South African tips: Getting There and Getting Around
Zulu Nyala Bound or Beyond
These are some tips and feedback from our trip in June-August our summer/SA winter of 2023.
Thoughts on planning your trip.
Travel insurance
https://www.allianztravelinsurance.com/find-a-plan
Baggage tracking
Apple air tag
General info
https://www.sars.gov.za/types-of-tax/air-passenger-tax/
https://www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk/destinations/africa/south-africa/south-africa-malaria-map
Vaccinations, medications and visas
Visas are not required if travel is less than 90 days
Go through No Visas lines at airports. All well marked.
Vaccinations and Malaria prophylaxis. None required but depending on time of year check for Malaria potential at Zulu Nyala Kwa Zulu area.. Other than Covid and our usual vaccinations we did no others. No Malaria risk in their winter June/July
Make sure you have enough prescription medications you take with you. I suggest you also take any OTC medications you might use at home with you. Pharmacies and stores with OTC items are in larger towns and cities but occasionally out of the area you are in. Pharmacies in many stores have a pharmacist in the OTC area to help as many items have different names.
Cash/local currency/Credit cards
Get a little South African cash in small denominations ( South African Rand,,, aka ZAR aka R ) before you leave from your bank.
Most places take your credit card but some shopping and smaller vendors require cash.
Many places take US dollars but have a few Rands available.
ATMs are not as available in the Zulu Nyala area.
When using an ATM use one at a bank. All banks have a security guard watching their ATM’s
Good idea to have your credit cards in your digital wallet. Apple pay etc .This is safer than pulling out your card or cash
All places bring a POS machine to you to pay, so unlike the US, you dont send your card away out of sight.
Dont flaunt cash at anytime. As with many countries “‘people” watch target tourists.
Carry a lot of R2 and R5 coins in your car for tips at gas stations and parking lots.
Getting there
Flights
Flight prices vary according to US departure city, time of year etc.
Interntional Flights
Sites to put an alert.
https://www.google.com/travel/flights
https://scottscheapflights.com/
Mobil search
South African flights
Very reasonable especially with your exchange rate
https://www.flyairlink.com/en/za/
https://www.domesticflights-southafrica.co.za/kulula-airlines/
https://www.precisionairtz.com/en/
Tips for long haul flights
To select good seats. Use www.seatguru.com
Wear compression knee length sox
Take melatonin, drink a lot of water and non caffein fluids
Google other tips…..plenty to see
It is a long flight so breaking it with a few days somewhere, London or Europe makes it a little easier. BUT there is also food served, movies to watch and endless digital entertainment plus perhaps a good nap when you please !!
Absolutely plan more than the actual Safari trip time. It is a long way for a short time. There are so many magnificent places, cultural experiences and history to see and visit in South Africa. If time is short these are a few recommendations.
Adding on a few days
Few extra day trip ideas
Johannesburg
Johannesburg City bus tour: Excellent way to see every aspect of the city over 8hrs.
https://city-sightseeing.com/en/108/johannesburg/181/hop-on-hop-off-johannesburg
The most interesting sites covering a lot of our horrendous apartheid history
https://www.apartheidmuseum.org/
https://www.constitutionhill.org.za/
Culture: Soweto Township tours to meet locals and see the different lifestyle
https://www.sowetobackpackers.com/
Cape Town
Most magnificent part of SA. Excellent day tour to see the whole Cape Town and surrounds. https://www.citysightseeing.co.za/en/cape-town
Make sure you include a hop off to go up Table Mountain.
There are endless areas to visit all over the Cape Town area. Google it
Tours of Robben Island, the political prison where Mandela and many others spent up to 30 years.
MUST book way ahead.
My most memorable experience I have had.
https://www.robben-island.org.za/tours
For the adventurous https://www.capetownabseil.co.za/
Now you are in South Africa !!!
Tourism is now huge in South Africa so google endless resources.
The African hospitality is the best in the world !!!
Happy, friendly,helpful, well trained and professional. People, especially non whites love to chat with you.
Load Shedding: means no power-
South Africa has 2-3hr periods every day everywhere when the electricity is shut down completely.
‘Download the App EskomSePush https://apps.apple.com/za/app/esp-loadshedding/id968648379 and enter the area you are in to see the schedule.
All businesses have generators but local homes may have a generator, solar or flashlights.
Power your devices when you have power. Carry a backup battery for your phone/camera on you. Charge that when you have power. Dont wait until any of your batteries get low.
Traffic lights are off during load shedding making it a 4 way stop. Generally, drivers are really good following a 4-way. Hard to see dark traffic lights in the dark so stay alert
Electricity.. It is different in South Africa. Take a converter with you. Available on Amazon
Phone use
Research your supplier for International use and costs
Get a Sim Card for your phone. Research what you need either physical card or E-card based on your needs.
You can buy a Sim card at the Johannesburg airport and we used Vodacom. Check the tourist package. Be aware it only lasts 30days and poof, gone on your 31st day and you can add to it at any Vodacom store. !!! Essential for GPS. Before you leave the salesperson ask if there is anything else you need to know. https://www.vodacom.co.za/vodacom/terms/vodacom-travel-sim
Whats App: we set up groups to communicate to several people at one time with the ews. We used Whats App exclusively for calls, texts etc in South Afica and International. Occasionally there is no WiFi where you are or power is off.
Driving in South Africa
Car rental
I used https://www.discovercars.com/
This site breaks it all down for you.
I used First Car Rental and highly recommend them in every way.
When you pick up your car ensure the car has a toll station transponder
Driving thoughts to consider.
GPS essential
Drive on the left side of the road which is easy once you get used to it.
Major cities and major roads are good, signage is good. Toll stations well marked. You drive to the lane that has the orange E-Tag sign.
There are also sensors over many of the roads that beep when your transponder is read for that road use. Toll payment is deducted from your car rental cost.
Long distances to drive, potholes and excessive truck traffic in many areas an issue.On many of the roads there are double trailer coal, timber,sugar cane and other trucks. They drive in convoy many times so they might pull into the yellow breakdown lane to their left to give you a little room to pass.
Roads mostly out of the cities have lots of potholes to watch out for to avoid. WAZE App warns you with “PotHole ahead” and if it is still there you click the App if you want to for WAZE points !!!
There are thousands of white Toyoto Taxis marked with colored stickers on the side. They beep a lot which is their language to pick up fares. They also may pull over suddenly when a passenger on the side of the road signals for a ride. Even on the highways. (freeways)
There are lots of pedestrians walking along the side of the roads even on Freeways.
At traffic lights vendors walk between the cars hawking their wares.
Gas (petrol) is very cheap. There are no self serve gas stations. An attendant will direct you into a line, fill you up, do windows or other checks if needed. They take credit cards at your window, check the total. Give them a R5 tip. Fill up when you are half way full, as gas stations can be far apart in many areas.
When you park in an open parking area for sightseeing, look to see if there is a sign “ Wash Your Car R75” By parking there you agree and will have to pay !!!
Watch carefully for pedestrians at night. In laurel areas where there are no street lights there are dozens of pedestrians walking along the side of the road and crossing the road in dark clothing. VERY hard to see
If your car is pulled over by the police to give you a ticket. Get the ticket form from them and say you will pay at the police station. Sadly especially in Johannedburg some police are bribing drivers under the guise of a ticket.
For more driving in South Africa tips
https://www.arrivealive.mobi/road-safety-advice-for-foreigners-driving-in-south-africa
Accommodations for bookings not at Zulu Nyala if travelling elsewhere
Grocery and other shopping
Grocery stores are much like ours. Checkers, Woolworths, Pick N Pay most common. Wine normally available in these stores but other alcohol is purchased in Bottle stores, liquor store.
The parking lots have a security person closest to the front entrance in black clothes and a Securityt patch. There are many other delightful free lance parking attendants in a yellow vest who will watch your car and also help you load your car. Tip R5
Safety
As with anywhere in the world safety tips are valuable.
We felt completely safe everywhere.
In Cape Town Central Business District particularly there are police on many corners and small police stations on many of the sidewalks.
We had a pickpocket experience in Cape Town when a vendor kept Ron talking. If you dont want to stop just say no and walk on.
UBER
Uber is very easy, safe,realiable,quick and cheap to get you anywhere
There are other ride share companies but we used UBER
VAT REIMBURSEMENT AT THE AIRPORT:
VAT reimbursement is only available on goods purchased with the proper documentation which is a detailed invoice with a description of the goods as well as a price breakdown of the items and taxes.
Foreign visitors to South Africa may claim back the value added tax (VAT) paid on items which they take out of the country when the total value exceeds R250. (Not food or restaurants bills)
Officials will also need to inspect the items so they can’t be packed in your checked luggage.
https://www.gov.za/services/custom-duties/how-apply-vat-refund
A few random photos that show some of the information in the blog.
