South Africa: good to know
The general-information half of trip planning: how expensive South Africa feels, what is considered polite, what is not, and the everyday practicalities - alongside our 337 written places.
Eleven languages, staggering landscapes; braai fires and safari dawns bookend the days.
✓ Considered polite
- Tip consistently - 10-15% at restaurants, car guards a few rand, petrol attendants too
- Self-drive Kruger - the great affordable safari, gates opening at dawn
- Book Table Mountain weather-flexibly - the tablecloth cloud cancels views
- Braai when invited - the barbecue is the national parliament
✗ Better avoided
- Walk city centres flashing valuables after dark - take local advice per neighbourhood seriously
- Feed or approach wildlife - baboons especially are professionals
- Swim outside flagged beaches - currents and cold are real
- Underestimate distances - the Garden Route deserves a week, not a day
Worth knowing
- Cards work nearly everywhere; keep small cash for tips
- Load-shedding power cuts may pause things - locals have apps tracking it
- Wine-country tastings cost pocket change by world standards
- Winter (June-August) is the best game viewing - dry bush, waterhole gatherings
Plugs and voltage: Wikipedia, «Mains electricity by country» (after the IEC World Plugs list), read 15 October 2026.
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Customs are living things - regions differ, cities relax, generations shift. Take these notes as a friendly head start, watch what locals do, and when in doubt a smile and a greeting in the local language cover almost everything.