Getting Around South Africa

South Africa is large, and the gap between two places you want to see is routinely a full day of driving or a flight. How you move between them is one of the bigger decisions of the trip, and it is worth making deliberately rather than by default.

Minibus taxis

The minibus taxi is how the majority of South Africans travel. Fixed routes, no timetable, leaves when full, hand signals at the roadside to indicate where you are going. It is the cheapest way to move and it is genuinely the country’s transport system.

It is also the one most visitors are advised to approach with local guidance rather than alone on the first day. The routes are not published anywhere a newcomer can read them, the ranks are busy, and the driving is assertive. Going with somebody who uses them is a completely different experience from working it out yourself.

In the cities

Ride hailing apps operate in the major cities and are what most visitors end up using. They are straightforward, the fare is agreed before you travel, and the record of the trip is a safety feature in itself.

Cape Town, Johannesburg and Pretoria also have scheduled bus services on defined routes, which are comfortable and useful within their coverage. Metered taxis exist and are generally arranged by phone or through a hotel rather than hailed on the street.

Between cities

Long distance coaches connect the major centers on reliable schedules and are the sensible overland option for most routes. They are comfortable, they are booked in advance, and they take as long as the distance demands.

Domestic flights are frequent between the main cities and, for a trip that has to cross the country, usually the right answer. The rail network carries a small number of long distance passenger services, including a well known luxury one, but it is not a general purpose way to get around.

Driving yourself

Self driving is common and the road network between major centers is good. Traffic drives on the left. Distances are the thing to respect: a route that looks like a morning often is not, and arriving after dark is worth planning out of the itinerary rather than accepting.

Fuel stations are attended rather than self service, which surprises people, and the attendant is tipped. Keep the tank above half in rural areas. Both governments advise keeping windows up and doors locked in traffic, particularly at junctions in cities, and that advice is specific rather than generic.