Emergency
Through out the trip you will have a 24-hour
contact number provided by our experienced
agents to aid you if there are any problems
along the way. We will then leave you to enjoy
your holiday as you see fit, safe in the knowledge
that they are only a phone call away if you
need any assistance.
Parking
You can go for many options to make your way to Heathrow and if go in your own car. I suggest you use Air Heathrow Parking, who will park the car for you. They can be contacted on 07958512999. You just have to give them a call and they will be waiting for you at the airport when you arrive. It is a very relaxed way to start your holiday. Just give them your keys and quote Africa Inside Out when your ring them and they will take care of your car. On your return you give them a ring once you have landed. They will be waiting for you with your car outside departures.
Travel Insurance
You could take out a policy every time you go on a foreign travel internationally, but we have found, that it is much easier and cheaper to take out an annual policy. Often either your insurance company, local supermarket or your bank will have this facility.
Currency
MasterCard and Visa are accepted and Bankcards are accepted in South Africa. Most major cities have cash point facilities, but make sure you always have some cash at hand.
The Language
South Africa is a a country that’s rich in diversity and culture! South Africa has 11 official languages, with English and Afrikaans being the most universally spoken. All South Africans understand, speak and most often write in English, so there is no need to worry about any language barriers. For your information, the other languages are isiNdebele, Northern Sotho, siSwati, Xitsonga, Setswana, isiXhosa, isiZulu, Tshivenda and Sepedi, all with their own unique clicks and sounds! Sign language is an unofficial 12th language.
Tipping
As there is no across-the-board tipping procedure shared between the various continents, here is a rough idea of what is expected in South Africa - this may help you to avoid any embarrassing moments! For airport and hotel porters (luggage carriers), the norm is to tip them R10-R15 per person, irrespective of the number of bags per person (usually 2 bags per person). In restaurants and bars, 10% of the tab is generally left for your waiter (gratuity is not usually included in the total of the tab), and taxi drivers are also usually tipped 10% of the fare. If you park in a public area, there may be a car park attendant to keep an eye on your car; R2-R3 is the recommended tip, depending on how long you were there. Also tip petrol pump attendants a couple of Rand.
Petrol
When you do a fly drive in South Africa you must be aware of the fact, that you only can pay cash at the Petrol stations. You are also not allowed to fill up the tank yourself, they will do this for you. They normally offer to clean your windows and check your water. This is very useful on a long trip. You tip them a couple of Rand.
Electricity
The standard electricity supply in South Africa is 220/230 volts AC50Hz. Adaptors for all countries can be purchased either at Duty Free, or your hotel curio shop. We would recommend you source an adaptor at the airport, in the unlikely event that your hotel has run out of adaptors to purchase. (in Cape Town you can buy an adapter at the arrival hall at the mobile phone shop)
VAT refunds
All purchases made while in South Africa are subject to a government Value Added Tax (set at 14%), which is redeemable to visitors upon departure. You can only claim VAT back on items exceeding R250 and on items you are taking home with you. VAT on hotel bills and items you have consumed in SA is not refundable. The best is to inform the shop assistant that you would like a tax invoice to claim VAT on departure.
You should then keep all your slips, and present them to a VAT refund official at the airport (there is a VAT refund office in the V&A Waterfront, Cape Town as well, which is on the side of the Mandela Museum in the shopping centre on the first floor). At the airport( not at the Waterfront) they may wish to see some of the items you have purchased to confirm that they are in fact leaving the country.
Telephone
The international dialling code to reach South Africa is +27, followed by the city code (drop the 0 if dialling from outside SA), and then the direct telephone number. Here are the major cities / areas of travel and their respective dialling codes for easy reference:
011 - Johannesburg
021 - Cape Town
031 - Durban
041 - Port Elizabeth
012 - Pretoria
043 - East London
042 - Tsitsikamma area (Garden Route)
044 - Oudtshoorn, George, Knysna, Plettenberg Bay, Wilderness (Garden Route)
013 - Kruger National Park and surrounds, Nelspruit
015 - Hoedspruit, Timbavati areas
0044 - UK
Travel Maps and Guide Books
Visit Amazon for Travel books for your journey. Simply enter the country you are visiting into the search box.
Feedback
As we are very keen to offer the perfect holiday experience, we really would appreciate receiving your feedback. Please drop us a line or if you want to speak to a consultant personally, do not hesitate to ring Africa Inside Out.
Phone 01223 370107
Email gerla@africainsideout.com
Through out the trip you will have a 24-hour
contact number provided by our experienced
agents to aid you if there are any problems
along the way. We will then leave you to enjoy
your holiday as you see fit, safe in the knowledge
that they are only a phone call away if you
need any assistance.
Parking
You can go for many options to make your way to Heathrow and if go in your own car. I suggest you use Air Heathrow Parking, who will park the car for you. They can be contacted on 07958512999. You just have to give them a call and they will be waiting for you at the airport when you arrive. It is a very relaxed way to start your holiday. Just give them your keys and quote Africa Inside Out when your ring them and they will take care of your car. On your return you give them a ring once you have landed. They will be waiting for you with your car outside departures.
Travel Insurance
You could take out a policy every time you go on a foreign travel internationally, but we have found, that it is much easier and cheaper to take out an annual policy. Often either your insurance company, local supermarket or your bank will have this facility.
Currency
MasterCard and Visa are accepted and Bankcards are accepted in South Africa. Most major cities have cash point facilities, but make sure you always have some cash at hand.
The Language
South Africa is a a country that’s rich in diversity and culture! South Africa has 11 official languages, with English and Afrikaans being the most universally spoken. All South Africans understand, speak and most often write in English, so there is no need to worry about any language barriers. For your information, the other languages are isiNdebele, Northern Sotho, siSwati, Xitsonga, Setswana, isiXhosa, isiZulu, Tshivenda and Sepedi, all with their own unique clicks and sounds! Sign language is an unofficial 12th language.
Tipping
As there is no across-the-board tipping procedure shared between the various continents, here is a rough idea of what is expected in South Africa - this may help you to avoid any embarrassing moments! For airport and hotel porters (luggage carriers), the norm is to tip them R10-R15 per person, irrespective of the number of bags per person (usually 2 bags per person). In restaurants and bars, 10% of the tab is generally left for your waiter (gratuity is not usually included in the total of the tab), and taxi drivers are also usually tipped 10% of the fare. If you park in a public area, there may be a car park attendant to keep an eye on your car; R2-R3 is the recommended tip, depending on how long you were there. Also tip petrol pump attendants a couple of Rand.
Petrol
When you do a fly drive in South Africa you must be aware of the fact, that you only can pay cash at the Petrol stations. You are also not allowed to fill up the tank yourself, they will do this for you. They normally offer to clean your windows and check your water. This is very useful on a long trip. You tip them a couple of Rand.
Electricity
The standard electricity supply in South Africa is 220/230 volts AC50Hz. Adaptors for all countries can be purchased either at Duty Free, or your hotel curio shop. We would recommend you source an adaptor at the airport, in the unlikely event that your hotel has run out of adaptors to purchase. (in Cape Town you can buy an adapter at the arrival hall at the mobile phone shop)
VAT refunds
All purchases made while in South Africa are subject to a government Value Added Tax (set at 14%), which is redeemable to visitors upon departure. You can only claim VAT back on items exceeding R250 and on items you are taking home with you. VAT on hotel bills and items you have consumed in SA is not refundable. The best is to inform the shop assistant that you would like a tax invoice to claim VAT on departure.
You should then keep all your slips, and present them to a VAT refund official at the airport (there is a VAT refund office in the V&A Waterfront, Cape Town as well, which is on the side of the Mandela Museum in the shopping centre on the first floor). At the airport( not at the Waterfront) they may wish to see some of the items you have purchased to confirm that they are in fact leaving the country.
Telephone
The international dialling code to reach South Africa is +27, followed by the city code (drop the 0 if dialling from outside SA), and then the direct telephone number. Here are the major cities / areas of travel and their respective dialling codes for easy reference:
011 - Johannesburg
021 - Cape Town
031 - Durban
041 - Port Elizabeth
012 - Pretoria
043 - East London
042 - Tsitsikamma area (Garden Route)
044 - Oudtshoorn, George, Knysna, Plettenberg Bay, Wilderness (Garden Route)
013 - Kruger National Park and surrounds, Nelspruit
015 - Hoedspruit, Timbavati areas
0044 - UK
Travel Maps and Guide Books
Visit Amazon for Travel books for your journey. Simply enter the country you are visiting into the search box.
Feedback
As we are very keen to offer the perfect holiday experience, we really would appreciate receiving your feedback. Please drop us a line or if you want to speak to a consultant personally, do not hesitate to ring Africa Inside Out.
Phone 01223 370107
Email gerla@africainsideout.com
A sensory explosion! See the sights of Cape Town whilst sampling some of the best food and wine South Africa has to offer.
Travel information ...
to southern Africa.
to southern Africa.
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