Planning South Africa trip for next year

[JackSullivan]

My nephew & his family are being stationed in Pretoria, S Africa this summer for several years, so we are planning to visit them & see that country next September (2018). We'll either be renting a car or hiring a driver. Trip duration will be 2-3 weeks.

I've just started researching S Africa & hope to get in some shelling, even if that only involves visiting commercial dealers. The current outline of the plan calls for exploring the west coastal areas to catch exotic wildflowers blooming as well as visiting locations where either dealers or local fishermen might have shells to buy.

Anyone with first hand experience in S Africa who can provide suggestions as to key places & areas could make this process both easier & more productive in the end.

Jack

We will be flying into Johannesburg early September of next year. I am in contact with a major collector/seller in that area who has shells on my list to offer. He informs me that there are several other collectors/sellers in the area. I hope to make contact with them in in order to plan our itinerary in that area. According to a guide book I've just received, there isn't much to do in Johannesburg, so I may leave my wife at a big shopping mall & taxi to meet the shellers.

The travel consultant that I have been in contact with has outlined a 5-6 day itinerary in the Cape area from our base in the Cape Town area. Unfortunately shelling has died in that area, primarily because of the establishment of marine reserves. No shell shops in Cape Town or in the Cape area & no chance to go to the ones I've researched to the east in places like Jeffrey's Bay, Cape St Francis & Hout Bay.

Jack