South Africa Is Amazing

South Africa Pictures:

Camps Bay, Cape Town, South Africa.

South Africa is a massive, fascinating country with magnificent scenery, great wildlife, excellent food and wines, attractive climate, dramatic history and lovely people - well,mostof them are very pleasant.
These pictures show some of South Africa's highlights, so either click on the image above to get the full gallery on the trot or click on one of the links at the bottom of the page to select an area of particular interest.

Drakensberg Pictures

With 40% of the country's population living below the poverty line, petty theft is a common problem and violent robbery an occasional one.
Both can be avoided if you apply a little common sense. Start with basic rules such as: Don't leave valuables unattended on the beach or lying on the back seat of your car; don't flash your cash or wear expensive clothes, keep the camera under cover till you need it and stay away from dark urban areas at night.
ATMsare bad news with endless potential scams. Some basic rules are:don't use ATMs at night, don't accept help fromanyoneand press cancel immediately after inserting your card.If it comes out then the ATM is probably safe to use, so insert the card again.
SeeTravel Safetyfor more suggestions.

Garden Route Pictures

Travel Health:
Aidsis pandemic in much of the country so this is not a good destination if you're single and looking for 'companionship.'
Malariais on the wing in the far east [e.g. Kruger Park and Swaziland], so take precautions if you're planning to travel there other than June-August [winter]. Seemalariafor suggestions.
Bilharziais another eastern hazard. It's a miniscule worm that lives in stagnant fresh water, so don't bathe in lakes or slow moving rivers, and sterilize any wild water you're going to drink. If you accidentally get wet, dry off a soon as you can, clothes too.

In Capitals:
South Africa has three capital cities!
As a result of a compromise that created the Union of South Africa in 1910, the administrative capital is Pretoria, the legislative capital is Cape Town, and the judicial capital is Bloemfontein.

Cuisine for the common man meanslarge portions of well-prepared meats or fish, often fried or barbecued, and atlow pricesby European standards.
Seafood is especially fresh, varied and succulentand combined with the normaloutsize glass of superb local winemakes a great meal.
Meat ranges from seriousbeef steaks to gamey ostrich, croc, kudu and spicy sausages, with high quality beers or red wines as an excellent support act. Dried meat - biltong - is the local's primary snack.
Vegetarianscan have a thin time in this beefy country, though Indian and Italian restaurants are some help and cheese and eggs are always available.
Restaurants are generally relaxed and kid-friendly and tap water is clean and good to drink.

Transport:
Air:the country is huge so those with limited time - even budget travellers - should consider domestic air travel. e.g. from Kruger Park's airport [Nelspruit] to Durban or Cape Town.
Car Hire:Prices are low and there is such a profusion of scenic drives, excellent roads and worthwhile places to go, coupled with limited public transport that self-drive makes sense. Car-jacking is very rare but keep all doors locked habitually.
Driving tips:Robots are traffic signals!
Many roads are two lanes with emergency lanes that slow vehicles often use to let faster ones go by. The overtaking car then flashes hazard warning lights in thanks.
Roads are generally wide, straight and uncrowded so you can make good time if you wish, particularly on some gorgeous secondary [R] roads.
Other drivers are usually controlled and considerate, but beware night driving when drunks hit the highway.
If you stop at night at a red light and feel uneasy, especially in Durban/Jo'burg, check left/right and drive on.