South Africa (Johannesburg, Cape Town)

Cape Town is a beautiful city! I have only spent one night in Jo-burg, so I am not of any help there. Sorry. As for Cape Town, the wine country is amazing and deserves at least one day and maybe an overnight. Table Mountain is beautiful as well. I would suggest hiking if you have the time. The waterfront area is gorgeous with many shops, restaurants and bars. As for restaurants, I really loved the Pot Luck Club.

As I don't know how much background you have in the history of South Africa . please allow me to recommend these rwo video presentations - This one hour film from 1980 , 0n the eve of Zimbabwean independence , and presented by British historian Michael Wood is quite engagiing - https://youtu.be/LRwtABg21YA The next one , in eight parts , based on the biography of Cecil Rhodes , by Antony Thomas , tells the tale of South Africa and the involvement of Cecil Rhodes during the era of British Imperialism in the nineteenth century .While this is nine hours long , the story will capture your attention completely , do give it a viewing - https://youtu.be/5wVadAzGg48

Cape Town great! Agree with Melissa's recommendations above except we didn't visit her restaurant. As far as the wine country, we based 2 nights in Franschhoek and visited several area wine estates as well as Stellenbosch. You can also go as a day trip. Another option is the Cape Peninsula down to the Cape of Good Hope/Cape Point. You can do as a day trip or overnight. We spent 2 in Simon's Town and also visited a couple of the other communities south of Cape Town. In Cape Town itself the coastal area of the See Point neighborhood is cool and the Bo-Kaap neighborhood is worth a look.

I haven't been but I recently watched Survivor South Africa on Paramount Plus and the scenery on the Eastern Cape looked really beautiful! Also I loved the personalities (and accents) on the show - it was a very fun season!

We have a safari booked in Kenya and Tanzania in late July. I am interested in the same things that M. Hunt inquired about.

We can save a lot on airfare by flying into Johannesburg from Atlanta instead of going through Europe. However, this would entail buying two sets of air tickets.

We would likely stay in Johannesburg for only one night on route to Nairobi, but would plan to spend a few days in early August after our safari.

I found some tours that look nice, however my questions are focused on two issues:

1) COVID-19 testing. Apparently, we can get tested at the International Airport. Any idea how fast we get the results?
2) Is SA safe, I have read travel advisories warning about crime, not just pickpocketing, but mugging, armed robbery, etc. If we are on a bus tour, would that be safer? We would be going to the likely tourist places.

In response to the previous two questions, I can only base my answers on my experience in July 2021 of course. The COVID test results were received within 30 minutes to one hour. It was a very simple process.

We never felt unsafe at all. I assume there are areas (as there are anywhere) that you shouldn't visit, but we never even felt uneasy.

If you are a foodie then you must go to the Test Kitchen! Reservations 3-6 months in advance. Best meal/ dinner experience of my entire life and it consistently rates in top 50 restaurants in the world.
We spent 4 days in Cape Town in 2016. Lovely, beautiful city. Head down the peninsula to the Cape Of Good Hope. Stunning.
Also, do district 6 tour instead of Robben Island.
Here is my photobook of our trip.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/hj8H8s7WR4DFJ56f6

I would suggest spending more days in Cape Town over Johannesburg to be honest, you can get a lot more cultural experience there including the beach, wine farms and if you are a foodie then you will love Cape Town. tons of restuarants and you can even travel up to the west coast, Patrenoster, to see one of the top restaurants in the country!