Getting There by Air
Main Airports:
Johannesburg (JNB) - 22 km (14 miles) east of the city.
Taxis and bus service connection are available to / from Johannesburg and Pretoria. Major hotels provide their own shuttle/coach services. Airport facilities include: duty-free shop, bank, ATMs, post office, car rental, conference rooms and medical clinic.
International carriers flying to/from Johannesburg:
Air France (Paris), British Airways (London), Cathay Pacific (Hong Kong),
Egyptair (Cairo). Emirates Airlines (Dubai), Kenya Airways (Nairobi),
KLM (Amsterdam), Lufthansa (Frankfurt),
Qantas (Sydney), Singapore Airlines (Singapore),
Virgin Atlantic (London).
Cape Town (CPT) - 22 km (14 miles) east of the city.
Transportation to and from the airport by shuttle buses and taxis. Major hotels also provide their own shuttle bus services. Airport facilities include: duty-free shop, bank, ATMs, post office, car rental, conference rooms and medical clinic.
International carriers flying to/from Cape Town include:
British Airways (London), KLM (Amsterdam)
Lufthansa (Frankfurt),
Singapore Airlines (Singapore), Virgin Atlantic (London).
Durban (DUR) - 18 km (11 miles) southwest of the city.
Transportation to and from the airport by shuttle buses and taxis.
Airport facilities include: duty-free shop, bank, ATMs, post office, car rental.
Getting There by Road
Several bus companies (Greyhound, Intercape, Translux) provide bus services to capital cities of neighboring countries.
Getting Around by Car
The road network in South Africa is pretty good and most major roads are in excellent condition - this makes driving the best choice to get around. Driving is on the left-hand side of the road. Gasoline costs around
US$0.70 per litre ($2.65 per gallon) and all gas stations ask for cash only.
Renting a car is relatively inexpensive in South Africa. Rates start at about US$40 per day, including insurance and 200 km (124 miles) free per day.
Usually better rates with international rental agencies are given when making reservations before leaving home and with prepayment.
Getting Around by Bus
Buses and coaches are the main form of public transport between major cities as well as to Namibia and Zimbabwe. They are pretty reliable and reasonably comfortable. Three major providers are: Greyhound, Intercity and TransLux.
Many long distance services run overnight.
Another interesting and recommended option is a Baz Bus. This is a hop-on, hop-off service aimed at backpackers and independent international travelers. The service runs between Cape Town and Durban and between Durban and Pretoria via Johannesburg on two routes - one via the Drakensberg and one via Swaziland.
Getting Around by Rail
Shosholoza Meyl trains are inexpensive and are a reliable, convenient and comfortable mode of transportation between major and many smaller cities. They are pretty slow though and many run overnight. Trains go between Johannesburg and Musina, Durban, East London, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town and also between Cape Town and Durban.
In addition, there are luxury trains between Johannesburg and Cape Town ("Premier Classe", "Shongololo Express") and Pretoria and Cape Town ("Blue Train", "Pride of Africa").
