Green Elephant Backpackers - helping you to
PLAN YOUR TRIP:
This page is to help you plan your trip to Southern Africa. It is only a broad guideline and we will reply to all queries. However for the best tours and car rental it is essential to book ahead as the seats and cars go very quickly. You may end up having to pay a lot more for same service.
I have travelled in South Africa independently since 1985, so have a fair amount of knowledge I would love to share with you. This form is intended to assist you in looking at the options relevant to you as a person with likes and dislikes apart from others. Please feel free to use our love for our country to help you get the best possible experiences.
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Travel Route
The easiest way to plan if you have a fixed departure date is to work forward from your arrival date, then back from your departure date, and finally fill in the days in between.
The ideal way to see South Africa is to fly into Cape Town and fly out of Johannesburg or the other way around. This means you will not need to backtrack over a course you have already travelled.
If you are flying into Johannesburg or Pretoria, I recommend going straight to The Kruger Park for a 4 day trip. This will be the best introduction to the game and outdoor experiences SA has to offer. If you are flying out of Johannesburg, then plan your trip to end with a trip to the Game reserves, flying out the day after your trip ends.
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Money
There are VISA and MASTERCARD facilities all around South Africa. However I strongly recommend bringing a large portion in SA Rand Travellers cheques. They are as good as cash, generally cheaper than cash advances from bank machines and easily replaced if they are lost or stolen. -
Accommodation
There are excellent backpacker hostels all around South Africa, so quality accommodation is no problem. The network has over 200 hostels in Southern Africa and there are several free guide books to help you to decide where to stay. The cost is around R90 per person in dorms in the cities and R300 per double/twin room. We at the Green Elephant recommend the best hostels in the other towns for you to stay in.
Try Backpacker Tourism South Africa -
Travel
Roads
South Africa has good roads with the national speed limit of 120 km/h. We drive on the left hand side. If you are driving yourself, be careful of other cars speeding and especially careful on dirt roads.
Bus
Greyhound, Intercape and Translux provide bus services around South Africa. We can book these for you at The Green Elephant.
Train
The rail network in South Africa links the main cities efficiently, but slowly. But it is still good fun.The trains are slow and in season quiet fully booked. Cape Town to Johannesburg takes 26 hours. For Train information have a look at the Spoornet site in the Passenger section
Air -
There are two recommended low cost airlines - Kulula and OneTime and South Africa Airways offer special deals for online bookings.
Baz Bus
The Backpackers door to door service around South Africa
If you have a shorter time, travelling with one or more friends then perhaps renting a car is a good option. You need to be over 23 years old , have had a licence for over 2 years and have a credit card. You can budget on about R200 per day for a week, but less for a longer period of time.
You are now probably more excited by the many options for a great trip , so do the real thing!
Western Cape highlights
This map shows the towns accessible within a days drive of Cape Town.
