Visitors coming from Europe, North America or Australasia will find South Africa cheap by comparison. With the steady fifteen-percent average annual decline in the rand against sterling and the dollar - and an additional forty percent drop in the rand's value during 2001 - foreign visitors have found that their money goes a lot further here than at home. According to The Economist magazine's Big Mac index, at the end of 2001 one of the burgers cost US$2.89 in Britain, US$2.59 in America and US$0.82 in South Africa, making the rand the most undervalued currency in the world, which is good news for visitors.
What you spend obviously depends on the kind of trip you're planning. If you're prepared to stay in backpacker lodges, travel on public or backpacker transport and eat cheaply, you can get by on under US$25/£16 a day - less if you're camping. If you stay in B&Bs and guesthouses, and eat out regularly, you should allow for anything between US$25 and US$50 (£16-35) a day. In luxury hotels and game lodges, expect to pay upwards of US$125/£85 per day. Extras such as car rental, scuba diving, horse-riding and safaris will add to these figures substantially.
You'll almost always find a very good place to stay for under US$20/£12 a night, especially if there are two of you. Backpacker lodges currently cost under US$4/£3 per person, and most B&Bs charge less than US$20/£12 per head for a couple. A hotel costing US$40/£25 or more per head should have something special to justify the price, although, in Cape Town particularly, this cannot be guaranteed. Prices tend to be highest over the Christmas and Easter holidays, especially at the coast.
Food and drink are both good value. Fresh fish and chips as well as fast food chicken and burgers need not set you back more than US$3/£2. Most restaurants cost in the region of US$7/£5 for a very good three-course meal. You'll eat well at the best gourmet restaurants for US$26/£12.
Despite the size of the country, transport is inexpensive, especially compared to Europe, Australia and the US. Even using luxury and tourist bus services won't set you back much, considering the distances that are usually involved. Expect to pay around US$125/£85 for a domestic flight between major centres provided you book two weeks in advance. Driving can be a relatively cheap way of getting around if there are two or more of you, and in many parts of the country it's the only realistic option. Rental cars usually cost US$25-40 (£15-25) a day. Fuel , though rising in price, is still relatively inexpensive at around US40¢/25p a litre.
What you'll pay on safari depends very much on whether you stay in government-run national parks, where accommodation in a rondavel can cost as little as US$12/£8 per night. If you prefer to be fully catered for on an upmarket private reserve, you'll find prices are around US$225/£150 a night.
While most museums and art galleries charge an entry fee, it's usually quite low: only the most sophisticated attractions charge more than US75¢/50p
Currency and exchange
South Africa's currency is the
rand (R), often called the "buck". Notes come in R10, 20, 50, 100 and 200 denominations and there are coins of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 cents, as well as R1, 2 and 5. At the time of writing, the
exchange rate was hovering around R17 to the pound sterling, R12 to the US dollar and R6 to the Australian dollar.
All but the tiniest settlement has a bank where you can change money swiftly and easily. Banking hours are Monday to Friday 9am to 3.30pm, and Saturday 9am to 11am; the banks in smaller towns usually close for lunch. In major cities, some banks operate bureaux de change that stay open until 7pm.
Outside banking hours, some hotels will change money, although you can expect to pay a fairly hefty commission. You can also change money at branches of American Express and Rennies Travel
Traveller's cheques, cash and credit cards
Bank cards , useable at automatic teller machines (ATMs) throughout the country, are the most convenient way to carry your funds into South Africa. Visa, Mastercard and most international ATM cards (check with your bank before departing) can be used to withdraw money at ATMs, open 24 hours a day in the cities and elsewhere. Ask your bank which option you should choose for your card when the machine asks for the account type (cheque, savings, transmission or credit). Remember that all cash advances are treated as loans, with interest accruing daily from the date of withdrawal; there may be a transaction fee on top of this. Many debit cards can also be used to make withdrawals from ATMs in South Africa. These are not liable to interest payments, and the flat transaction fee is usually quite small - your bank will be able to advise on this. Make sure you have a personal identification number (PIN) that's designed to work overseas.
Traveller's cheques make a useful backup as they can be replaced if lost or stolen. American Express, Visa and Thomas Cook are all widely recognized. However, they'll be useless if you're heading into remote areas, where you'll need to carry cash , preferably in a very safe place, such as a leather pouch under your waistband. The usual fee for traveller's cheque sales is one or two percent, though this fee may be waived if you buy the cheques through a bank where you have an account. It pays to get a selection of denominations. Make sure you keep the purchase agreement and a record of cheque serial numbers safe and separate from the cheques themselves. In the event that cheques are lost or stolen, the issuing company will expect you to report the loss forthwith to their office in South Africa; most companies claim to replace lost or stolen cheques within 24 hours. Both dollar and sterling cheques are accepted in South Africa.
Credit cards can come in very handy for hotel bookings and for paying for more mainstream and upmarket tourist facilities, and they are essential for car rental. Visa and Mastercard are the cards most widely accepted in major cities, while American Express is less widely accepted. Like travellers' cheques, credit cards won't be accepted in small dorps and rural areas such as the Wild Coast and Northern Cape, where you'll need cash for most transactions.
Wiring money
Getting money wired from home using one of the companies we've listed is never convenient or cheap, and should be considered a last resort. It's also possible to have money wired directly from a bank in your home country to a bank in South Africa, although this is somewhat less reliable because it involves two separate institutions. If you go this route, your home bank will need the address of the branch bank where you want to pick up the money and the address and telex number of the head office, which acts as the clearing house. Money wired this way normally takes two working days to arrive, and costs around £25/$40 per transaction
Visa Travel Money www.visa.com
This is a disposable debit card pre-paid with dedicated travel funds which you can access from over 457,000 Visa ATMs in 120 countries with a PIN that you select yourself. When your funds are depleted, you simply throw the card away. Since you can buy up to nine cards to access the same funds - useful for couples/families travelling together - it's recommended that you buy at least one extra as a back up in case your first is lost or stolen. There is a 24-hour Visa global customer assistance services centre which you can call from any of the 120 countries toll-free. From South Africa and its neighbours you should call Baltimore in the US collect on 410 581 9091. In the UK, many Thomas Cook outlets sell the card
