Ray

Hi,

We are looking to do a driving holiday in South Africa. We are English
and have driven many miles other than in our own country. Our usual
mode is to buy an aeroplane ticket, hire a car or 4x4 then simply
drive off finding ad-hock digs on the way. If we expect a higher
density of tourists we book in advance.

Because of the bad press over the past few years South Africa seems a
dangerous place to be, as did Jordan before we went but it was fine
there.

As you guess, my questions are :-

Is it *really* dangerous to drive about wherever? I cannot imagine
that it would be.

What is the traveling infrastructure like? Are there many "motels"
about or would one need to carefully plan the itinerary?


Well, thanks for even reading this, an opinion would be great.

Cheers, Ray.

Hans Martens

Ray schreef:

I have travelled many thousands and thousands of kilometers in
South(ern) Africa by car. With my wife and all alone. It is definitely
NOT a dangerous place to drive yourself. Most roads are in perfect order
and well laid out. Road signs and maps are very good as well.

For South Africa itself a normal car is enough. You'll only need a 4x4
for Botswana, Namibia (some places) or if you really wna t to go into
the wild.

The only thing you have to take care of is driving in the dark. So make
sure you plan your trips to arrive at the destination before dark. Then
you'll have no troubles and just a great time!

Hans

==================================
Hans Martens

Wildlife & Nature Photography
http://www.wildpicture.com
==================================

Philip

Ray wrote:
    > Hi,
    >
    > We are looking to do a driving holiday in South Africa. We are English
    > and have driven many miles other than in our own country.

Good idea,

South Africa is great for self drive and relatively safe; Stick to
'tourist areas' till you get he feel of it but avoid inner city areas.
Distrust pedestrians and hawkers at trafic lights, smash and grab can be
common in some areas.

Best book the first stopover but if you avoid Easter and Christmas
periods you will find plenty of motel type stops; your rental company
will provide you with maps and guidebooks.

You do not need an expensive 4x4 but make sure you have air-con. Don't
drive at night or animals/drunk drivers will get you, but like me, you
have the advantage of being used to driving on the proper side of the road.

Phil

Dave Patterson

Ray wrote:

    > Hi,
    > We are looking to do a driving holiday in South Africa.

Here's the country's #1 car rental company: http://www.avis.co.za
and select the link to the "International Visitors Special".
It is the best combination of rental rate + insurance that you,
as a tourist, will find.

    > Is it *really* dangerous to drive about wherever? I cannot imagine
    > that it would be.

"Wherever"? yes, there are parts of the big cities where you
would not be totally safe. The countryside? Travel during
the day and enjoy the beauty and safety of this wonderful
country.

    >> Are there many "motels"about or would one need to carefully plan the
    >> itinerary
The B&B and Guest House sector are highly developed and
I recommend this site for your research.
http://www.wheretostay.co.za/general/accommodation.htm
It is not a booking agency, but a web site that links you
directly to the operators of the accommodations. Lots of
information and lots of quality places to stay.
I do disagree with one other person who replied to you;
except for the metropolitan areas, I would say there are
not a lot of motor inns.

What may surprise you (or anyone) is how advertising, commercial
activity, etc., is limited to the towns and cities. The road system,
which is well developed, is mostly free of businesses. Major oil
companies have big service plazas, and you must pay in cash..
credit cards are not accepted for petrol purchases anywhere
in the country.

For ALL information about travel in South Africa, this is the place:
http://www.cbel.com/south_africa/

Marc Lurie

Hi, and thank you for deciding to visit our beautiful country.

Self-drive is an excellent choice in South Africa. Our roads network
is excellent with wide, well maintained highways between all major
areas, and good quality smaller roads between towns/villages in the
rural areas.

From a crime point of view, driving is very safe in SA, but there are
a few important tips:
1) AVOID the downtown areas of all cities at night. Inner city decay
is a problem in most cities, and although it is being seriously
addressed, the areas are still pretty run down and dingy.

2) AVOID the downtown areas of Johannesburg at all times. I know this
sounds very ominous, but Johannesburg is an enormous city with a
relatively small "downtown" area. Johannesburg central, Braamfontein,
and Hillbrow (an area of only a few square km's) can be very dangerous
for tourists, and just not worth the risk. The rest of Johannesburg is
much safer, and you shouldn't have any problems.

3) Keep a vigilant eye open when you are stopped at a traffic light.
If there are others in the car it is less likely to happen, but
smash-and-grab is becomming a problem in some areas. A person
pretending to be a street vendor or beggar (some pretend to be blind,
or crippled) will amble over to your car, and if the see a bag or
suitcase on the seat, they smash the window, grab it, and are gone in
an instant. I'ts never happened to me, but I never leave anything on
view, so there's nothing to steal.

4) Wherever you go, if there's a parking guard then your car will
probably be OK. All malls, shopping centres etc have parking
attendants, and the tip (payable when you get back to your car) is
optional, but commonly paid. In big cities I tip about R2, and in
smaller towns, R1 however I seldom tip for daytime parking.

From a general safety point of view, driving in SA can be made much
safer by following these tips:
1) Outside of cities, avoid driving at night. Animals and unroadworthy
vehicles are a major cause of accidents. It is not uncommon to come
upon a truck with no lights blocking the entire road, or to come
around a corner into a herd of cows.

2) In the cities, driving at night is not usually a problem unless you
get lost. There are drink-driving problems (it is estimated that
around 40% of all drivers after 6pm are above the legal blood/alcohol
limit), but I've seldom had any problems with drunk drivers.

3) We don't have the hassle of the ubiquitous Africa road block's on
our roads. Apart from the very occasional crime prevention/drink
driving road block you shouldn't come into contact with the police at
all.

4) The general speed limit is 120km/h on highways, and 60km/h in
towns/cities, with any changes clearly marked by roadsigns. Beware
that there are many speed traps on roads. They are either manually
operated by traffic police who will stop you and issue you with a fine
on the spot, and there are cameras. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE don't be
tempted to offer a policeman a bribe if you get caught speeding or
breaking a traffic law. Some of the cops will even ask you straight
out for a bribe, and if you pay them, you'll probably get away with it
because bribery is very widespread. Paying bribes is UNHEALTHY for the
country, and it must be stopped. Unlike many other countries in
Africa, you don't HAVE to pay the bribe. You are not expected to pay
on-the-spot fines for traffic offences, and you wll not be arrested
(except for drink driving) for any offence.

General:
1) It is not necessary to use a 4x4 vehicle in South Africa unless you
are specifically looking for 4x4 trails. 90% of our roads are
perfectly passable in a saloon car, and most of the national parks
(including Kruger) are either tarmac or good quality sand roads. A
vehicle such as a Toyota Condor / Landrover Discovery makes a good
vehicle for the national parks, as it has loads of space, and is
higher, for better game viewing.

2) For accomodation you have several options. In the cities there are
the usual hotels. High end hotels such as the Westcliff in Joburg cost
in exces of R4000 per night, but there are more affordable,
comfortable hotels available at around R400 per night. Chains to look
out for are Holiday Inn, City Lodge and Protea. However, a good
alternative for accomodation almost anywhere in the country is the B+B
option. Almost every town in SA has at least one B+B. They are usually
well signposted as you drive into the town. Prices range from as low
as R100 per person in some towns, although reasonable B+B's in cities
will be around R300 per person. If yo arrive outside the school
holiday period, you should have no problems finding accomodation.

3) English is widely spoken, and apart from some really rural areas,
you will have no problems getting around.

4) Petrol and diesel are widely available, but must be paid for with
cash. Credit cards are NOT allowed to be used for fuel purchases.

5) Apart from the remotest of areas, virtually everything you
buy/spend money on can be paid by credit card, and if a particular
vendor doesn't accept credit cards, there will be an ATM nearby.

6) There are some great restaurants, and there are some lousy
restaurants. Tipping is expected but not compulsory, and the rate is
around 10% for mediocre service up to around 15% for better service.

7) Virtually the whole country is under GSM cellphone coverage. The
national emergency number is 10111, and telephone number enquiries at
1023

8) You are not allowed to bring in any foodstuffs or animal products
into SA. Recently there have been sniffer dogs at Johannesburg
airport, looking for meat, dairy, cereals, poulty etc. This will be
confiscated. You are allowed to bring any amount of foreign exchange
into the country, as well as any items of a personal nature. A limited
amount of duty-free alcohol, cigarettes, and perfume is allowed, but
as you come from the UK, you'll find that it is cheaper to buy these
in SA anyway.

Pricing:
1) The current exchange rate is roughly R11 to the Pound.
2) Petrol is currently around R4-65 per litre. Diesel is slightly
cheaper.
3) A soft drink at a convenience store will cost around R4 to R6, a
beer in a neighbourhood pub will be around R6 to R10 for 340ml.
4) A main course at a swanky restaurant wil be around R80 to R120, and
a mid-level restaurant will be around R45 to R65 for a main course. A
sandwich snack at a convenience store will be around R10 to R15.

I hope this info is useful.

Marc - Johannesburg.

On Sun, 06 Mar 2005 09:23:25 +0000, Ray
<[email protected]> wrote:

    >Hi,
    >We are looking to do a driving holiday in South Africa. We are English
    >and have driven many miles other than in our own country. Our usual
    >mode is to buy an aeroplane ticket, hire a car or 4x4 then simply
    >drive off finding ad-hock digs on the way. If we expect a higher
    >density of tourists we book in advance.
    >Because of the bad press over the past few years South Africa seems a
    >dangerous place to be, as did Jordan before we went but it was fine
    >there.
    >As you guess, my questions are :-
    >Is it *really* dangerous to drive about wherever? I cannot imagine
    >that it would be.
    >What is the traveling infrastructure like? Are there many "motels"
    >about or would one need to carefully plan the itinerary?
    >Well, thanks for even reading this, an opinion would be great.
    >Cheers, Ray.
    >