In ten days I was able to visit the Cape of Good Hope, climb Table Mountain, meet penguins and seals, ride an ostrich, drive along the beautiful Garden Route and swim in the ocean. I enjoyed it so much that I returned in 2014 for 21 days and traveled most of the country by car.
And in 2017, I moved to South Africa to live. I spent the first two years in Johannesburg and then moved to Cape Town. Over the years, I have traveled to almost every corner of the country, and I have been to popular tourist spots several times each.
In the article I will tell you how to properly organize a tourist trip to South Africa and what in no case should not be missed.
What a country
The Republic of South Africa is the most developed country on the African continent.
It is a Christian country with the largest percentage of white population on the mainland – about 7%. The country was a colony of Great Britain and the Netherlands until 1961, and in the second half of the 20th century the descendants of European settlers pursued a policy of apartheid, a policy of sharp discrimination against black people.
The area of South Africa is about 1,220,000 km², which is about the size of two countries in France. Tourists come here for its color, natural attractions, and rare animals. All of this can be seen here without sacrificing the comfort that Europeans are used to. This destination is also popular among fans of surfing, kitesurfing and other water sports: there are huge waves, strong winds and spacious sandy beaches.
The country is washed by two oceans – the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean. It is better to swim in the Indian Ocean: it is much warmer. The best resorts for beach vacation are Naizna, Plettenberg Bay, Mossel Bay, Jeffreys Bay and Durban. The last three are also popular with surfers.
The Atlantic Ocean warms up only to +18…20 °C during the warmest time. However, the Atlantic coast is often chosen by surfers and windsurfers due to its big waves and winds. The best places for surfing are the Cape Town neighborhoods, such as Muizenberg.
This is Naizna, a small city on the shores of the Indian Ocean. You can get here via the beautiful Garden Road, which I will discuss further in this article
Most tourists go to the south of the country. The Western Cape is home to Cape Town, Cape of Good Hope and Cape of Needles. This is where penguins live and winemakers work. From here begins the Garden Route, a famous highway that runs along the ocean and continues into the Eastern Cape.
There are about 20 national parks in the country, some of which offer the opportunity to view wild animals in their natural habitat. The main ones are Kruger Park in the north-east of the country and Addo Elephant Park in the south-east.
The administrative capital of the country is neither Cape Town nor Johannesburg, as many people think, but Pretoria. State institutions are located there, and the country’s government works there. Tourists do not visit there very often. Johannesburg, the unofficial business capital, is an hour’s drive from Pretoria.
Curiously, just inside South Africa’s borders are two other independent states, Lesotho and the Kingdom of Eswatini, formerly Swaziland. This is roughly like San Marino inside Italy.
When to go to South Africa
South Africa is located in the Southern Hemisphere, which means that the seasons here are the opposite of ours. Summer is from December to February, and winter is from June to August.
Most tourists arrive locally in the summer, i.e. December – February. At this time, the temperature in Cape Town averages +25 °C during the day and +18 °C at night, the water in the oceans is warm, and there is almost no rain. In the northern parts of the country, the climate is more continental, with daytime temperatures of up to +30 °C and frequent severe thunderstorms.
Another popular time to visit South Africa is from late July to mid-November. This is the so-called whale season. During this time, whales come very close. From the shore near Cape Town, you can see them waving their fins and sometimes even jumping out of the water.
Local winter is an unpopular time for tourists because of the weather. In Cape Town it is +15…17 °C during the day and at night the temperature can drop to almost zero. Some trees, such as oaks and birch trees, shed their leaves. It rains frequently. Snow is rather rare here, only in the mountains it can fall quite a lot.
In the northern parts of the country, such as Johannesburg and Pretoria, winter is, on the contrary, the dry season. Everything around you turns yellow and dry and becomes dusty.
I would advise coming either from the second half of September to November, or from February to the end of March. In December and January there are too many tourists in the coastal towns – not only foreigners, but also locals: it is the time of school vacations, so many residents also plan their vacations for this period.
A return ticket or other proof that you intend to leave the country is a prerequisite for entry. It is not checked at the border, but some airlines require a return ticket before departure, without it you may not be allowed on the flight.
Insurance is not required to enter the country, but I recommend it: private medicine in the country is very expensive.
Money
There is only one currency in South Africa – the South African rand, 1 ZAR. The use of other currencies is prohibited in the country and no company is allowed to accept them.
Tourists can change currency at bank branches and exchange offices. When exchanging rands for dollars, you will be asked to show your passport and a document showing where you got the rands from. This can be a receipt for exchanging dollars for local currency or a receipt for withdrawing money from an ATM in South Africa. Without these documents, the rands will not be accepted back.
In South Africa, I hardly ever use cash: here you can pay with a Visa or Mastercard almost everywhere. Cards are accepted in all national parks, hotels, cafes and stores. ATMs are also everywhere – if anything, you will be able to withdraw money without any problems. However, you will have to pay about 50 ZAR for withdrawal, and the maximum amount of money that can be withdrawn from an ATM is no more than 3000-5000 ZAR.
People and language
In South Africa live representatives of several dozens of different peoples with their own peculiarities. There are 11 official languages here, but one common one is English. The other 10 are local languages, the languages of local peoples. English is enough for living and traveling around the country. If you know it, there will be no problems. Some locals themselves do not speak languages other than English.
The national composition in the country is very diverse, but the majority is dark-skinned. The dark-skinned population comes from several tribes, the most numerous of which are the Zulu, Sotho, and Kosa. The maximum concentration of the light-skinned population is in the Western Cape Province and its capital Cape Town, as well as in the Gauteng Province and Pretoria.
A feature that strongly caught my eye was the general friendliness and cheerfulness. Despite the high crime rate and poverty, everyone smiles at each other. And even a beggar asking for alms at a traffic light does not look angry and sullen.
You have to be prepared for the fact that South Africans are slow. This applies to everyone in the country in general. If someone promises to do something right away, it will probably take several days. Guests who are half an hour or an hour late are considered the norm.
A friend of mine, who has lived here for many years, once told me that she didn’t like me being on time for meetings and asked me to come a little later like everyone else. And another friend admitted that he is not late only to the airport. Although he also managed to get to the airplane a few minutes before boarding was over.
Safety
Although most crime occurs in poor neighborhoods, it is best to follow the following rules:
- Do not carry large amounts of cash. It is better to use a card.
- Choose hotels in safe neighborhoods, away from townships – poor villages. In Cape Town, it is better to stay in hotels in the center, while in Johannesburg, on the contrary, the center should be avoided.
- Do not walk after sunset. Exceptions are the tourist streets in Cape Town, such as the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront and the Green Point area.
- Do not carry valuables in plain sight, such as a camera, and do not leave them unattended or on the seat of a car.
- Don’t go to the mountains alone.
In Johannesburg, my advice is to minimize walking around the city altogether. Although when we lived there, I was fine walking alone in the Sandton, Rosebank, Bedfordview and Benoni neighborhoods. But it’s still a very hectic city. To be fair, a tourist in Johannesburg has no need for walking: the city is not very interesting from a tourist point of view, and the distances are huge.
As for immunizations, you do not need them to visit the country. There is no yellow fever in South Africa. Malaria can be contracted only in the north-east of the country and only in the summer season, from December to February. And the probability of getting sick is low – it is enough to use mosquito repellent.
Intercity transportation
You can get around the country by bus, train, airplane or rented car.
Intercity buses. Intercity buses are a popular way to travel between cities. There are routes to different parts of the country, even to small towns. The most popular carriers are Intercape, Citiliner Plus, Greyhound, and Bazbus. A ticket from Cape Town to Johannesburg costs 600-700 ZAR.
Intercape, Citiliner Plus and Greyhound are aimed at locals and travelers; Bazbus is for travelers only. Bazbus sells subscriptions for rides: for example, for $219 you can ride the coast between Cape Town and Port Elizabeth for eight days, stopping briefly at resorts and tourist towns.
Airplanes. I have flown local low-costers around the country and I find them quite comfortable. There are airports in many cities in the country, including small ones.
Trains. The Rovos train is popular among tourists. Traveling in such a train is a separate adventure: compartments are equipped with showers and bathrooms, there is a restaurant car. There are several routes around the country, for example from Cape Town to Pretoria, as well as a route to Zimbabwe to Victoria Falls. Tickets are very expensive: for example, a three-day Cape Town to Pretoria trip in 2023 costs ZAR 31,700-61,000. The price includes not only travel but also excursions.
There are also ordinary trains. I have nothing to say about comfort: I have not traveled on them. But I have heard that suburban trains are not safe.
Rent a car. You can rent a car everywhere: at the airport and in all tourist cities. Avis, Hertz, Budget Car and other companies operate here. A day’s rent of a small car like Kia Picanto costs from 700 ZAR. In some companies it is better to pay with a credit card rather than a debit card, as the deposit on credit cards is smaller.
Officially, an English driver’s license is required for rentals, otherwise an international driver’s license will be needed.
The roads in South Africa are good, with almost no traffic jams. The main difficulty that can arise is left-hand traffic, a legacy of the British colonizers. It was easy for me to switch over, it took me a couple of hours.
The speed limit on the highway is 120 km/h. You should drive carefully: animals often run out onto the roads. Even more often people cross the highway in the wrong place.
Domestic transportation
There are no subways or streetcars in South Africa. There are marshrutkas and buses. There are also cabs and the familiar “Uber”.
Buses run in the major cities: Cape Town, Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban. The big buses are quite decent, safe and without crowds. The fare depends on the distance.
There are also City Sightseeing buses in Cape Town and Johannesburg They stop at popular tourist attractions. You can get off the bus at any stop and then get on the next one with the same ticket.
Cab. You can call an Uber all over the country. It is cheaper than a regular cab. That is why cab drivers at the airport have signs saying that they will take you at the Uber price.
Housing
South Africa has low-rise development and many people live in houses. That is why aggregators offer a lot of houses – from small one-room cottages to huge villas. They cost as much as apartments with the same number of rooms. At the same time, bedrooms are considered “rooms” in South Africa, i.e. if there is a two-room apartment in the advertisement, it means that it has two bedrooms and a separate kitchen combined with a living room.
The cost of accommodation depends on the season: the highest prices are from mid-December to mid-January.
You can book accommodation inside national parks, ranging from luxury suites to camping sites. For example, in 2023 in Kruger Park you can rent a camping spot for 410 ZAR or stay in a luxury cottage for 10,200 ZAR. This is usually combined with a safari – I’ll talk more about it next.
Another unusual option is to live on a farm. There are many such offers in South Africa. Farms equip rooms like in hotels, or simply rent rooms with a kitchen. You can find them on the same websites or directly, but the prices will not differ much from hotels.
Food
The most common food in South African restaurants is meat and seafood. Beef and lamb steaks are served everywhere, and you can also find game dishes. If you eat meat, do not miss the opportunity to try steaks in South Africa. The meat here is of very high quality, and they know how to cook it: I have never met a restaurant here where the steaks were not tasty.
The portions are large, I usually can’t manage to finish mine all the way through.
In some establishments you can try antelope steaks. For example, restaurants on the Victoria and Alfred waterfront offer to try an assortment of steaks: ostrich, antelope, zebra, crocodile. In 2023, such a dish costs ZAR 450.
Locals are very fond of burgers and breaded fish and fries. A burger costs from 120 ZAR.
Everyone also praises the local oysters. But I have never eaten them, as they look slimy and unpleasant to me.
What to see in Cape Town
There are many attractions in and around Cape Town itself. I will highlight a few of the most interesting ones.
Table Mountain is the main attraction of the city. At the first glance at it, it becomes clear why it is so called: the top of the mountain looks absolutely flat, like the surface of a table. These outlines cannot be confused with anything else.
Table Mountain is not very high – just over 1000 meters above sea level. Most tourists find it necessary to conquer it. It is free of charge, and you can climb up on your own – you don’t need a guide. But the climb is not easy, not everyone can make it.
There are various hiking paths leading to the summit from all sides. The shortest and most popular route is Platteklip Gorge. You will have to climb almost 600 meters and walk a little less than 2 km. It is impossible to make a mistake and get the road mixed up. But you should be careful: the rocks are very slippery.
You can also climb to the top of Table Mountain by cable car. A round-trip ticket costs ZAR 340-395, a one-way ticket costs ZAR 220. You buy tickets on the spot or online at the official website of Table Mountain. I really love the views along the way, so I prefer to go up and down on my own. For those who aren’t ready to endure the whole journey, I recommend going up by cable car and descending on foot.
The problem with the cable car is that it is closed during windy or cloudy weather. And since the winds in Cape Town are very frequent, the cable car is often not working. You can check this at the link above, and it also reflects how big the queue is for the ascent and descent. In the last days of December and the first days of January the queue can be huge, there is even a risk of not getting on the cable car. Buying a ticket online will not help you to get out of the queue.
Lion’s Head is another mountain located next to the Table Mountain and is also popular with tourists. Its height is 669 meters. You can only climb it on your own, there is no cable car.
Although the climb is easier than Table Mountain, I recommend you budget at least four hours for the ascent and descent. The views of Cape Town and Table Mountain are spectacular.
The V&A Waterfront is the main tourist street in the city. There are lots of cafes, restaurants and souvenir stores. I love the waterfront and go there often. There is a very pleasant atmosphere there, people smiling as they walk towards me, and dozens of different languages coming from everywhere.
On the waterfront, you can ride a Ferris wheel or take a boat tour. You can watch the harbor seals, walk along the coast, go to the island where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned, or watch the sunset from the water.
The Diamond Museum is also located here. The tour tells the history of gemstone mining in South Africa. There are also copies of rare stones and real jewelry that you can buy. A ticket costs 100 ZAR.
Among the places where you can eat delicious and inexpensive food, I recommend the Food Market. It sells ready-to-eat food and offers cuisines from all over the world.
Oranjezicht City Farm Market opens on weekend mornings and Wednesday evenings – a farmers’ market fair where you can find fresh vegetables and other produce, taste street food from different gastronomic projects, buy handmade items and listen to live music. It is located almost on the V&A waterfront itself and is very popular with tourists and locals.
What to see around Cape Town
Bolder’s Beach is a beach about 40 minutes from Cape Town. It is famous for being favored by the continent’s small population of African penguins.
Interestingly, penguins appeared near the shore not so long ago, in 1982. At first, people did not like this neighborhood and tried to exterminate the uninvited guests. But now it is forbidden to touch penguins. You can’t swim on the beach, and you will have to pay ZAR 176 to enter.
An option to save money is to come to the neighboring beach a few meters away from Balders Beach. Entrance is free, and there are penguins there too, although they are much smaller. Here penguins come very close to people and sometimes you can pet them. You can also swim with them in the ocean. But you should be careful: the birds’ strong beaks and claws can cause injuries.
Both beaches can be accessed by renting a car to Simonstown or by tourist bus.
At first, the locals tried to fight the penguins, as they were digging holes and spoiling the land. But soon it was forbidden to touch the penguins, and now they are tourists’ favorites and full-fledged residents of the beach
The Cape of Good Hope, contrary to misconception, is not the southernmost point of the continent, but the southwesternmost. The southernmost is Cape of Needles, about 220 km from Cape Town.
The Cape of Good Hope is part of Table Mountain National Park. You pay ZAR 376 to see it. It takes about an hour and a half to get here by car from the center of Cape Town.
There are several interesting hiking trails near the Cape of Good Hope. The two most frequently visited points are the Cape name plate and the Cape Point Lighthouse.
The lighthouse is located on a hill. You can get there on foot or by cable car. I would recommend the former: the road is very beautiful and the climb is not difficult – it took me ten minutes. The funicular costs 90 ZAR round trip and 75 ZAR one way. The entrance to the lighthouse itself is closed.
The town of Hermanus is interesting for its relaxed European resort town atmosphere, its green cliffs and its status as the whale capital of the world. Whales come here from June to October and can be viewed from the shore. Or take a boat tour – prices start from ZAR 1,020.
At the end of September, there is a whale festival in the city During this period, many people come to the city to see the whales. Food outlets open, and entertainment appears on the streets of the city. But only the whales themselves know if the whales will come to shore during these days.
Hermanus is not the only place to see whales. I once saw them near Cape Needle Point. They were splashing in the water not far from the shore. Every now and then a fin, a tail, a head, or a fountain of spray would appear. We watched them from a seaside café, having borrowed binoculars from the owners of the establishment.
Wineries. Most of the country’s wineries are concentrated around Cape Town. For example, there are as many as four within a five-kilometer radius of my home. Each winery has a restaurant, offers tours, tastings and other entertainment. A tasting of several types of wine will cost about 90-95 ZAR. Prices in cafes and restaurants at wineries are the same as in the country as a whole.
Winery tours are a popular pastime for tourists and locals alike. Wine tours are organized for tourists: a bus leaves from the center of Cape Town, takes tourists to several wineries with tastings, and then returns everyone to their hotels.
I love wineries for their peaceful atmosphere and picturesque scenery. However, I rarely book tastings, I just want to walk around.
What to visit in other parts of the country
The Garden Route is considered to be the most scenic route in South Africa. It is a 200 km long highway that passes through the coastal towns of South Africa. It starts from the town of Mossel Bay and ends at Tsitsikama Park. If you drive the whole route, you will see several natural zones at once: subtropics, savannah, rainforest and semi-desert.
On the route you can stop in small towns on the Indian Ocean coast: Mossel Bay, Naizna, Plettenberg Bay. There are scenic views, beautiful beaches, and warm water. There are also several private safari parks, hotels, and farms.
On the Garden Route, I recommend not to miss Tsitsikama Park. There is not only beautiful nature here, but also many outdoor activities, such as river rafting and bungee jumping under the Bloukrans Bridge. The height of the bridge is 216 meters, which means almost 15 seconds of free fall. For a long time, this bungee jump was the highest in the world.
A jump in 2023 costs 1490 ZAR. I jumped in 2014 and would really like to repeat the experience. The scariest part is making yourself jump, but the flight itself is worth it.
National Parks. National parks are safari destinations: an opportunity to see different African animals at close range while sitting in a car. It is allowed to get out of the car only in specially equipped places – for example, in campsites where you can eat and spend the night. It is strictly forbidden to walk outside these places, as this is the territory of wild animals.
No one guarantees that you will see a particular animal on safari. The parks are usually very large and the animals choose where they want to be. I was lucky, and on my first visit to Kruger Park – the largest national park in South Africa – I saw all of the big five in a few hours. But I know stories of people who have lived in the park for a week without seeing lions or leopards.
Usually, you are only allowed into the parks if you are accompanied by a guide. However, there are two parks where you can come by yourself with a rented car – Addo and Kruger. If you don’t stay overnight, you must leave by a certain time.
Kruger Park is the most famous park in the country. It is located in the north-eastern part of South Africa. The area of the park is almost equal to the area of Slovenia – 19 500 km². All the big African five live here, as well as zebras, antelopes, crocodiles, turtles and other animals. Entry by car costs 460 ZAR per person.
Addo Elephant Park is located near the town of Port Elizabeth. It is much smaller than Kruger. The entry fee is ZAR 376 for one. The park has a particularly large number of elephants – over six hundred. And there is also a coastal area where whales can be seen in season.
In addition, there are many private parks where you can go on safari or even go hunting, having previously bought a license. Some parks allow you to pet lion cubs or feed elephants. Private parks are smaller and more expensive than Kruger or Addo, and you can only travel in a guide car. However, in a small area you have a better chance of seeing all the interesting animals.
We met a group of lions a few minutes after the first entrance to Kruger. This handsome lion was calmly strolling a few meters away from our car
The Blade River Canyon is the third largest canyon in the world after the Grand Canyon in America and Fish River in Namibia. The length of the canyon is 26 km and its depth is up to 800 meters. There are no special attractions for tourists here, but there are unparalleled views.
You should come here by car from the very morning to have time to drive around all the interesting points: the observation deck God’s Window, 70-meter waterfall Berlin, in which you can swim, and a lonely standing quartzite rock Pinnacle.
Memorize
- The best season to travel in South Africa is from September to March.
- It is better not to bring cash, use a card.
- The traffic is left-handed, it is better to rent a car to move around the country.
- The most interesting thing about the country is the nature.
- The best place to see animals in their natural habitat is Kruger Park in the northeast.
