

Trip was excellent, specially Garden Route:
Knysna, Featherbed, Plettenburg Bay and
Cape Town :Cape of Good Hope, Cape Point, and Hout Bay from Chapman's Peak.
I did not enjoy Johanessburg that much.

Traveler: Ranjit Banerjee from Voorhees, NJ traveled on September 21, 2011

This was a wonderful trip. Of course our guide made it that way. He was Johnathan Muller. I hope some of you get to travel with him. He does a really good job. The places we stayed were all top notch. Of course the one in Cape town (Protea President Hotel) was the biggest one. The company and hotel staff took very good care of us in Johannesburg (which has alot of crime) My sister and I went shopping at the Rosebank Rooftop market. We set it up with the hotel and they carried us and set a time to come back and pick us up. If you set up your own air, email the hotel and they will send a car to pick you up at the hotel. You have to pay for this, but it was great to see the man with a sign when we got there.
The Kruger National Park game drive was great and it was available for both days we were there. That was not in the info we had gotten in the states, so ask for it.
The ostrich farm was really good but don't buy the painted eggs. One in our group was caught at immigration and she had to throw her egg away. There seemed to be a good variety of activities planned on this trip so there was something for everyone.
Rotation on the bus was good so no one was stuck in the back for long.

Traveler: Catherine Reed from Arab, AL traveled on September 07, 2011

John Finch, our guide, was awesome - our group was great, he made all the difference in the history and insights of the various countries - would highly recommend a trip with him anyday!

Traveler: Jean Andrick from Hoosick Falls, NY traveled on August 17, 2011

I really enjoyed this trip. It was action-packed, fun-filled with lots of diversity. We experienced safari as well as larger cities. One day we went to as ostrich farm, hiked down a mountain in a reserve, wine-tasted, experienced Swaziland and Zululand,went to the top of Table Mountain -you name it we did it.

Yes there were long bus rides, but really how else could you see as much as we did. So. Africa is a really big country! I had the time of my life. Highly recommend this trip.

Traveler: Suzanne Brierley from Bakersfield, CA traveled on August 17, 2011

This was a fantastic trip! We felt that the highlights were the open air safari trips to see the wild animals. Therefore, be sure to take the pre-trip to Entabeni Game Preserve. We found that South Africa is a beautiful, modern, friendly country. John Finch, our guide, was excellent and taught us so much about the area.

Our only problem was that our domestic flights were scheduled too close together. We missed flights and therefore arrived in South Africa a day late.

Traveler: Robert and Joy Hansmeier from Waukon, IA traveled on August 13, 2011

This was our 7th Grand Circle trip and although we've loved them all, this trip has to be our all time favorite. It was the longest trip we'd ever taking and my wife was sort of dreading being away from home for so long, but when it was time to go home, we both wanted to stay longer.

Our guide, Tessa, was fantastic. We all became part of her extended family. She wove the history of South Africa into the history of her own family and we even visited an old church and cemetary of her ancestors. There didn't seem to be any topic that Tessa was not an expert on--flora, fauna, history, culture, politics, food, etc.

Every day was new adventure, although I have to admit, it started a little slow in Johanneburg. After leaving Johannesburg, we saw amazing scenery, went game watching (unfortunately we never saw a lion in the wild), had many cultural experiences, visited a Zulu village, went to an Ostrich farm (my wife rode and ostrich), visited the penguin colony, visited a winery, etc. We saw a new species of animal almost daily.

I intended this to be a brief review, but I just can't say enough about this amazing trip!

Traveler: James Gerber from Waterford, CT traveled on May 04, 2011

This is our third trip with Grand Circle and, while each one has been wonderful, this was my absolute favorite. The land was beautiful, the people friendly, the animals amazing, and our tour director, Tessa, was absolutely the best. Her knowledge and background gave us so much insight into this special land. I highly recommend taking the pre and post trip, as the sights on both are not to be missed. Be very safety conscious, however, as theft is a serious problem. We stayed one extra day in Johannesburg and spent the entire day at the Apartheid Museum. I would recommend that they make this museum a part of the organized trip.

Traveler: Lynn Timmins from Kissimmee, FL traveled on October 09, 2010

Joyce Lane-traveled on Oct. 8, 2009 from Las vegas, NV

This is my 7th trip with GCT & I thought this was a great trip, I visited So. Africa & Victoria Falls. The country was beautiful, people friendly & understood English & the wild animals were awsome, so was Victoria Falls. The only thing that was long was the plane ride from Atlanta to Johannsburg round trip. The hotels were good, food good & everthing was inexpensive. Having 24 people on the trip was great so we got to know our fellow travelers & were able to do a lot without being crowded on the bus & on the tours. I was surprised at the racism between the Afrikaners, English, colored & blacks & the slums around Cape Town looked as bad as the ones I saw in India. We had a good guide, he knew the history & was good at getting us in early to see many of the sights. The country is clean & we did not worry about the water & food at all. I enjoyed this trip very much but think trips like this are for people who have already done a lot of travelling & are in good health. There really are not many provisions for the handicapped, expecially in Zimbabwe.

Traveler: Joyce from Las Vegas, NV traveled on October 08, 2009

We are back from South Africa and a little tired because this kind of trip is like Army camp, except better food and bed, very intense, we had to wake up very early to catch flights or to see the animals going to their water points.... and we go to bed late after big meals.
It is a long flight to go there. I thought being in France would be closer to the African continent but it took Martine 18 hours to go to Johannesburg because she went via Abu Dhabi and John 22 hours via Atlanta from San Francisco
Everything was interesting though maybe too long.
The country is huge and very wealthy. The sceneries are breath taking but the human problems are enormous. Racism is prevalent between Afrikaners, English and the black are sandwich between the two. Cape town is a jewel, really elegant with beautiful buildings, houses and big avenues. Like San Francisco, built around hills and water, the vegetation is luxurious with magnificent trees and tropical plants, flowers are everywhere. We drove the "garden route" from Port Elizabeth to Cape Town and it was a easy on the eyes. Vast fields with mountains in the background. A lot of flowers on the edge of the road and wheat fields like Canada or the US, corn fields, bananas fields, all sort of fruits etc...With monkey, baboons, impalas, running across the road. Giraffes and ostriches in the distance. South Africa restricted the breeding and sale of ostriches until the other countries started up. Now they are belatedly in full mode.
In the Indian Ocean we saw some whales on their way to Antarctica. Every town is clean, l'architecture is from the Netherlands (Holland), the people look austere and stern. Not all of them but in majority you can see they are the masters...The language is Afrikaner mixture of Dutch, French, African and English but all the Belgian people that we met from the Flemish side understood them perfectly.

We visited one winery where they were making red and white wines and some "champagne" using French method, champagniose. Interesting and good tasting, we had quite a lot to taste, I thought of Napa. They have a lot of vineyards around Cape Town. Really this country can live as an autocracy they really have everything they need right there and they know how to exploit it. But the black population who is enlarged by a lot of illegal immigration coming from all the other African nations is the main problem for the stabilization of the country by itself. The townships that are on the outskirts of the big cities are the heart of a steam pot ready to explode at any moment. The difference is really too obvious, the government is trying to do some relocation with new homes on it for all this population but they are too many for the program to go fast enough to satisfy everyone. Mandela, did a great deal of good for the general population by trying to forgive the past and look ahead for better time, but one can feel resentment against the whites who took the "good land" for their huge mansions...... I don't know what will happen when Mandela will pass away...... Because of him, the country is closer to Palestine and Libya and indeed with Zimbabwe. Mugabi is a great friend of Mandela and can't do wrong.

But Africa also has a wide range of Parks where we can admire the wild animals in their habitat and this is really the highlight of the trip to see all these creatures free.
This was a treat to be close to them, specially the elephants so huge and gentle.
In Botswana they are 4,000, a population that is too large now because they are destroying the forests and they eat everything coming from a tree.....
The lions were difficult to approach; we saw some far away and too far for my camera to take good pictures.

We went to Zimbabwe for the Victoria Falls another great natural site. We walked alongside and saw their extraordinary strength. Some people are crazy enough to jump from an elastic bungee into the canyon!!!!!
We always had very comfortable hotels and we experienced the comfort in a Zulu's Hut in Zululand.

We had a great time discovering this part of the world. Our world is really a wonder of beauty, too bad men are the worst predator and big Ego is its worst enemy.

Our tour director Jessica Easingwood was extremely patient and helpful with all of us as she shepherded around the country. She was also the most informed guide ever. There was not one question she couldn’t handle whether it was the name of an exotic animal, bird or flower. Her personal and family history also lent credibility and color to the tour.

All in all well worth it.

Traveler: John & Martine from Alameda, CA traveled on September 17, 2009

Wind whipped through our hair; a fiery-orange sun rose on the horizon; all of the big five animals appeared, some close enough to touch. And, that was just the first day. Each day that followed was filled with adventures, discoveries and numerous photo opportunities. What a fabulous trip. One of GCT's best that I have taken so far.

Traveler: Jacqueline from Las Vegas, NV traveled on September 10, 2009

Arriived home at Detroit Metro to a huge elephant sign WELCOME HOME GAMMA FROM SOUTH AFRICA 2009. It was a comforting sight after nearly 17 hours in the air from Johannesburg to Atlanta, skirting Hurricane Bill.
South Africa is gorgeous with mountains, savannahs, white sand Indian Ocean coastline and a balmy south Florida climate in the southern hemisphere winter. Kruger Game Park reminded of Yellowstone - a natural game reserve established in 1898 a la example of Teddy Roosevelt. Rode in an open safari wagon with a most knowledgeable Afrikaan guide whose daily tip depended on his spotting game for the photographers aboard. Soon there was a mother lion with two cubs under a tree, elephants crossing the rode like midwestern squirrels, giraffes nibbling the tops of trees, zebras pacing the Bush. The very early sunrise was aglow in orange yellows with the scrawny umbrella trees silhouetted on the horizon. Four of the BIG FIVE (Lion, Leopard, Elephant, Cape Buffalo, and Rhinoceros) were spotted the first day - so named as these are the most difficult and dangerous for the hunter - as a miss is probable death. Only the leopard was elusive although some spotted a disappearing tail. Learning and discovery included animal dung and nature's disposal by dung beetles and termite hills the size of small bushes.
Then we were on to Swaziland - an independent tribal nation with chiefs and ministers in a very primitive village. ShakaZululand was an adventure housed in a mud hut, thatched roof, geckos, spears, drums, tribal dancing, medicine man and the sounds of African night.
Early morning flight to the Garden Indian Coast included a delightful Sunday stroll of the local flea market and testing the Michigan toes in a "new" ocean. The peoples of South Africa are a beautiful tapestry of Afrikaans - descendants of the original white settlers from Portugal, Holland, France, Germany and Britain. Next came the indentured servants from Ceylon and Malaysia to work the sugar cane fields, eventually the Kimberly Diamond and Gold mines with the deepest and largest veins known. All of these faces are blended and comingled with the native eleven tribal nations and tongues.
The sunny stroll led to a relaxing fish dinner al fresco at 34Degrees South - a reminder of the Southern latitude with the night's Southern Cross constellation.
Wine country and the vineyards reminded one of California as Capetown presented itself cradled in a gaping Atlantic cape of sheltered waters protected by the massive calendar art Table Mountain guarding the city. With cloud cover the next morn, Nature's Tablecloth obscured its height. Bucket List moment wowed with a 99 mile drive down the narrow and cliff hanging peninsula to the Cape of Good Hope. This time it was Cecil Rhodes who had the foresight to create a natural preserve to keep virgin the walk to the end of the African continent where only the mingling of ocean currents presents the promise of the Antarctic on the distant horizon.

Daughter was prophectic when she quizzed, "Among your top three, Mom? " Oh yes, definitely! Bea Bailey

Traveler: Bernadette from Shelby Township, MI traveled on July 30, 2009

In July 2009, I took the Highlights of South Africa trip. Without question, it was the best trip I've even taken. (My first with GCT but, certainly, not my last). This trip has something for everyone - from sweeping national parks, to scenic coastal towns, to the magnificence of Capetown and the Cape Peninsula. For those of us who want to understand local culture, there are many opportunities - a visit to a school in Swaziland, lunch at a local restaurant in Soweto, a home visit in Capetown, a lecture from a South African professor plus plenty of free time to explore on our own.

Our guide, John Finch, is a real South African treasure. He was fun and funny, organized, and extremely knowledgeable - very willing to discuss the triumphs and the problems of his country.

This is not the trip for those who are looking for a relaxing pace. We were on the go constantly with many early wake up calls.

Accommodations and food are well above average. Those with adverturous palettes will have a ball! But, there are always plenty of alternatives to please everyone.

This trip is a must!

Traveler: Eileen from Claremont, NH traveled on July 16, 2009

This was the best trip of the 7 that I've taken with GCT. We were so fortunate to have Tessa Easingwood as our program director. She is an expert on South Africa, the animals, the birds, the flowers , the history, the politics, the people, and the customs. We were able to see things through her heart, as well as her eyes. Having just 24 people on the trip was a bonus , because she was able to spend quality time with all of us, and we all considered her our friend. Her main concern was seeing that each of us had the best trip possible, which is my definition of a perfect guide.

The safaris were fantastic, and May was a great time for viewing animals with much of the foliage disappearing. 5 of us saw the Big Five on the first safari! The weather was favorable, but cool at times. The orphanage is something that shouldn't be missed, and it's great that GCT supports it. Each new discovery, and there were many of them that weren't listed in the book, gave us special memories of the trip. Two of us even got to play golf in Swaziland.

I took the post trip and seeing the Victoria Falls was breath-taking. It was so beautiful, and well worth the extra time and expense. The elephant safari and the Boma dinner were exciting and fun filled.
I was having so much fun that I wasn't even ready to come home after 3 weeks.

If you can go on this trip, I hope you are as lucky as I was to get to know Tessa and have her as a program director.

Traveler: Louise from Fort Collins, CO traveled on May 14, 2009

Thanks to our Tour Director, Linda Oberholser, this was truly a five star trip.
She has encyclopedic knowledge of South Africa, including its history, economy, wild life, political problems and, of course, various tourist attractions. This is like taking an intensive, on the sport course, about South Africa. If you take this trip, the post-trip to Victoria Falls is a must. We have traveled all over the world, and this particular trip rates at the top.

Traveler: Stanton from Falls Church, VA traveled on March 12, 2009