South Africa | Travel By Air, Water & Road

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Getting Around by Air

Domestic flights are run by South Africa Airways (website: www.flysaa.com) in conjunction with their subsidiaries SA Airlink and SA Express, Nationwide (website: www.flynationwide.co.za) and by three no-frills airlines; Kulula (website: www.kulula.com), 1Time (website: www.1time.co.za) and Mango (website: www.flymango.com). Daily flights link Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Durban, East London, George, Johannesburg and Port Elizabeth. All the airlines run on these principal routes between the main cities, while South African Airways also operates between Johannesburg, Kimberley and Upington. Good deals can be found if booking early online.

Getting Around by Water

Cruise ships stop in Cape Town and Durban ports.

Getting Around by Rail

The principal intercity services are run by Shosholoza Meyl (tel: 011 774 4555; website: www.spoornet.co.za/ShosholozaMeyl/index.jsp), and there are eight daily trains that crisscross the country. Trains go between Johannesburg and Musina, Durban, East London, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town and also between Cape Town and Durban. These trains are cheap, but very slow and most journeys go overnight. Simple accommodation is provided in compartments with four or six berths and there is a snack bar. Children under four years of age travel free. Children aged four to 12 years pay half fare. Premier Classe (tel: 011 774 4555; website: www.premierclasse.co.za) runs between Johannesburg and Cape Town twice a week. This is a little nicer than the regular train with a formal dining car and extras such as gowns and toiletries.

Luxury trains
The Blue Train (tel: 012 334 8459; website: www.bluetrain.co.za) and the Pride of Africa (tel: 012 315 8242; website: www.rovos.co.za) offer luxurious cabins with baths and digital entertainment, plus gourmet food and fine wines in the elaborate dining cars. Often dubbed 5-star hotels on wheels, they both run between Pretoria and Cape Town.

Gautrain Rapid Rail Link
This is presently under construction and when completed, in time for the 2010 FIFA Football World Cup, will link Johannesburg with Pretoria via OR Tambo International Airport (tel: 011 997 8900; website: www.gautrain.co.za).

Getting Around by Road

Traffic drives on the left. There is a well-maintained network of roads and national highways in populous regions. Except for rural lanes and tracks in national parks and game reserves, most roads are paved. The exceptions are the main roads in Kruger, which are tarred and suitable for a normal car. Road signs are in English and Afrikaans. National highways link the main cities; they are denoted with an ‘N' and are toll roads. Expect to pay around R0.25 per kilometre. Many of these run into neighbouring countries. There are 24-hour service stations with convenience stores, restaurants and ATMs at regular intervals along the major routes. However it should be noted that credit cards cannot be used to pay for fuel; only cash is accepted.

Bus/coach: Various operators, such as Greyhound (tel: 083 915 9000; website: www.greyhound.co.za), Intercape (tel: 0861 287 287; website: www.intercape.co.za) and Translux (tel: 0861 589 282; website: www.translux.co.za), run intercity express links across the country using modern air-conditioned coaches with onboard toilets, movies and refreshments. Be aware, however, on long distances the buses travel overnight so you may arrive at your destination at an inconvenient hour. Bus tickets can also be booked through South Africa's national reservations ticketing system, Computicket (website: www.computicket.co.za), which also has kiosks in the larger shopping malls.

The Baz Bus (tel: 021 439 2323; website: www.bazbus.com) is a hop-on, hop-off bus service that runs between Cape Town and Durban and between Durban and Pretoria via Johannesburg on two routes; one via the Drakensberg and one via Swaziland. It picks up and drops off passengers at backpackers' hotels.

Taxi: Available throughout the country, at all towns, hotels and airports, with rates for distance and time. For long-distance travel, a quotation should be sought.

Car hire: To hire a car, travellers must have a valid driving licence. Self-drive and chauffeur-driven cars are available from both international and local car hire companies at most airports and in major city centres.

Regulations: In non-residential areas, speed limits are 120kph (75mph) and 60kph (35mph) in built up areas. Overtaking is permitted in any lane, including the hard shoulder. Speed cameras are common and fines for speeding and drunk driving are very heavy. It is illegal to carry petrol other than in built-in petrol tanks. It is compulsory to wear a seat belt and obligatory that all vehicles carry two red triangles to be placed 20m (66ft) in front and behind the vehicle in the event of a breakdown.

Emergency breakdown service: Automobile Association (AA) (tel: 083 84322; website: www.aa.co.za).

Documentation: An International Driving Permit is not required, and drivers can use a licence from their home country as long as it is in English. Generally the minimum age is 25 but with some companies it is 21.

Note: Visitors are advised to avoid the Berea and Hillbrow areas of Johannesburg. There have been a number of muggings around the Rotunda Bus Terminal in the city centre.

Getting Around Towns and Cities

There are bus networks in all the main towns. These are run in Cape Town by Golden Arrow, in Durban by Myna, and in Johannesburg by Metrobus. Fares are zonal, with payment in cash or with 10-ride pre-purchase ‘clipcards' from kiosks.

There is an urban train network Metrorail in the larger cities, which is used by commuters. These trains are generally not recommended to visitors due to a high crime risk.

Minibus taxis are also found in all South African towns. These, although cheap and very fast, should be used with care as they are driven rather recklessly.

For ordinary taxis, fares within the city areas are fairly expensive. Taxis do not cruise and must be ordered by phone. Taxi drivers expect a 10% tip.