SANParks.org Forums

I have heard that it is much cheaper for foreigners to wait and book car hire once they get here.

The thing is that it is potluck as to what cars are still available.

I should imagine the price difference comes in as Avis in Europe wants a bit of the profit for making the booking and Avis here still wants their full profit.

This has not been my experience, lam, and I wouldn't advise waiting and taking the risk. You can, on occassion, get a lower rate from using a local, rather than international, rental company, but they will insist that you take full insurance cover, which the internationals don't if you have your own insurance cover, as many Americans do, through either personal car insurance or from the CC you use (Diners Club, for example, provides primary insurance cover to its customers, which is the reason I carry it and always use it for car rentals).

I have been trying to book car hire (usually an X-Trail or Condor) for June 2006 (from the UK) and am find prices have soared compared to my last trip in June this year. Has anyone else noticed this, particularly those hiring in South Africa.

Price for a Condor seems to have gone up 140%. I think tourism is getting too popular in SA with some very negative effects!

Richard

Hi there!

Am going to Kruger park in may 2006

Am hesitating between a standard rental car or a 4 wheel drive like a Nissan x trail.
Is there going to be a problem with high grass in the winter month of may?
Is the extra cost for a Nissan going to be worth it?
Am thinking about the possibilty of seeing up and over the gras for animal spotting...
D'ont have that much money, but if I take a lower car, am I going to be disappointed?
Many thanks for your suggestions....
Graeme

Hi Graeme,

Try to get a car with a high vantage point and large windows (Toyota Condor/VW Touran). With the high vantage point you won't have a problem with the grass in May. I'm also in Kruger in May and will be driving a VW Touran. You don't need a 4x4 in Kruger.

Try this website for cheap car rental. I always use this company and I'm very happy with their service and rates.

M.

From the FAQ:
Car hire

You can visit Kruger with any brand or make of car, the roads in Kruger are well maintained, including the gravelroads. Most of the cars for hire will be white, which is a nice color in summer as the car will stay cooler. Air conditioning is also fairly standard in the car, but to experience Kruger to the fullest you will probably drive with all windows open to let in all the smells and sounds.
While a Toyota Corolla-like car will do you for most of the year, during and just after the rainy season (say Januari till April) a higher car like a Condor will benefit you more.
It will cost you about 2000 USD for a Toyota Condor on Super Cover and unlimited milage for 28 days. A less pleasant thing about the Condor is fuel consumption...you'll only get about 10 kilometers to a liter from it.
This company has been used by forummembers and they returned favourable comments about it. The Condor costs about USD 65 a day. Here is a link to the 6 car rental companies at the airport: Link.

It's not possible to rent a car without some liability. Even with Europcar super cover the minimum liabilty is R4000. Also check your insurance to see if it covers damage caused by driving gravel roads! Some companies do not have that insurance, and that will likely cost you a lot in damages.

Thanks for your prompt replies. Have got the answers I need.

Can you tell me if the toyota condor is better for being high up with large windows than the nissan x trail.

I'm asking because I saw that there are good deals for condors but I have ( I think) a better deal from autoescape.com here in France

4112 ZAR for Nissan x for 9 days

Can anyone beat that?
Pls tell me if a Nissan will be worth it...
Graeme

I'd also suggest that you have a look at AutoEurope, which I have used in the past and will be using for my upcoming visit. Their prices are usually the best, altho I don't know about the condor and X-trail as the extra cost doesn't make sense for me as a solo traveller — it's usually at least double the cost of a regular sedan. Have a great trip!

Both ideal vehicles for the park, just read the small print

Hi Graeme. This is a very competitive rate, I think you'll have a tough time finding a company that will beat that. Have a great time!

hi. I have hired cars to use in Kruger over the past 5 years. This year National Alamo Car Hire is the cheapest for Condors, which I also use.

S

Graeme, you will almost certainly get a better deal for that X-trail through Auto Europe (I've just had a quote for £1,040 for 31 days from them - no excess to pay and an automatic vehicle too). They have a special on if you book by 24th May/ We hired one from them in May 2005 and it was fantastic. Lots of cubby holes to hide stuff in and it drove like a dream. Off road performance was good and in Mapungubwe (where a high percentage of the roads are 4x4 only), there was only 1 road in the whole park we could not get down and that was because the car had standard road tyres. With a 4x4 you have more comfort on the gravel, a higher vantage point, and you can also do the 4x4 trails in the KNP.

Just to add another point: we hired a Condor on our last trip and it was a little more spacious, but we preferred the Xtrail for everything else.

I've done a quick check on Auto Europe's website for a Nissan X-Trail 4x4 with ac (Automatic). Their nine-day basic rate is $699.15 (ZAR4194) and inclusive rate is $844.73 (ZAR5068). The manual version is more expensive ($707.46 and $1134.72).

The difference between basic and inclusive rates is as follows:

These rates are without taking any Special Offers into account so maybe you could get a better deal with them. Perhaps worth a try like Krokodile suggested.

Try the .co.uk site as I'm finding that 9 days in May should only cost £382.50 with zero excess. On the French website (.fr) the price is E680.15
I might be a bit out with my exchange rates, but sounds like we Brits are getting a better deal here.