South Africa Trip: Reviews and My Tips

I went to Africa for the first time in October 2014, exactly 2 years ago. I chose South Africa to discover this magnificent continent that is Africa, it was also my second country on my world tour.

In this article, I will give you my opinion on my trip to South Africa.

South Africa: my opinion on my 2-month trip.

I knew nothing about South Africa when arriving from Paris, so I came with no preconceived notions.

I had only researched nice hikes and landscapes. I was not disappointed by that.

In fact, I had planned to stay 1 month but I stayed two months.

Opinion on South Africa

Places visited in South Africa: Cape Town, Cape of Good Hope, Mossel Bay, Oudtshoorn, Knysna, Plettenberg Bay, Storm River, Jeffrey’s Bay, Port Elizabeth, East London, Hogsback, Coffee Bay, the southern Drakensberg region, Durban, the northern Drakensberg, Johannesburg. More than fifteen places where I stayed between 2 and 5 days.

I stayed 10 days in Cape Town but I could have stayed longer.

Number of days in South Africa: +/-60 days.

Opinion on Cape Town:

One of the most beautiful cities I have seen with the beach, the sea, and the mountains. You can easily stay a week there with hiking activities on Table Mountain, Devil’s Peak, etc.

There are many activities such as surfing, canoeing-kayaking (I saw a whale and dolphins there, depending on the season), cage diving (diving with sharks in a cage), swimming with seals, parachuting, paragliding, etc. You can also follow the wine route in Stellenbosch.

Step	Duration	Why go there
Cape Town	3-4 days	Table Mountain, Cape of Good Hope
Garden Route	4-5 days	Ocean road trip
Stellenbosch	2 days	Wine tastings
Kruger Park	3-5 days	Big Five on safari
Drakensberg	2-3 days	Mountain hiking

Go to the Cape of Good Hope and the southernmost point of Africa.

Recommended time: one week or even two.

Review of each place I visited in South Africa:

• Mossel Bay: start of the Garden Route, you can take a walk along the South African coast, a typical coastal and seaside town where people come to relax and avoid the population of Cape Town. Recommended time: one night or one day.

• Oudtshoorn: This is a place known for ostrich farming, you can visit ostrich farms, it is a good tourist attraction. During the tour, they show you several different stages of the farming process, go cycling, eat ostrich. Recommended time: one day or two nights.

• Knysna: It is a pretty town with a very long beach, there are wildlife parks and other animal activities departing from Knysna, you can do almost all the activities you can do in Cape Town. Recommended time: one day or two nights.

• Plettenberg Bay: beautiful bay with a very nice hike on the peninsula, you can see animals such as seals in the wild. Recommended time: one day or two nights.

• Storm River: a countryside town with fun activities such as mountain biking, canoeing, there are nice hikes and there is a zip line in the forest. Recommended time: two to four days.

• Jeffrey’s Bay: it is a place known for being the location of surf schools, youth hostels that like to party. Recommended time: two nights to a week if you want to take surf lessons.
• Port Elizabeth: Large city in South Africa, it is a hub for activities, safari tours, wildlife park visits. I personally did a safari tour at Addo Park, the elephant park. On this occasion, I was also invited to lunch for an African meal. Recommended time: two nights to three days.

• East London: nothing special in this city except a sunset, I stayed there to catch the bus.

• Hogsback: it is a magical place where you can hike, see beautiful landscapes. The flora is very dense in this area. Recommended time: two to four days.

• Coffee Bay: it is a very African place, if you want to learn more about KwaZulu Natal, there are some hikes in the villages or on the coast. It is a small and easy place to meet locals. Recommended time: two nights to three days.

• The south of the Drakensberg region: one of the regions to see part of the Drakensbergs for hiking to go to Lesotho. Recommended time: two nights to two days. If you have little time, I recommend going to the northern region.

• Durban: a large city with a less touristy side than Cape Town. It is a transition or departure city to go to other places such as Hluhluwe or the Drakensberg or towards the route to Port Elizabeth. It is cheaper than Cape Town. Recommended time: one day or two nights.

• The north of the Drakensberg: Places for lovers of hiking and wide open spaces. There are magnificent hikes in the region. It is a hub for travel departing to visit Lesotho. There are many activities in the region such as visiting canyons, valleys, waterfalls. Recommended time: two to four days.

• Johannesburg: it seemed to me the least safe city in South Africa. You go there because you are going to Kruger Park or to catch a flight. I visited Chinatown. You can see museums that tell the history of South Africa or sleep in a township for the experience. Recommended time: one day or two nights.

General opinion on my stay in South Africa:

• Opinion on safety in South Africa:

I thought it was going to be worse. You have to use common sense and avoid public transport in certain places. People recommend always taking a taxi.

There are cases of theft but most of the time, it’s either you live next to the township or if you have your handbag because there are quite a few shoplifting incidents.

Major accidents are really very rare. However, there are many pickpockets, or people who got robbed after going out partying because they were hanging around in the street or were drunk in Cape Town for example.

Travel with insurance in case something happens to you: see my article containing a travel insurance comparison.

•  Review of the budget in South Africa:

South Africa is more expensive than Asia and has prices roughly similar to Latin America. For food, I often went to the supermarket for hot prepared meals and it always cost me less than 5 euros, or there are quite a few hostels that offer cheap barbecues.

If you go canoeing, zip-lining in the forest, renting a bike, surfing, hiking in the mountains, etc., these cost up to 30-40 euros except for special activities like skydiving or a day on a safari circuit, for example.

•  Review of my accommodations in South Africa :

I only stayed in youth hostels, all of which are small-scale hostels; it is very easy to meet people in the hostel. The hostels are better than in Asia but quite rustic compared to a hotel.

Some do not have places to put valuables, for example.

A night in a hostel costs about 10 euros. I came during the shoulder season and never had a problem finding a hostel. You can also stay in hotels, which are much cheaper than in France.

In the hostels, you can find a free paper guide with the numbers of hostels and the services they offer. It is very useful for your travels here.

• Review of the lifestyle and living environment in South Africa :

It is a poor country and you have to be careful where you go and especially know how to get there. It is not as guided but if you don’t know where you are, take a taxi instead of venturing who knows where.

The locals are very nice and will always tell you to be careful, especially after nightfall.

I spent most of my time on the coast in South Africa and the coastal cities are very different and safe. I very rarely felt that my safety was in danger but as soon as I arrived in Johannesburg, I saw the difference.

The standard of living in South Africa is much lower than in France, people all speak English with an African accent.

There are many white men and women in South Africa; people will not necessarily think you are a tourist unless you act like one. It is possible to blend in easily.

What to do in South Africa: My opinion?

My favoritein South Africa:

Cape Town for the city and the whole experience, Coffee Bay for the people, and the Drakensberg for the landscapes.

There is also the barbecue culture called “BRAAI” at lunch or in the evening at your hotel; you will not regret it, it is the national meal here 😀 along with other specialties.

There was a drink I discovered and actually really liked, it was the alcoholic cider “Savannah”.

I wrote a more complete article on: what to do in South Africa?

What I did not likein South Africa:

There are very few things I did not like in South Africa. You had to be more careful with your personal belongings.

Do I see myself livingin South Africa:

Maybe in Cape Town or Durban, however, you absolutely need a car to get around because they do not have the best public transportation.

What you need to knowin South Africa:

I traveled by Baz bus which dropped me from hostel to hostel, but the option of renting a car might be better if you are two or more. Doing a road trip along the coast from Cape Town to Durban is ideal in my opinion.

On the other hand, it is cheaper to take local buses which offer a decent service, but you have to manage to find the hostel afterwards.

What I missed and would have liked to do in South Africa :

• Do a self-drive tour in Kruger Park. I went to see the waterfalls (Victoria Falls) in Zimbabwe and I had already been on some safaris and animal parks before.
• Scuba diving: there are some beautiful places to discover and they are less crowded.
• I did not do a tour to Swaziland or the Blyde River Canyon in the west of the country or visit Hluhluwe which has many national parks around the region.

To visit or do in South Africa:

• You absolutely must see Cape Town; it can be a family destination or with children.
• Do some safari circuits on the route of a circuit either in Kruger Park or for a day.
• If you have extended holidays, I recommend taking a flight for a few days to Victoria Falls, which is among the 3 largest waterfalls in the world. Take a round trip flight from Johannesburg and you won’t regret it. You can also explore the Zambian side of Victoria Falls to visit the Devil’s Pool.

You can stay for a duration of 3 weeks for your trip here either arriving in Johannesburg or Cape Town. There are many round trip flights departing from Paris.

How I see my future trip to South Africa

I would leave from Paris to Cape Town with my family and children. I would like to stay one week in a hotel in Cape Town then rent a car and do a self-drive tour to go to Blyde River Canyon and return to Cape Town in 4 or 5 days.

Then I would go to Durban by plane and visit the eastern region of Kwazulu Natal and Hluhluwe, then I would go on a safari circuit to Kruger Park. Possibly also spend a few days in Swaziland if possible.

I would take my return flight from Johannesburg. It would look like a series of mini trips with a stay of about 3 weeks discovering different national parks where I have not yet been.

Other readings that follow the same logic: our review of travel in 2014 which sets the tone, the practical guide on South Africa landscape for concrete details, and finally what to do when visiting if you want to extend the reflection.

You just need to check the prices and choose hotels that fit my family’s budget.

The conclusion of my review of my trip to South Africa

I was surprised by the trip to South Africa and if I had to go back, I would gladly go again. It reminded me a lot of the Roadtrip in Australia but much cheaper and with just as much “FUN”.

Meeting people in hostels is very easy and there are very few tourists. It is a country I recommend and place among my top 5 countries visited during my world tour.

If you want to go to South Africa, I recommend this series of books: