Getting Around South Africa — Transport Options Explained

South Africa is a large country — Cape Town to Johannesburg is 1,400 km, equivalent to London to Warsaw. Getting around requires planning, and the right method depends heavily on your itinerary.

For cost reference, see the budget guide. For destination-specific transport (Uber in Cape Town, Gautrain in Joburg, driving to Kruger), see the relevant city guides: Cape Town | Johannesburg | Durban.

Transport at a Glance

Method	Best for	Cost
Car hire	Garden Route, Kruger self-drive, Cape Peninsula, Winelands	R400–700/day compact
Domestic flights	Long inter-city legs (Cape Town–Joburg 2 hrs vs 14 hrs drive)	R900–2,500 return (advance)
Uber	All major cities; replacing taxis safely	R40–450 depending on route
Gautrain	OR Tambo airport → Sandton/Pretoria	R95–200 per trip
Intercape bus	Budget long-haul; very slow	R250–600
Baz Bus	Backpacker hop-on shuttle Cape Town–Joburg	R2,500–4,500 full route

Car Hire

Car hire is the most flexible option and effectively essential for:

• The Garden Route (no realistic public transport alternative)
• Kruger self-drive (the park road network requires your own vehicle)
• The Cape Peninsula day trip
• Any rural or off-main-highway travel

Cost: A compact or economy car costs R400–700 per day from major agencies. SUVs/4x4s cost R900–1,800+. Include full insurance (Collision Damage Waiver, theft protection) — excess can be R15,000–30,000 if you opt out.

Agencies: Avis, Budget, Europcar, and Hertz have desks at all major airports and in city centres. Smaller local agencies are cheaper but have less backup if something goes wrong.

Driver requirements: Valid licence from your home country, plus an international driving permit if your licence is not in English or Roman script. Minimum age typically 23–25 depending on the agency. Credit card required (not debit).

Drive on the left.

Road conditions: Major routes (N1, N2, N3, N7) are excellent. Minor roads (R-roads) vary widely. Rural tracks may require higher clearance. Potholes are common on secondary roads — particularly in rural KZN and the Eastern Cape.

Fuel: Petrol stations are frequent on main routes. Fill up before entering national parks. Fuel costs R22–25 per litre.

Safety: Don’t drive at night in rural areas or townships. Lock doors while driving. In Johannesburg, be alert at robots (traffic lights) — smash-and-grab thefts at lights do occur. Don’t leave anything visible in a parked car.

Domestic Flights

South Africa has a good domestic network. Flying saves significant time on long routes.

Main operators:

• FlySafair — budget carrier with good reliability. Often cheapest on popular routes (Cape Town–Joburg, Cape Town–Durban, Joburg–Durban).
• Airlink — regional specialist, serves smaller airports including Kruger Mpumalanga International, Hoedspruit, and Upington.
• Kulula — Comair/British Airways subsidiary, good prices.
• SAA (South African Airways) — re-emerged from administration, serves main routes, less reliable than before.

Key routes and times:

Route	Time
Cape Town (CPT) → Johannesburg (OR Tambo)	2h
Johannesburg → Kruger/Mpumalanga (KMIA)	1h
Johannesburg → Durban (DUR)	1h
Cape Town → Durban	2h
Johannesburg → George (GRJ)	1.5h
Johannesburg → Upington (UTN)	2h

Cost: Advance booking (4–8 weeks) gives the best prices. Cape Town–Johannesburg return can be R900–2,500 depending on timing and booking window. Last-minute can be R3,500–5,000 return.

Book direct through FlySafair or Airlink’s websites for the best prices, or use Travelstart (SA aggregator).

Uber

Uber works reliably in all major South African cities. It’s the safest, most transparent option for getting around cities — you have a named driver, a fixed price upfront, and a paper trail.

Cape Town: Excellent coverage from V&A Waterfront to Cape Point (though Uber doesn’t go inside the national park). Most Uber trips within the city: R50–150. City to airport: R200–350.

Johannesburg: Essential. Use Uber everywhere in Joburg. Do not flag street taxis. A trip from OR Tambo to Sandton: R350–450. Within Sandton to Maboneng: R80–120.

Durban: Reliable. Central beach to uShaka: R30–50.

Outside major cities: Coverage varies. In tourist towns (Knysna, Stellenbosch, Hermanus) Uber usually has drivers. In genuinely rural areas, there may be no Uber at all.

Bolt is an Uber alternative also operating in SA cities — worth checking prices on both apps.

Gautrain

The Gautrain is a rapid rail system connecting OR Tambo International Airport to Pretoria via Johannesburg (Sandton, Rosebank, Park Station, Marlboro, Rhodesfield, Hatfield, Centurion, Pretoria).

Why it matters: It’s the most reliable way to get from OR Tambo to Sandton (15 minutes, R200) and the fastest to Pretoria (35 minutes from Sandton, R95). At peak hours it beats Uber on time.

Use: Buy a Gautrain card from the station. Top up as needed. The card costs R35 and can be refunded when you leave. Day visitor passes are not available — pay per trip.

Hours: Roughly 05:30–21:00 on weekdays, reduced hours on weekends. Check the Gautrain website or app.

Long-Distance Buses

Intercape, Greyhound, and FlixBus run intercity bus routes across South Africa. The buses are air-conditioned and reasonably comfortable.

Johannesburg to Cape Town: 19–21 hours. Cost R300–600. Not recommended unless you have abundant time and a very tight budget.

Johannesburg to Durban: 8–9 hours. Cost R250–450.

Cape Town to Garden Route towns (Mossel Bay, George, Knysna): 6–8 hours. Cost R200–350.

Buses are slow relative to hire cars or flights, and schedules limit flexibility. Use them only if budget is the primary constraint.

Baz Bus (Backpacker Shuttle)

Baz Bus operates hop-on hop-off shuttles between Cape Town and Johannesburg via the Garden Route, primarily connecting hostels. It’s designed for backpackers.

Route: Cape Town → Garden Route towns → Port Elizabeth → Durban → Johannesburg (or reverse). Cost: R3,000–5,000 for a full pass. Individual sectors also available.

Useful if you’re following the standard backpacker trail and staying at hostels. Slower than independent travel but social and reliably connects hostel to hostel.

Trains (Scenic)

South Africa’s commuter rail network (Metrorail) is unreliable and not recommended for tourists except the Cape Town to Simon’s Town line (which some backpackers use to reach Boulders Beach — see Cape Town transport notes).

Rovos Rail and the Blue Train are luxury scenic trains — these are aspirational travel products, not practical transport. The Blue Train (Cape Town to Pretoria, 27 hours) costs from R18,000 per person return in the most basic cabin. Rovos Rail is higher still. Both are the journey as the destination.