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South Africa |
Facts about country
| Capital | Pretoria |
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Population |
41 Million |
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Main Languages |
English + Afrikaans + seSotho,
+ siXhosa + isiZulu + isiNdebele + saLebowa + siSwati, Xitsonga + Setswana
+ Tshivenda. |
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Electricity |
3 Plug System 220 or 240 Volts 50Hz |
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Currency |
South African Rand (R) |
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Exchange Rate for US $ as of Aug 2001 |
8.3 R per 1 US $ |
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Safe to Drink Tap Water |
Most Places |
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Size |
1233404 sq km |
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Transport |
bus, minibus, rent a car, train, plane, |
| Cash Machines (ATMS) | Yes |
| Credit Card Usage | Yes |
| Religion | Christian + Muslim, Jewish, Hindu + Traditional Beliefs |
| Measurement System | Metric System |
Recommended Budget per Day in US $
| Total Budget per Person | Accommodation | Meals | Transportation | Other |
| 35 $ | 5 $ camp | 5 $ Self | 15 $ | 10 $ |
Main things to See (we give descriptions only on places we visited)
| Things to See | Visited | Brief Description | Recommend (10 is best 1 is don't bother) |
| Cape Town | Y | Beautiful city on the Waterfront with Table Mountain in the Background. It is very European with all the modern things and shopping possibilities one could want. The main attractions are Table Mountain (Cable way) , Waterfront, the City Bowl, Castle of Good Hope , South African Museum, the Aquarium, and Robben Island (Prison where Nelson Mandela was kept). | 8 |
| Cape of Good Hope | Y | Where the Indian and Atlantic Ocean meet. Beautiful National Park where one can walk around. | 8 |
| Garden Route | Y | The Garden Route goes along a beautiful part of the South Western Cape Province Coastline. There are a number of towns and beaches along the way such as Jeffreys Bay, Mossel Bay, Chintsa, Port Elizabeth, Harrolds Bay and more. | 8 |
| Drakensberg Mountains | Y | Beautiful mountains that go in Lesotho. Absolutely a must for people who love to hike. The trails are hard, long and not well marked. But worth the effort. Highly recommended. | 10 |
| Kruger National Park | Y | After traveling through a few parks in Africa we finally saw the big five. Beautiful park and very well organized and maintained. A little touristy, but worth going to. | 9 |
| Johannesburg | Y | Not to give a negative picture, but not the most beautiful city in the world. We basically just drove through on our way to pick up our Indian visas. One can go on tours to the Soweto Townships. It is supposedly not the safest place on earth. | 2 |
| Port St Johns | N | ||
| Kalahari Gemsbok National Park | N | ||
The Shipwreck Coast |
N |
Popular activities and Tours (Being not included does not mean they do not exist)
| Hiking / Trekking | x |
| Scuba Diving | x |
| Historical Sites | x |
| Sightseeing tours | x |
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Ballooning |
x |
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Bungy Jumping |
x |
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Safaris |
x |
| Boat tours | x |
| Fishing | x |
| Horseback riding | x |
| Canoeing | x |
| Camping | x |
| River Rafting | x |
| Sky Diving | x |
| Abseiling | x |
| Surfing | x |
| Windsurfing | x |
| Kayaking | x |
| Sailing | x |
| Mountain biking | x |
| Rollerblading | x |
| Motorbike | x |
| Sand boarding | |
| Snorkeling | x |
| Water Skiing | x |
| Others | x |
Feeling and Opinions on South Africa
South Africa has it all except for skiing. It is absolutely a beautiful country with lots to offer. However it is the only country in Africa that we visited that we really felt scared in. Kirk was almost mugged 4 times in a row trying to get money out of an ATM machine. There is still a huge difference in the quality of living between the white and the black people. We also recommend renting a car in South Africa. One has flexibility and ability to see a lot more in a shorter amount of time.
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Maren & Kirk