We are sure that if you are reading this post it is for want travel to South Africa Soon or you may already have the tickets and are looking for information about this amazing destination. Whatever the reason, what we can anticipate is that a trip to South Africa is as special and intense as all the places you can know and that we are sure, will become some of the unforgettable moments of your traveling life.
Although making a route through South Africa for free is perfectly feasible, as well as recommended, it is also true that there is not much information about the organization of the trip in Spanish, so after our experience, we want to leave you a series of tips for traveling to South Africa , which we hope will help you with the travel arrangements.
Best time to travel to South Africa
If you have specific dates to travel to South Africa, do not worry as we would dare to say that any time is good to travel to the rainbow nation. If this is not the case and you can choose dates, before deciding when to travel to South Africa, it is important to consider certain details, such as the activities you want to do or your tastes, to determine the best time to travel.
- High Season: Includes the months of December to March, at which time there are many more people in the tourist places, especially at Christmas and Easter, which are also the times when prices soar.
If you want to travel on these dates, you should book your accommodation well in advance, especially in national parks such as the Kruger, taking into account that there are even people who do it one year in advance.
It should be borne in mind that although it is high season, the weather is not always the best, since they are usually the wettest months of the year. - Mid season: The months of April and May, in addition to October and November, are the months that are included in the middle season in South Africa, being suitable for wildlife observation, since it is the time when the first and the first Autumn and with them also the good weather typical of these dates.
- Low Season: From June to September winter arrives in South Africa and with it the low season in the country, at which time the prices are cheaper and the ideal time for wildlife observation also begins.
Although the weather is usually optimal, keep in mind that it is usually a rainy season in the Cape Town area.
Noorhoeck Beach
If you only want to travel to South Africa for wildlife observation, there are other factors that we believe you should consider, in addition to time, to make your trip as complete as possible.
If you want to enjoy a safari, although logically the animals can be seen throughout the year, the best time is winter, at which time there is less vegetation and you can see much better. In addition to winter, the beginning of spring, in this case, is also an ideal time.
If you want to see the incredible southern whales, another reason why many travelers approach the South African coast, you must travel to South Africa between the months of June to December, at which time it is not strange to see them even from the own coast, as they usually get very close.
Visa to travel to South Africa
If you are Spanish, in order to enter South Africa you will need a valid passport with at least two blank pages and its expiration date must be at least 30 days after the date of departure from the country.
By having Spanish nationality you are exempt from a tourist visa for up to 90 days, provided that your passport meets the above conditions.
We recommend you always look at the website of Exteriors to check this data as they may change.
Transportation in South Africa
Although you could travel to South Africa considering making the route by public transport, according to our experience, it is best to choose to rent a car and if necessary, as we have done, on the flight from Port Elizabeth to Durban, make some internal flight between areas where you don't want to visit.
Rental car in South Africa
In our case, as we mentioned before, we have made the entire route of this trip to South Africa by rental car, something that has allowed us total freedom of movement and schedules and at the same time and after the experience, realize That is the best way to travel to South Africa.
Being an extensive topic, we wanted to dedicate practically a complete article that you can read in the post car rental in South Africa.
Book your rental car in South Africa with Rentalcars here
Book your rental car in South Africa with Rentalcars here
Rental car in South Africa
Rental car in the Kruger
As for the rest of the country, we advise you to rent a car in South Africa to tour the Kruger National Park.
In this case, it is best to have a high car, to have better visibility, something very important in the Kruger to be able to spot animals more easily. In the same way, you should keep in mind that at this stage of the trip you will spend many hours in the car, so it is recommended that this is comfortable and spacious.
Be sure to read the post about car rental in South Africa to get all the details of our experience.
Rental car in the second stage of the trip to South Africa
Although we always recommend contracting all-risk insurance, in this case punctual much more since it is not uncommon to have any mishap with the car such as scratches, a flat tire or a small scratch in the glass by a stone doing the safari.
In our case, we grated the car on one side, in Hlane and thanks to having Rentalcars Premium insurance, everything has been covered.
Travel insurance in South Africa
Another of the tips for traveling to South Africa, refers to health and is that if there is something important in any trip, is to make it safe. For that nothing better than having good travel insurance.
We always travel insured with Mondo, with whom we carry a totally adequate insurance to the needs that we will have on the trip.
The hiring process is very easy and intuitive and also, just for being a reader of Street Travelers, you have a 5% discount.
Vaccines needed to travel to South Africa
We wanted to add this point to the list of tips for traveling to South Africa to emphasize the importance of always going to a doctor for the issue of vaccination when we travel.
Please, make an appointment at your nearest vaccination center and with the travel information, consult your doctor with your case. Keep in mind that depending on your medical history, the days you travel, the time or even the type of trip, some vaccines or others may be necessary.
Travel blogs are great for giving information about routes, places to visit, tips, recommendations ... etc, but we are not doctors! Don't take your health lightly, please.
Accommodation in South Africa
We know that one of the things that take more time to organize a trip is the choice of accommodation. To travel to South Africa is no less, so we want to leave you a list of the hotels we have stayed in, of which you can read a more extensive review in the post Where to sleep in South Africa.
- Cape Town: Circa Luxury Apartment Hotel
- Hermanus: Hermanus Backpackers & Budget Accommodation
- Hoop Nature Reserve: Malagas Hotel
- Tsitsikamma National Park: Andelomi Forest Lodge
- Ballito: Hampshire Hotel
- St. Lucia: Lake St Lucia Lodge
- Swaziland Border: Tamboti Ridge Bed and Breakfast
- Swaziland / Hlane Park: Hlane Ndlovu Camp
- Kruger: Accommodations booked through the website of the National Parks of South Africa
- Graskop: Havana Nights
- Johannesburg: The Capital 20 West. In this case at the end of the trip, due to a change of plans, we ended up canceling this day in Johannesburg to add one more day to the Kruger. Despite this, we wanted to leave the link to the hotel that we had reserved that we believe, fits perfectly with a good value in addition to being located in a safe area.
Rondavel Ndolovu Camp
Another option is to rent an apartment with AirBnb. Remember that you can get 35 euros discount on AirBnb here.
Accommodation in the Kruger
Special mention has the accommodation in the Kruger. The first thing you should keep in mind is that you can stay in private, much more expensive reservations, with which you can also do organized safaris or choose to stay in the Kruger camps, as we have done, in which you can do the safaris with your own rental car or choose to do some directed game drive, which you can hire at the reception of the camps, for about R350 per person.
Accommodation in the Kruger
Be sure to read the post "Visit the Kruger National Park" in which we explain in detail all the data that refer to accommodation in the Kruger.
Information about the Kruger
As we mentioned earlier, in this post about tips for traveling to South Africa We wanted to summarize the highlights of our experience in the trip to South Africa in 25 days.
If you want to know more about the Kruger National Park, do not miss the following post we publish talking about more specific aspects so that your visit to the park and the safaris are an unforgettable experience.
Kruger National Park
Wild card
The Wild Card is a card that gives you unlimited access to more than 80 national parks, reserves and resorts in South Africa for one year.
There are several types of cards, depending on the number of people or the parks you want to include, being the general one for foreigners and the one we have chosen, the most recommended if you are going to make a route similar to ours, which includes many of the parks They are included.
The price is R2900 per person, R4530 for the card for two people or R5420 the family card for two adults and maximum 5 children.
Taking into account that the rate of the Kruger is R331 per adult and day, you can see that it is totally advisable to get one of them.
You have many more details about the Wild Card in the post "Visit the Kruger National Park".
Cheetah in the Kruger
Money in South Africa
One of the questions you ask us most, especially when we are traveling, is how to get money abroad. To avoid paying commissions and always having the current change, we recommend using the N26 card to pay and the Bnext and Revolut cards to get money at the ATMs. They are the ones we use, They are free and will save you a lot.
You can find more information in this article about the best cards to travel without commissions.
- Something to keep in mind is that in South Africa, especially in tourist places, you can pay by card in practically all places, so having a card without commissions can be the best travel companion.
- Regardless of what we mentioned earlier, carrying cash is also necessary, since in some places they do not accept a card, so it is always important to carry some local currency.
- In South Africa, the tip culture is widespread, with 10% of the bill being the most appropriate amount.
- If you travel by rental car, when you leave the car in a parking lot, you will see that although it is not paid, usually there is always someone who will tell you that take care of the car. Although it is not mandatory, it is okay to leave R10-R20 for the service.
- At gas stations, it is normal for you to wonder if you want the glass to be cleaned. As before, they will not ask you for anything, but it is important to be educated and leave them R10-R20.
Recommended excursions in South Africa
Although all the places that we have known in South Africa can be visited perfectly for free, if you want to know this country in a more comfortable way and know all its history, we leave you a series of guided tours in Spanish, perfect for traveling to South Africa:
Recommended excursions in Cape Town
As we have explained in the daily life in Cape Town of the practical guide of South Africa for free, in our case we have made all the visits on foot or by rental car. In case you don't want to use it, you have the following alternatives:
Similarly, we have made all visits for free, except those in which we needed to be accompanied by a guide, such as Robben Island. If you want to know more about the city or have tickets to some places booked in advance, something highly recommended, we recommend the following options:
Camps Bay Beach
Recommended route to travel to South Africa
Another of the tips for traveling to South Africa It refers to the route to be followed by one of the most incredible countries in the world.
Taking into account that it is impossible to cover everything and that time is also limited, we consider that with 3 weeks you can make a very complete tour that includes the most tourist places, in addition to of course, a few days in the Kruger.
In case of not having 3 weeks, you can leave the route to travel to South Africa in 2 weeks, reducing the number of days in the Kruger and eliminating some of the stages of the trip that we have made.
Something important, whenever possible, is to make the route starting with Cape Town and ending in Johannesburg. This will allow you to make the visits of "more or less", leaving the Kruger to the end which is for us the most amazing place in South Africa.
- Cape Town: Recommended a couple of days to get to know the most important places. In addition you will have a little margin in case some day it dawns with fog, to change the day to go to Table Mountain.
Route to know Cape Town in one day
Route to know Cape Town in 2 days
Signal Hill in Cape Town
- Cape Peninsula: Book a day to get to know the Cape Peninsula, one of the most incredible places in this area of the country.
What to see in the Cape Peninsula
What to see in the Cape Peninsula. Cartel "Cape of Good Hope"
- Garden Route: Although technically we can say that the Garden Route goes from Mossel Bay to Tsitsikamma, we have added To this route the Hermanus area, one of the essential places to see in South Africa.
Whale Watching in Hermanus
What to see in the Garden Route
Garden Route in South Africa
What to see in Tsitsikamma National Park
Garden Route in South Africa
- Flight from Port Elizabeth to Durban: This section of the route through South Africa we prefer to do it in flight, in order to save time and start the second stage of the trip, in which nature and animals are the protagonists.
Flight from Port Elizabeth to Durban - St. Lucia: In St. Lucia, we recommend you spend a couple of days to be able to make an excursion through the estuary to see hippos and another to tour Isimangaliso, where you can make the first safari of the trip.
From here, whenever you have time, it is advisable to go to the Swaziland border, for the next day, enter this new country and visit Hlane.
What to see in Isimangaliso
Excursion hippos in Saint Lucia
Hippos in St. Lucia
Rhinos in Isimangaliso
- Hlane in Suatziland: Although after our experience we would recommend spending a couple of days in Hlane, with a day touring the park you can enjoy the unique experience of doing a safari where you can see, whenever you are lucky, rhinos a few meters away of you. Without a doubt, one of the most incredible experiences of traveling to South Africa.
Hlane Park, one of the places to see in Swaziland
Game Drive Hlane Park
- Kruger National Park: Without a doubt, the icing on the cake. Whenever possible, we recommend spending a minimum of 4-5 days to get to know its most important areas and enjoy one of the most incredible places in the world.
Visit the Kruger National Park
Kruger Safari for free
Kruger National Park
- Panorama Route: After touring the Kruger, on the way to Johannesburg, we recommend spending a day and a night on the Panorama Route, where you can enjoy infarct landscapes and incredible waterfalls.
What to see on the Panorama Route
Panorama Route
Internet in South Africa. Buy a SIM card to connect to the internet
In South Africa you can find different companies to buy a free SIM card to connect to the internet or call during your trip.
In our case we have opted for Vodacom, since this is the one that offers better and greater coverage in the country, including many of the areas of the Kruger Park, which with other companies are not covered.
Keep in mind that there are Vodacom stores scattered throughout the country, including the main cities, where you can purchase the SIM cards although in our experience, as we did when we flew to Cape Town in South Africa, we advise you to buy it directly at the airport , either in Johannesburg or Cape Town, since here they are very used to this process and will provide you with all the data in addition to the activation themselves.
It is also important to know that Vodacom has different plans, depending on the data you want to acquire and the days you are going to use them. We opted for the 20Gb for 30 days for 1010 rands and the 10Gb, also for a month, for R605, which served us to work and be connected throughout the entire trip to South Africa in 25 days.
If you do it at the airport, as in the main stores of big cities, you can pay with Visa or MasterCard.
SIM card plans in South Africa
Another option is to choose to buy one Holafly SIM card, with which you will have internet from the moment you land, saving you all the time of the negotiations and making the whole process to have internet in South Africa much more comfortable, fast and easy.
In this case, with the Holafly SIM you will have several Gb to surf the Internet (depending on the option you choose), you will keep your WhatsApp number and you will have support service in Spanish. You can buy your Holafly prepaid SIM card here with a 5% discount for being our reader
More information on the Holafly post, the best prepaid SIM card for travel
Security in South Africa
One of the things for which you have asked us the most travel to South Africa It has been for safety. The first thing we want to comment is that there is undoubtedly a security problem in South Africa, although this does not necessarily imply that you should have a problem traveling around the country, much less if you put basic precautions and travel with common sense.
Taking into account that we are not experts in the subject, since we have only traveled 25 days in the country, we leave you a series of recommendations according to our experience:
- If you travel by rental car, do not forget to close the car latches to avoid unpleasant surprises.
- Try not to drive at night and if you have to, avoid places that you don't know.
- Do not leave valuables in sight in the car, it is best to always leave them in the trunk.
- In the cities, ask in the accommodations which areas are safe and which ones you can go at night.
- Despite the previous recommendations, you should keep in mind that tourist places are usually very safe, so it is also important to relax and above all, enjoy.
Learn much more about this topic in the post we publish about security in South Africa.
Security in South Africa
Various tips for traveling to South Africa
We leave you a series of recommendations to travel to South Africa, in addition to some basic aspects, of a country that we are safe, will surprise you and make you fall in love equally.
- During much of the year, in South Africa you will have the same time as in Spain less when the summer time is established in Spain.
- Although business hours may vary from one location to another, they generally open from 10am to 6pm. Supermarkets usually open until 8-21pm and on Sundays, most shops close.
- South Africa has eleven official languages: Zulu, Xhosa, Afrikaans, Pedi, English, Tswana, Sotho, Tsonga, Swati, Venda and Ndebele, with English being the second most spoken language, so you will have no problem traveling around the country.
- The current is 230V and the frequency is 50 Hz. The plugs and plugs are of the D / M type that are not usually common in universal adapters. Keep it in mind to buy a special one or buy one once you are in South Africa.
- The currency of South Africa is rand (R) and in 2018 16 rand is approximately 1 euro.
- As we mentioned earlier in the money section, in South Africa the use of a card, whether Visa or Mastercard, is very widespread for payments as well as for taking out money.
- The prefix to call South Africa is +0027 plus the code of the city you call.
- Holidays in South Africa:
1 of January New Year
March 21 - Human Rights Day
April 27 - Freedom Day
May 1 - Labor Day
June 16 - Youth Day
August 9 - Women's Day
September 24 - Tradition Day
December 16 - Reconciliation Day
25th December, Christmas
December 26 - Goodwill Day
If an official holiday falls on a Sunday, the holiday is passed to Monday. Except for the special Christmas and New Year dates, most tourist services and attractions remain open despite being festive as well as shops and restaurants.
Cape Town
- We do not want to end this post without thanking Claudia de Solo Ida and Jairo, Rubén and Lucy de Algo to remember and Dave from Mi mundo in a suitcase, which together have helped us with the preparations to travel to South Africa. Without forgetting Cristina de Te travel story, a blog that although we arrived at the last moment, helped us a lot with all its recommendations.
In addition to these, we cannot and do not want to forget all those who through Instagram have helped us with countless messages, giving us recommendations to make the trip to South Africa unforgettable.
And of course, to all who read us and accompany us on the trips, either through the blog or through social networks. Without you, Street Travelers would not exist. Many thanks!
Many thanks!
Recommended restaurants in South Africa
We know that one of the most important aspects when traveling to South Africa is to know its gastronomy. Given this, we want to leave you a series of recommendations and advice, both of the restaurants we have tried throughout the trip, as well as the remarkable things that have caught our attention.
- Keep in mind that in South Africa, including the Kruger, in most restaurants or coffee shops, you can pay by credit card.
- The price of restaurants in South Africa, in general, is very tight, being able to eat in most cases for less than 10 euros per person and food.
- Something important is to know that the tip is not included in the ticket and is practically "required" leave 10% of the total bill. Although it may sound strange to you, think that in the US this is also mandatory and in addition, the service is in most cases, very professional and attentive.
Restaurants in Cape Town
Charly's Bakery: Well-known bakery that became famous for the television series and that has become a reference in the city. We ordered a caramel cheese cake, a traditional cookie, coffee and coffee with milk for 9.81 euros in exchange, which although they are very good, make us see that it is more fame than not the quality of the product.
Charly's Bakery
Raw and Roxy: Vegan crudi restaurant located next to Green Market Square, where we ordered an assortment of more lasagna dishes and two juices for R330. Really spectacular! Super recommended!
Raw and Roxy
Kalky's Fish & Chips: Restaurant in Fish Hoek, on the Cape Peninsula, located next to the harbor, which they say serves one of the best fish and chips in the world. We ordered a hake with potatoes, pike with squid and potatoes, soda and beer for R288, which confirm that it is one of the freshest fish and chips we have ever eaten.
Kalky's Fish & Chips
Willoughby & Co: Located at the Waterfront, this restaurant specializes in sushi, is one of the most recommended in Cape Town. We ordered three varieties of rolls plus water for R576, plus 10% tip, something that must be taken into account in restaurants in South Africa, since although it is not included in the ticket, it is practically mandatory, as in the US, to leave it.
Willoughby & Co
Col'Cacchio: Known for being one of the most recommended pizzerias in Cape Town, it is a very central restaurant where you can enjoy a good plate of pasta or pizza. We ordered a couple of pizzas, water and beer for R343.
Col'Cacchio
Restaurants on the Garden Route
Pearl Tree: Restaurant in Hermanus, located in the most central area of the town, where we order a squid dish, special hamburger plus beer, soda, dessert and two coffees for R392 that we have to confess, they are spectacular!
Pearl tree
Fig Tree: Restaurant located just 3 kilometers from the entrance of De Hoop where we ask for a couple of sandwiches plus two water beer and two expressways by R370, before doing the trails and the truth is that it is a highly recommended option.
Zuccini Restaurant: Restaurant located on the Garden Route 11 kilometers from Mossel Bay and 30 kilometers from Knysna. Located in an organic town, with a very pleasant atmosphere, this restaurant is one of the most recommended in the area and a very nice stop if you pass by here and it fits you at lunch or dinner. We ordered a vegetarian sandwich, large water burger and two espresso for R280 which are great.
Zuccini Restaurant
Tsitrus Cafe: This charming little restaurant on Storms River is one of the most recommended in the area, where we ordered a special dish of the house, pizza, water and glass of wine for R250 that give us a wonderful dinner.
Dinner at Tsitrus Cafe
Restaurants in St. Lucia
Kauai: Coffee shop in St. Lucia with a lot of charm in which we ordered a couple of breakfast bowls, large cappuccino and large American for R137. Super recommended!
Breakfast in Saint Lucia
Ocean Basket: This is one of the most recommended restaurants in Santa Lucia, located in the heart of the town and only 4 kilometers from the entrance of Isimangaliso Park. We ordered an assortment of prawns and squid for two people plus beer and water for R361, great!
Eating at Ocean Basket
Braza: This is another of the most recommended restaurants in Santa Lucia, located right next to the previous one. We ordered a steak plus a plate of fish, beer, water and express for R600. Super recommended!
Eating in Braza
Restaurants in the Kruger National Park
In the Kruger National Park you will find different restaurants according to the camp. All have an extensive menu, which highlights the typical dishes of the area, which are usually a selection of 3-4 options and dishes Fast food like hamburgers, sandwiches, salads or panini.
In addition to restaurants, all major camps have a breakfast menu, which includes healthy bowls, toast or sandwich.
The prices in the restaurants of the Kruger National Park are very tight, comparable to those that you can find in any city of those visited when traveling through South Africa.
Restaurants in the Kruger
Breakfast at the Kruger
Ruta Panorama Restaurant
Harrie's Pancakes: Known for being one of Graskop's busiest restaurants, it is undoubtedly a must in the city if you want to try the best pancakes in the world. We ordered a chocolate, banana and peanut butter pancake plus a sugar and banana pancake, with an American and a coffee for R157. Awesome!
Harrie's Pancakes
