If the safari gods are calling you, South Africa is a great place to go! With nature reserves galore and lots of wildlife to watch, it is a great choice but you can find so much more than safaris. We only visited the northeast part of South Africa so far, but there are great forests, deserts, coastal areas and more. With a heavy history but vibrant African culture, there is never a boring day in South Africa. Here I share all you need to know about travelling in South Africa.
Language and communication
While English is most common in South Africa, there are more than 35 languages spoken in the country of which 12 are official languages. Depending on where you are, you can hear Afrikaans, Swasi, Zulu, Tsonga, Tswana and more. These indigenous languages are mostly from the native Bantu language that is divided into the Sotho Tswana branch and the Nguni branch. You’ll likely hear lots of cool languages once you’re in South Africa, but as long as you know English, you’ll be good to go!
You can easily buy a local sim in South Africa. Easiest is at the airport, but you can also go to a shopping mall. There will be providers shops of MTN, Vodacom and Cell C. Let them help you put data on the simcard, or make sure there’s a spot that has wifi. You need an internet connection to pick and pay for a plan. You can also get an E-sim with Airalo if you don’t want the hassle of a local sim.
Whatsapp is widely used in South Africa and a great way to communicate with your lodge, campsite or for arranging potential activities.
Travel tip: If you’re going straight to Kruger National Park from the airport, make sure to get a simcard át the airport. Once in Kruger you won’t be able to find one at the shops. Trust me, I tried at every shop.
Currency, cash and costs
In South Africa they use South African Rand, or ZAR. One euro converts to about 20 rand, so it’s easy to calculate with.
Paying by card is very common in South Africa. If you’re going to visit popular places such as Kruger National Park, bigger cities and hotspots, you can likely pay by debit and credit card everywhere. Some machines do struggle with V Pay or Maestro though, so make sure to always have a backup. You can also use the Zapper or SnapScan apps, to pay contactless.
Due to safety concerns, it is advised not to have too much cash on you, and if you do, to save it somewhere safe. There are ATMs at the airport and shopping malls, and you can get out upto 5000 rand in some places. Note, the surcharge for taking out cash is very high in South Africa.
Prices of necessities change depending on your location. Inside or near nature reserves, prices are definitely higher compared to more local places. Pick ‘n Pay is one of the more expensive supermarkets, with some prices nearing European ones. There are activities available for any budget. Kruger National Park offers morning and afternoon drives for as low as €20,-, and entrance fees for certain activities go as low as €2,- per person (internationals, locals get a discount). You can go camping for cheap, or choose a luxury lodge. Something for everyone!
Haggling for your souvenirs depends on where you’re buying it, but we have rarely found a place that was open to haggling. Even a local souvenir seller on the side of the street didn’t want to haggle. It could be dependent on how close you are to a major touristic sight such as Kruger. Tips are appreciated in restaurants, but not standard. Tipping at a gas station and for activities, for example the guide on your safari drive, is common.
Travel tip: Are you travelling a lot and don’t want to waste money on taking out cash? Have a look at the cards from Revolut!
(Vegetarian) Food
South Africa is well known for its ‘braais’. To non-South Africans this is the same as a BBQ, but if you say this there, locals will get mad at you. They put the basic foods on the braai, such as beef or pork, but lots of local venison as well. You can try impala, crocodile, ostrich and more. Biltong is a dried meat that is a very popular snack and you can get it in all types of ‘flavours’.
Even though BBQs can be very veggie-friendly in my opinion, for vegetarians options are a bit more limited in South Africa. While the more developed / frequently visited parts South Africa is getting more and more into the vegetarian scene, in other parts you’ll have to be happy with fries and ketchup. In the big cities and more and more lodges they are adding great vegetarian options though, and a good fall back is the local pizzeria as well.
Did you have a different experience with vegetarian food in South Africa? Let me know in the comments!
Getting around
South Africa is a big country, it’s twice the size of France. There are buses between towns and cities, but this is not always recommended as it can be unsafe for tourists. Easiest way to get around if you want to be independent would be by car. Safety is also a concern with self-driving, as people warn about carjacking, especially around cities, so always lock your doors and close your windows.
Driving yourself gives you flexibility in your itinerary, ánd will allow you to drive through nature reserves on your own. Not all nature reserves allow self-driving though, so make sure to check! Below I share two options for self-game-driving!
The driving rules are pretty clear in South Africa. You drive on the left and five way to the right. Speed limits range from 40-60 km/h in towns, and upto 100 km/h on the highway. Definitely beware of livestock or wildlife near nature reserves, as well as people walking alongside the road, and don’t drive at night.
Travel tip: always stop at a stop sign! You can get a hefty fine if you don’t. Also tip the pay/parking attendant.
Crossing the border over land
You’ll likely enter and leave South Africa through an airport, but if you decide to rent a car and visit any neighbouring country you’ll be crossing the border over land as well. You can go to Botswana, eSwatini, Mozambique and more. Make sure to have the papers for your car on hand and note down the plate number, these will need to be checked.
There are multiple over-land border crossings. We visited eSwatini (former Swaziland) via the Oshoek border post and entered again through the Giriyondo border post in Kruger National Park. Both are very small border crossings. The one to eSwatini is also a main crossing for trucks, but there is a separate lane for private vehicles and the whole process goes very quickly. The Kruger National Park border crossing is very quiet, you’ll likely be one of the few people there. This makes for a quick process and a very cool entrance, with the road all to yourself.
Visa (waiver)
As a Dutchie I didn’t need a visa for South Africa. Citizens from the US and many countries in Europe can stay for upto 90 days without a visa if they are visiting for tourism purposes. Important to know if you are visiting multiple countries: the number of days does not go back to zero if you leave and come back within a certain amount of time. I have not been able to find out how this works specifically as there is no limit to how many times you can use the 90 day stay per year, but some sites say that it is not allowed to do a ‘visa run’ by staying in a neighbouring country for a few days and then come back. There are stories of people who did this and were still allowed in, but got a lecture from the immigration officials.
Do you have experience with exiting and re-entering South Africa in a short amount of time? Let me know!
Safety
Safety is a common concern when it comes to visiting South Africa. I’ve heard many concerning stories about the big cities, but many people travel to the country every year and are fine. As in every country or city, you have to be sensible and aware of your surroundings. Don’t flaunt your expensive camera or phone, and be weary but kind with people.
I rarely feel unsafe when travelling, but was a bit nervous about coming to South Africa due to some stories I had heard. Once I was there, it didn’t feel different from other countries I visited. Something I did notice more was the divide of communities. As a caucasian woman I am used to being stared at, but in South Africa it felt different. I could feel that I had a privileged position and it didn’t feel right. This relates to the colonial history of the country, with the institutionalised racial segregation that was only abolished in 1990. The scars of this period can still be seen and felt.
Staying in a nature reserve can be wildly different than staying in a town or something. The safari life is like a bubble, focussed on tourism and nature. It shows a different culture than when you are road tripping around the country.
Electricity
South Africa uses a wide variety of outlets. Coming from Europe, we didn’t need a travel adapter, but we brought one just in case. The country has type C, D, M and N, so if you’re coming from the US, you’ll need an adapter.
Load shedding
South Africa has been having a lot of issues with energy/electricity on a national level. The country can often not generate enough capacity to power everything, due to operational failures, maintenance issues, poorly-maintained power stations. This results in regular power outages, planned or unplanned. To be safe, always have a charged power bank with you on your travels.
Where to stay
There are so many accommodations available in South Africa. You can use booking.com to find hotels, lodges and more. If you are going a bit more remote or a big nature reserve like Kruger, booking ahead is wise as places fill up quickly and you don’t want to be without a place to stay.
Accommodation we stayed at
- Garden Court OR Tambo National Airport. Nice basic hotel near the OR Tambo airport. Good price, with a free shuttle and great breakfast.
- Sunrock Guesthouse Johannesburg. Great hotel with lots of amenities like a spa. Very cool vibe and good restaurant. If you don’t like noise, make sure to ask for a room away from the restaurant and pool.
- Destiny Lodge Witrivier. Picturesque hotel in the countryside, near Nelspruit and close to Kruger National Park. Offers a free shuttle from the Kruger Mpumalanga international airport
- Kruger National Park Satara and Lower Sabie campsite. We recommend both camp when staying in Kruger National Park. Satara is a great base when you have more time to explore the central and northern area of the park. Lower Sabie is great when you want to stay in the southern area. Both offer morning and evening game drives, have a pool and a good souvenir shop and restaurant.
- We also stayed at Shingwedzi camp, which is a nice and quiet place. It is very remote however and facilities (such as the pool) are limited during off season. Offers morning and evening game drives
What to do
We only travelled a small part of South Africa, as we also did a field guide course while we were there. Here are some tips on what to do if you are visiting the northeast part of South Africa
- Self drive through Kruger National Park
You can see so much in only a few days! Make sure to check the maps at every camp. They show where to find the big five.
Travel tip: Want to go off the beaten track? Go to Manyaleti game reserve. This is on the border with Kruger and actually has no fences alongside Kruger meaning all Kruger wildlife can visit Manyaleti too. It is a great place for self drive, a bit more rugged. They also have a camp so you can stay a few days.
- Drive the Blyde River Canyon scenic road
If you want a different landscape, visit the great mountain range that is Blyde River Canyon. You can catch amazing views at Pinnacle rock, God’s window, Lisbon falls, Bourke’s luck potholes, and my personal favourite the Three rondavels.
Travel tip: For an off-the-beaten track option in Blyde River Canyon, go up to Mariepskop. A bit of a drive, but you’ll get amazing 360 views at the top and you’ll likely be all by yourself. You definitely need a strong car to get up the steep roads though!
- Visit Hoedspruit reptile centre
You can learn all about dangerous and less dangerous reptiles, such as the black mamba, as well as amphibians and insects at the Hoedspruit reptile centre. They even allow you to feed the animals (for a small fee) and get kissed by a chameleon. Please be conscious when choosing to do something like this. Wild animals are not pets and need to be treated with care.
Visit Jessica the hippo
This is something I still have on my bucket list as we didn’t have time to do it! Supposed to be a great experience. Let me know if you’ve been there! Check it out here.
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