South Africa guide › South Africa at a glance
What's the best way to get around South Africa?
The winning combination is a hire car plus domestic flights: drive within each region (Cape Town, the Garden Route, Kruger) and fly the long distances. Public transport exists, but it serves tourist sights poorly and isn't always suited to visitors.
Your options, from most to least useful:
- Domestic flights: quick and frequent between Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, George, Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) and the airports near Kruger (Skukuza, Mbombela/Nelspruit, Hoedspruit). The airlines are FlySafair, Airlink, SAA, Lift and CemAir. Cape Town to Johannesburg takes about two hours; booked early, one-way fares start at around R1,000 (about US$60), much more in the holidays.
- Hire car: the most freedom, including inside Kruger, where you can drive yourself between camps. South Africans drive on the left, which is second nature for British and Australian drivers but takes some getting used to if you're from the US. Licences, night driving and safety are covered in Can you rent a car and drive in South Africa?.
- Ride-hailing: Uber and Bolt work well in the big cities and at their airports. It's the easiest and safest way to get around town, especially after dark.
- City transport: the Gautrain, a fast rail link between Johannesburg airport, Sandton and Pretoria, and the MyCiTi buses in Cape Town. Clean and convenient, but only along their routes.
- Long-distance coaches: operators such as Intercape link the cities by day and overnight. Cheap but slow, and coach stations aren't always in the most reassuring areas.
- Trains: the public long-distance service (Shosholoza Meyl) is suspended, and its planned return is uncertain. That leaves the luxury trains (Rovos Rail, the Blue Train), which are a holiday in themselves rather than a way of getting from A to B.
One to skip as a visitor: minibus taxis. They're everywhere and carry millions of South Africans every day, but with no posted stops or timetables and often reckless driving, they're not designed for anyone who doesn't know the network.
Verdict: a hire car plus one domestic flight between the Cape and the north-east suits most travellers. If you'd rather not drive, combine flights, private transfers and guided safaris.
Tip: install Uber or Bolt and add your card BEFORE you leave home: you can order a car as soon as you land, without hunting for a cash machine or haggling over a fare.
Information checked in November 2026; double-check before you travel.