South Africa Travel Tips

General Information

South Africa is multi-cultural, hospitable and modern, making travel both relaxing and interesting. With a good network of international and provincial airports you can quickly cover the 1.2 million sq kilometres to tick off all your ‘must see’ locations. However, if you have more time on your hands and wish to take a more leisurely approach, both municipal (M) and national (N) roads are well maintained and easily navigable. Self-drive exploring is an excellent way to discover the variety of experiences the country has to offer.
 
Major cities have the shops, banks and entertainment facilities that you would expect of any international city. Eating out is a big part of South African life, so you never have an excuse to go hungry. The choice of food reflects the diversity of the population, so you can find anything from Mozambique seafood and South African steak houses to classic Italian pizza and Michelin Star French cuisine. Then of course, there is the traditional barbeque, known as a Braai. South African’s relish any excuse to get a braai going, so if you’re invited to dinner the suggestion of one will go down a treat. Heritage Day is more commonly known as National Braai Day!

Breakfast out with friends is a common activity and often follows some type of sport at the weekend. Cycling and running are popular early morning activities with regular club outings and races beginning as early as 5am, with visitors welcome. Cricket, rugby and football are the most popular team sports. Basically if you’re not playing, you’re watching and the TV channels are a dream-come-true for the sports enthusiast. Rural areas offer great hiking, mountain-biking, climbing, horse-riding and nature trails. The National Parks divide activities into zones for conservation reasons, so check the maps and information boards before you set off.