South Africa

Africa

South Africa is known as a destination offering a wide variety of landscapes and experiences, from some of the best game-parks in the world, to temperate wine producing regions, not to mention some beautiful beaches.

South African cuisine is heavily meat-based and has spawned the distinctively South African social gathering known as a braai, or barbecue. South Africa has also developed into a major wine producer, with some of the best vineyards lying in valleys around Stellenbosch, Franschoek, Paarl and Barrydale.

There are 11 official languages:- Afrikaans, English, Ndebele, Xhosa, Zulu, Sepedi, Sesotho, Setswana, Swati, Tshivenda & Xitsonga.

Main Ethnic groups: 79.3% Black, 9.1% White, 9.0% Coloured, 2.6% Asian.

Top 10 Locations:
Stellenbosch Stellenbosch is a wine district near Cape town in South Africa. Its known for its rocky mountain landscape, abundance of beautiful white Cape Dutch style architecture and as a great place for...
Cape Town Cape Town is one of South Africa's most exciting destinations.
Johannesburg Johannesburg, also known as Jo'burg, is the largest city in South Africa.
Port Elizabeth Port Elizabeth (Xhosa: Ebhayi; colloquial Afrikaans: 'Die Baai') is one of the largest cities in South Africa, situated in the Eastern Cape Province, 770 km east of Cape Town. The city, often...
Durban Durban (Zulu: eThekwini) is the third largest city in South Africa, forming part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. It is the largest city in KwaZulu-Natal and is famous as the busiest port...
Pretoria Pretoria, the administrative capital of South Africa, is in Gauteng.
Nelspruit Nelspruit is located in the Mpumalanga province of South Africa. It is a convenient base for exploring the Kruger National Park.
East London East London is a town on the Indian Ocean just east of Port Elizabeth.
Bloemfontein
Jeffreys Bay Jeffreys Bay is a seaside town in an area made famous by the movie "The Endless Summer".
National Transport
Long Distance Bus: 

Many parts of the country are connected by bus.
Main operators include:
SA Roadlink: http://www.saroadlink.co.za/
Intercape: www.intercape.co.za/
Greyhound: http://www.greyhound.co.za/
Translux: http://www.translux.co.za/

Tickets can often be booked online or at "computicket" outlets which can be found in shopping centers.

Long Distance Train: 

South Africa has a number of good long distance train routes, including a tourist - class service (Shosholoza Meyl) which is clean, affordable and safe.

Trains can be booked in advance through the Shosholoza Meyl reservations service on + 27 11 774 4555 - you'll get a reservation number and can then pick up and pay for your tickets at the station in South Africa.

Airlines: 

Budget Airlines in South Africa include:

Kulula: http://www.Kulula.com
1time: https://www.1time.aero
Mango: http://www.flymango.com/

Car Purchase: 
Its possible to purchase a vehicle in South Africa - prices are rumored to be best in Johannesburg.
Budget: 

Low:
South Africa is not a budget destination - its possible for shoe-stringers to get by on R250 per day (US$35/day as at Jan 2010) by taking local transport, staying in backpackers hostels or campling and self catering.
Mid-range:
Mid-range travel is relatively good value due to good quality facilities and availability of relatively cheap vehicle hire - particularly if travel is organised with groups to share vehicle costs and twin-share accommodation.
Top End:
As with all luxury travel, the sky is the limit. However the top end facilities are widely available and relatively good value when compared to many other destinations.

Visa Information: 

Citizens of most nations do not require a visa to enter South Africa - and are granted an entry permit of either 90 or 30 days on arrival.

90 Day permit on entry: African Union Laissez Passer, Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Botswana, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxemburg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Paraguay, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Spain, St Vincent & the Grenadines, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Venezuela, United States of America.

30 Day permit on entry: Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Cape Verde, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Gabon, Guyana, Hong Kong, Hungary, Jordan, Lesotho, Macau, Malaysia, Malawi, Maldives, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Peru, Poland, Seychelles, Slovak Republic, South Korea, Swaziland, Thailand, Turkey, Zambia.

Other passport holders will need to apply for a visa prior to arriving in South Africa.

Check the department of home affairs website for latest information: http://www.home-affairs.gov.za/visa_schedule.asp

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