When South African scientists released the news that they had recorded a new strain of COVID-19 that would later become known as Omicron, tens of thousands of people who had planned to visit countries in Southern Africa toward the end of 2021 canceled their trips. We decided to go to South Africa even though we were planning on going for months.
We went to South Africa in December during Omicron and here is the breakdown of our trip.
There are airports, transportation, and lodging.
I was impressed with how the airport in South Africa handled the COVID-19 safety protocol when we arrived there. The line moved quickly through passport control because of instructions that were clear. They kept people away from each other all the time.
We stayed at the Intercontinental for one night when we arrived in Jo'burg, and then split nine nights at epic lodges in Kruger and Sabi Sands. The hotels and lodges were mostly empty. They said there had been a lot of cancellation in the wake of the media frenzy.
Wildlife.
Ross Borden has a photo.
We were able to travel during this time because we had the seven of them. The wildlife in South Africa was amazing. During our time in the National Parks, we saw white rhinos, Cape buffalos, cheetahs, multiple pride of lions, numerous leopards, a hyena den with pups, huge herds of elephants, and even a rare pack. We were lucky enough to witness both leopard and cheetah hunting, and we spent each evening watching one of the Big Five. There were no other jeeps in sight.
Wine country.
Ross Borden has a photo.
We went to an up-and-coming part of South Africa's famous wine country adjacent to the popular Stellenbosch, where we spent a couple nights in a manor that was meant to be shared with other guests. We had the entire property to ourselves.
South African cities, landmarks, and normally-packed attractions.
Ross Borden has a photo.
We finished the trip in Cape Town. This was the part of the trip that we were most cautious about because it is a big city with a lot of people and Christmas falls in the summer. The One&Only hotel did a great job of keeping everyone safe despite the high nightly room rates, as we spent Christmas there.
The hike up Lion's Head and the Table Mountain Cable Car were the least crowded I've ever seen, but the beaches in Camps Bay and Clifton were packed. We rented a car and drove all the way down to the Cape of Good Hope, where we saw penguins at Boulders Beach. The penguin viewing area at Boulders Beach is usually crowded with thousands of tourists, but we only had to share it with a few dozen people.
We just got home from South Africa, where we didn't get COVID-19 on a long trip. Many people back home in the US who had warned us not to go to Africa got Omicron in the US while we were gone.
I would caution against buying into the media hype around Omicron in South Africa or the surrounding nations, as we are living in a time when everyone needs to make their own travel decisions. We were safe the entire time. This might be the best time to visit the region due to the lack of other tourists, because the South African authorities and tourism organizations are doing a fantastic job. The most dangerous thing I experienced on the trip? We landed in the US.
