South Africa

South Africa is the easiest country here to travel independently. Roads are tarred and signposted, car hire is cheap, hotels take cards, and you can go from a big-five park to a restaurant with a wine list on one domestic flight. For a first trip to Africa it is the softest landing.

The catch is that the two halves have opposite seasons. Kruger and the north are best in the dry winter, May to September. Cape Town and the Garden Route are best in summer, November to March, and can be wet and windy in July. A two-week trip covering both will get one of them slightly wrong. Decide in advance which one matters more.

Cities need the ordinary precautions of any large city plus a few extra: do not walk in central areas after dark, keep phones out of sight at traffic lights, use ride-hailing rather than the street. Outside the cities and inside the parks this is not the issue people imagine. Scheduled power cuts come and go; most hotels have a generator.

When to go

Months	What it is like
May-Aug	Winter. Dry, cool and brown in the north, which is exactly why Kruger is at its best: thin bush, short grass, animals at water. The Cape is at its wettest, with cold fronts off the Atlantic and clear days between them. Southern right whales arrive along the southern coast from June.
Sep-Oct	Spring, and the best single compromise. Kruger is still dry, the Cape is drying out, Namaqualand's wildflowers run through August and September, and whale watching off Hermanus peaks in September and October.
Nov-Feb	Summer. Hot everywhere, afternoon thunderstorms in the north, and Cape Town at its best and busiest: long evenings, dry, with a southeasterly wind that can blow for days. December and January are the domestic holidays, when coastal prices double and book out.
Mar-Apr	Autumn. The Cape's wind drops and the wine harvest runs from February into April. Kruger is still green and thick but emptying of visitors. Quiet and slightly cheaper.

Before you go

• Many nationalities, including the UK, EU, US and Australia, get a free 90-day entry stamp on arrival. Confirm your own before booking flights.
• Kruger and the far northeast are the only malaria areas most visitors reach. The risk there is low and concentrated in the wet months, roughly September to May. A travel doctor may or may not recommend tablets depending on your month and route, so ask. Addo, the Cape, the Garden Route and the Drakensberg are malaria-free, which is why they suit young children.
• Rand is the currency and cards are accepted almost everywhere, including most fuel stations. Carry some cash for tips, car guards and roadside stalls.
• Drive on the left. Distances are long: Johannesburg to Kruger's southern gates is about five hours, Cape Town to Plettenberg Bay about six. Watch for pedestrians and livestock on rural roads and avoid driving in the countryside after dark. Fuel stations are staffed, you do not pump it yourself, and a small tip is normal.
• If you are travelling with under-18s, check the current documentation rules before you fly. South Africa has at times required an unabridged birth certificate showing both parents, and the requirement has changed more than once.