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Early Payment Discount !
Early Payment Discount on Daily Rental Rates on all products!
If you book and pay in full by 10th September 2010
Only Available for bookings valued over $1,000
(Offer only applies if you pay by Bank Transfer, Cheque or Cash)
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* Terms & Conditions apply, please contact us for details.
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South Africa Information
South Africa is located at the southern tip of Africa. It is bordered by Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Swaziland and Lesotho (which is completely surrounded by South Africa). It is a vast country with widely varying landscapes and has 11 official languages, as well as an equally diverse population. South Africa is renowned for its wines and is the world's largest producer of gold. South Africa has a strong economy and is an influential player in African politics. In 2010, South Africa will host the first Football World Cup to be held on the African continent.
Cities
* Bloemfontein -- Location of the Supreme Court of Appeal, the highest court in non-constitutional matters. The Constitutional Court in Johannesburg became the highest court in constitutional matters in 1994.
* Cape Town -- The legislative capital and seat of Parliament. A world-class city named for its proximity to the Cape of Good Hope. Also within a stone's throw of South Africa's winelands.
* Pretoria -- The administrative capital of the country
* Durban -- Largest city in KwaZulu-Natal and popular coastal holiday destination for South Africans.
* Johannesburg -- The economic heart on Africa and the most common entry point into Southern Africa.
* Nelspruit -- Capital of Mpumalanga and gateway to Mozambique.
* Polokwane -- Capital of Limpopo (formally known as Pietersburg) and a good jump off point for visits to the northern parts of the Kruger National Park and Zimbabwe.
* Port Elizabeth -- Coastal city in the Eastern Cape with Addo Elephant National Park located close by.
* Upington -- Located in the arid Northern Cape province, this city is a good base when exploring the Kalahari desert and the many national parks located in the Northern Cape.
Other destinations
South Africa is a paradise for anyone interested in natural history. A wide range of species (some potentially dangerous) may be encountered in parks, farms, private reserves and even on the roads.
* The Kruger National Park is exceptionally well managed and a favourite tourist destination.
* Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park in the heart of the Kalahari desert with wide open spaces and hordes of games including the majestic 'Gemsbok'. This is the first park in Africa to cross political borders.
* There are also a large number of smaller parks, like the Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Park, Addo Elephant National Park, Pilanesberg National Park or the iSimangaliso Wetland Park.
See African Flora and Fauna and South African National Parks for additional information.
There are many geographical features and landmarks in South Africa worth a visit.
* The Augrabies Falls carved out by the Orange River in the Northern Cape
* The Blyde River Canyon in Mpumalanga is the third largest Canyon in the world.
* The Tugela Falls, the second highest waterfall in the world, located in the Drakensberg
* The Drakensberg Escarpment and surrounding areas in Mpumalanga
* The most southern tip of Africa at Cape Agulhas
* The Garden Route - One of the top destinations, running along the Southern Coast from Mossel Bay to Port Elizabeth.
* The Drakensberg mountain range, if you like hiking
* The Whale Coast along the Overberg Coast from Hermanus past Gansbaai to De Hoop Nature Reserve
There are hiking trails available in almost all the parks and around geographical places of interest. Hiking in South Africa contains information on those.
With 2798km of coastline one can also except to find excellent beaches and coastal activities.
* Durban, not only the beaches, but also the Indian market.
* Port Elizabeth for swimming and scuba diving and other water related activities.
* Jeffreys Bay, the surfing mecca of South Africa
Other places not to miss include
* Cape Town - the mother city is a must. Be sure to visit its famous landmarks Table Mountain and the Cape of Good Hope
* The famous Cape Winelands around Stellenbosch, Paarl and Franschhoek.
* The semi-desert Karoo and the famous ostrich farms near Oudtshoorn, as well as the Big Hole in the diamond city of Kimberley.
* Johannesburg, the economic powerhouse of Africa
A number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites are also located in South Africa
* The Cradle of Humankind, near Johannesburg is a must see for anyone interested in where it all started.A large collection of caves rich in hominid and advanced ape fossils.
* Robben Island just off the coast from Cape Town where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for many years.
* The Cape Floral Region in the Western Cape
* iSimangaliso Wetland Park
* Mapungubwe Kingdom, in the North-West
* Ukhahlamba Drakensberg Park, for its landscape, biodiversity and rock art.
* Vredefort Dome, remnants of the largest and oldest meteorite impact crater.
Climate
The climate in South Africa ranges from desert and semi-desert in the north west of the country to sub-tropical on the eastern coastline. The rainy season for most of the country is in the summer, except in the Western Cape where the rains come in the winter. Rainfall in the Eastern Cape is distributed evenly throughout the year. Winter temperatures hover around zero, summers can be very hot, in excess of 35 Celsius in some places.
Driving in South Africa
One drives on the left-hand side of the road in South Africa. All measurements are done using the metric system; distances on road signs are in kilometre and fuel is sold by the litre.
The roads within South Africa, connecting most major cities, and between its immediate neighbours are very good. There are many national and regional road connecting the cities and larger centres, including the N1 running from Cape Town through Johannesburg and Pretoria up to Harare, Zimbabwe, the N2 running from Cape Town to Durban, which passes through the world-famous Garden Route near Knysna, and the N3 between Durban and Johannesburg.
Some portions of the national roads are limited access, dual carriage freeways (the N3 between Johannesburg and Durban is freeway almost all the way) and some sections are also toll roads with emergency assist telephones every couple of kilometers.
All the large fuel companies have rest stops every 200km to 300km along these highways where you can full up, eat something at a restaurant, get takeaways, do some shopping or just stretch your legs. Restrooms at these facilities are well maintained and clean. Most (but not all) of these rest stops also have ATMs. Toll roads generally have two or more lanes in each direction.
Some of the main roads have only one lane in each direction, especially where they are far from urban centers. It is customary to flash your hazard lights once, after passing a truck or other slow vehicle that has moved onto the hard shoulder to let you pass. This is considered a thank you and you will most likely receive a my pleasure response in the the form of the slow vehicle flashing its headlights once.
South Africa has a high rate of traffic fatalities, and you may want to avoid driving at night except in urban areas. Watch out for unsafe drivers (minibus taxis), poor lighting, and pedestrians (who are the cause of many accidents, especially at night). When driving outside of the major cities you will often encounter animals, wild and domestic, in or near the roadway. The locals tend to herd their cattle and goats near the road. If you see an animal on or by the road, slow down, as they are unpredictable. Do not stop to feed wild animals!
Make sure you understand the road signs. A special kind of crossing is the 'four way stop' where the car that stops first has right of way. You will not encounter many traffic circles, but when you do, take special care as the general attitude of South African drivers is that traffic circles do not constitute a traffic management roadway structure, and do not use their indicators in a safe and predictable fashion. In general, South Africans tend to speed excessively and are prone to selfish or aggressive driving behavior, such as tailgating and hooting. On multi-lane roadways, the principle of keep-left, pass right, is often not adhered to.
Left turn on Red at traffic lights are illegal, except for traffic lights that have an accompanying yield sign explicitly permitting it.
Fuel stations are full service with lead free petrol, lead replacement petrol and diesel available. Pump attendants will offer to wash your windscreen and check oil and water in addition to just filling up the car. It is usual to tip the attendant approximately R5. Almost all fuel stations are open 24 hours a day.
Speed limits are clearly indicated. Generally speed limits on highways are 120km/h, major roads outside build-up areas are 100 km/h, major roads within build up areas are 80km/h and normal town roads are 60 km/h.
Speed law enforcement is usually done by portable or stationary, radar or laser cameras. Fines will be sent to the registered address of the vehicle you are driving. Non camera portable radar and laser systems are also used and you may be pulled over for speeding and given a written fine.
Should you find yourself waiting at a red traffic light late at night in an area where you do not feel safe, you can cross over the red light after first carefully checking that there is no other traffic. If you receive a fine due to a camera on the traffic light you can normally have it wavered by writing a letter to the traffic department or court explaining that you crossed safely and on purpose, due to security reasons. Do not make a habit of this. When stopped at a traffic light at night always leave enough room between your car and the car in front of you so you can get around them. It is a common hijacking manoeuvre to box your car in. This is especially prevalent in the suburbs of Johannesburg.
South Africa currently does not have a merits system and does not share traffic violation information with other nations.
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