Arrival in South Africa

Traveling to South Africa

Visas: Passport holders from most countries are not required to apply for a visa before arriving in South Africa for a temporary (less than 30 days) visit. Please check the South African Home Affairs website for exact details as —in principle— the countries on this exemption list may change without notice. Passport holders of countries not on the above list should follow the links for a visitor’s visa or a conference visa. General information on applying for a visa is accessible on the same website.

General:
Cape Town Climate: Mediterranean (sunny, dry and windy summer; wet winter)
Time Zone: GMT + 2
Country Code: 27
Electricity Grid: 220-230V 50Hz, Plug types are mostly C and M.
South Africa has an extensive roads network. The first basic road rule here is that we drive on the left hand side.
Roads Nomenclature: N=National; R=Regional; M=Suburban.
Currency: South African Rand (ZAR), denoted by the symbol R for "Rand".
Convenient currency converter.

Medical information:
The Cape Town region, like almost the whole of South-Africa, is malaria-free. The only region with a risk of malaria in South Africa is the north-eastern corner of the country. Therefore, if you are planning to visit the famous Kruger National Park , you need to take appropriate medical precautions.

International Routes by Air

Direct to Cape Town
Many airlines offer direct flights to Cape Town International Airport (CPT) from various locations around the globe.

Via Johannesburg to Cape Town
Many more international flight options to South Africa are available via the Johannesburg OR Tambo International Airport (JNB). From Johannesburg you take a domestic connection flight to Cape Town. All airlines operating in South Africa do operate on the Johannesburg to Cape Town route.

Several regional flights are available from Cape Town to cities in neighbouring countries.

Cape Town Airport

Cape Town Airport, also known as Cape Town International (CPT), is the 3rd largest airport in South Africa. It is a major gateway for tourism in the country seeing millions of visitors arriving in the city of Cape Town annually. Cape Town Airport is of world-class standard and it was ranked the leading airport in Africa for 2012 at the World Airport Awards. Maps of the airport location, precinct and terminal maps can be found here.

Airport Contact Details:

Call centre
Tel: +27 (021) 937 1200

Flight information
Tel: 086 72 77 888

Airport address
Private Bag X9002
Cape Town International Airport
7525

Fax: +27 21 936 2937
E-mail: customercare@airports.co.za