Practical information South Africa

French, Belgian and Swiss nationals are exempt from visa requirements for tourist stays of up to 90 days. Upon arrival in Johannesburg or Cape Town, a stamp is affixed to your passport, which must be valid for at least six months after your return date and contain at least two consecutive blank pages. For minors travelling without both parents, parental authorization translated into English and notarized is required at immigration, along with a full birth certificate extract. We send our travellers a detailed memo on these documents one month before departure, as boarding controls have been strict since 2019.

No vaccines are mandatory upon entry, except if you arrive from a country at risk of yellow fever (transit of more than 12 hours included). We recommend being up to date on DTP, hepatitis A and B, and depending on your profile, typhoid and rabies. Malaria is present in the north of Kruger Park, the Limpopo valley and northern KwaZulu-Natal, mainly from October to May. Preventive treatment is advised for these areas, to be discussed with a doctor or an international vaccination centre. The rest of the country, including Cape Town and the Garden Route, presents no malaria risk. Tap water is safe to drink in cities.

Excluding international flights, budget between €150 and €250 per day and per person for a mid-range comfortable stay, based on a double room. This budget covers accommodation in a decent guesthouse or lodge, car rental, fuel, meals and park entry fees. A dinner with wine at a good restaurant in Cape Town costs €25-35, a night in a Sabi Sand private reserve with safaris included €400-700 per person, a bottle of Stellenbosch wine €8 ex-cellar. Kruger entry costs approximately €25 per day. Domestic flights Johannesburg-Cape Town start at €70 one-way if booked in advance.

Since the austral seasons are reversed, austral summer runs from December to March. For safari in the Kruger and private reserves, the dry season from May to September remains ideal: sparse vegetation, wildlife concentrated around watering holes, temperatures of 8°C in the morning and 25°C during the day. For Cape Town and the Garden Route, prefer October to April, with a Mediterranean climate and temperatures of 20 to 28°C. Southern right whales can be observed in Hermanus from June to November. March-April and October-November offer a good compromise for combining safari and coastal experiences. Avoid December-January in Cape Town, which is very busy with South Africans on holiday.

Car rental remains the most suitable mode of transport for most itineraries, with a well-maintained road network, frequent service stations, and clear signage. Driving is on the left, a British legacy, and requires a few hours of adaptation. For long distances, domestic flights between Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, and Port Elizabeth are fast and affordable. We advise against driving at night, especially around Johannesburg. The luxury train Rovos Rail connects Cape Town to Pretoria for those who want to slow down. In cities, Uber works very well and remains safer than traditional taxis.

The country can be visited without major difficulty if you follow a few simple rules, which we share with each traveler. Major cities, particularly Johannesburg, require standard precautions: no visible jewelry, no walking downtown at night, car locked at red lights. Cape Town is generally more relaxed, though certain neighborhoods should be avoided. Tourist areas (Waterfront, vineyards, Garden Route, national parks) are safe. In the reserves, follow ranger instructions, especially regarding elephants and hippopotamuses. Our team at the capital remains available 24/7 during your trip and will advise you daily on areas to avoid.