GETTING THERE
Arriving by plane
The national airline South African Airways (SAA) (Internet: www.flysaa.com) offers daily direct flights from Frankfurt / M. and from Munich to Johannesburg and serves the route Zurich and Vienna-Johannesburg every day. From Johannesburg there are connecting flights to Cape Town every 30 minutes.
Austrian Airlines (OS) flies from Vienna to Johannesburg and Swiss (LX) from Zurich directly to Johannesburg and on to Cape Town.
Lufthansa (LH) ( Internet: www.lufthansa.com) flies from Frankfurt to Johannesburg and Cape Town. Air Berlin (AB) flies to Cape Town from Berlin, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Cologne and Munich. Condor (DE) connects Frankfurt aM with Cape Town and Johannesburg.
Eurowings (EW) flies from Cologne to Cape Town in winter.
Flight times
Frankfurt – Johannesburg: 12 hours; Frankfurt – Cape Town: 12 hours; Zurich – Johannesburg: 11 hours; Vienna – Johannesburg: 13 hours
Arrival by car
The most important long-distance connecting roads lead to Zimbabwe (via the Beit Bridge), Botswana (via Ramathlabama), Namibia, Lesotho and Swaziland
Coach connections to and from the capitals of neighboring countries with Greyhound (Internet: www.greyhound.co.za), Intercape ( Internet: www.intercape.co.za) and Translux (Internet: www.translux.co.za).
Arriving by train
The main routes to neighboring countries lead to Zimbabwe, Botswana and Mozambique. Further information is available from South African Railways (SPOORNET) (Internet: www.spoornet.co.za).
As a country located in Africa according to computergees, South Africa’s Blue Train (charter train) (Internet: www.bluetrain.co.za) runs regularly from Pretoria (Tshwane) to Cape Town and as a charter train from Pretoria to Durban and from Pretoria to the Kruger National Park.
The luxury train Rovos Rail (Internet: www.rovos.co.za) offers regular trips from Pretoria to Cape Town, from Pretoria to the Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe and from Pretoria to Duncan. Trains take 48 hours to cover the Pretoria-Cape Town and Pretoria-Victoria Falls route. Furthermore, there are special trips with Rovos Rail several times a year from Cape Town to Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) and from Pretoria to Swakopmund (Namibia).
The Shongololo Express (Internet: www.shongololo.com) connects South Africa with Zimbabwe, Zambia and Tanzania as well as Namibia.
Arrival by ship
The largest ports are Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth and East London. Various shipping companies such as Starlight Cruises (Internet: http://www.starlightcruises.co.za/) offer cruises from South Africa to the islands in the Indian Ocean or call at South Africa as part of other cruises.
MONEY
Currency
1 South African rand = 100 cents. Currency abbreviation: R, ZAR (ISO code). Banknotes are in circulation to the value of 200, 100, 50, 20, and 10 R; Coins in denominations of 5, 2 and 1 R as well as 50, 20, 10 and 5 cents.
Credit cards
MasterCard and Visa are widely used, but American Express and Diners Club are also accepted. Not all establishments accept credit cards. For example, you can rarely or rarely pay with a credit card at petrol stations and inland. Details from the issuer of the credit card in question.
ATMs
ec / Maestro card / Sparcard
cards with the Cirrus or Maestro symbol are accepted throughout Europe and worldwide.
Cash in the local currency can be withdrawn from ATMs with an ec bank card and PIN number, and cashless payments in large cities and tourist areas are also possible. EC cards that are connected to the Maestro system can be used at international ATMs, which are sufficiently available in the larger cities. ATMs are also located in shopping centers and at gas stations, these are usually guarded and maintained. Further information from banks and credit institutes.
Attention: Travelers who pay with their bank customer card abroad and want to withdraw money should find out about the options for using their card from their bank prior to departure.
Bank opening times
Mon-Fri 9 a.m.-3.30 p.m., Sat 8.30 a.m.-11 a.m. (regional variations are possible).
Foreign exchange regulations
The import of the national currency must be declared for a sum of R 25,000 or more. The export of the national currency is limited to the amount of the imported sum. Unrestricted import and export of foreign currencies, sums with a value of US $ 10,000 or more must be declared.
Currency Exchange
Money (especially euros and US dollars) can be exchanged in most banks and hotels (only upon presentation of your passport), at Cape Town International Airport even 24 hours a day. It is not recommended to exchange money on the black market.
LANGUAGE
Overview
The official languages are Zulu, Xhosa, Pedi, Afrikaans, English, Ndebele, North Sotho, South Sotho, Setswana, Swati, Tsonga, Venda.
DUTY-FREE SHOPPING
Overview
The following items can be imported into South Africa duty-free (people over 18 years of age):
200 cigarettes and 20 cigars and 250 g of tobacco;
1 liter of spirits and 2 liters of wine;
50 ml perfume and 250 ml eau de toilette;
Gifts up to a value of R 3,000 (no televisions).
Import regulations
Special permits are required for the importation of plants, vegetable material, meat, meat products and dairy products. There is an import ban for psychotropic drugs, jackknives, ammunition, explosives and for child and animal pornography.
SHOP
Overview
Gold, diamond and semi-precious stone jewelry, leather, velvet, ceramics, African handicrafts, safari suits and feathers.
Shop opening times: Mon-Fri 9 a.m.-6 p.m., Sat 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
NIGHTLIFE
Introduction
In the big cities there are theaters, cinemas, opera houses and concert halls. Some nightclubs and discos are open until the early hours of the morning. Live dance music is often played in the large hotels.
ACCOMMODATION
Hotels
Almost all well-known hotels are registered with the South African Tourism Association, which also checks the standard. More information from South African Tourism (see addresses). 800 hotels belong to the umbrella organization for the hotel and catering industry, address: Federated Hospitality Association of South Africa (FEDHASA), PO Box 718, Randburg 2125. Tel: (011) 886 23 94. (Internet: http: //www.fedhasa.co.za /).
Categories: A nationwide classification system was introduced in 1994. Participation is voluntary. Hotels are awarded 1-5 stars. The two additional color categories provide information about the standard of service and hospitality:
wine red– Good standard of service, wait staff and hospitality, in addition to the usual service.
Silver – Excellent standard of the range of services, the operation, hospitality, quality and the ambience.
At every hotel that takes part in this categorization, there is a badge that shows the star category and the additional classification color.
Camping
There are caravan parks in all popular holiday areas and along the scenic routes, and the standard is usually high. Fully equipped motorhomes can also be rented from some companies. The classification is based on the classification program for holiday homes. More information from South African Tourism (see addresses).