South Africa / iRiphabhuliki yaseNingizimu Afrika / iRiphabhlikhi yoMzantsi Afrika / Republiek van Suid-Afrika – Let’s explore here

South Africa is a stunningly beautiful country, located at the southernmost tip of Africa. At about four times the size of Italy, it has the greatest number of world heritage sites in Africa. The ‘Cradle of Humankind’ sits in the North East of the country – a site that has produced an enormous number of hominin fossils, some of the oldest ever found, dating as far back as 3.5 million years ago.

It has a very long, rich and troubled history, including slavery and enforced racial segregation. Despite this, the country has never experienced a coup d’état, and is now held up as a paragon of multicultural diversity. It shares its land borders with Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia and Zimbabwe.

It also operates a digital nomad visa scheme, which you may find of interest.

What currency do they use in South Africa?

In South Africa they use the South African rand. Cash is widely used. The use of credit / debit cards is widely accepted. Traveller’s cheques are readily accepted in cities and tourist areas. There are many ATMs throughout the country.

You should make yourself aware of the amount that your bank charges you for using credit and debit cards abroad. Often credit cards are cheaper for purchasing items directly, and for withdrawing cash from ATMs.

What language do they speak in South Africa?

They mainly speak Zulu and Xhosa in South Africa, although English and Afrikaans are also widely spoken. The other official languages are Ndebele, Northern Sotho, Sotho, Swan, Swazi, Tsonga and Venda.

What time zone is South Africa in?

Remember, when you’re planning your next trip to take a look at what time zone it’s in.

Do I need a visa to visit South Africa?

We’ve created a dedicated, more comprehensive page on visas, which you should find helpful. Check it out!

What’s it like to drive in South Africa?

We’ve also created a dedicated page to driving abroad, which you might find helpful 🙂

Current travels

Our current planned route takes us from Angola towards the capital, Windhoek, before moving on to South Africa. Hopefully our journey will improve our knowledge of this intriguing and beautiful country, and enable us to meet some interesting people. We’ll be updating this page at that time – don’t forget to check back 🙂

Is wild camping legal in South Africa?

Yes, wild camping is fine in South Africa.

If you’ve got some awesome pictures, or some useful info that you’d like to share, let us know! 

And don’t forget to check out all the other pictures!