Going South |
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| The Aim of this page is to provide you with the practical information you might need when preparing for your adventure in Namibia or South Africa. Nothing Complicated. Just useful stuff. |
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Not meaning to state the obvious but crossing the equator southbound means that February becomes summer, lows go clockwise and north facing slopes lie in the sun. So all comments I make throughout this site with regard to the hemispherical dependent issues are correct pending the hemisphere I am referring to. |
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Southern Africa does not adjust clocks for daylight saving. The time difference is GMT +2 hours. Despite having daylight saving in Namibia, the time difference is also GMT +2 during the European winter. There is therefore no jet-lag coming from EU. Direct flights take approximately 11 hours. |
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Going in the summer. Expect sunny hot weather in the day and cooler temperatures at night. Inland you can expect temperatures around mid 30's (°C) in the day. In the desert the temperatures can be significantly higher. On the coast temperatures are normally somewhere in the mid 20's (°C). Night time temperatures are variable. Clear skies make for superb star gazing but the heat tends to go walk about. Temperatures can therefore range from pleasant shorts and t-shirts clothing to jumpers. Bring a few items of warmer clothing. |
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A word of warning about the sun. DO NOT underestimate its strength. It is hot and it will burn unprotected skin, especially if you are coming from the "balmy" European winter sun. Bring a sun-hat and sun-block. Don't bother with the factor 8 or 16 stuff. It will not do. |
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In Namibia rainfall is infrequent. In South Africa it is a bit more complicated. As a rule the Cape Province has winter frontal rain. The summers are generally dry. The North has summer rains. European Fronts don't really happen there. Precipitation is mainly in the form of thunderstorms. Order of events: Blue skies, puffy white clouds building to dark matter followed by enormous quantities of rain or hail. It usually does not last for more than an hour. Sunshine follows shortly. |
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If you do get caught in the
rain you will get absolutely drenched. Wait for the storm to pass
and go stand in the sun. You will be refreshed and dry again
within 20 minutes.
Thunderstorms occur at night as well. Lighting storms then can be very spectacular. My experience is that the storms are more frequent over December and January. |
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Our colonial heritage means that like the United Kingdom cars drive on the left hand
side of the road.
Speed limits vary from 60km/h in built-up areas to 120 km/h on motorways. Changes in speed limits are signposted. Southern Africa and Namibia embraced the metric system in the sixties so all distances are in kilometers. |
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| If you do plan on driving in Southern Africa then you
need to get an international driving license. It is purely an administrative
exercise requiring two passport size photo's and £15-00. I
believe the AA endorses the whole thing and forms are obtainable from
larger post-offices.
You do not need the international driving license to hire a car but if you get stopped by the police or "speed cops" as they are known in SA then you might encounter difficulties without one. |
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220/230 Volt.
Same as in Europe.
Plug adaptor can be purchased at most European airports. |
| Legal tender in South Africa is the Rand (R) with cents
as sub-denomination. In Namibia it is the Namibian Dollar (N$)
although the South African Rand is accepted throughout. The Namibian
Dollar and the Rand are equal in value.
The Rand: Sterling exchange rate varies a little. Currently the ratio is roughly 13:1 (January 2007). Use http://www.x-rates.com/calculator.html for the latest exchange rate. Does the exchange rate mean that the south is cheaper by a factor of 11? Unfortunately not. It is a little more complicated. It all depends on what and where you are buying. Imported products such as designer clothes and electronic equipment generally cost the same as it does in Europe or the UK. Local produce can be cheaper but it depends on the market. If you spend money in tourist areas directed at Europeans you pay European (or similar) prices. Avoiding these areas I have found South Africa and Namibia to be roughly 2 to 3 times cheaper than Northern Europe and the UK |
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To give you an idea in hard currency, in 2007:
The banking system in South Africa and Namibia is first world. There are cash points in most places (more frequent than in the UK) so you can draw money directly from the these. Debit and Credit cards both work. Electron and similar cards do not work. Your European/UK card should work if it has the VISA, MasterCard or equivalent symbol WITH hologram on the card. Credit card companies charge prime interest on cash withdrawals so I usually use my debit card to draw money. I have found this to be cheaper and more convenient than traveler cheques or currency exchanges at the banks or travel agents. Banking hours are normally from 09h00 to 16h30 from Monday to Friday and 09h00 to 13h00 on Saturdays. Almost all shops and restaurants will accept major credit cards. VISA and MasterCard seem to be the most popular. |
| Contact your local GP for inoculations and jabs. As a
South African I have never bothered except when going to the Kruger
National Park where there is Malaria.
Hospitals in South Africa are first class if you have insurance. Tap water is clean. |
| Language usage has political and historical connotations
and although English is the "official" language, there are 13
other languages in South Africa and some 27 languages and dialects in
Namibia.
As an English speaking tourist you should encounter no problems. |
| Worried about the crime in South Africa? It
can be a tricky country to visit if you have never been and don't know
where you can and can't go or what you can and can't do. I am South
African, lived there for most of my life. I have never been mugged.
Why? Well for one, I don't go to areas where it can be dangerous and I also
have a good understanding of what to do to keep safe. It's not that
difficult. It's common sense. I have taken people to South Africa before
and upon return when prompted regarding crime the reply has simply been
"What crime?"
Crime in Namibia is generally not a problem.
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