Explore South Africa’s rich world…

Nothing screams tourist more than a kid in khaki shorts and a pith helmet climbing aboard the jeep. Whilst I wouldn’t advise buying an entirely new wardrobe for a safari is still sensible to plan your outfits to match the weather and terrain conditions.

There is never a guarantee that the famous table cloth will not appear on the mountain the day you plan to go or in fact for the weather to be windy or rainy. The best advice we can give is to check the weather forecast up to a week in advance and book tickets as soon as clear skies are predicted. Don’t just turn up at the cableway on a clear day either as chances are tickets will have sold out!

There have been water restrictions throughout South Africa in recent years and there were real fears that Cape Town would actually run out of water in 2018. Even if the water seems plentiful when you are there please don’t waste it. Also in South Africa you can drink tap water so don’t buy bottles of water as you don’t need to (just take a refillable water bottle with you especially during the warmer summer months).

Tipping is widely accepted in South Africa. Many workers supplement low wages with tips. In restaurants leave a tip that equates to approximately 10-15% of the bill.

Leave the expensive jewellery at home. Don’t walk around with your mobile phone in your hand (particularly in the evenings) and take care with expensive equipment such as cameras.

Car hijackings are unfortunately all too common in some parts of South Africa. It is important to always keep your doors locked. Keep valuables out of sight and don’t leave anything in your car overnight.

This is good advice for many places in the world and South Africa is no exception. Do not take unnecessary risks.

Card swopping scams are huge in South Africa. Tourists in particular are being caught out so pay attention when withdrawing cash.

Don’t withdraw large amounts of cash from ATMs or carry it in your wallet. Credit cards are widely accepted all over South Africa so carry small amounts of cash only.

Keep all valuables in your hand luggage do not leave it in suitcases. Johannesburg airport in particular has a bad reputation for things going missing from cases.

Don’t forget to check with your Doctor in case you need to take malaria tablets during your trip. Parts of the country are in malaria zones particularly around Kruger Park so make sure you have the correct medication.

South Africans drive on the left (like in the UK/Japan/ Australia and New Zealand to name a few other countries).

Don’t get out of your car in a national park under any circumstances. Don’t walk around with food in your hand near baboons. They will most probably try to snatch it and they can be extremely vicious. Be very careful at Cape Point where baboons become very aggressive when trying to take food (including trying to get into cars).