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South Africa country information

South Africa map
Republic of South Africa
Area: 21,037 sq km
Population: 47,900,000
Population density: 39 per sq km
Capital: Pretoria
Passport & Visa
Passport Required?
British Yes
Australian Yes
Canadian Yes
USA Yes
Other EU Yes
Visa Required?
British No
Australian No
Canadian No
USA No
Other EU Some

Passports

Passport valid for at least 30 days after the intended date of departure required by all nationals referred to in the chart above.

Passport Note

Passport must have at least two blank pages for entry stamp. This cannot include the 'endorsement' page at the back. Passengers who also require a visa must have a passport with two blank facing pages, one for the visa and one for their entry stamp. Anyone attempting to enter South Africa without the required pages will be returned to their country of origin.

Visas

Not required by all nationals referred to in the chart above for stays of up to 90 days for business and tourist purposes, except: 
1. nationals of Cyprus, Hungary, Poland and Slovak Republic who may stay for up to 30 days, and nationals of Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania and Slovenia who do require a visa, unless transit passengers continuing their journey by the same or first connecting aircraft provided holding onward or return documentation and not leaving the airport (advance notice of overnight stay is required).

Visa Note

(a) Proof of financial means may be required.
(b) Unaccompanied children under the age of 18 years must hold written consent from their parents when travelling alone.
(c) Nationals not referred to in the chart above are advised to contact the embassy to check visa requirements.
(d) After entry, extensions of stay may be sought from the Department of Home Affairs.

Types of Visa and Cost

Visa fee: £35. UK nationals are exempt from visa fees.

Validity

Dependent on length of stay requested. Permits may be extended if done so 30 days prior to expiry of original permit.

Applications to:

Consulate (or consular section at embassy or high commission). Applicants in countries where South Africa is not represented may send their applications to the embassy in the nearest country.

Working Days Required

Five to 10 days.
Getting there

Getting There by Air

The national airline is South African Airways (SAA) ( www.flysaa.com ). There are frequent direct and indirect flights by numerous major airlines from destinations throughout Europe and North America.

Approximate Flight Times

From London to Cape Town is 12 hours and to Johannesburg is 11 hours. From New York to Johannesburg is 17.5 hours.

Main Airports

Cape Town (CPT) (Cape Town International) is 22km (16 miles) east of the city (journey time - 20 minutes). To/from the airport: Round-the-clock shuttle buses meet incoming flights. Courtesy buses are operated by some hotels. Authorised airport taxis are operated by Touch Down Taxis, with a surcharge after 2300. Facilities: Duty-free shop, car hire, bank/bureau de change, ATMs, postal services, tourist information desk, restaurants/bars, wi-fi (subscription / credit card), medical clinic and conference facilities.

Durban (DUR) (Durban International)
is 18km (11 miles) southwest of the city (journey time - 20 minutes). To/from the airport: Airport shuttle buses and taxis are available to the city. Facilities: Duty-free shop, car hire, bank/bureau de change, ATMs, postal services, tourist information desk, restaurants/bars and wi-fi (subscription / credit card).

Johannesburg (JNB) (OR Tambo International)
is 22km (14 miles) east of the city (journey time - 35 minutes). To/from the airport: Shuttle bus services and taxis to Pretoria and Johannesburg are available. Courtesy coaches are operated by major hotels within the vicinity of the airport. Facilities: Duty-free shop, car hire, bank/bureau de change, ATMs, postal services, tourist information desk, restaurants/bars, wi-fi (subscription / credit card), medical clinic and conference facilities.

Port Elizabeth (PLZ) (Port Elizabeth International)
is 5km (3 miles) west of the Capital Business District (journey time - 15 minutes). To/from the airport: There is an airport shuttle bus to the main international hotels in Port Elizabeth upon request. Taxis are also available. Facilities: Duty-free shop, car hire, ATMs, post box, information desk, restaurants/bars and conference facilities.

For more information regarding the airports, contact Airports Company South Africa ( www.acsa.co.za ).
Departure Tax
All taxes are included in the price of an air ticket.

Getting There by Water

Main ports: Cape Town, Durban, East London and Port Elizabeth. For more information regarding the ports, contact Transnet National Ports Authority ( www.transnetnationalportsauthority.net ).

Cruises are offered by various companies between South Africa and the Indian Ocean Islands.

Getting There by Road

There are main routes into South Africa from Botswana (via Ramatlabama), Lesotho, Mozambique (via Komatipoort), Namibia, Swaziland and Zimbabwe (via Beitbridge). Services to and from the capital cities of neighbouring countries are provided by the major bus companies, Greyhound (tel: 083 915 9000; www.greyhound.co.za ), Intercape (tel: 0861 287 287; www.intercape.co.za ) and Translux (tel: 0861 589 282; www.translux.co.za ).
Cycling & Maps

South Africa (including Lesotho and Swaziland) Map
by International Travel Maps (ITMB)
scale 1:1 500 000

Waterproof

Cost of living
Accommodation
Food & drink
Bike shops
   
Olympic Cycles bike shop in Claremont, Cape Town, South Africa
  67 Lansdowne Rd
Claremont, Cape Town 7708
Tel: +27216715008
Fax: +27216713800
website: www.olympiccycles.co.za
e- mail: sales@olympiccycles.co.za

www.mtbonline.co.za/mountainbikeshops.htm A lot of links to bike shops in the Johannesburg area

Climate

climate chart Cape Town climate chart Durban climate chart Johannesburg South Africa climate chart Port Elizabeth
Road distances
South Africa road distance chart
 
Road distance table Southern Africa (in kilometers): Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland
 
Bloemfontein (South Africa)
988
Cape Town (SA)
612
1600
Durban (SA)
563
1100
674
East London (SA)
1328
2316
1734
1891
Francistown (Botswana)
805
1793
1211
1368
523
Gaborone (Botswana)
388
1376
729
951
940
417
Johannesburg (SA)
1928
2668
2334
2491
600
1123
1540
Katima Mulilo (Namibia)
1194
987
1806
1546
2123
1600
1239
1681
Keetmanshoop (Namibia)
177
961
789
740
1425
902
485
2025
1052
Kimberley (SA)
148
1136
760
711
1476
953
536
2076
1342
325
Maseru (Lesotho)
1814
2802
2220
2377
486
1009
1426
726
2407
1911
1962
Maun (Botswana)
758
1746
645
1391
1310
787
370
1910
1623
935
906
1796
Mbabane (Swaziland)
657
788
986
312
1985
1462
1045
2585
1350
808
805
2471
1631
Port Elizabeth (SA)
444
1432
785
1007
884
361
56
1484
1239
541
592
1370
426
1101
Pretoria (SA)
2364
2157
2976
2716
1111
1364
2051
511
1170
2222
2512
1237
2421
2520
1995
Rundu (Namibia)
2091
1884
2703
2443
2026
2497
2136
1426
897
1949
2239
2152
2506
2247
2136
915
Walvis Bay (Nam)
1698
1491
2310
2050
1777
2104
1743
1177
504
1556
1846
1903
127
1854
1743
666
393
Windhoek Nam
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