Costs, Money and Banks
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/GBP16 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 (GBP16-35) a day. In luxury hotels and game lodges, expect to pay upwards of US$125/GBP85 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/GBP12 a night, especially if there are two of you. Backpacker lodges currently cost under US$4/GBP3 per person, and most B&Bs charge less than US$20/GBP12 per head for a couple. A hotel costing US$40/GBP25 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/GBP2. Most restaurants cost in the region of US$7/GBP5 for a very good three-course meal. You'll eat well at the best gourmet restaurants for US$26/GBP12. 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/GBP85 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 (GBP15-25) a day. Fuel , though rising in price, is still relatively inexpensive at around US40c/25p a  © 2003 by Rough Guides Ltd. as trustee for its Authors. Published by Rough Guides. All rights reserved. Rough Guides name is a trademark of Rough Guides Ltd. Buy the book here!
|
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/GBP8 per night. If you prefer to be fully catered for on an upmarket private reserve, you'll find prices are around US$225/GBP150 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 US75c/50p
Your Tips For South Africa
|
