How To Locomote To A Greater Extent Than Or Less Due South Africa
On the 2nd Wed of the month, Kristin Addis from Be My Travel Muse writes a invitee column featuring tips as well as advice on solo woman somebody travel. It’s an of import topic I can’t adequately cover, so I brought inwards an practiced to portion her advice. This calendar week she talks virtually her recent trip to South Africa.
When I started planning my South Africa trip, a lot of questions went through my mind: Is a Earth that large slow to locomote around? Is it expensive? What is fifty-fifty possible?
The resources I constitute online were vague, negative, or but nonexistent. But after traveling through the Earth for unopen to ii months, I constitute a broad multifariousness of reasonably affordable ways to acquire around. So, to make total the void, hither is a breakdown on how to acquire around South Africa:
By Bus
There are several companies that run inwards the Earth including Greyhound, Intercape, as well as Baz Bus, which caters specifically to backpackers.
Baz Bus runs a route from Johannesburg to Cape Town (or vice versa) with several stops along the way. You tin hop on or off whenever you lot desire as well as tin laid about your trip anywhere, but equally those ii cities receive got major airports, most people outset inwards i or the other, or sometimes Durban. There’s no restrict on how long you lot tin accept to become from i terminate to the other. (Matt says: I’ve taken similar buses inwards New Zealand as well as Australia. They tin live goodness for people who desire to regard other travelers.)
One-way fares on Baz Bus are available starting at around 500 Rand (about $41) for the shortest journey, which takes virtually ii hours, as well as growth from there. For those looking to salve a fleck of cash as well as purpose the charabanc to locomote across the country, at that spot is a 21-day, hop-on-hop-off pass, which runs 4,200 Rand ($355). Baz Bus is non a large coin saver, equally the fares are to a greater extent than than the develop as well as other charabanc companies, but it is a convenient selection for those who are happy to locomote along the pop routes as well as regard other backpackers. The route includes the large cities inwards South Africa, the famous Drakensberg mount range, pop spots along the coast, as well as the famous Garden Route inwards the Western Cape.
The drawbacks to taking the charabanc include dealing with a lack of carry in i lawsuit you’re at your destination, though shuttles to diverse local attractions, such equally the bungee fountain inwards Wilderness, are sometimes available at an additional cost. You’ll too involve to live flexible with your schedule since the shuttles don’t run every day. The biggest drawback for me was that the buses run along i gear upwardly route as well as only become to the most pop tourist destinations, as well as driblet off only at sure enough backpackers’ accommodations, so for those who similar to caput off the beaten path, it’s non a bully option.
For one-off trips, Greyhound as well as Intercape serve diverse charabanc ports around the country. The buses are large, air-conditioned, comfortable, as well as filled with locals, non backpackers. Be sure enough to conduct along snacks, equally the buses run on a tight schedule as well as most stops are really brief, if they tumble out at all.
Prices are to a greater extent than expensive than Baz Bus for shorter journeys of two hours or so ($30-40), but cheaper for longer journeys, such equally from Durban to Cape Town, which takes xv hours ($56). During the high flavor (December as well as June through August), you lot should mass ahead equally buses make total upwardly quickly.
By Air
Flying around South Africa isn’t that expensive. Budget Airlines similar Mango as well as Kulula serve all major — and fifty-fifty minor — airports inwards the Earth with several flights per day. They are easily booked online using whatsoever major credit card. For example, a one-way ticket from Johannesburg to Durban is $67.
Even last-minute flights, equally long equally they withal receive got quite a few seats left, tend non to become upwardly inwards cost if it’s a major route. For a last-minute planner similar me, that was a existent treat! For less mutual routes or smaller airports, prices become upwardly the closer the appointment is. Unsurprisingly, inconvenient times as well as early on forenoon flights tend to live the cheapest. As with most budget airlines the footing over, checked baggage as well as meals onboard cost extra.
By Car
When I told my friends I was planning to stimulate solo through South Africa, they straightaway talked me out of it, envisioning unsafe roads as well as thieves with no assist should something become wrong. In truth, road-tripping through South Africa is non much of a employment at all, equally other cars are passing past times all the fourth dimension should a breakdown occur, as well as South Africans are incredibly friendly as well as helpful.
That’s non to order driving inwards South Africa is without risk. There are carjackings from fourth dimension to time, as well as break-ins are common, but existence aware of this as well as taking precautions to proceed valuables hidden as well as doors locked greatly reduces the risks.
Regardless, if you lot would rather non locomote alone, at that spot are options. You tin postal service on locomote forums such equally Nomadic Matt’s, Thorn Tree, the Africa Backpacking Facebook group, or Couchsurfing.org. Gumtree as well as hostels too are goodness ways to detect ridesharing buddies. There are ever travelers looking for a ride to some off-the-beaten-path destination. (I constitute my partner inwards criminal offence through a friend of mine.)
Renting a motorcar is the most convenient agency to acquire around since you lot tin acquire to many out-of-the-way parks, cities, as well as destinations, and, when splitting gas as well as rental fees with i or to a greater extent than other passengers, it beats the cost of Baz Bus.
I rented a Volkswagon Vevo on a car comparing website, which nosotros booked online as well as picked upwardly inwards person. The cost worked out to live $250 for ii weeks, including gas, the fee for dropping off inwards a unlike urban core than nosotros rented inwards (we picked the motorcar upwardly inwards Johannesburg as well as dropped it off inwards Cape Town), as well as insurance. Gas runs an average of virtually $1 per liter at the fourth dimension of this writing, and, if driving a little motorcar similar nosotros had, mileage is pretty good. We too gave rides to other backpackers nosotros met along the agency inwards central for a fleck of gas money.
While it’s possible to purchase a inexpensive motorcar as well as sell it later, the paperwork tin sometimes accept months to become through as well as thence is non the best for travelers who don’t conception to pass ages inwards the country.
For most of the pop destinations inwards South Africa, a little manual motorcar volition do, though a 4×4 would receive got been helpful for a few of the lesser-visited places that nosotros went to during our route trip, such equally the amphitheater hike inwards the Drakensberg mountains. Had nosotros taken Baz Bus, nosotros would receive got spent an extra $100 per somebody as well as missed some of the areas nosotros visited that Baz Bus doesn’t stimulate to.
By Train
South Africa has a lot of develop tracks. Most aren’t currently inwards use, equally the population has increasingly come upwardly to rely on the extensive highway system. However, major cities inwards South Africa are withal served past times a few develop companies that make from inexpensive to high luxury.
Shosholoza Meyl long-distance trains serve Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Bloemfontein, Durban, East London, Johannesburg, Queenstown, as well as East London. They’re comfortable and safe as well as brand diverse stops at smaller towns along the way. The fares are some of the cheapest available for whatsoever agency of carry inwards South Africa, running equally depression equally $28 for a sleeper berth from Johannesburg to Durban. You tin see the company’s timetable for to a greater extent than data on fares as well as stops.
For those who are interested some luxury, the famous Blue Train, which runs shape Pretoria to Cape Town, costs $1,300 one-way for a shared berth during depression flavor as well as goes upwardly from there. It’s an expensive but luxurious sense that includes wine, cigars, bully food, as well as comfortable compartments.
Safety
One final lawsuit of safety: South Africa isn’t to a greater extent than unsafe for a solo traveler than your typical large urban core inwards the United States. I was surprised to regard that the murder charge per unit of measurement of Detroit is genuinely significantly higher than that of South Africa. That said, muggings are withal common, especially alongside tourists as well as specially inwards Cape Town as well as Johannesburg. Given the high degree of rape as well as theft inwards South Africa, I wouldn’t propose hitchhiking (and this is something I dear to do!).
Additionally, i shouldn’t walk around solitary at night, live flashy, or exit things showing inwards the car, but much of that is truthful around the world.
There are numerous ways to acquire around South Africa, as well as after testing several methods, I intend the best is a motorcar rental. Nothing else offers the flexibility, convenience, as well as reasonable cost tag. If a motorcar rental isn’t your affair as well as you’re solo, I’d consider the Baz Bus.
That said, regardless of which of the higher upwardly carry methods you lot choose, South Africa is slow as well as relatively affordable to locomote around, whether you’re solo, inwards a group, or a duo.
Kristin Addis is a solo woman somebody locomote practiced who inspires women to locomote the footing inwards an authentic as well as adventurous way. H5N1 one-time investment banker who sold all of her asset as well as left California inwards 2012, Kristin has solo traveled the footing for over 4 years, roofing every continent (except for Antarctica, but it’s on her list). There’s almost goose egg she won’t sweat as well as almost nowhere she won’t explore. You tin detect to a greater extent than of her musings at Be My Travel Muse or on Instagram as well as Facebook.
Conquering Mountains: The Guide to Solo Female Travel
For a consummate A-to-Z guide on solo woman somebody travel, banking concern fit out Kristin’s novel book, Conquering Mountains. Besides discussing many of the practical tips of preparing as well as planning your trip, the mass addresses the fears, safety, as well as emotional concerns women receive got virtually traveling alone. It features over xx interviews with other woman somebody locomote writers as well as travelers. Click hither to larn to a greater extent than virtually the book, how it tin assist you, as well as you lot tin outset reading it today!
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