Buses
South Africa’s three established intercity bus companies are
Greyhound (083 915 9000, www.greyhound.co.za),
Intercape (086 128 7287, www.intercape.co.za) and
Translux (086 158 9282, www.translux.co.za); between them, they reach most towns in the country. Travel on these buses is safe, good value and comfortable, and the vehicles are usually equipped with air conditioning and toilets.
Fares vary according to distance covered and time of year, with peak fares corresponding approximately to school holidays; at other times you can expect about thirty percent off. As a rough indication, you can expect to pay the following fares from Cape Town: to Paarl, R185; Mossel Bay, R225; Port Elizabeth, R315; East London, R400; Mthatha, R470; Durban, R535; and Johannesburg R575.
Translux, Greyhound and Intercape also operate the no-frills budget buslines City to City, Cityliner and Budgetliner, whose schedules and prices are listed on their main websites.
Baz Bus (021 21 422 5202, www.bazbus.com) operates an extremely useful hop-on/hop-off system aimed at backpackers and budget travellers, with intercity buses stopping off at backpacker accommodation en route. Its services run up and down the coast in both directions between Cape Town and Port Elizabeth (1 daily), and between Port Elizabeth and Durban (5 weekly). Inland, it runs buses between Durban and Johannesburg (5 weekly). A number of independently run shuttle services connect with Baz services and go in the Western Cape to: Stellenbosch, Hermanus and Oudtshoorn; in the Eastern Cape to: Hogsback, Coffee Bay, Mpande and Port St Johns; in KwaZulu-Natal to: additional points in Durban, Southern Drakensberg, Southbroom; and in Gauteng to Pretoria. In addition to the website, tickets can also be bought through hostels or the Baz offices at Cape Town and Durban’s central tourist offices.
Minibus taxis
Minibus taxis provide transport to two-thirds of South Africans, travelling absolutely everywhere in the country, covering relatively short hops from town to town, commuter trips from township to town and back, and routes within larger towns and cities. However, the problems associated with them – unroadworthy vehicles, dangerous drivers and violent feuds between the different taxi associations competing for custom – mean that you should take local advice before using them. This is particularly true in cities, where minibus taxi ranks tend to be a magnet for petty criminals. The other problem with minibus taxis is that there is rarely much room to put
luggage. However, despite the drawbacks, don’t rule out using this form of transport altogether. In 2005 the government began a seven-year programme of replacing the country’s creaking taxi fleet with new vehicles, which has at least improved the comfort and safety of many of the vehicles. Short of renting a car, minibus taxis will often be your only option for getting around in
remote areas, where you’re unlikely to encounter trouble. You should, however, be prepared for some long waits, due to their infrequency.
Fares are low and comparable to what you might pay on the inexpensive intercity buses. Try to have the exact change (on shorter journeys particularly), and pass your fare to the row of passengers in front of you; eventually all the fares end up with the conductor, who dishes out any change.
It’s advisable to ask locals which taxi routes are safe to use.
Trains
Travelling by
train is just about the slowest way of getting around South Africa: the journey from Johannesburg to Cape Town, for example, takes 29 hours – compared with 19 hours by bus.
Overnighting on the train, though, is more comfortable than the bus and does at least save you the cost of accommodation en route. Families with children get their own private compartment on the train, and under-5s travel free.
The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) runs most of the intercity rail services. Its standard service, Shosholoza Meyl (t086 000 8888, wshosholoza-meyl.co.za), offers Tourist Class travel in two- or four-person compartments equipped with washbasins. The seats are comfortable and convert into bunks; you can rent sheets and blankets for the night (R40 per person), which are brought around by a bedding attendant who’ll make up your bed in the evening. It’s best to buy your bedding voucher when you book your train ticket. Services run between Johannesburg and Cape Town, Port Elizabeth and Durban, as well as between Cape Town and Durban.
Prasa also runs the twice-weekly, upmarket air-conditioned Premier Classe (086 000 8888, www.premierclasse.co.za) service between Johannesburg and Cape Town, and Johannesburg and Durban. The trains offer a choice of single, double, triple and four-person compartments, with gowns and toiletries provided, and four-course lunches and five-course dinners served in a luxury dining car – all included in the fare.
The fare from Johannesburg to Cape Town in Premier Classe is R2210 per person (roughly half that to Durban). Tourist Class fares range from roughly R300 per person from Johannesburg to Durban (the shortest route) and R740 from Cape Town to Durban (the longest route) but vary slightly depending on the time of year. Tickets must be booked in advance at train stations or online.
South Africa offers a handful of luxury trains, worth considering if you want to travel in plush surroundings and don’t mind paying through the nose for the privilege. The celebrated Blue Train (www.bluetrain.co.za) runs between Cape Town and Pretoria; fares start at R10,930 per person, sharing a double berth for the 29-hour journey. Passengers must be dressed in “smart casual” clothes during the day, and appear in formal wear for the evening meal. Bookings can be made through the website, with Blue Train’s central reservations in Pretoria (012 334 8459) or through the Cape Town reservations office (021 449 2672).
Another luxury rail option is offered by Rovos Rail (Cape Town 021 421 4020; Pretoria 012 315 8242; www.rovos.co.za), which runs trips between Pretoria and Cape Town (from R12,000), Durban (R12,000) and Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe (R13,750), at three levels of luxury, with prices to match.
A word of warning about security on trains: as thieves work the stations, especially around Gauteng, don’t leave your valuables unattended in your compartment unless you have some way of locking it, and make sure you close the window if leaving the carriage for a while, even if it is locked.
Domestic flights
Flying between destinations in South Africa is an attractive option if time is short. It also compares favourably with the cost of covering long distances in a rental car, stopping over at places en route, and, with several competing
budget airlines, you can sometimes pick up good deals.
By far the biggest airline offering domestic flights is South African Airways (SAA), with its two associates SA Airlink and SA Express (reservations for the three go through SAA). SAA’s main direct competitor is British Airways Comair, but there are also the no-frills budget airlines: Kulula, Velvet Sky and Mango, which have more limited networks than the big airlines, but generally offer better deals on the major routes.
On SAA and its associates, you can pick up a one-way tourist-class fare for under R1000 from Johannesburg to Cape Town or from Cape Town to Durban. On the Johannesburg to Cape Town route you’ll generally pick up fares for around R700 on the budget airlines provided you book well ahead and sometimes for as little as half that when there are special offers.
Domestic airlines
British Airways Comair 086 043 5922,
www.ba.com. Flights that cover Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Durban, East London, George, Hoedspruit, Johannesburg, Nelspruit (for Kruger National Park) and Port Elizabeth.
Kulula 086 158 5852, www.kulula.com. Budget flights that cover Cape Town, Durban, George, Johannesburg, Nelspruit (for Kruger National Park) and Port Elizabeth, as well as destinations in Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Mango 086 116 2646, www.flymango.com. SAA’s budget airline provides cheap flights from Johannesburg to Bloemfontein, Cape Town and Durban; and from Cape Town to Jo’burg, Durban and Bloemfontein.
South African Airways 086 135 9722, www.flysaa.com. Together with SA Airlink and SA Express, SAA serve the major hubs of Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban. Other destinations served include Bloemfontein, East London, George, Hoedspruit, Kimberley, Margate, Mmabatho, Mthatha, Nelspruit (for Kruger National Park), Phalaborwa, Pietermaritzburg, Plettenberg Bay, Polokwane, Sun City, Ulundi and Upington.
Velvet Sky 031 582 8722, www.flyvelvetsky.co.za. At the time of its launch in 2011 services were limited to flights between Johannesburg and Durban or Cape Town.