South Africa

Getting There

The 2 main airports in South Africa are O R Tambo International in Johannesburg (JNB) and Cape Town International (CPT). The country is served by more than 70 international airlines. Flights from Europe are generally just a sleep away with journeys in both direction usually made overnight. Flying times from the UK are around 11 hours for direct flights.

Provinces

South Africa is made up of 9 provinces each with something to offer to visitors. Magnificent beaches, stunning scenery, cosmopolitan and diverse cities, historic battlefields and not forgetting, the Big Five

More>>

Languages

There are 11 officially recognized languages, most of them indigenous to South Africa. However, English is widely used and is spoken almost everywhere. All road signs and official forms are in English. The other major languages are isiZulu, isiXhosa and Afrikaans, a derivative of Dutch.

Electricity

South African power outlets are 220v and their standard fitting is a 3 round pin plug. However, a number of hotels also offer international sockets which accept UK and European plugs too.

Driving in South Africa

Although South Africa is a large country, driving around within the country is a good option as it gives you flexibility in your itinerary and allows you to visit some of the many hidden away jewels of this fantastic country. The road network is made up for modern highways, toll roads, single lane tarmac roads as wells as dust roads so journey times may take longer than you would expect.

If you have a valid drivers licence that is in English and contains a photo, you won’t need an international driving licence when renting a car. Driving in South Africa follows virtually the same rules of the road to countries such as Britain where motorists drive on the left.

Train Journeys

Since colonial days, train travel has played a vital part of the transportation network in Southern Africa.

Today, air travel is becoming more popular but the timeless beauty of train travel is still available with Rovos Rail, Shongololo Express and the world famous Blue Train.

More>>

World Cup 2010

South Africa has been given the honour of being the first African country to host the FIFA World Cup. The opening and final matches will be played at Soccer City in Joburg and there are another 9 venues around the country in Durban, Cape Town, Joburg, Pretoria, Port Elizabeth, Polokwane, Bloemfontein, Rustenburg and Nelspruit.

>Back to Top