Travel Advice - South Africa

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Yantorsen

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I've looked up everything I need to know I think, but just a few general thoughts and opinions would be interesting, especially as regards to crime.

This will be my first trip to SA and I will be staying with my girl friends family, in the Grassy Park area of Cape Town.

Things such as these worry me a lot:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crime_in_South_Africa
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/8107039.stm

Especially assaults/muggings etc. if I'm walking around with expensive camera equipment taking photographs.

My girl friend insists it's not that bad, but I'm skeptical to say the least. So any thoughts?

Also we will be staying around the cape town area, what things are worth seeing/visiting?

So far I have on the list:

Robben Island
Table Mountain
V & A Waterfront
Boulders Beach

Cheers for any info/advice/thoughts etc.
 
Fire a PM off to johnaalex mate. He's just come back from SA (or he's still over there at the moment).
 
Not been myself, but my family have friends who live there. I have heard that crime is less than Jo'burg, but I appreciate that doesn't help reduce your fears!

Make sure your camera gear is fully insured, and be prepared to hand it over if need be, keep a back up of your shots wherever you are staying, so if you do loose your gear, you still have your shots, with the excpetion of whatever you have taken that day.

In terms of places to visit, I have heard the vineyard region / area is quite nice to visit, but that may be a bit far to go?
 
As a South African, who has lived in South Africa for 27 years I feel that I have enough authority to answer this question.

The truth is that crime is not as bad as it is often made out in british newspapers of even any international newspapers.

There are areas that you should not venture into and you have to be vigilant of your surroundings at all times. I'm sure your girlfriend knows area well and will steer you clear of any dangerous areas.

Taking photos around Robben Island will be fine, Table Mountain should be fine, the V & A waterfront will have lots of security but be vigilant and be especially vigilant on any beaches. If you take the wine route you should have no problems at all and this is an area definitely worth visiting. Gordons Bay and up that costal has some stunning views across Table Bay. It's pretty remote there so again you should be fine but as always be vigilant.

Remember that people do carry guns there, so if you ARE mugged, let them take what they want. That's what insurance is for.

Have a great holiday and don't let it worry you.
 
I lived in Cape Town for 8 years.

Grassy Park is a bit on the dodgy side - don't flash your camera gear around there. Basic rules of SA is don't go around by yourself at night and preferably travel as much as you can by car.

The city bowl area during the day is fine and night time is usually quite busy around all the restaurants, bars and clubs - check out Long Street - it's the centre of activity in Cape Town. Green Market Square is cool for tourists as is the V&A Waterfront.

Other highly recommended places:
Observatory (Obs) - great night life
Kirstenbosch - every nature lovers garden of eden - go there!
Rhodes Memorial - beautiful views
Constantia - wine tasting and general nice views
Silvermine Nature Reserve - just go.
Simon's Town for penguins
Cape Point for the most dramatic views in the world and lots of baboons!
Chapman's Peak - unbeatable views too.
Hout Bay - classy little town with manisons set against sea-side cliffs

If you can get out of Cape Town/peninsula the follwoing are within 2-3 hours driving:
Gordon's Bay
Hermanus
Stellenbosch
Paarl
Ceres
Cedarburg

I'm going again for a holiday in October/November - can't wait :)
 
Thanks :)

In what way is Grassy Park dodgy? It's the area my girl friend is from who is coloured, and from what I gather it's a coloured neighborhood, with me being a white man could that be an issue or not really?

You mention Simon's town for penguins, what are the penguins like at Boulders Beach? From what I've read online and seen on youtube you can get pretty close, but my girl friend says your not allowed to touch them or go that near to them.

Also the suggestion so far are mainly sight seeing types of things which I want to do, and take pictures of etc. But what other things to do are they? My girl friend mentioned some place you can ride ostriches or something...

also is the castle of good hope worth seeing?
 
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Yantorsen said:
Thanks :)

In what way is Grassy Park dodgy? It's the area my girl friend is from who is coloured, and from what I gather it's a coloured neighborhood, with me being a white man could that be an issue or not really?

You mention Simon's town for penguins, what are the penguins like at Boulders Beach? From what I've read online and seen on youtube you can get pretty close, but my girl friend says your not allowed to touch them or go that near to them.

Also the suggestion so far are mainly sight seeing types of things which I want to do, and take pictures of etc. But what other things to do are they? My girl friend mentioned some place you can ride ostriches or something...

also is the castle of good hope worth seeing?
Click to expand...

Grassy Park and the surrounding area is very much affected from gang activity as you can see in that video, however there are still 'normal' people living there, so as long as you stick with them you should be fine. I used to have a girlfriend in one of these areas, so as a white guy I know what it's like to be in a situation like this.

On the upside, if you've got the bottle - Grassy Park would be brilliant for street togging with a bit of a gang/conflict photography slant - just say you're foreign press. I completely agree with a previous post about getting mugged (if it happens) - just hand over your wallet/camera - without a fight. They only want to take it for drugs.

Boulder's Beach is just past Simon's Town. Sorry - same place really. The Castle is in the centre of CT, so you could pop over there for half and hour or so - it's OK. A trip in the cable car up Table Mountain is fun if you're not afraid of heights.

As far as I recall there's an ostrich farm near Cape Point - on the road between Simon's Town and Scarborough. Otherwise most of SA's ostrich farming is about a 4-5 hour drive from CT near a place called Oudtshoorn. Well worth going out there, though I'd make that a 2-3 days trip out of CT as there are plenty of place you could see along the way, namely, the Kango Caves (brilliant for seeing cave formations - all lit up), the Karoo semi-desert. There's also Storms River bridge at the coast if you're after some bungee jumping ;)

Seriously, don't let the crime and gangs put you off. Just follow the simple, obvious rules and you'll be fine. I lived in SA for the best part of 20-years and was lucky enough not to have been affected by crime - never been mugged, stabbed, shot etc. My first year in England I was held up and mugged by knife point and pick-pocketed twice...
 
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Buy a semi decent point and shoot and take that with you, leave the expensive gear at home.
 
In my limited experience of South Africa (Jo'burg/Kruger) I would suggest that the crime problem (for a tourist anyway) is overstated (and not just by British newspapers but by, especially, middle-class South Africans).
Like anywhere else in the world use common-sense. Your sphincter will quickly tell you when you've wandered into the wrong areas! But you'll cetainly make yourself a potential target in the city if you're flashing your Nikon camera strap and a huge telephoto. I'd take a bridge camera to town personally.
 
I'm another on the "crime is overstated" route. I have been there a few times and only had one instance of problems, which only came about because i was young and the newspaper i was shooting for messed things up a little, which left me in a township with out my guides. This lead to my 30D being stolen. Although i did get it back, which a whole other story. Cape town is just like other big cities. Theres parts you don't want to go, but generally as mentioned here common sense is the rule. You probably wouldn't walk around dark streets in london at night, with your camera in full sight, so don't do it out there.

Another tip is to carry your camera in a non photographic bag, especially around the city. I used a mixture of a eastpack shoulder bag and nike back pack, i padded the back with clothes.

You'll have a great time, don't let the fear of crime ruin your trip or make you lose out on some great photos.

I've lived in both UK and South Africa and i have had more Boxer ruining moments in London and Brighton than anywhere in SA.
 
Oh and if you want other things to do go on a township tour, cannot recomend them enough. It may feel a bit exploitive, bt if you choose the right ones they can be a really humbling experience. I've been on one where you play 5 a-side football with a couple of teams which is great fun (although they are very good!!!). there is also a B&B in the townships which tourists can stay in, which is brilliant fun.

When you see the penguins you walk along raised wooden platforms, but with a longer lens you can zoom in really close. Saying that if you go to robben island keep an eye out because there are usually a few penguins just wandering around and they are pretty tame so you can get quite close for a piccy or two.
 
Steep said:
Buy a semi decent point and shoot and take that with you, leave the expensive gear at home.
Click to expand...

I'm confused by this comment:thinking:

When you say "point & shoot", do you mean;

a: Berreta .32
or
b: Canon G9?

:shrug:
 
I doubt he'd get a berreta through customs so choose option b: :)
 
Brilliant, I logged on to post the very same topic!

We're going away in October for a friends wedding, he lives in J'burg. The plan is to stay near J'burg for the first week or so then incorporate a few nights doing a safari and perhaps a few days in Cape Town.

It seems to be about £100 minimum for a 3* hotel room, per person, per night. And around £350++ per person, per night, for a safari.

Are all the hotels/safaris as dear as what I'm finding here? All the safaris I'm finding seem to be very swanky set ups, theres no "basic" accommodation options.

Any advice on websites to book through etc would be great. Just out of a travel agent who quoted me £1300 for 4 nights 3* hotel in Cape Town....!

Also, internal flights are apparently the best way of getting about? ie. J'burg to Kruger and back for the safari and J'burg to Cape Town and back.
 
slideordie said:
Brilliant, I logged on to post the very same topic!

We're going away in October for a friends wedding, he lives in J'burg. The plan is to stay near J'burg for the first week or so then incorporate a few nights doing a safari and perhaps a few days in Cape Town.

It seems to be about £100 minimum for a 3* hotel room, per person, per night. And around £350++ per person, per night, for a safari.

Are all the hotels/safaris as dear as what I'm finding here? All the safaris I'm finding seem to be very swanky set ups, theres no "basic" accommodation options.

Any advice on websites to book through etc would be great. Just out of a travel agent who quoted me £1300 for 4 nights 3* hotel in Cape Town....!

Also, internal flights are apparently the best way of getting about? ie. J'burg to Kruger and back for the safari and J'burg to Cape Town and back.
Click to expand...

The problem is you are going through agents. Depending on the type of accommodation you want you can get a room for around £40-£50 (City Lodge and Town Lodge)
Safari is always going to be expensive, all the private reserves will set you back £300-£500 / night. i would look at the Kruger Park and book a couple of day and night drives there.
Also look up Kapama Lodge on tinternet. I don't think they advertise is but they have a place called "Lions Den" - Self Catering, but brilliant - just you and the wild life, with the closest civilisation around 15 miles away. Might be worth a call to them. I've been a couple of times when we lived there. Actually had my Honey Moon there.
 
Thanks for that, City Lodge/Town Lodge look like what we want.

What about the cost of living whilst over there? Is food expensive, taxis, that sort of thing. Trying to assemble a rough budget here!
 
slideordie said:
Thanks for that, City Lodge/Town Lodge look like what we want.

What about the cost of living whilst over there? Is food expensive, taxis, that sort of thing. Trying to assemble a rough budget here!
Click to expand...

Going with Pounds you'll find the cost of living cheap.
We were there in December/January and a Meal at the Spur for 4 adults and a child cost me £55. That was steaks all round, drinks and dessert.

Taxi's I'm not sure, I've never used them, just make sure you get into the right one. There are certain taxis you do not want to go near.

Tourist attractions can vary, but to give you an idea. Kruger National Park was around £15/person day trip self drive. We went to Chimp Eden (featured on Animal Planet) that was £8/person.

A pint will cost you around £1, cigarettes (if you smoke) £1.80/20 pack.
 
Great information there, thanks. So expenditure apart from hotel/flights/safari will be minimal. The number of game reserves available and hotels therein is overwhelming, they all look to come highly rated ***, I've yet to hear anyone complain about a game drive they were on.
 
In Kruger you can do a self drive and i'm sure that there is campsite somewhere which is a really cheap way of doing things. If you like slightly more low key check out Pilansberg game reserve, not such the tourist trap that Kruger is.
 
Comfortably Numb said:
I'm confused by this comment:thinking:

When you say "point & shoot", do you mean;

a: Berreta .32
or
b: Canon G9?

:shrug:
Click to expand...

I'd go with the colt .45 semi auto every time :thumbs:
a hell of a lot of stopping power for fairly low re-coil :D

Great advice folks keep it coming as
I'm also toying with the idea of a trip sometime this year :thumbs:
 
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