Destination: South Africa

LONELY PLANET'S OFFICIAL GUIDEBOOK INFORMATION

Money & Costs

Travelling in South Africa is not as cheap as in many less-developed African countries. However – and despite the increasing strength of the rand – it usually works out to be less expensive than travelling in Europe or North America, and the quality of facilities and infrastructure is generally high. Among the best deals are national parks and reserves, which offer excellent and accessible wildlife-watching at significantly less cost than you would pay in parts of East Africa.

At the budget level, it’s quite possible to get by on about R200 per day with a bit of effort, by camping or staying in hostels or self-catering accommodation, and using public transport.

For midrange travel – where South Africa’s best value is to be found – plan on about R400 per person per day, more if you hire a vehicle and less if you stay in self-catering places (many of which are quite comfortable).

Life in the luxury lane starts at about R1500 per person per day, and can climb to more than five times this if you decide to ensconce yourself in some of the continent’s top wildlife lodges.

Costs in Lesotho and Swaziland are the same as, or somewhat less than, in South Africa, with savings coming from cheaper local transport, inexpensive food and (in Lesotho) plentiful opportunities to stay with locals or camp. The unit of currency in Lesotho is the loti (plural maloti; M), which is divided into 100 liesente, while in Swaziland the lilangeni (plural emalangeni; E) is used. Both currencies are fixed at an equal value to the South African rand.

Cutting Costs

In popular tourist areas, it’s easy to pay much more than the averages listed under Costs & Money if you don’t keep a watch on expenses. Cape Town in particular has a long history of enticing travellers, showing them a good time and emptying their wallets. However, there are also plenty of excellent-value options, both in accommodation and dining, that won’t break your budget. Some ways to save include the following:

avoid travelling during school-holiday periods
always ask about midweek or weekend discounts, as well as reduced rates for children
take advantage of self-catering facilities and camping grounds
save your receipts to reclaim your value-added tax (VAT)
focus on just one or two areas of the country, and don’t try to cover too much distance
use public transport, or try to travel in a group to share car-rental costs
book car rentals well in advance for better deals
book domestic air tickets online; savings can be as high as 50% of published fares

HOW MUCH?

Bottle of wine: R60-70
Car hire per day: R300
Kilo of mangoes: R6
Kruger National Park entry per person: R120
Surfboard: R1500

Travelling to South Africa?
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