Travel in South Africa

If you wander around the centre Johannesburg with an expensive camera around your neck and a big bag its Nikon emblazoned all over it then you will have issues. If on the other hand you stick to Cape Town and the Garden Route you will have a wonderful holiday and can see some spectucular scenery and some great wildlife.

tyere are some excellent game reserves to the east of Cape Town, though the best arent cheap. I would recommend taking in the Klein Karoo amongst many things http://www.southafrica.net/za/en/ar...thafrica.net-klein-karoo-and-the-garden-route

personally I have always felt safer wandering around South Africa than Detroit or Chicago

djwuk said:

My partner and I are knocking around holiday ideas for later in the year and South Africa is one place we're considering. I have always had the impression that crime and safety (lack of) were major issues there and would be grateful to hear of anyone's recent experiences, particularly from a photographer's perspective. I guess if we did go we'd start and finish in Cape Town and explore around there by hire car. Gear wise I'd be looking to use a DSLR body (Nikon D7200) with a couple of lenses, and my iPhone.

thanks

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This may help to answer your safety concerns:


A couple from NY I know well originally from SA went there to visit relatives and travel a bit. They were extremely cautious.

I was briefly in SA in 1999 about half an hour drive from JoBurg center. When I walked across the street from the hotel to a convenience store and reached for my wallet to pay the store manager jumped out of his bullet proofed glassed office and began yelling at me that I am an idiot to carry my wallet with me. It was like "Are you crazy? Do you want to be shot ". I was stunned.

I was impressed. We went to Zimbabwe after that and it was totally opposite. You could glue a $100 to your forehead and nobody would pay attention. But it was before Mugabe went crazy.

Not sure if I want to be concerned about safety on my vacation.

I just came from 3 weeks self drive in Namibia. Except in capital Windhoek where you see fences with barbed wire around the houses, there was no concerns whatsoever. Quite the opposite.

I highly recommend guided tours offered by higher end tour operators such as Trafalgar and Globus. Maybe not as flexible with time and options (free-style) but safe and fun and comfortable.

Hi, my fiancé and I just spent 3 weeks traveling around South Africa. We rented a car in Joburg and drove to Pretoria, Graaff-Reinet, Port Elisabeth, Addo National Park, Jeffrey's Bay, Plettenburg Bay, Bredasdorp, Stellenbosch and returned the car in Capetown where we stayed and explored the area for a week. We never felt unsafe. Except for the big city centers of Pretoria and Joburg I carried my Canon 5dsr & 24-70mm lens during the day and my fiancé carried her Pentax K3 and 18-135 both out in the open (like all the other hoards of international and domestic tourists). We also have long telephoto lenses but only pulled them out during our Addo self drive. We stayed near the V&A waterfront in Capetown and travelled around mostly on foot during the day and took UBER at night. At night we left our cameras at the hotel but my wife still took her handbag and we both took our smartphones to take pics. People continue to live their lives so EVERYONE has a smartphone and handbag and the local women wear jewelry etc... We had no problems except the steep learning curve of driving on the 'wrong' side of the road although my wife has some experience with that and most of the roads are in great shape and the drivers seemed much more laid back and patient than they are back home (maybe because car insurance isn't mandatory?). Although the risk of crime is always present (and we read a lot of scary stories) it is usually much exaggerated although we are from the mean streets of Vancouver BC so watch out... hahahah! Reminds me of the horror stories we heard of Columbia and the guaranteed kidnapping we were going to experience when we went in 2005...irrational fear of which the locals suffer the most it unfortunately usually seems. The most dangerous part and the biggest risk is the same as it is back home, automobile accidents. Another real danger is the inevitable weight you'll put on from eating all those wonderful huge steaks and drinking lots of amazing wine! Do your research and plot your course to avoid driving though any "locations". Get a local sim at the airport so you can use Google maps to do so. Insure your gear and try not to stick out too much. South Africa is a very multicultural country so you can totally blend in if you try just a bit.

Thanks all, for your advice. It's true to say there are places in London I wouldn't even consider going to, let alone with any photo gear. For us from the UK it would be driving on the 'right' side of the road so no problem there.

We are currently in Cape Town. We come from SA and return regularly and haven't had problems. Don't look too touristy and be sensible and you should be fine.

Get a local sim card from the airport (Vodacom is OK), make sure you get full car insurance and keep your credit card in sight at all times. Photographically Cape Town and surrounds are magnificant.

Hout Bay the other evening:

I travel quite a bit for work but only once to Johannesburg and Pretoria area in SA. I did not feel unsafe but somewhat uncomfortable. However, after a trip to Rio last year, I think SA is very safe. Btw, I love Porto Alegre and Sao Paulo is fun.

djwuk said:

My partner and I are knocking around holiday ideas for later in the year and South Africa is one place we're considering. I have always had the impression that crime and safety (lack of) were major issues there and would be grateful to hear of anyone's recent experiences, particularly from a photographer's perspective. I guess if we did go we'd start and finish in Cape Town and explore around there by hire car. Gear wise I'd be looking to use a DSLR body (Nikon D7200) with a couple of lenses, and my iPhone.

thanks

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Lately are popping issues again (some Guys lost everything in Durban on the very first day in their Holidays). In my own experience 1 1/2 Months nothing happened.

Your common sense will let you enjoy the beautiful Country but get your stuff insured just in case.

There is a lot of money/luxus over there, a D7200 wont impress PPL around, just like in many other countries and in some sense SA is just like Europe.

Transvaal is awesome.

Enjoy

Hi;

I am from South Africa, lived here my whole life, so I can give you some tips related to general safety and taking photo's. It is a very lovely country, beautiful scenery, plenty of wildlife.

Most of the stories that make it into international news about tourists getting robbed or assaulted happen in remote spots. If you see a nice scenery or photo opportunity and their are guys loitering at the spot, come back later. It is safe (security wise) to stop next to the road and take some photo's, just watch out for oncoming traffic and loiterers.

If you travel in the Western Cape (Cape Town, Winelands, Garden Route) and Kwazulu Natal (Drakensberg, Durban), stick religiously to the speed limit, they are much more strict in these provinces.

The other general safety related tips like keep the car windows and doors closed, don't leave any valuables inside the car (camera bags in the open) apply.

If you travel through OR Tambo International (Airport in Johannesburg), wrap your bags in plastic film before departure, the airport has a reputation for luggage tampering. Also watch out for guys offering to help you with your baggage, they will help you carry or push the trolley and at the end charge you ZAR 100 - 200 for their "service".

If you travel through Cape Town International, it is better to depart and arrive during the day, the area around the airport used to be hot spot for trouble at night in 2015, but it is better now. Also ensure that you know how to get from the airport to your guest house, if you get lost around the airport, you can easily end up in a "wrong neighborhood". Baggage wrap for this airport as well.

Taking photo's at the airport with a DSLR will attract attention from the security guards, but I have taken plenty candid ones with a mobile phone, no problems. Airports are classified under law as National Key Points and as such photography is forbidden.

Camera gear wise, if you are in the market for some lenses or bodies, pending on the exchange rate, we are a bit cheaper than the USA and UK. (It is not worthwhile for me to buy anything in the USA of UK). Just google search "Camera store Cape Town" or whatever city you are planning to visit and have a look at the prices.

Other tips I give you is to bring sunscreen (even in winter) and mosquito repellent. It is also not really necessary to rent a 4x4 vehicle, you can do with a normal sedan vehicle, just make sure the air-conditioner works.

Hope you enjoy your trip!

Thanks very much for the tips, really helpful

As far is safety is concerned I think common sense should prevail, there are many places in the world that are worse than South Africa as far as safety is concerned, as someone said there are areas in New York that are no better that some of the "bad" areas in South Africa.

There are also many wonderful places in South Africa where you would as safe or safer as some of the safest places in the world. If you mostly keep away from the big city centers when you are alone or at night you will be fine.

Don't show too much equipment in the poorer areas in the city, but that goes for most places in the world. And yes, you can carry your wallet with you, the post above about not carrying money is really funny and misleading!

South Africa is a wonderful country with (mostly) great people and the photographic opportunities will keep you busy for a VERY long time.

Enjoy your travels,

Rudi from Sunny South Africa.

djwuk said:

My partner and I are knocking around holiday ideas for later in the year and South Africa is one place we're considering. I have always had the impression that crime and safety (lack of) were major issues there and would be grateful to hear of anyone's recent experiences, particularly from a photographer's perspective.

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I have a detailed write up of my experiences as a photographer visiting South Africa starting here: "South Africa, Day 1." You're going to have a great time!

Some specifics:

1. I'm not a security expert, but I've been told by people I trust that South Africa is dangerous. In Joburg, I didn't feel comfortable using my larger cameras in public, relying instead on a cell phone and an old Canon S95. In Cape Town I used my X-T1.

2. You *have* to go on Safari. Try to bring two cameras, one with a medium range zoom (say, 24-70) and another with as long a zoom as you can afford to get without sacrificing quality. I brought an X-T1 with Fuji's amazing sharp 18-135 (about 28-200 equiv.) and a Canon 7Dii with the outstanding 100-400 (160-640 equiv.) Mark II lens. Nikkon has since released better wildlife options, at only slightly higher cost.

3. Cape Town is gorgeous, and (I've been told) safe. When you're there, dine at La Colombe. It's not expensive, but it is one of the best restaurants in the *world*, placing 12th in the world according to S. Pellegrino. And by not expensive, I mean that dinner for two is about $100.

4. A private driver is a great way to go. I talk about my experiences with that in the same write up.

5. Learn a few phrases in Zulu before you go. While almost everyone speaks English, and while there are lots of local languages spoken, Zulu is the local lingua franca, and knowing even a bit of it will go a long way toward ingratiating yourself.

Feel free to DM me for more, including for a travel agent who did a superb job for me.

JM

p.s.: Here's one of two of my favorite shots from the trip:


Zebra Love






Lioness Prowling

South Africa is a LOT safer than most American cities - your source is taking spherical objects.

Anywhere you go brandishing expensive camera gear makes you a target for the lowlifes with J'burg being no different to anywhere else and if you want to risk the gear then chances are you will get away with it.

outside the city centres on J'burg and Pretoria you have nothing to worry about, nothing more to concern you than you would have in any other country.

BTW, my experience is from many years of travelling around South Africa meeting relatives and friends, plus working in J'burg and Cape Town and I don't, and never have lived permanently in SA. I live in the U.K., but have travelled and worked in much of the world - most dangerous place I have been? Chicago and Washington.

Thanks again to all, very useful advice.