South Africa safety

loriexxx

We are planning on a trip to South Africa, Cape Town garden route and a safari. How worried should we be about safety And in general if we take the normal precautions should it be ok. I have been reading you should not go out a night but obviously as we are on holidays we want to enjoy going for dinner and drinks.

k123456

loriexxx wrote: »

We are planning on a trip to South Africa, Cape Town garden route and a safari. How worried should we be about safety And in general if we take the normal precautions should it be ok. I have been reading you should not go out a night but obviously as we are on holidays we want to enjoy going for dinner and drinks.

I have never been so my advice is limited

I work with a number of South African people and have been interested in visiting SA...the advice from my SA colleagues is it is dangerous, some areas safer, some fairly dangerous

One of them expressed surprised that SA won the recent Rugby WC bid, based on "SA being very dangerous"

mfceiling

I was there in 2002 and didn't find it dangerous at all. Down around the V+A waterfront is tourist central...loads of bars and restaurants. Some areas would be considered "dangerous" so we stayed clear. Taxis were plentiful and cheap so that was us sorted. The garden route is also well served for tourists and we never encountered a single dangerous or risky moment.

Beautiful beaches, great food and fabulous wine!!

Daisy 55

Been twice. On the first occasion we were advised by a friend to be home before dark. We had a baby then, so we were home early.
The second time, we exchanged our house with a south African family. They were astonished at this advice!
The areas around the entrance to the townships can be dodgy. Our kids had tablets in the back of the car, so we warned them to put them away immediately if we told them, at traffic lights sometimes.
We had a bag taken from the locked boot of the car. Apparently they sometimes use a fob to open them. I would avoid street parking for that reason.
It's a fantastic country to visit. We'll go back once more I'd say.

missy_t

We visited two years ago and found it to be quite safe - just took the usual precautions that we would in any big city. We didn't venture out in the city after dark but did go out for meals at night on the Garden Route (which seemed somewhat safer). We found that we needed to pay parking attendants (not sure if they were 'official') in some parking areas to 'watch' our car but it was less than a euro. We were warned by locals not to venture too far out of touristy areas and to be especially careful if hiking. Oh and we were also told to keep windows up and doors locked while driving.

Daisy 55

We paid a parking attendant. Kids suspected he was involved. They mightn't be wrong!
I'd stick to hotel or shopping centre car parks in cape town.

Mancomb Seepgood

We were there on our honeymoon in 2014, visiting Cape Town,Garden Route and Addo National Park.If you follow basic precautions you should have no problems as a tourist,you won't be visiting places with the worst crime and social problems.Stick handbags/valuables in the boot and don't worry about the car guards-in many cases they are licensed by the city/town and in my experience they provide a valuable service and an income to people in a country with much poverty.

In Cape Town we stayed in the Commodore Hotel and strolled down to the V&A every night.Walking the streets during the daytime wasn't a problem.In smaller towns,ask the hotel/B&B for advice.

Exercise common sense and you'll be fine.South Africa is great, you'll love it!

SwimFin

I lived in SA, Jo'Burg and Cape Town and travelled extensively.

Great times, great vibes.

Have your wits about you, don't rely on Sat Nav - clearly define your routes prior to departure with hotel/travel agent, know what to do and who to contact in case of any issues, don't go gung ho into an area you know nothing about, take reputable taxis at night.

If you are driving bear in mind distances can be deceiving, it's a vast expansive country. xMas in SA is a busy period, people vacation often for the whole month so the main tourist attractions are chocka.

5p9arw38djv2b4

loriexxx wrote: »

We are planning on a trip to South Africa, Cape Town garden route and a safari. How worried should we be about safety And in general if we take the normal precautions should it be ok. I have been reading you should not go out a night but obviously as we are on holidays we want to enjoy going for dinner and drinks.

The garden route is spectacular, have the best time. We've been to SA a few times, Jo'berg is the only place that didn't feel safe for us. We did follow general advice when driving, try to get to destination before night fall, don't stop on motorway exits etc for anyone after dark (occasionally gangway could be blocked, don't stop ). The roads are great, the sign postage is excellent too, v easy to navigate, though bring a sat Nav just in case. Oh and yup, everywhere has a parking attendant - often just some local guy in high vis, always ask them to keep an eye on your car, and pay them as you leave, after you reverse, just roll down the windows to pay. It's also pretty expected at petrol stations to stay in your car, doors locked, and staff fill your car, and take your cash out the window and when they give you change your tip them.