While researching options for transportation within South Africa I’ve discovered several luxurious, my ideal, and budget modes of conveyance. Having traveled there before I know it’s safe in most places, even as a solo female. Preferences are personal and financial choices. I tend to be a middle of the road traveler, not quite straddling the center line. So I usually go for somewhere between my ideal and budget.
By plane because a cruise takes too long
I bought airplane tickets for my two month journey after several months of searching for the best deal. This time Kayak came through. Prices varied up to a $500 difference. Had to work the return flight around Easter, a school break with many people traveling, and my birthday just five days before. Johannesburg here I come.
From the USA to South Africa, 10,111 miles, has me leaving one day and arriving the next. Time to dig out the support stockings so my feet don’t swell up like last time. The first leg of only 3.5 hours from Phoenix to JFK/New York shouldn’t be too bad even on a narrow body Jet Blue. Thank goodness for the luxury on South Africa Air’s wide body for the next 21.5 hours. A pillow and blanket await on the seat for an overnight flight plus a personal kit including washcloth, toothbrush and eye mask. Once in flight a free and tasty dinner is served and before landing free breakfast. I saw many options upon ticket purchase from Asian to Vegan, or meat, all at no extra cost. My last experience felt like eating at a good restaurant with a safety tray. On top of that, they serve free alcoholic beverages. Yea,you read right, free. That does not happen in the USA in economy.
I hope to sleep after dinner is cleared and wake up relatively refreshed in Johannesburg in the morning. Knowing long flights usually mean heavy jet-lag I’ll try to go with the destination time zone and not just go to sleep immediately after arrival. Arriving in Johannesburg at 8:30am will give me plenty of time to retrieve luggage, go through customs, eat and settle in somewhere. It’s sure to be an early bedtime but I want to be up and about in the morning.
Major airports are located in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town with many other options along the coast and inland. That could be convenient if my journey doesn’t end back in Joburg where my return flight is booked from.
Driving makes sense, just takes a lot of dollars
Once I get there how should I get around? I’m not a backpacking traveler any more due to bad shoulders from carrying too much for too long. Yet I love to camp and so do many in South Africa with over 700 caravan parks—campgrounds—to choose from. Being a 20-year veteran of the RV lifestyle my ideal would be to travel in a campervan, not a big motor home or towing a trailer. May be a way to fill a teenage fantasy VW bus, or Kombi.
I’ve only found two businesses that rent a van-like camper, Wicked Africa and Lekker. These 2-berth campers provide the basics for cooking, food storage and sleeping. Perfect, except for the expense of longer than a one month hire. Comparing those prices with renting a little car cuts expenses in half even buying some camping equipment once I get there.
The roads were in good condition right before the 2010 Cup except for some construction. And even then less than I see here in the States. Many of the National roads charge a toll but in some cases the free pre-National roads run Lekker VW campervan nearby and through communities and landscapes at a slower pace. My own pace.
Can you see me rolling down the road in one of these unique paint jobs from Wicked? 
Public Transport
The best budget option for getting around would be by bus and taxi. Minivan-taxis are the most common local transportation everywhere I went in South Africa, even the one I literally bumped into, while it was parked and no one was hurt. They can be more than overly crowded and not my preference especially with luggage. Bus options include Greyhound or Bazbus which caters to backpackers with a hop-on/hop-off option and stops at hostels.
My preference includes stopping absolutely wherever I want, within safety, and choose my own route. But other affordable options make travel possible on your own chosen budget.
Leave the driving to them and enjoy the view 
OK, having just said I want to drive, I do see the advantage of letting someone else do the driving, at least once in a while for photography reasons alone. Although I am known for photog-driving that’s only possible with the small Fuji I had to buy after loosing my P&S to the Indian Ocean.
South Africa seems a land of tours, city, townships, safari and walking. So many as to be overwhelming and my list will certainly be longer than the time I have. I’ve found South Africa Tourism very helpful during my research for this journey.
Tours will add some expense to the journey yet I believe a few will be worthy for the information from a local guide.
Over the long haul
South Africa has an extensive rail network, commuter and long distance. There’s the famous and luxurious Blue Train which I find a bit expensive. However the more economized “Purple” train called the Shosholoza Meyl (meaning pleasant experience) Tourist Class follows the same route over 956 miles (1530 km) in two days.
Tourist class trains consist exclusively of sleeping cars (2 & 4-berth compartments) and a restaurant car serving full meals, snacks, beer and wine. The sleepers even have hot showers at the end of the corridor. Economy class trains consist of sitter class seats and sometimes a restaurant car.
The only “long” train ride I’ve taken, almost 40 years ago, couldn’t have been more than a couple hundred miles from Chicago to Carbondale, Illinois. So I’m considering the Purple train from Cape Town to Johannesburg at the end of my journey. It’s almost the same price as the three hour flight but in my case, not in a hurry.
So my ideal choices are plane, train and campervan although I’m not sure that’s what I’ll end up with.
How would you choose to travel in South Africa?
March 2010 Pilgrims Rest camp Mpumalanga
I don’t know. If you want to camp it’ll be hard to do that on the train. One thing I’ve found about train travel is that you have to carry your luggage all over the place. Driving cuts down on that. You might have to do a hybrid thing. Trains between urban centers and then campervans. Decisions, decisions.
You are quite the planner.
Yes, I am a planner, that’s half the fun. I like have a lot of options. Am thinking of a combination of transport. I can get rid of a tent and not take it on the train as that would be at the end of the trip anyway.
Planning the trip is half the fun.
Always wanted to travel S.Africa, but never made it down there. My only trip to Africa was a safari in Kenya years ago. This is great info.
Nina
Kenya is on my list also but not this trip. Definitely will go on safari, as often as possible.
You must be having fun planning and dreaming of all the sights you will see. I’d probably rent a car, but I would want to go on a wildlife photography tour for a couple of days.
I’m with you on the photo tour.
You know me…I’d got the caravan route and camp out so I could be on Sally time, not public transportation time. Maybe I’d camp one way and take the train back because I like riding on trains, too. Whatever you choose, I know you’ll have a blast!
Train would be a new adventure for me. Think you’re right about camping one way.
What fun you clearly had researching all of this. I love that part of travel too. But then I hate the decision stuff with so many great options. I too prefer backpacking but couldn’t do it for that long a period of time I fear. I love that they have a bus system that caters to backpackers. They seem to have the transport thing all over this country with great sounding airfare, trains and buses.
Sounds like you could try out an option and if it isn’t just right switch to something else. Love the sound of photography tour, safari…… Sure wish I could come along as something other than an armchair traveler.
Think we’d have to go with the caravan like we did a few years ago touring both islands of New Zealand. That said, if it were me I’d leave the driving to others!! Bet you can’t wait…
I like your line of thought. Many times while planning for trips, we have to look at the pros and cons. Personally I love looking out the window and not worrying about getting from a to z….that’s the best part which is also giving up some of that control so you can just be:) I love the South African airlines. Big and luxurious liners. They used to stop over in Cape Verde and I’d watch these mammoth planes touch down. At the two in the morning, they’d thunder over our house once a week.
I will certainly enjoy just watching the views but I am a planner and like that too. I’m still working on that “giving up control” or accepting I have none.
It sounds like so much fun ahead and good planning certainly makes 60 % of the good memories to bring back home. Good luck in your next step of research…
So many options! A train ride really sounds great to me. 🙂
I still can’t type in the comment section of your Meantime blog. I like your latest thrift store finds, the little artist’s palette and the animal earrings which remind me of alpacas. Good luck with your truck repairs!
Train sounds like a fun new experience to me too.
I’ll have to check again on the other blog.
Very thorough! Thanks for the tips! South Africa is one of my bucket list countries!
Aryn
Driftwood and Daydreams
South Africa is a gorgeous country to visit and easy to travel in.
Love the colorful mini van — I can just see you in that! If it were me alone, I’d take a tour but if Bill was along, definitely we’d be on our own somehow, he’s not a tour kind of guy.
I think those vans are pretty cool. Want to both some short tours and be on my own to explore also.
HI Gaelyn:
Good luck with your travels and hope you have a very Happy New Year…
Thanks Mark. So excited about taking the new camera into the wild. Happy Holidays!
yes, wear those support socks or stockings
this summer i went to Italy and had swelling, kind of scary. happened last two long flights as well.
so on the way home i wore knee socks, drank 2-3 glasses of water an hour. got up every half hour and found a narrow hallway between seating sections, a good place to stretch, bend and do yoga. guess what, it worked! so worth it. of course that means no sleeping and logs of washroom breaks. who cares. health is vital. by the end of the flight there were lots of people walking around, swollen perhaps?
wishing you a wonderful time figuring out the details.
Thanks Tammie. I learned the hard way on that last long flight.
I would do it more or less the same way… have fun, I think I envy you… 😉
Stop that! I was perfectly happy to wander around the USA until I saw this. You’re getting me dreaming of other places now with such great info.
It’s good to have a dream.
I would mix and match transportation depending on what is available to get me where I want to go. I would put hiring a car as the last option, to be done only when nothing else will get me there. The minivans should be at the top of your list. I know that your mostly interested in the animals and the geology but it is on the minivan that you will meet the people.
We Americans, me included, visit countries all around the world and never meet anyone other than those that are serving us in some way. The minivans will help you break away from that tourist mode.
This journey will definitely include several modes of transportation. Taking tours gets me mixing, and I agree that many Americans don’t do that but it’s part of the adventure and really helps get to know the culture. I see myself camping at a lot of the parks and self-driving some of the time. Really looking forward to the train ride.