South Africa, any feedback/recommendation

[Fatih Ayoglu]

Hello all,

I'll be in South Africa for 2 weeks, the 1st week being a work week but the 2nd week my family from UK is planning to join me while I am there. I understand J'burg is pretty unsafe these days but how about other must see places, like Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, etc.

I like to take street photos and landscapes but as I am scared, probably wont bring my tripod so everything will be handheld. I won't opt for large camera as well so will go with 35mm, probably digital than film not to deal with anything.

So, looking. forward to hear any recommendations / feedback.

BW,
F

 

[pentaxuser]

Judge this for what it is worth as my experience of S.A. is now 23 yrs old and a lot can change and probably has changed between then and now. In all the large cities I was in(Cape Town, Port Elizabeth and Durban ) I didn't feel uncomfortable during daylight hours in any of those. Yes I have no doubt that there were areas that were still dangerous but as a large city dweller such as Brum your instinct probably tells you what might be dangerous anyway. As a tourist there is probably little to see of interest after dark anyway

Smaller towns on the Eastern Cape "Garden Route" from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth were clearly much safer as are most small towns anywhere. Inland Kwazulu Natal is worth a visit if you are in the province of Natal

Jo'burg was probably the exception for me. When I took a walk on a Sunday afternoon it was from a hotel in the suburbs and although the area was not especially dangerous to look at but was unexcitingly modernistic from a scenic point of view. I felt distinctly uncomfortable at how deserted it was except for small groups of solely men in their 20s who seemed to have gathered there at most corners

pentaxuser

 

[tom williams]

Pentaxuser echos my sentiments about travel along the coast from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth and Durban, and my experience there is similarly stale dated.

I worked in Cape Town and Sutherland from 2002-2005. Before I arrived in Cape Town, I'd heard many horror stories about high crime levels, but never experienced any crime personally, nor did I witness any. Possibly because I was cautious: never travelled alone at night, didn't travel to troubled urban or semi-urban neighborhoods. Situational awareness is paramount.

Some suggestions:

Street photography options in the Western Cape - you should be spoiled for choice. But with only a week to look around, you have the tourist's dilemma: see a lot of places a little, or a few places more thoroughly. Cape Town proper, Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, all around Table Mountain, Cape Point, the wine country ... the list of worthy sites goes on and on around the Cape. Never mind farther afield from Cape Town.

If you have botanical interests, the Western Cape is it's own floristic kingdom, quite diffent from the UK.
Mossel Bay (east of Cape Town) is picturesque, and a prime whale watching site from June to November (as is the drive along the coast (not just the N2 highway) from Cape Town to Mossel Bay). De Hoop and Wilderness National Parks are along the coast route.

If you like desert landscapes, the Karoo desert (unique flora and fauna) is on the inland plateau. From Mossel Bay, the Karoo National Park, near Beaufort West, is a few hours away.

PM me if you'd like to hear more.

cheers
Tom

 

[Loren Sattler]

I spent the month of March this year based in the Strand, a city in the eastern Cape. We rented a car and travelled around most of the Cape Town area without incident. We were with locals much of the time. We never felt threatened in any way but we stayed out of the townships (shanty towns) and did not travel at night. I did some street photography in downtown Cape Town without attracting attention or feeling uncomfortable. I have not yet scanned any B&W photos, but here is a link to our shared album of cell phone photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/2friry8AZvtszHpy7

Feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions.

 

[Fatih Ayoglu]

Thanks a lot all, much appreciated. I guess we will stick to Cape Town and arrange some daily tours via hotel.

We might do a game reserve close by as well. How close do they get to animals? For lens choices?

I’ve done Mara in the past and used 300/2.8 over there which was short as the action was distant since it is a national park, not a reserve. I’ve heard reserves are much calmer but how’s your experience on the distance of animals? Would a 90mm cut it?

 

[armadsen]

I would bring a 70-300mm or even 100-400 myself.

My experience of South Africa is similar to others here. I’ve been to Cape Town, Joburg, Pretoria, Bloemfontein, and a number of smaller towns around the country. I’ve never experienced any crime. When I’ve been it has been with my wife and in laws who have spent significant time there for decades (they lived in Namibia when my wife was a kid), so they were good guides, and of course we took normal precautions.

South Africa is one of my favorite places on earth, and you should go expecting to enjoy it.

 

[tom williams]

Thanks a lot all, much appreciated. I guess we will stick to Cape Town and arrange some daily tours via hotel.

We might do a game reserve close by as well. How close do they get to animals? For lens choices?

I’ve done Mara in the past and used 300/2.8 over there which was short as the action was distant since it is a national park, not a reserve. I’ve heard reserves are much calmer but how’s your experience on the distance of animals? Would a 90mm cut it?

F - I know nearly nothing about the game reserves, but have a hard time picturing a 90mm being a good all-around choice. Like @armadsen, I think I'd be better served with a decent zoom lens if my kit was limited. Digital seems like a good choice as well.

The helicopter tour around the Cape is fantastic - at least the one I took was. Unforgettable.

If birds interest you, there is the World of Birds on the highway between Constantia and Hout Bay, also Rondevlei Nature Reserve, which borders False Bay and Grassy Park, SE of Cape Town proper. Plenty of photogenic scenes down that way.There is a bird sanctuary near the confluence of the Black and Liesbeek rivers (in the suburb of Observatory) that supported a huge variety of birds when I worked next door. But I heard that Amazon built a warehouse adjacent, so I don't know how things stand there now. And Kirstenbosch attracts tons of birds. Springtime there now.

But - whatever, man. The Cape is magnificent, how can you go wrong?