“The world in one country “
 - Experience breath-taking landscapes and mountains!
 - Feel the pulsating life of the cities!
 - Enjoy a safari and get in touch with Africa’s bushes and wildlife. Terrific wilderness areas and nature reserves are waiting for you!
 - Walk on bushmen paths and experience unforgettable moments in one of the traditional Zulu- or Xhosa villages!
 - Get spoiled with a culinary delight in one  or more of the  many exquisite restaurants, hotels and winerys!
- Even the “flimmering air” and the heat of the steppes and deserts is fascinating!
- Beachlovers can undertake endless walks on awesome beaches and lovers of water sports are offered a large variety.
 - Enjoy hiking and camping in a most beautiful nature and see the variety in vegetation and birdlife!
 - Adventurers and sportsfanatics will totally recover their expenses.  Get “thrilled”! From “light” to “extrem”  almost any kind of sport is offered

And believe it or not you can even go skiing in South Africa (What about a ride on a “snowboard” downhill the sand dunes.........?!)

Travel Documents: All visitors to Southern Africa require a valid 10-year passport with no less than 1 year to expiry date. Some visitors to Southern Africa and/or the neighbouring countries require a visa. If you are not sure please check  before setting off for South Africa, as visas are not issued at South African Border Posts.

Language: Official language is English. Furthermore languages spoken are. Afrikaans, Zulu and Xhosa

Travel on the road/drivers licence: You will require a valid international driving licence. South Africa has got an extensive  and well signed network of roads throughout the country. You are driving on the left hand side and wearing of seatbelts is  compulsary. Max. speed in built up areas is 60 km/h,  100 km/h on overland roads and 120 km/h on the motorway/highway

South Africa is time is GMT + 2 00. When you fly east you lose time as your day becomes shorter, while by flying west you will gain time and your day becomes longer. An overnight flight is best recommended if you are travelling east.

Medical Supply/Pharmacies: The medical supply is very good. However you should sign a special travel medical insurance before your departure, which is prepared to pay for medical costs in case you need them.  There are pharmacies in almost every big city where you can get Malariaprophylaxes mostly much cheaper than in Europe. Large pharmacies have quite often a “Clinic” included where a nurse can help you with little injuries or “daily diseases” . It only costs a very little fee and quite often makes the  expensive consultation of a doctor unnecessary.

Health/vaccination: There are no compulsary vaccinations at the moment for South Africa. However only travellers arriving from a yellowfever area will need an internatiol and “up to date”certificat for a yellowfever vaccination. Depending on your travel saison you will have a malaria risk in some areas, especially in the Northern Province, Mpumalanga and in the northern part of KwaZulu Natal. Therefore it is essential to discuss the way of  your prophylaxes  with your local doctor early enough in advance before your departure. Have a swim only in waters were you can be sure that they are not infected with Bilharziose-Parasites (mainly in some still waters of the northern and eastern regions of the country).     Be also aware of Aids.

Currency/banks: The South African currency is called “Rand” (international= ZAR) and is devided in 100 cents. There are banknotes of  200, 100, 50, 20 and 10 Rand available, coins are R5, R2, R1, 50c, 20c, 10c, 5c, 2c and 1c. The banking hours during the week are from 8.30-15.30 and saturdays from  8.30-11.30. Here and in special exchange bureaus you may be able to exchange your foreign money or your traveller cheques. Most of the banks also provide an “Automatic Teller Machine” = ATM where you can draw money with your credit card. International credit cards are in general welcome in hotels, restaurants, shops etc. One exception: Filling stations are only accepting cash.

Tapwater: The water from taps is quite safe to drink and is among wine and beer one of the most favourite beverages of the South Africans.

Electricity: In general the voltage is 220/230 Volt, alternating current. You will need a 3 plug  adapter  which is available here in many shops.

Climate/clothes: In South Africa the saisons are vice versa than the ones on  the northern hemisphere. Summer and peak season is December, January, February. Very hot. Along the East coast you’ll find subtropic climate, while the climate around the Cape is  more a Mediterranean one. For activities like hiking and mountainbiking, autumn (March - May) and spring (September-November) is the best time. You can expect  pleasant summerwarm days but fresh nights. Even the winter months (June -August) are quite moderate.    The days might be shorter and it will be cold at night but during daytime the temperature is quite pleasant in most regions. Anyway you should be prepared to have some fresher rainy days as well. Best time for whale watching is of course from June until October/November when the giants of the sea come to the coastal regions.   Because of the many different climate zones within South Africa, this country is therefore in any season well worth a visit. We recommend comfortable loose fitting summerclothes all over the year but for the evenings you should have a warm fleece-/jersy as well as long trousers and jacket/rainjacket.  For hikes and safaris you should bring comfortable  hiking boots. Clothing in light colour is perfect. Very important,don’t forget to bring a hat/cap, sunglasses and sunblock because the sun can be very hot. In some hotels and lodges of the more exclusive category they prefer you to wear “smart casual”.

Security: Certainly also for South Africa you should observe some “rules” like for any other foreign big city in the world. Store all your valuable belongings rather in the hotelsafe, don’t move arround in townships or poor areas. Don’t walk alone through the street in the darkness and don’t show to be a wealthy tourist. You should be aware and pay attention like everywhere in the world.

Tax: Your personal belongings are of course free of tax.  You can make usage of the TAX- refund when you departure. At the airport, harbours or in special customs offices you may claim back the Value Added Tax (=VAT) of currently 14% of the goods purchased by yourself in South Africa. The total value of all goods should exceed 250 R and you will have to show original bills and slips, your passport and on request your flightticket as well as the purchased goods.

Shopping hours: Shopping hours are in general from  8.30 - 17.00 during the week and on saturdays from von 8.30 - 13.00. Many shops are open even on sundays. You will be able to buy groceries “around the clock” at filling stations and special supermarkets who are open 24 hour per day. In South Africa there are many beautiful shopping malls where you will find everything for your needs.

Accommodation/restaurants: In South Africa you will find accommodations and restaurants in every price range. From the most exclusive hotels, lodges and resorts to privat affordable guesthouses, bed and breakfasts and even selfcatering appartments, everything is available for you. There are awesome campsites and also the accommodations of the Nature Reserves are in general very recommendable.  The South African “Cuisine” is very good. There are many excellent restaurants, lots of pubs, bistros, coffee shops and even friends of the “fast food” will recover their expenses. South Africa is famous for the brilliant wines and for the beautiful winerys.  They are well worth a visit. Many winerys offer special programs like concerts, picnics etc. The South Africans are in general very hospitablel!

Tipping: It is usual to give a tipping of about 10 % as in most of the restaurants the tip is not included in the bill.  As the tipping is an essential part of the salary of the employees, they are mostly very friendly and helpful and mostly deserve an adequate tip. However, should you once not be satisfied with the service you must not hesitate to reduce it.

Telecommunication (internet,telephone,cellphone): South Africa has very good internet connections and  communicating via  email is quite popular.  You have the possiblity to hook up to the World Wide Web in the many Internet-Cafes available in most of the cities. If you prefer the telephone...., no problem, many of the hotels and lodges offer telephone and fax fascilities and of course  public coin or card telephones are widespreaded in the country. Telephone cards are available at the post offices.  The Country code for South Africa is 027.  The international country code in South Africa for USA/Canada is 091 and for Great Britain 944 whereas the 0 at your area code needs to be skipped. In any case we recommend to bring your cellphone with, as there is a good network here in South Africa and most of the systems work very well (except in far bush or mountain areas) and by the way it gives you a sort of independence and security in case you would like to be “guided” to your next accommodation. The two biggest suppliers are MTN and Vodacom. Both offer a tollfree helpline: MTN : 0800 111 0070 and Vodacom: 0800 111 234

Luggage: Among your personal things like clothes, toiletries, shoes, personal medication etc. of course there shouldn’t miss binoculars for game viewing, a good camera (perfect with telephoto lens), films and batteries (which are also available here), a torch, videocamera, travelguide book, maps, cellphone, your traveldocuments, passport ( with visa if necessary) , international driving licence, creditcards, cash, travellercheques (up to your needs).  We recommend to make a copy of all your important documents and to also take an additional set of passport photographs with you because that normally helps a lot in case you should lose for any reason your originals. Furthermore, depending on the area you will be travelling, don`t forget Malariaprophylaxes and insect repellent (also available here but you must consider the right time to take your prophylaxes), sunblock, sunglasses as well as a hat or cap.

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