Difference between revisions of "South Africa"
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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. | |
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| + | 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 stops 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'''). With the notable exceptions of main roads between main cities (i.e. road N1, N3 and some parts of N2) it is a fairly challenging country to hitchhike in. If you do persevere you'll be amply rewarded with a lot of spontaneous hospitality, extraordinary scenery and a beautiful melange of different cultures. | ||
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| − | + | === Getting in === | |
| − | + | Most people of Western countries don't require a visa and shouldn't encounter any hustle at all at the border. All borders are crossable on foot. You'll most likely get a stamp which is valid for 90 days in the country. | |
| − | + | ==== From [[Namibia]]==== | |
| − | ''' | + | The main bordercrossing at Vioolsdrif sees a of traffic going directly to [[Cape Town]]. It's a fairly quite border without too much traffic. Hitchhiker [[Theo]] made the mistake of arriving after midnight and found himself being searched thoroughly and asked ridiculously nosy questions. |
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| + | The most common route from [[Namibia]] to [[Johannesburg]] and [[Durban]] is through [[Botswana]] but the border close to [[Upington]] is fairly hitchable. | ||
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| + | ==== From [[Zimbabwe]] ==== | ||
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| + | There are 2 border crossings. If you take the tourist crossing into Kruger National Park it might be quiet. However the hitchability of that crossing remains unknown. If you do take the main border crossing at Beitbridge one good advice is '''prepare for Chaos with a big C'''. It's the the busiest border crossing in [[Africa]]. People cut in line shamelessly, it's quite a complicated system of lines for people with non-Southern African passports and a lot of people who try to '''help''' you (beware of them). Even if you cross it in the middle of the night you're not, as hitchhiker [[Theo]] found, guaranteed to leave the border without a severe headache. [[Theo]] ended up waiting in line from 1 to 3.30 A.M. | ||
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| + | ==== From [[Mozambique]] ==== | ||
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| + | ==== From [[Swaziland]] ==== | ||
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| + | ==== From [[Botswana]] ==== | ||
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| + | === Communication === | ||
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| + | There is a special sign language used by hitchhikers in South Africa to communicate '''what kind of hitchhiker''' they are. For example in many areas it's common to see people stand with cash in one hand while thumbing with the other hand to indicate that they wouldn't mind paying for the ride. Hitchhiking with your indexfinger instead of your thumb signalizes that you're going long distance along the main road and indicates that you don't mind contributing gasmoney, hitchhiker [[Theo]] found the index finger-technique to be useful when hitchhiking out of major cities works as well as a sign does unless there is a big intersection ahead. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Provided that you intend to hitchhike in the western sense of hitchhiking (i.e. for free) the most useful word you'll need for hitchhiking is South Africa is '''Mahala''' which is a South African slang word meaning roughly free of charge. Possible ways to use the word include: I'm mahalaing or I'm a mahala. | ||
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| + | Generally everyone speaks basic English but it could potentially be useful to learn some words of the local languages if you intend to hitchhike on small roads in the countryside. In many predominantly Afrikaans-speaking areas it's not uncommon to come across older people who don't speak English at all. | ||
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| + | === Crime === | ||
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| + | While there is crime in every country some areas of South Africa have a extremely high occurrence of rape and armed robbery. Do take precautions and do your research. Don`t trust everyone`s advice too much though as many people, especially the rich, are overly paranoid. As always use common sense and you should be fine. | ||
Revision as of 02:42, 30 April 2012
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This article is a stub. This means that the information available to us is obviously insufficient. In these places little information is available or the description is severely outdated. If you have been there, whether hitchhiking, for travel or as part of an organized tour − be sure to extend this article! |
 South Africa | |
|---|---|
| Information | |
| Language: | English, Afrikaans, Southern Ndebele, Northern Sotho, Southern Sotho, Swazi, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa, Zulu |
| Capital: | Pretoria, Bloemfontein, Cape Town |
| Population: | 50,586,757 |
| Currency: | Rand (ZAR) |
| Hitchability: | <rating country='za' /> |
| Meet fellow hitchhikers on Trustroots | |
| <map lat="-29.236080457085" lng="25.275075312611" zoom="5" view="0" float="right" /> | |
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 stops 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). With the notable exceptions of main roads between main cities (i.e. road N1, N3 and some parts of N2) it is a fairly challenging country to hitchhike in. If you do persevere you'll be amply rewarded with a lot of spontaneous hospitality, extraordinary scenery and a beautiful melange of different cultures.
Contents
Getting in
Most people of Western countries don't require a visa and shouldn't encounter any hustle at all at the border. All borders are crossable on foot. You'll most likely get a stamp which is valid for 90 days in the country.
From Namibia
The main bordercrossing at Vioolsdrif sees a of traffic going directly to Cape Town. It's a fairly quite border without too much traffic. Hitchhiker Theo made the mistake of arriving after midnight and found himself being searched thoroughly and asked ridiculously nosy questions.
The most common route from Namibia to Johannesburg and Durban is through Botswana but the border close to Upington is fairly hitchable.
From Zimbabwe
There are 2 border crossings. If you take the tourist crossing into Kruger National Park it might be quiet. However the hitchability of that crossing remains unknown. If you do take the main border crossing at Beitbridge one good advice is prepare for Chaos with a big C. It's the the busiest border crossing in Africa. People cut in line shamelessly, it's quite a complicated system of lines for people with non-Southern African passports and a lot of people who try to help you (beware of them). Even if you cross it in the middle of the night you're not, as hitchhiker Theo found, guaranteed to leave the border without a severe headache. Theo ended up waiting in line from 1 to 3.30 A.M.
From Mozambique
From Swaziland
From Botswana
Communication
There is a special sign language used by hitchhikers in South Africa to communicate what kind of hitchhiker they are. For example in many areas it's common to see people stand with cash in one hand while thumbing with the other hand to indicate that they wouldn't mind paying for the ride. Hitchhiking with your indexfinger instead of your thumb signalizes that you're going long distance along the main road and indicates that you don't mind contributing gasmoney, hitchhiker Theo found the index finger-technique to be useful when hitchhiking out of major cities works as well as a sign does unless there is a big intersection ahead.
Provided that you intend to hitchhike in the western sense of hitchhiking (i.e. for free) the most useful word you'll need for hitchhiking is South Africa is Mahala which is a South African slang word meaning roughly free of charge. Possible ways to use the word include: I'm mahalaing or I'm a mahala.
Generally everyone speaks basic English but it could potentially be useful to learn some words of the local languages if you intend to hitchhike on small roads in the countryside. In many predominantly Afrikaans-speaking areas it's not uncommon to come across older people who don't speak English at all.
Crime
While there is crime in every country some areas of South Africa have a extremely high occurrence of rape and armed robbery. Do take precautions and do your research. Don`t trust everyone`s advice too much though as many people, especially the rich, are overly paranoid. As always use common sense and you should be fine.
Cities
External Links
- How to Hitchhike in Southern Africa: 15 Tips [1]
