South Africa - a
Survival Guide
South Africa has an excellent
infrastructure and most first time visitors will find touring a surprisingly
effortless and pleasurable experience in this African country. First rate
safari lodges, hotels, guesthouses and B&Bs are plentiful and getting
around is easy with exceptional air services and roads. For those on a
more slender budget there are a rapidly escalating number of self catering
options and backpacker hostels.
The following is some interesting
information you might require prior to your visit.
Time
Zones
South African local time
(Bravo or GMT+2), not to be confused with Zulu time, is 2 hours ahead of
Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), also Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) or Zulu
time (Z) and operates all year throughout the entire country.
Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana,
Zambia and Namibia are in the same time zone although Namibia changes in
winter to UTC+1 from 2am on the 1st Sunday of April until 2am on the 1st
Sunday of September.
Airports
Guide
Mainstream International
Airports:
OLIVER THAMBO INTERNATIONAL
AIRPORT
Johannesburg airport information
(011) 921-6262
Automated flight information
086 72 77 888
Distance from city centre
24km (15 miles) Taxi fare R180-R200
Distance from Sandton 30km
(20 miles) Taxi fare R250
Johannesburg Magic Bus Shuttle
service (011) 548-0822 View website for rates.
There are Internet facilities
in Domestic and International lounges and Wireless Internet Access (WIFI)
facilities at the International departure lounge.
ATMs, banking and bureau
de change facilities:
International Arrivals -
ABSA bank, Nedbank, American Express, Rennies and Master Currency bureau
de change.
ATMs at the public concourse
of International Arrivals and level 1 of the shopping concourse in the
Domestic Terminal.
CAPE TOWN INTERNATIONAL
AIRPORT
Cape Town airport information
(021) 937-1200
Automated flight information
086 72 77 888
Distance from city centre
20km (12 miles) Taxi fare R190-R220
Cape Town Magic Bus Shuttle
service (021) 505-6300 View website for rates.
ATMs, banking and bureau
de change facilities:
Domestic Arrivals ATMs -
ABSA, FNB and Nedbank.
Domestic Departures ATMs
– Nedbank, Standard Bank, ABSA and bureau de change.
International Departures
- ABSA bank, ATM and bureau de change.
International Arrivals -
Currency bureau de change in International Arrivals.
There are Wireless Internet
Access (WIFI) facilities at the International and Domestic Terminals.
Medical clinic Tel: +27
(0)21 936 2277
DURBAN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
Durban airport information
(031) 451-6758
Automated flight information
086 72 77 888
Distance from city centre
20km (12 miles) Taxi fare R180
Durban Magic Bus Shuttle
service (031) 263-2647 View website for rates.
ATMs, banking and bureau
de change facilities:
Public Concourse ATMs –
Nedbank, Standard Bank, FNB and ABSA and ABSA Bank.
International Arrivals &
Departures - bureau de change.
International Airports:
PILANESBERG INTERNATIONAL
AIRPORT
Pilanesberg Airport helpdesk
+27 (0)14 552 1261
Automated flight Information
086 72 77 888
Customs and immigration
facilities, vehicle hire and free Shuttle service to Sun City.
KRUGER MPUMALANGA INTERNATIONAL
AIRPORT (KMIA)
KMIA information +27 13
753 7500
Having recently undergone
extensive upgrades, the KMIA is gateway to the Greater Limpopo Transfrontier
Park (incorporating the Kruger National Park and wildlife areas in Mozambique
and Zimbabwe) and many Lowveld destinations.
Distance from Nelspruit
25 km
The KMI has customs and
immigration facilities, banking, ATMs, VIP lounges and car rental depots.
Domestic Airports:
PORT ELIZABETH AIRPORT
Port Elizabeth Airport helpdesk
+27 (0)41 507 7319
Automated flight information
086 72 77 888
Distance from city centre
3 km (only 10 minutes drive to the beach) Taxi fare R40
ATMs - between arrivals
and departures.
EAST LONDON AIRPORT
East London Airport Helpdesk
+27 (0)43 706 0306
Automated flight information:
086 72 77 888
Distance from city centre
15 km
ATMs - departures.
GEORGE AIRPORT
George Airport Helpdesk
+27 (0)44 8769310
Automated flight information
086 72 77 888
Distance from city centre
10 km
ATM - main terminal
BLOEMFONTEIN AIRPORT
Bloemfontein Airport helpdesk
+27 (0)51 407 2240
Automated flight Information
086 72 77 888
Distance from city centre
15 km
KIMBERLEY AIRPORT
Kimberley Airport helpdesk
+27 (0)53 851 1032
Automated flight Information
086 72 77 888
UPINGTON AIRPORT
Upington Airport helpdesk
+27 (0)54 337 7900
Automated flight information
086 72 77 888
Upington Airport features
one of the world's longest commercial runways - it's certainly the longest
runway in Africa. At 4 900m long, it can land a space shuttle!
Currency
and Banks:
The currency of South Africa
is the rand (R), divided into 100 cents. Notes are issued in R10, R20,
R50, R100 and R200 denominations and carry images of 'Big Five' wildlife.
Coins are issued in R1, R2, R5 and in 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 cent denominations.
As of June 30th, 2006, the
exchange rate was R 7.30 to the US dollar, R 9.14 to the Euro, R 13.26
to the pound sterling and R 5.32 to the Australian dollar.
Current Exchange Rate: link
to Currency Convertor for today's exchange rate.
Banks and exchanging money
South African banking hours
are Monday to Friday 9am until 3:30pm and Saturdays 9am until 11am. Bureaux
de change at some city banks stay open until 7pm. American Express and
Rennies Travel also provide money changing services.
The larger cities have some
ATMs that exchange foreign currency exclusively, something to remember
if you need cash after banking hours.
When changing money it is
highly advisable to stick to the legal methods.
Credit and Debit Cards
Visa and MasterCard are the
most acceptable. Contact your bank before travelling to find out the required
overseas PIN and best account options to use. Credit cards are essential
for car hire. Petrol cannot be purchased with credit cards.
ATMs
Automatic teller machines
are open 24 hours a day and most international cards can be used. Using
cards is definitely the easiest way to access your funds in South Africa
unless you are venturing into the sticks, where you’ll need cash.
Be cautious when drawing
money from deserted ATM’s after hours and be wary of people observing you
whilst entering your pin or anyone offering assistance.
Travellers Cheques
Thomas Cook, American Express
and Visa cheques are the most well known. Pounds sterling and US dollar
cheques are accepted and the fee for sales is generally 1-2 percent. It’s
advisable to have a selection of denominations and keep a copy of serial
numbers in a separate place to the cheques. Travellers’ cheques may be
cashed at any banks.
Rennies Travel is the agent
for Thomas Cook. There are a few American Express branches in some cities;
Nedbank is the agent for American Express and First National Bank for Visa.
Directory
* VISA
International: 0800 99 0475 National free-call, 24-hrs
* MasterCard:
0800 99 0418 National free-call, 24-hrs
* American
Express: 0800 11 0929 24-hrs
* Diners
Club: (011) 358 8400 8am-4:45pm, Mon-Fri
* Rennies
Foreign Exchange Bureaux (Thomas Cook): 0800 99 8175 National
free-call, 24-hrs
* ABSA/Barclays
Bank/Maestro: 0800 11 1155 National free-call, 24-hrs
* First
National Bank: 0800 11 0132 National free-call, 24-hrs
* Nedbank:
0800 11 0929 National free-call, 24-hrs
* Standard
Bank/MasterCard: 0800 02 0600 National free-call, 24-hrs
Tax
South Africa has a levy of
14% Value Added Tax (VAT). Overseas visitors taking purchases out of South
Africa are entitled to reclaim the VAT paid on these items if the value
of goods exceeds R250.
Reclaiming VAT is applicable
for purchases to the value of R250 or more and items must be available
for inspection at the airport along with relevant invoices. When shopping
request a tax invoice and make sure your name and the shop’s VAT number
appear on it. On departing from South Africa and checking in at the airport,
contact the customs official who will assess your purchases and invoices.
This can be a lengthy procedure so make allowance for this. After the official
has approved and stamped the paperwork, the VAT Reclaim Office will refund
you. There are VAT Reclaim Offices at Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban
International Airports.
VAT Refund Administrator
(011) 394-1117.
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