South Africa..what is it like?safe for a lone female? (1 Viewer)

[whathappen?]

Hey
Has anyone been to South Africa. I am half thinking about an epic trip and I would like to visit SA. Are the stories of rampant crime true or a bit of fear mongering ? Would ye say it is safe for a female by herself.
Where would ye recommend ? Any particular wildlife tours etc?
Thanks

 

[potlatch]

Hi. I'm living in Lesotho these days. In general it's safe, but shit can happen so you use your common sense. Don't look like you're carrying expensive things, don't walk around at night. But Lesotho is very different from SA. Across the border from Maseru, Ladybrand is a typical small South African town and is very safe, even at night. Also Fikcksberg. The big city near me, Bloemfontein, is also very safe, but again, In general, the rural provinces (e.g. Free State, Gauteng) are safer.

But I haven't heard anyone talk well of Jo'burg, Pretoria or Durban in terms of safety. Capetown in the tourist area is safe. So many people I've spoken to complain about the sense of insecurity in those cities. Other places along the coast like Port Elizabeth seem fine. Stories I heard have been: a Lesotho minister's car being stolen, a car being stolen, contents from a car being stolen. Nothing serious.

The basic rules are:
- Don't walk around at night
- If walking around, groups are better
- Don't get public transport (buses, trains, 'kombis' [shared taxis])
- In your accomodation, ask for the number of a good taxi service (they're not expensive)
- If driving, don't have ANYTHING in the car cabin in cities (country side is fine, but exercise caution)

On the driving side, things are fine in SA, the roads are good and except for taxi/kombi drivers, drivers are good.

Things to do/see? In my neck of the woods, you've got the Maluti Mountains (and Lesotho as a whole for a very different feel). To the east of Lesotho and SA, you have the Drakensberg mountains, many beautiful hill-walks. Krueger national park is for the safari experience. But there are a few others, depending where you are (Golden Gate). The region's highest abseil is in Lesotho in Semongkong (I think). There's a visit to the wine regions in the east cape in SA.

I'll see if I can think of more.

I'd say as a lady travelling by herself, from my experience it might be good to latch onto a tour first to get a feel for things. The lack of structure in other countries (LS, MZ, etc) makes getting around hard unless you're driving. All the above said, it's perfectly doable to use public transport etc. in SA, it's just I've heard so many bad experiences that you just don't seem to get in other countries.

 

[Red_Dog]

I'll buzz over with ye love ;-)

 

[whathappen?]

Hi potlatch thanks for all the info.rep on the way

 

[nlgbbbblth]

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[Red_Dog]

If anyone asks you if you want to go crush buttons down by the riverside , say No!

 

[CinnamonBoy]

I know a girl from SA who lives here. She was at home a couple of weeks and took the wrong exit ramp off the motorway. She drove on a minute or two, stopped at a lights and had her window smashed and phone stolen. She wasn't even too shook up. Sounds like a mad place, in fairness.

 

[VARUKA]

ah suid afrika,land of freedom...if you have an ak47!

ak47 is your best friend over there,
you can also get a local with his own ak47 as a tour guide,
you walk around at night with your ak47 no problem,
beware of other ak47's and always shoot first.

if you dont ave an ak47 then you'll be fine too,
just sing and dance with the locals and you'll have the time of your life.
i used to get public transport there no problems,even used the infamous kombis no problem and that wasn't to long ago.
go with the flow even if its to soweto.
been there done that.
i'd go on but cant stay online for to long.