Travel guides

Travel guides

In-depth, source-verified guides to help you plan — from the Big Five and safaris to seasons, packing and local etiquette.

• Visas & entry requirements

  Many travellers can visit South Africa visa-free for up to 90 days — but the rules depend on your nationality and change without notice. Here's who needs a visa, the new online option, and what you'll need at the border.

• Halal food, prayer & Muslim travellers

  South Africa's Muslim community goes back more than three centuries, and Cape Town is its heart. Here is what that means in practice — halal certification you can check, prayer facilities at the airports you land in, and the traditions you will meet.

• When to go & what to pack

  South Africa's seasons run opposite to the Northern Hemisphere. Here's how the weather works region by region, the best months for safari versus the Cape, and a packing checklist for each.

• The Big Five & the Little Five

  South Africa's Big Five — lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino — were named by big-game hunters as the most dangerous animals to hunt on foot, not the largest. The Little Five borrow those names. The country is one of 17 megadiverse nations and holds the Cape Floral Kingdom.

• Safaris & the Kruger

  How a South African safari actually works: self-drive or guided national parks versus exclusive guided private reserves, malaria versus malaria-free choices, and why the dry winter is prime for game viewing. Includes a deep dive on Kruger National Park's scale, gates, roads and rest camps, plus malaria-free options like Addo and Pilanesberg.

• Diving South Africa

  A diver's guide to South Africa's Indian Ocean coast: the coral reefs of Sodwana Bay in iSimangaliso, the shark reefs of Aliwal Shoal and Protea Banks, the winter Sardine Run, and great-white cage diving at Gansbaai. Honest on seasons, and that wild sightings are never guaranteed.

• Hiking South Africa

  South Africa's signature hikes: the five-day Otter Trail on the Garden Route (booked far ahead through SANParks), the Drakensberg Amphitheatre and its chain ladders toward Tugela Falls, Cape Town's Platteklip Gorge and Lion's Head, and easy day walks in Tsitsikamma. With difficulty, permits and seasons.

• Getting around

  How visitors move around South Africa as of 2026: e-hailing (Uber and Bolt) in the main metros, self-drive and car hire (drive on the left, licence in English or an IDP), the Gautrain rapid rail, the OR Tambo, Cape Town and King Shaka airports, plus domestic flights, coaches and minibus taxis.

• Public holidays

  South Africa observes twelve official public holidays under the Public Holidays Act (Act No 36 of 1994). When a holiday falls on a Sunday, the following Monday becomes a public holiday — as in 2026, when National Women's Day (Sun 9 Aug) shifts to Mon 10 Aug. Banks and most attractions close; many shops keep reduced hours.

• Culture & etiquette

  A warm, practical guide to South African culture and etiquette: the 12 official languages and a few friendly greetings, the braai and Heritage Day, the spirit of ubuntu, plus everyday do's and don'ts on tipping, attended petrol stations, photographing people and staying street-smart.

• Golf in South Africa

  South Africa is Africa's golf heavyweight — roughly 414 affiliated courses, championship layouts from Kruger's edge to the Garden Route, and marquee events like the Nedbank Golf Challenge and the 1903-founded SA Open. It also pioneered the golf safari, pairing tee times with the bush.

• Fishing & rivers

  From marlin off KwaZulu-Natal to fly-fishing for trout in the misty Drakensberg, South Africa offers extraordinary variety for anglers. Its rivers — led by the Orange, the country's longest — add rafting and estuary angling, while the winter Sardine Run draws the 'greatest shoal on Earth' up the east coast.

• Adventure & adrenaline

  South Africa is built for adrenaline — from the Bloukrans bungee, billed as the world's highest bridge jump, to forest canopy zip-lines, great-white cage diving and a high-altitude 4x4 pass to Lesotho. Table Mountain, the Garden Route and the Drakensberg tie world-class thrills to unforgettable places.

• Shopping malls & the VAT refund

  South Africa's malls are enormous, air-conditioned and open seven days a week — the top three sit within about 2,000 m² of each other, which is why the 'largest in Africa' title keeps changing hands. Foreign visitors can also reclaim the 15% VAT on goods they take home.