TravelComments.com - Backpacker Guide through Southern Africa - South Africa, Cape Town, Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, Kruger National Park, backpackers, safaris, Garden Route

How to get around in South Africa?

By Car - by far the easiest way of getting around in South Africa. Rental cars are available throughout the country at moderate prices. If you’re in a group, renting a car is also often the most economical way of exploring the country. Most major roads are in excellent condition. Driving is on the left-hand side of the road.

By Baz Bus - A good alternative is the Baz Bus - Backpacker hop on and off travel in South Africa, which mainly caters for backpackers and other travellers. It offers hop-on, hop-off fares and door-to-door service between Cape Town and Johannesburg via the Northern Drakensberg or Swaziland, Durban and the Garden Route. It also has a loop service from Durban via Zululand and Swaziland to Johannesburg, passing close by Kruger National Park.

By Bus - The main long-distance bus operators Intercape, Translux and Greyhound have services connecting most of the major cities. Note that many long-distance services run through the night. Booking for the buses should be made a minimun of 24hrs prior to departure (72 hours in advance for Intercape , and as much in advance as possible for travel during peak periods, such as school hols!). It’s sometimes possible to get a seat at the last minute, but this shouldn’t be counted on.

By Train - Shosholoza Meyl passenger trains offer regular services connecting major cities. These are a good and safe, but slow, way to get around. On overnight journeys, 1st- and 2nd-class fares include a sleeping berth. (additional charge for bedding hire). Alternatively, you can hire a private compartment (which sleeps 4 in 1st class and 6 in 2nd class) or a coupe (which sleeps 2 in 1st class and 3 in 2nd class) – these are a good way of travelling more securely. Meals are also available.
Tickets must be booked at least 24 hours in advance (you can book up to three months in advance). Bookings can be done at any individual station, or through the Shosholoza Meyl Reservations Centre.

By Air - travelling around by plane became quite easy over the years. Regular flights at reasonable rates are connecting Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban & Port Elizabeth. Flights to Nelspruit (Kruger National Park, Bloemfontein or to airports along the Garden Route are also available, but way more expensive.

Airport Transfers - you can either take a metered (!) taxi, or book an airport shuttle!

Kruger National Park 3 to 6 day tours
Departure: Every day Price per person (Valid until 28 February 2010): from R3650.00 : Camping / from R4250.00 : Bedded accommodation Depart from: Johannesburg, Pretoria, Nelspruit - Any Backpackers lodge, hotel, guest house End in: Johannesburg, Pretoria, Nelspruit - Any Backpackers lodge, guest house, hotel, airport click here for accommodation bookings!

City Sightseeing Cape Town (Hostelworld)
City Sightseeing Cape Town (Isango) Tourbeschreibung & Buchungsformular auf Deutsch! »
The Cape Town hop-on hop-off tour introduces you to the sights and attractions of the city that effortlessly blends spectacular natural beauty with the fast pace and bright lights of a great urban centre. Enjoy this unique sightseeing experience in Cape Town on board a London-style open top double-decker bus. Experience the convenience of hopping on and off at any designated stop and exploring Cape Town at your own pace. See the exotic World of Birds and marvel at the V & A Waterfront ambience. See the museums and gain an insight into the history of the peninsula and the apartheid era. Enjoy a boat trip to Seal Island and while away the hours at the Camps Bay Beach. With great views from the top of the bus, strategically placed stops and an interesting commentary, this truly is the best way to see the sights of Cape Town.

Apartheid Museum Tour (Johannesburg)

Powerful and moving, the Apartheid Museum takes visitors on a intriguing, horrifying and ultimately inspiring journey from the dark days of 'whites only' privilege, through to Nelson Mandela's historic release from prison.
On entering the building you are racially classified and get a small idea of what it was like to have your entire life determined by your skin colour and after a few hours at the Apartheid Museum you will feel that you were in the townships in the '70s and '80s, dodging police bullets or teargas canisters, or marching and protesting with thousands of school children. Documentary pieces of film, texts, sound clips and live accounts recapture life in the old South Africa and there are excellent displays on the Soweto up-rising, ANC in exile, petty apartheid, solitary confinement, anti-apartheid movements abroad and sporting boycotts. The experience culminates in the birth of a new democratic country, the inauguration of Nelson Mandela as President and witness one of the most progressive constitutions in the world. [more info & booking]

more tours in South Africa - Cape Town, Garden Route, Wildcoast, Durban, Zululand, Kruger National Park, Johannesburg ...

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South Africa at a glance

Weather
The Western Cape has dry sunny summers with max temperatures around 26°C. It is often pretty windy, and the south-easterly "Cape Doctor" can reach gale force. Winters can get cold (average min of around 7°C, max around 17°C) with occasional snow on higher peaks.
Gauteng and surroundings have a dry, sunny climate in winter with max 20°C during daytime and nights dropping down to around 5°C. Late afternoon showers can be expected (with some spectacular thunder and lightning) between October and April.
It can get very hot in the Karoo (the semidesert heart of the Western, Eastern and Northern Cape) and in the South African part of the Kalahari.
The coast north of Cape Town becomes progressively drier and hotter. Along the southern coastline (the weather is temperate, but further north the east coast is getting increasingly tropical. KwaZulu Natal and the former Transkei can be hot and very humid in summer, although it is more pleasant inland. The summer month are the rainy season. The Northern Province and Mpumalanga (in the lowfeld) can get very hot in summer - in winter the days are sunny and warm.
Malaria in South Africa:
prophylaxis is recommended for travel to low-altitude areas of the Mpumalanga Province (including Kruger Natonal Park), Northern Province, and northeastern KwaZulu-Natal as far south as the Tugela River. Risk is highest from October to May. Shop-Apotheke.com
Area: 1,219,090km²
Capital: Pretoria (administrative capital), Cape Town (legislative capital); Bloemfontein (judicial capital)
Currency: Rand
Languages: IsiZulu 23.8%, IsiXhosa 17.6%, Afrikaans 13.3%, Sepedi 9.4%, English 8.2%, Setswana 8.2%, Sesotho 7.9%, Xitsonga 4.4%, other 7.2% (2001 census)
Population: 49,052,489
Ethnic groups: black African 79%, white 9.6%, colored 8.9%, Indian/Asian 2.5% (2001 census)
Climate: mostly semiarid; subtropical along east coast; sunny days, cool nights
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m | highest point: Njesuthi 3,408 m
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 18.1% (2007 est.)
Electricity: 220/230 V - 50hz
plugs: "South African" plugs; similar to the UK ones, but pins are longer. UK plugs work in South Africa - click here
Buy your adapter now - USA | UK | Germany
Internet country code: .za