\n
Drakensberg<\/h4>\n
Basalt escarpment walking and 40,000 San rock paintings, the largest concentration on earth.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
When to go<\/h2>\n
The usable window is Oct\u2013Apr<\/strong>. February is typically the warmest month and December the wettest; the shoulder weeks either side of the peak give you most of the weather at a fraction of the price.<\/p>\n\n
Average temperature and rainfall<\/h4>\n\n
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<\/i>Temperature \u00b0C<\/span><\/i>Rainfall mm<\/span><\/div>\nIndicative national averages. Mountain and coastal regions vary sharply from these figures.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Getting there and around<\/h2>\n
International arrivals concentrate on Cape Town, and for most visitors that is the sensible entry point even when it is not the first place you want to be.<\/p>\n
Overland<\/h3>\n
Roads follow the valleys, which means the shortest line on the map is rarely the fastest route. Buses are cheap and slow; a shared car is often the better use of a day.<\/p>\n
Local transport<\/h3>\n
In Cape Town, use the metered taxi or a ride app rather than negotiating at the kerb, and carry small notes \u2014 change is a genuine problem in most of the country. Intercity travel is worth booking a day ahead during the Oct\u2013Apr peak.<\/p>\n
Local time<\/b>UTC+2. International dialling code +27.<\/div>\nFood and drink<\/h2>\n
Eat where the turnover is fastest. In South Africa that usually means the market stalls at lunch and the neighbourhood places that open at seven and stop serving when the pot is empty.<\/p>\n
Portions, timings and the position of the main meal in the day all vary from what you are used to. Ask what the kitchen is doing well today rather than reading down the menu, and order what the next table is eating.<\/p>\n
Passport and visa<\/h2>\n
Current position:<\/strong> Visa-free 90 days for many nationalities.<\/p>\nMost nationalities need a passport valid for six months beyond the date of entry, with at least two blank pages. Onward or return tickets are checked at the gate more often than at the border, and airlines apply the rule more strictly than immigration does.<\/p>\n
\n- Check your own government’s travel advice as well as the destination’s rules \u2014 they update at different speeds.<\/li>\n
- Where an e-visa or travel authorisation applies, apply through the official government portal. Search results are full of paid intermediaries.<\/li>\n
- Keep a photo of your passport page and any approval separately from the documents themselves.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
This page is a guide, not a legal source<\/b>Entry rules change without notice. Confirm with the embassy or official portal before you book.<\/div>\nMoney and costs<\/h2>\n
The currency is the South African rand (ZAR). Card acceptance is normal in cities and patchy outside them; carry enough cash for two days of small purchases at all times.<\/p>\n
\n
Rough daily budget<\/h4>\n\n- Budget \u2014 hostel, street food, buses<\/span>US$49<\/b><\/li>\n
- Mid-range \u2014 guesthouse, restaurants, some taxis<\/span>US$142<\/b><\/li>\n
- Comfortable \u2014 hotel, guided days, car<\/span>US$252<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Per person per day, excluding international flights.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Tipping<\/h3>\n
Rounding up is normal and welcomed; a set percentage is not universal. Check whether service is already on the bill before adding to it.<\/p>\n
Health and safety<\/h2>\n
Standard travel advice applies: routine vaccinations up to date, comprehensive insurance that covers the activities you actually intend to do, and a pharmacy plan for the ordinary things rather than the dramatic ones.<\/p>\n
\n- Carry oral rehydration salts. Most travel stomach upsets resolve in a day, and fluid loss is the part that causes trouble.<\/li>\n
- Check whether your insurance covers altitude and trekking above 3,000m \u2014 many policies exclude it by default.<\/li>\n
- Save the local emergency number to your phone on arrival, and note the nearest hospital to where you are staying.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Petty theft in busy tourist areas is the most common problem visitors report. Situational awareness handles nearly all of it.<\/p>\n
Culture and etiquette<\/h2>\n
The official language is 11 official languages. Learning six words \u2014 hello, please, thank you, yes, no, and the number two \u2014 changes how a trip goes far more than the effort suggests.<\/p>\n
Load-shedding schedules still affect some areas \u2014 check the app, and pick lodgings with a backup supply.<\/p>\n
A malaria-free reserve, a granite mountain and a wine tram, all within a single week.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Three capitals, eight biomes and a wine route beneath a mountain.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":292,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"touriza_continent":[4],"touriza_theme":[],"class_list":["post-45","touriza_country","type-touriza_country","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","touriza_continent-africa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.touriza.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/touriza_country\/45","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.touriza.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/touriza_country"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.touriza.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/touriza_country"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.touriza.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.touriza.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=45"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.touriza.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/touriza_country\/45\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":176,"href":"https:\/\/www.touriza.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/touriza_country\/45\/revisions\/176"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.touriza.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/292"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.touriza.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=45"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"touriza_continent","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.touriza.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftouriza_continent&post=45"},{"taxonomy":"touriza_theme","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.touriza.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftouriza_theme&post=45"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}