South Africa Travel Guide

Foreign nationals of the following countries/territories can enter South Africa visa-free: Other nations require a visa application to enter South Africa. The country has trialed an e-visa system for the following nationalities with 90-day entry and the obligation to enter through O.R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg: Albania, Algeria, Belarus, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Comoros, Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kenya, Liberia, Lithuania, Mali, Mexico, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan,…

The currency is the rand, denoted by the symbol "R" (ISO code: ZAR). It is divided into 100 cents (c). Notes are in denominations of R200, R100, R50, R20 and R10. Higher value notes are slightly larger in physical size than small value notes. All notes have a metallic security strip and a watermark. Two series of banknotes are in circulation and are legal tender in South Africa, the "Big Five" series (current version issued in 2005) and the "Nelson Mandela" series (introduced in 2012).

By plane

South Africa has a well-established domestic air travel infrastructure with links between all major centres. There are multiple daily flights to all the major airports within the country. Contact any of the airlines for details. It is worth comparing low cost airlines like Mango with the SAA rates as they usually have online specials which can be cheaper than the "low cost" carriers.

South Africa has 12 official languages, namely Afrikaans, Southern Ndebele, Xhosa, Zulu, Swazi, Northern Sotho, Southern Sotho, Tswana, Tsonga, Venda, English and Sign Language. Afrikaans is the mother tongue of the majority of the white and Coloured population, a first language of 14% of the population, spoken by 30%. Referring to this language as 'African' is very incorrect as South African corresponds with the native African languages: Zulu, Xhosa, Pedi, etc. (and of course, there are thousan…

The main safety issues in South Africa are violent crime, including gun crime, and HIV. You should be aware of the risks, but you can still have a safe and pleasant trip as millions of other people have each year.

Emergency and medical assistance

There are a number of independent emergency assist companies in South Africa

Hospitals

It is best to avoid public hospitals where possible. Private hospitals are of world class standard.

Phone

South Africa's country code is 27. Phone numbers within South Africa are of the format 0XX YYY ZZZZ. Large cities have area codes 0XX (Johannesburg is 011, Pretoria 012, Cape Town 021, Durban 031, Port Elizabeth 041, East London 043, Kimberley 053, Bloemfontein 051) while smaller towns may have longer area codes (0XX Y for example) with shorter local numbers.

South Africans are generally polite, friendly and accommodating to tourists. Talking slightly loud outdoors is quite normal, as South Africans tend to be a free thinking and exuberant bunch of people and such behaviour is ok amongst friends and acquaintances. Strangers should observe general protocols of politeness at first and if accepted, "when in Rome, do like Romans do". Smiling and acknowledging strangers is normal behaviour and a slight head nod or hand wave common practice. Striking an occasional chat with complete strangers in places like bus stops, supermarkets, bars, government build…