South Africa

The best month to visit South Africa would be the month of May. The region enjoys a warm and dry weather, with a little chilly evenings. This is when the peak summer crowds subside and there are lesser crowds everywhere in the region, you can thus explore the place in peace. September and October also provides decent climate to make your visit to South Africa. These months are also the best months to experience the safari. However, the country is best avoided during the months of June and July when it is cold all throughout the day and night.

There are 10 international airports in South Africa, so the options are plenty on how to get there. The most frequently flown in and popular airports are the Cape Town International in Cape Town and Tambo International in Johannesburg. The most common route from India would be to take a plan via one of the middle- east countries, preferably Dubai followed by Kuala Lumpur or Singapore.

Yes, you do require a visa to visit South Africa and the visa needs to be processed prior to your visit. The visa consulates for South Africa are in Delhi and Mumbai, you will have to complete your processes over there. In order to obtain your visa, you are required to have certain documents in hand such as: passport validation, tickets confirmation, stay confirmation, passport size photo etc. It is advisable to apply for the visa as early as possible as the time taken to process the visa depends. Moreover, the consulate/embassy decides on the sole discretion of your visa. There will also be a fee applicable that needs to be paid in cash.

The currency used in South Africa is the South African Rand and the code is ZAR. The exchange rate of the Rand is 1 USD = 14.46 ZAR = 68.95 INR. It is advisable to exchange your currency to Rand once you get to South Africa as the rates are much better over there than elsewhere. You could either exchange your notes at the banks there or use the ATMs to withdraw money. ATM’s charges are much lower than the rest and is thus advisable to use them, however, ensure you do not withdraw multiple times as charges being levied each time will lead to losing out on the best rates eventually.

South Africa is as natural and picturesque as one can imagine. Some of the major tourist attractions in South Africa are:

• Kruger National Park, Mpumalanga and Limpopo provinces
• Cape town, Western cape
• Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, Northern Cape
• Stellenbosch, Western Cape
• The Drakensberg, KwaZulu-Natal
• The Garden Route
• iSimangaliso Wetland Park, KwaZulu Natal
• Blyde River Canyon Nature Reserve, Mpumalanga
• Cage dive with Great White Sharks
• Robben Island, Western Cape
• Durban’s Golden Mile, KwaZulu Natal
• Johannesburg and Pretoria, Gauteng

South Africa is a perfect destination for adventure junkies and nature lovers. Here is a list of crazy things you could try during your visit to South Africa:

• Ride an Ostrich – at Highgate Ostrich Show Farm, Cango Ostrich Show Farm, Safari Ostrich show Farm.
• Swim with penguins at Boulders Beach near Cape Town
• Dive with Great White Sharks – at shark alley in Gansbaai
• Big Rush Rope swing at a soccer stadium in Durban
• Kayaking through crocodiles and wildlife
• Jump off the crystal pools cliff

The South African cuisine mainly involves food around meat. Some of the traditional specialities of this cuisine are Bobotie, biltong and droewors. These authentic dishes are not easily found elsewhere and the best places to try these foods are:

• Boesmanland Plaats Kombuis – Langebaan
• Karibu – Cape town
• GOLD restaurant – Cape town
• Lucky bean – Johannesburg
• Savoy Cabbage – Cape Town
• Marco’s African Place – Cape Town

The modes of public transport that you can use to commute around South Africa are:

• Buses – cheapest mode of travel
• Shared taxi – take security/safety measures if you opt for this.
• Private taxi – most expensive mode but convenient.
• Minibus

Yes, there are certain vaccinations recommended before you make your trip to South Africa. For travellers going for a short period, the recommended vaccines for South Africa are Tetanus and Diphtheria, Hepatitis A and Typhoid. For those going for longer periods, Rabies and Hepatitis B may need to be considered.

Unlike most other countries, South Africa is not limited to just one official language and has about 11 local languages spoken in the region. They are Afrikaans, Zulu, Xhosa, Southern Sotho, Tswana, Northern Sotho, Venda, Tsonga, Swati, Ndebele and South African English. Zulu is the most common among the languages spoken there with 23% of people communicating in this language. Here are some phrases in Zulu that you could use during your trip to South Africa:

• Hello - Sawubona
• Thank you - Ngiyabonga
• What is the price of this? – Iyini intengo yalokhu?
• How far is the place? – likude kangakanani le ndawo?
• How are you? – Unjani?
• Can you help me? – Ungangisiza?
• See you soon – sizobonana maduze
• Could I order...? – Ngingayala yini lokhu?

South Africa has one of the most developed lifestyle shopping centres offering luxurious and top end retail brands. Here are a few places you should shop at during your visit to South Africa:

• V&A Waterfront – boutique stores
• Sandton City – international brands and Nelson Mandela square
• Gateway theatre of shopping – lots of entertainment along with your general shopping outlets.
• Canal walk – leading brands available here.
• Cape Quarter – South African inspired art and furniture.

With so much to explore and experience in this country of adventure and surprise, here are some tips to keep in mind when you travel to South Africa:

• Take the recommended vaccinations before your trip
• Do not walk around at night, use a private taxi if you need to get around after the dark sets in.
• Do not flash expensive stuff and keep your belongings protected at all times
• Buy a SIM as soon as you get to the airport for easy access for the internet, you will need it.
• Learn a few phrases from the local language, preferably Zulu, although they speak English in the country.
• Do not plan on venturing out on your own anywhere as you may get cornered by groups of people expecting to take away any valuables.

South Africa hosts some of the most famous and natural national parks in the world. The most famous national parks there are:

• Addo Elephant National Park
• Agulhas National Park
• Augrabies Falls National Park
• Bontebok National Park
• Camdeboo National Park
• Garden Route National Park
• Golden Gate Highlands
• Karoo National park
• Kgaladia Transfrontier Park
• Kruger National park
• Mapungubwe National park
• Marakale National Park
• Mokala National park
• Mountain Zebra
• Namaqua National park
• Tale Mountain National park
• Tankwa Karoo
• West coast National Park
• Richtersveld Transfrontier Park

The Kruger National Park is one of the best national parks worldwide given its diversity and the vast amount of animals it hosts. It is undoubtedly one of the largest reserves of the country. Although it hosts a huge diversity of animals, it is famously known to be the home to the big 5 that is African Elephants, Rhinos, African Lions, Cape Buffalos and African Leopards. They are called the big 5 as the big hunters found them to be the most difficult animals to hunt in the region. The standard ticket fee for foreign visitors is R304 per adult/ per day.

What is a holiday without beaches? Here are the best beaches in South Africa that you must consider visiting during your trip there:

• Clifton, Western Cape.
• Umhlanga Rocks, KwaZulu-Natal.
• Llandudno, Western Cape.
• Ballito, KwaZulu-Natal.
• Camps Bay, Western Cape.
• Durban North Beach, KwaZulu-Natal.
• Cape Vidal, KwaZulu-Natal.
• Margate, KwaZulu-Natal.

There are various places where you can go shark cage diving in South Africa. You could book your shark cage diving with one of the many tour operators. However, it is important to choose the best of the lot and those are:

• Simons town
• Gansbaai
• Kleinbaai

Cape town is so popular for being one of the most beautiful cities in the world given the diversity of scenic beauty that it hosts. Cliffs, valleys, beaches, oceans, winelands, forests and many more naturally beautiful and preserved scenery awaits you. The city has managed to strike a great blend with development as well preservation. It has top end hotels to accommodate travellers from all around the world. It also has a world heritage site; Robben Island that is popular attraction among locals as well as tourists. It is also fondly known as the “Mother City” by the locals being the first town built in Africa.

A trip to South Africa is incomplete without visiting the beautiful and sweet smelling vineyards of the country. Some of the famous vineyards of South Africa are:

• La Motte – Franschhoek
• Thelema Mountain Vineyards – Stellenbosch
• Fairview Wine and Cheese – Suider Paarl
• Hamilton Russell Wineyards – Hermanus
• Grande Province Winery – Franschhoek
• Bosman Family Vineyards – Wellington
• Waterford Wine Estate - Stellenbosch

Complete your adventurous time in South Africa by ending it by relaxing and exploring on the beaches of the islands. Go Island Hopping among the best islands in South Africa with the help of this list:

• Sao Tome
• Sal
• Moheli
• Nosy Be
• Djerba
• Reunion
• Lamu Island
• Unguja
• Zanzibar
• Praslin