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Travel and Tourism in South Africa
Travel alerts, currency, climate, transit, health, and safety information for visitors to South Africa.
Practical Information
Travel alert status, currency, climate, and transit details.
- Travel Alert Status
- Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution
- Time Difference
- UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
- Currency
- rand (ZAR)
- Climate
- South Africa has a moderate climate with sunny days and cool nights. The most southerly point has a mean yearly temperature of 61.8 degrees Fahrenheit, while Johannesburg, situated at 5,700 above sea level, has an annual mean of 60.8 degrees Fahrenheit. Pretoria, at 4,452 feet above sea level, is warmer with a mean annual temperature of 63.5 degrees Fahrenheit. The temperatures can be deceiving because of the very bright and dangerous high sun during most of the year, especially in the highveld areas. Although the country lies close to the Tropic of Capricorn, the high altitude of the inland areas results in a temperate climate in most of the country. In the Southern Hemisphere, seasons are opposite those of the Northern Hemispher-summer extends from October to March; winter from June to September. The rainy season in the Pretoria-Johannesburg area is during summer, and the temperature seldom rises above 90 degrees F, with cool nights. Winter is dry and cool with daily temperatures varying from as low as 30 degrees F during the night to as high as 75 degrees F during the day. Along the coastal area where Durban and Cape Town are located, heavier rainfall occurs during winter and spring, causing high humidity. Both cities experience strong winds - Durban from August through October and Cape Town throughout the year. The seasons are not pronounced but blend almost imperceptibly. For the most part, trees and shrubs remain green, with flowers blooming throughout the year. The highveld, which includes the Pretoria-Johannesburg area, remains dry and brown throughout much of the year.
- Language(s) Spoken
- isiZulu or Zulu (official) 25.3%, isiXhosa or Xhosa (official) 14.8%, Afrikaans (official) 12.2%, Sepedi or Pedi (official) 10.1%, Setswana or Tswana (official) 9.1%, English (official) 8.1%, Sesotho or Sotho (official) 7.9%, Xitsonga or Tsonga (official) 3.6%, siSwati or Swati (official) 2.8%, Tshivenda or Venda (official) 2.5%, isiNdebele or Ndebele (official) 1.6%, other (includes South African sign language (official) and Khoi or Khoisan or Khoe languages) 2%; note - data represent language spoken most often at home
- Ethnic Groups
- Black African 81.4%, Coloured 8.2%, White 7.3%, Indian/Asian 2.7%, other 0.4%
- National Holiday
- Freedom Day, 27 April (1994)
- Geographic Coordinates
- 29 00 S, 24 00 E
- Location
- Southern Africa, at the southern tip of the continent of Africa
- Airports
- 728
Destinations
Regions and cities, top sights, national parks, UNESCO sites, and festivals for visitors.
Cape Town: City of Mountains, Oceans, and Memory
Cape Town is regularly rated among the most beautiful cities in the world, and it earns every superlative. The city occupies a narrow peninsula beneath the extraordinary flat-topped form of Table Mountain, whose distinctive profile has served as a navigational landmark for sailors for centuries and whose summit offers one of the most dramatic views of any city from any vantage point on earth. The mountain, the ocean, the Cape Dutch architecture, the extraordinary cultural mix, the cuisine, the wine, and the nearby wildlife all combine to create a city of almost overwhelming richness.
Table Mountain is the defining feature of Cape Town and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the Cape Floristic Region. The mountain's summit plateau sits at approximately 1,086 meters and is covered in fynbos, including more than 1,400 plant species. The summit is accessible by the revolving cable car from the lower cable station on Tafelberg Road, a journey of approximately five minutes that offers vertiginous views as the city drops away below.
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Health and Safety
Medical facilities, vaccinations, disease risk, and sanitation conditions.
Private medical facilities are good in urban areas and in the vicinity of game parks, but they may be limited elsewhere. Pharmacies are well-stocked, and equivalents to most American medicines are available. However, travelers taking specific medications should bring an adequate supply for their entire stay and a prescription with them. Nearly all private South African hospitals are owned by one of the following three corporations: Life Health Care (http://www.lifehealthcare.co.za/), NetCare ( http://www.netcare.co.za/live/netcare_index.php ), or Mediclinic ( http://www.mediclinic.co.za/Pages/default.aspx ).
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