Thanks and what a fantastic adventure you have planned! By luck, I was able to ship my suitcase from JNB to Capetown – the concierge arranged by local mail and she wrapped the suitcase in plastic at the airport and shipped it as is – no box needed.
For the small bush planes into camp in the Okavango Delta they are quite restrictive – one small duffel (medium size at Eagle Creek) and I carried a cross body bag that fit my camera, passport and a bottle of water onboard. They wouldn’t allow a normal backpack or anything bigger. The pilot wanted me to put the bag in the storage hold but I won bc of my camera.

Also, we typically take a backpack as our “personal item” — will this work on the small aircraft??

I really appreciate your insight.

Leslie

Thanks! there are separate posts under “safari” on how I planned the trip, used points in JBurg for the hotel and Capetown Westin on points with points/miles used for air. I used Rhino Africa after meeting them at the NY Times Travel Show and hearing them speak on a panel “How to Plan Your Safari”. there were many African agents but I liked Rhino and the fact that they customized trips for all budgets. I can now book people on safari as well and there are so many options to choose from – let me know if I can help or direct you further

What surprised me after my trip was how affordable a safari can be – from a tent/camping experience up to the high luxury. I would definitely suggest using a local African travel agent as there is less markup and they often have deals with vendors. Try not to duplicate animal sightings or similar experiences and focus on what is most important. There are private camps, national parks and animal parks that the locals visit each at different price points. I will email you directly regarding cost ballpark as i paid single supplements. Good luck with the planning – hope it all works out

Marvin – a safari can be affordable for all budgets especially if you can work with a local South African agent. This was surprising to me at how many different offerings/options are available – tent/camping up to high luxury. There are private camps and national park options as well as many animal reserves that the locals visit. When planning, try not to duplicate experiences/animals. I will email you separately to share some of the costs – my figures were inflated due to single supplements so can only ballpark amounts. I do hope you do get to use your USAirways points and go on a wonderful journey