South Africa is a beautiful country with so much to offer. They have amazing natural sights, fascinating wildlife and the people are generally very friendly and funny. However, it is also a country with one of the highest inequalities in the world. Here is a list of 7 things you should know before visiting South Africa!
1. Tipping is common and expected
As in many other countries, tipping is very common and expected in South Africa. To avoid any uncomfortable situations, I highly recommend to familiarise yourself with the generally recommended tipping amounts. Here are some resources that I have found really helpful prior to my trip:
I confirm that people really do practice these in real life based on our experience. Here is a summary of the most important use cases:
Airport porters: R5-10 per piece of luggage
Hotel housekeeping/porters: R10 per bag, or 10% of total amount for housekeeping
Tour guides: R50-100 per person per day
Safari guides: R100-200 per person per day, same or slightly less goes for the tracker
Waiters: 10% of total amount
2. Be careful when renting a car
Car rentals are often stressful no matter where you are. There is a lot of money and a lot of risks involved. Here are things to be aware of.
Check your rental conditions in detail!
Our rental conditions required us to pay a deposit. However, upon arrival they requested that we also pay a fuel fee and the insurance excess in advance. We only realised that this was not part of our rental contract in hindsight. Make sure to know exactly how much money you need to pay the moment you get to the counter. And avoid getting in a situation like us altogether.
They might keep your deposit
This is not a thing unique to Africa, I’ve heard stories like these as well from Latin America. Nevertheless, it is something you need to be aware about. I am specifically refering to all the rental car operators at Nelspruit airport. If you check the Google reviews, you will see that they are very mixed. There are many cases where they charge people for unnecessary things, or that they simply don’t give the deposit back. There isn’t really much that you can do about it. Simply be aware that this might happen.
3. Airport porters
This one is honestly not a game changing one, but I still wanted to mention it since it surprised me. Once you arrive at the Johannesburg airport, you will see that there are many man walking around with orange vests. These guys are called “porters”. They are there to help you, in exchange for a little tip. However, they will also approach you sometimes if you simply look a little lost. In that case, even if you don’t have a lot of luggage, they will see this as an opportunity to simply offer “guiding services” to you, by for example escorting you to your check in counter.
My point is, if they approach you and you respond to them, more often than not you will be “stuck” with them.
4. Know how to behave while driving
I’m sure you’ve heard this one before a million times as well. But at least for me, sometimes it’s still hard to believe that these things actually happen. Hence, I was kind of shocked when I met multiple people during our trip that were telling us about their real experiences. Both local and tourists. I want to reiterate that this is a real danger. Here are some tips we’ve heard from locals while we were there.
Don’t stop at traffic lights
I know this one sounds so wrong to most people. But one safety measure you can easily control is how you behave at traffic lights. If you can, avoid stopping completely. Instead take your time to slowly drive towards the crossing and always be aware of your surroundings.
At night, you should not stop at all and simply drive over the red light if the traffic allows for it.
Always lock your car
This one is self-explanatory, but make sure to always lock all doors!
Keep enough distance to the car in front of you
In case you do need to make a full stop at some point, make sure to always leave enough space between you and the car in front of you. This will allow you to escape around the car in case you need to make a quick escape.
Don’t leave anything on back seat
This one also might be an obvious one, but very important to follow through with! When you get a car, make sure that your boot has enough space to store ALL your belongings. Even if you’re in your car, try not to flash any valuables around (e.g. using your phone very visibly, having expensive sunglasses on, etc…)
don’t just blindly follow google maps
This is one of the most important tips in this list!! Each city has specific areas that you should try to avoid. If you simply type in your destination on google maps, the app will of course not take this into consideration and simply show you the fastest route. Know where you need to go, ask about potentially dangerous areas, and do your own research to be as safe as possible.
Never hand your license over to the police
This is a tip that we got from a local couple. If the police stops you on the road, never give them your license. If they want to see your license, show them the details through the window. Like that you rest more in control of the situation.
Don’t get out of the car
In general, try to avoid getting out of the car before you reach your final destination. With this I refer to random police stops, gas stations, etc… If you get into a police check, suggest driving to the next mechanic or civilised place, so that you are not alone.
5. Don’t enter Kruger National Park through the Numbi Gate
This one is very specific. If you are visiting the Kruger National Park, at all costs avoid the Numbi Gate in the Southern Kruger NP! The gate is not considered safe anymore in 2023.
6. It’s not a “light” holiday
Visiting South Africa in general will not be a “light” holiday. You will be confronted with poverty, and you will be confronted with the history of the country. While I personally think it’s very important to learn about the local history and hear the stories, you need to be prepared that this might make you sad, angry, thoughtful, etc. Personally I wasn’t expecting this, and therefore wasn’t prepared for it.
7. If you go on safari, book at least one guided tour (preferably your first day)
My last tip is not as deep and only applies to those that want to go on Safari. I would highly recommend to take a guided tour at the beginning of your trip. On a tour you will learn a lot about the animals, their behaviour and their habitat. These things will then help you to be a better prepared for your self-driving tours, since you might get some useful insights into where each animal is most likely to be found, how to look for e.g. leopards, etc…
That’s it, these are my 7 things to know before visiting South Africa! Please don’t be put off by some of these. They are meant to be educational and helpful. I’m not trying to scare anyone off, since you would be missing out on a truly beautiful and fascinating country. For more travel tips on South Africa check out my other posts here.
Let me know your thoughts, I’d love to chat <3