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South Africa is a big and diverse country with 11 official languages and a complicated history which still manifests in a deeply rooted racial-obsession. This will inevitably affect anyone who hitchhikes in South Africa so come prepared.
Generally most people who '''hitchhikes''' in South Africa pays a little bit for the ride so most of the time you ought to make it clear that you're not intending to pay for the ride. Peculiar enough [[Theo]] found that white South Africans rarely stop for hitchhikers but if they do they never seem to expect money for the ride. However most other people do so you may have to let 1,2,3,4 or even 5 cars go before someone is willing to take a '''mahala''' along (see Communication for the word '''Mahala'''). Hitchhiking is a common practice among the poorer communities, and you may sometimes find yourself hitchhiking together with several other people. Hitchhiker Kiko found that being the only one insisting on refusing to contribute for gas was making use the privilege of being foreigner and white, and that to accept making small contributions for gas at times was culturally more interesting and enriching.
The hitchability is very dependent on the region and with the notable exception of main roads in between main cities (i.e. road N1, N3 and some parts of N2) it is generally fairly challenging to hitchhike in South Africa. If you do persevere you'll be amply rewarded with a lot of spontaneous hospitality, extraordinary scenery and a beautiful melange of different cultures.
* [[Johannesburg]]
* [[Pretoria]]
== Boat hitchhiking ==
South Africa is a must stop for yachts sailing around the world, as the Red Sea route has mainly been avoided due to pirate activity. You can find many boats making repairs and provisioning before setting sail to cross to Saint Helena, Brazil and the Caribbean (before eventually crossing the North Atlantic back to Europe). Many South African yachts sail to Mozambique, Madagascar and other islands in the Indian Ocean. Because of the cyclone seasons, the sailing season for the Indian Ocean is mostly from July to November, while for crossing the Atlantic is mostly from October to January.
You should try your luck in all possible marinas, but there are two rather discrete harbors which are dear to the sailing community and probably the best to find a crewing opportunity: Hout Bay (near Cape Town, mostly for crossing the Atlantic), and Richards Bay (near Durban, mostly to explore the Indian Ocean).
== External Links ==