Transport

Driver’s licences
Any valid driver’s licence is accepted provided it bears the photograph and signature of the holder and is printed in English.

Roads
Our road infrastructure is excellent, so driving is a viable option, but South Africa is a huge country, and not easily traversed, so plan your journeys carefully. If you're not used to driving long distances, rather break the journey, as fatigue is a major contributing factor in motor vehicle accidents.

While most national roads are tarred and in good condition, the more rural the road, the more likely it is to be pot-holed and poorly surfaced.

Road maps
Current information on the conditions of roads can be obtained through the Automobile Association of South Africa. The AA also provides invaluable guides for road users in the form of strip maps tailored for specific destinations and information for tourists on accommodation en route.

Main roads are identified by colour and number rather than by name, and with a good map which incorporates the route marker system, visitors should have little difficulty in finding their way around.

Watch out for animals in rural areas
Be aware that the roads in many rural areas are not fenced, so you could find dogs, chickens, sheep and even horses or cows on the road, so it may be dangerous to drive at night.

Large antelope crossing the road can also be a hazard in certain areas – watch out for the road signs depicting a leaping antelope, and take it slowly, especially towards evening.

Keep left, belt up, think kilometres
We drive on the left-hand side of the road, and our cars – rental cars included – are right-hand drive vehicles. All distances, speed limits (and speedometers) are in kilometres.

Wearing of seat belts is compulsory. Using hand-held phones while driving is against the law – use a vehicle phone attachment or hands-free kit, if you want to speak on your mobile phone.

Speed limit
The general speed limit on national highways, urban freeways and other major routes is 120km/h (75mph). On secondary (rural) roads it is 100km/h (60mph). In built-up areas it is usually 60km/h (35mph) unless otherwise indicated. Check the road signs.

Filling up
A variety of petrol (gas) stations are situated on both main and country roads. Most of them are open 24 hours a day, although some keep shorter hours. However, distances between towns (and therefore between petrol stations) can be considerable, so it is advisable to fill up your tank before it starts giving warning signals.

South African petrol stations are not self-help: an attendant will fill the car, check oil and water and tire pressure and, if necessary, clean the windscreen – for which he or she will expect a tip of two or three rand.

Buses
If you're not used to driving long distances, a bus may be a better idea than a rental car. Check out Intercape or Greyhound. The Baz Bus offers a hop-on, hop-off door-to-door service between backpackers hostels.

You can book bus tickets at Computicket

Trains
Spoornet is the quasi-statal railway which covers the routes between the major cities. It's by no means luxurious or fast, but it's reasonably comfortable, clean and safe.

For real luxury, though, you have to try the Blue Train, which runs a number of routes within South Africa, and some further afield. Another great upmarket option is Rovos Rail, which operates beautifully restored, spacious, Edwardian-era carriages, which are drawn by steam locomotives for part of the trip.

Cape Town is probably the only city where you would consider taking the commuter train, and then only really to enjoy the view between Muizenberg and Simonstown as the railway hugs the rocky shoreline. Another excellent option is the Spier Train, which chuffs its way between its own private station in Cape Town and Spier Estate in Stellenbosch, or Evita se Perron in Darling for theatre performances and picnics.

Air Travel
The phenomenal growth in airline traffic since 1994 through the three major international airports in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town is due to the rapid growth of both tourism and business travel. There are four other international airports that serve the growing eco-tourist and commercial traffic in southern Africa through well established air-links.

Johannesburg International in particular is the most important regional hub with links to all the major centres in Europe, the United Kingdom, North and South America, the Indian sub-continent, the Far East, Australia and New Zealand.

Sea Travel
Major shipping lanes pass along the South African coastline in the South Atlantic and Indian oceans, through its seven commercial ports which form by far the largest, best equipped and most efficient network on the African continent. These ports are not only conduits for trade between South Africa and her partners in the South African Customs Union and Southern African Development Community, but also function as hubs for traffic emanating from, and destined for, Europe, Asia, the Americas and the east and west coasts of Africa.