Travel in South Africa

South Africa is a beautiful country, with diverse people, and cultures.  It's called the rainbow nation for a reason!  The vast majority of people are friendly and welcoming, and can't wait for you to visit.

As with many other countries, there are also challenges, and one of those is in the road infrastructure.  Unfortunately the rail infrastructure is crumbling, and because of this, the number of large trucks on the roads has increased.  The road infrastructure was not made to deal with the heavy load, so there are places where you will find the roads in a sorry state.  We're working on it!  There are some amazing people taking matters into their own hands, and fixing what they can, but it is something that will take some time to address.  In the mean time, it's important to watch out for the potholes, and keep an eye on those truck drivers, they can be quite unpredictable!

No matter where you travel in the world, there are some places it's best to avoid, and South Africa is no different.  Best to speak to the locals, try the owners or managers of your accommodation, they should know their local area well, and stick to their advice.

The main routes and highways are all tarred, but Google will almost always try to send you on the shortest route, which could be dirt.  Change your settings to shortest time, instead of shortest route, and that should keep you on the tarred main roads, instead of dirt back roads.

You'll find some of the provinces in the country better equipped with fixing their road infrastructure than others, but if you take it a little slower, and enjoy the beautiful scenery while you're driving, you'll be just fine!