South Africa

1. Check with the embassy before traveling. It is a safe practice to keep your documents in a secure place. Take care of your belonging at all times. That is a great way to start off your trip.

2. Crime is a problem, but by following a few simple rules it is possible to enjoy this magnificent country with minimal threat to life and limb. Ignorance and a lack of information is one of the biggest problems, and because of this, travelers miss out on so much or land up in dangerous situations by blindly following the usual brochures and information leaflets.

3. Do not walk on the beaches alone, and don't leave valuables on the beach whilst you are swimming, as theft is rife. Keep valuables hidden whilst walking around the center of Cape Town. Do not wear flashy/ expensive jewelry that can be seen - it may get ripped off. Close your bag to prevent pickpockets grabbing your stuff.

4. After you've taken these measures for a great trip, its time for fun! If you want a lovely beach and warm water the place to go is Buffel's Bay in the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve. The entrance fee is R20 per person.

5. A relatively new 'adrenalin activity' in Cape Town is jet boat riding. Instead of doing the regular tame boat trips out of the waterfront, one can see the same scenery but at 130 km an hour and experience the thrill at the same time. At around R100 for an hour trip, it is money well spent.

6. Robben Island is a place, which assumes great importance in the freedom struggle of South Africa. If you purchase a ticket for Robben Island, you are automatically pre-booked on to a return ferry three hours later. This means that you will be on the island for about two and half-hours. This provides enough time for the guided tours. If you would like to explore the island or the prison at your own leisure, make sure that you request a later return ferry crossing. There is also an information center on the dock at Robben Island. Try to pop in there and pick up some very useful leaflets before boarding one of the coaches for the guided tour of the island. The leaflets certainly make it easier to explore, whilst also providing details of the flora and fauna that can be seen.

7. In Robben Island, the departure point has moved, and the cost is R100. It is well worth the trip, but check the return times near the end of the day, because the staff goes home on the 4 pm boat. There is only one Tour Company authorized to stop and tour the island. People are whisked away by other tour operators and given a boat ride around the island.

8. Cape Town: if you go up to Table Mountain for the sunset and want to leave right afterwards, be prepared to wait in a crushing line to return to the bottom in the cable car. It would be worthwhile leaving a few minutes before the sun goes down.

9. Visit reputable pubs in the better suburbs, and chat with the locals and waiters, you will glean loads of valuable information on where to go and what to do in safety. Price-wise, these pubs are invariably cheaper than the usual tourist haunts, and the locals love to talk about their town or country and what it has to offer.

10. Indulge in Whale watching: keep a lookout at Clifton Beach; whales were spotted there in early January.

11. If you need information, you can find it on the website safarinow.com.

12. You could usually get a room by booking a day or two ahead. There are Internet cafés everywhere.

13. If you intend to go to Kruger National Park, do consider staying overnight in the park, as the cost of re-entering the next day is very high. Consider staying at a cheaper place near the park. The wildlife is concentrated in the middle to south side of the park. Also, it's not possible to visit the Thulamela archaeological site in the north of the park unless you book at a lodge - (e.g. Punda Maria- check this out! Really!)

14. You must know this -The tourist information office in Cape Town has moved from the central station, to the crossing of Castle and Burg Streets.

15. It is known that 1st and 2nd class train travel must be booked at least 24 hours in advance, but it must also be paid for 24 hours in advance or else the reservation is terminated. The booking folks won't take your credit card number over the phone so if you are not planning to be in the city from which you are taking the train until it's time to go, you will need to go to a travel agent.

16. Don't let white South Africans make you paranoid about using public transport. Only black South Africans use it. It's quite safe, provided you use it during the day.

17. You should rest after arriving on a long overseas flight, instead of jumping straight into a strange vehicle in a strange country and setting off to drive about 500 km. Also, carry cell phones in case of breakdowns.

18. Car hire for travel is an excellent option, but there are many "do's" and "don'ts": it's best to travel with a cell phone, and if possible, temporarily join the local automobile association, which can be contacted in the event of any emergency. They are excellent, providing on-call service throughout most of the country. Stopping alongside the road in lonely areas is not recommended unless you have a clear view around you and view sites where there are other people around - nothing to get paranoid about, but worth the precaution. If you're driving cross-country, carry a cell phone, along with the emergency numbers of your rental Car Company and friends. It's a beautiful country, but not when you're scared. Renting a car certainly makes travel easier. It's worth hunting around on the Internet to get a good price.

19. Petrol stations do not accept credit cards. There are also no self-service pumps. A tip of R1-2 for the service attendant is customary.

20. Since most South African cars are manual, be sure to ask for an automatic if you are not familiar with manual shifts. In most parking lots and on the streets, you will find "parking attendants" who will look after your car. These attendants are mostly Car Watch volunteers (a project to help the high levels of unemployment in the country). Although tips are not compulsory, it is in your best interest to do so. A tip of R1-2 is sufficient.

21. All kinds of cattle on the road are undoubtedly danger. With speed limits up to 120km/h, it's a real fright to find a cow in front of the car. It was found that sheep and goats respond to the sound of a horn, but cows don't.

22. Beware of an ATM scam! There have been instances, when strangers have offered to help, posing as employees of the bank and done away with money.

Table Mountain is great for hiking, but take care, a wonderful day hike in the Blyde River Canyon area is the Belvedere Day Walk down into the canyon. You have to sign in at the visitor center and they don't let you start after 12 noon. It's about a five-hour hike to go down and back and it has beautiful scenery.

During your stay, there are many interesting things to do in Langebaan, namely in the West Coast National Park. Every Sunday morning you can take a boat trip to Malghas Island and see its colony of penguins, as well as Jutten Island, which houses a huge colony - nearly 70,000. It is really amazing to get so close to such a big colony of birds. Also, there is a very nice one and two day walking trail in the Postberg section of the West Coast National Park.