How safe are Johannesburg and Durban

[casanovawa]

I did go onto Couchsurfing and have a look at the South African page...

Some posts on there do give some good advice... I might take that Bazbus thing for allowing backpackers etc to get around South Africa.. A$200 for a 7 day pass doesn't sound too bad... and who knows, maybe i won't spend so much time in the cities...

Was going to fly to Joburg and then maybe up to Vic Falls, maybe i will just stay there for 3-4 days and see Chobe NP, not do the organised tour, then either find a drive down to SA or fly down and off to Cape Town and use the Bazbus and maybe stop at a few national parks or animal reserves in SA, maybe do Kruger NP as well...

This might be one of my harder stops to plan as more complexities then my other stops...

Flying Fox, i will PM and pick your brains about what to do and what not to do...

As I am doing a world trip and this is the final stop when I fly into SA i don't really have the option of not bringing a lot of luggage with me to SA and travelling lite... do you know if it would be safe to arrive with my suit case and then leave it in the joburg airport with some sort of long term luggage storage/locker thing and just take a backpack with cameras and few clothes, or would i be better off trying to find someone i could trust, like my friend there, ask if i could leave my bag with them and travel lite and collect at the end when i probably see them the last few days before flying out or what would you suggest?

 

[Sprucegoose]

i had my camera with all photos of kruger park and cricket trip stolen from suitcase at jo burg airport after checkin. Wife also had her fancy shoes stolen from same suitcase which upset her more. If only they had left the memory stick.

Such is life!

if it is in your bag assume it gets stolen.

Anything valuable do not pack in your checkin luggage.

 

[somebol]

I've went to Jo'burg in Dec last year. The safety concerns are not OTT they are true so be very careful. Couple of tips.

* Every city has townships you MUST avoid, know them and avoid them.
* If driving, even with GPS, make sure you avoid those townships.
* After dark you need not stop at red lights, if you don't feel safe.
* Generally avoid going out after dark.
* Always know where you are going, the route you are going to take. I can't stress this enough.

On the positive side, south africa is really cheap and beautiful.

 

[GCC]

Have just read this thread with interest as I have a conference to attend in Capetown in October. The plan is to take Mrs G and 1 yo baby G but reading this makes me kinda nervous.
Any thoughts or tips re traveling with baby? Rough plan is fly to JNB, get (alive!) to Kruger NP, then fly to Capetown for conference, then tour a little around Capetown & surrounds before heading back to OZ.

 

[Jasecoop]

I cant speak of Durban but I work for a company based in Johannesburg and travel there regularly (10 times last year and twice already this year). Just a few points from my perspective:

• The crime is real but as others say you are at more risk walking at night
• Certain areas are worse than others. I always stay in Sandton and feel very safe walking there (even quite late) as long as I stay close to Mandela square or the shopping mall
• The train from the airport to Sandton from all accounts is very safe and fast. I havent done it personally but know many people who have
• I always ask the South African's if anything has happened to them and probably 90% say nothing even though they have lived there all their life. On the flip side when something does happen it is normally gun crime. I know 2 people who were robbed in the last year at gun point but were unharmed. They just gave them what they wanted
• As others say, carry only what you need. If you show it off then you are a target
• The porters at the airport, tell them a confident no
• With the checkin bags, I always get told that people break into them but dont checkin anything of worth, in any country. I had cameras stolen from LAX in checkin luggage, never again
• Other than that, great country but helps when you know people there who can show you around. I will be taking my wife in June

 

[Flying Fox]

• The train from the airport to Sandton from all accounts is very safe and fast. I havent done it personally but know many people who have

I have done the airport train (Sandton to Airport). Its very good and highly recommended. Its fairly cheap and really fast with limited possibility of being hijacked.

Recommended that you use the ATM looking things to buy your tickets (credit card type and one per person) with your CC.

There are two or three compartments that are devoted to the airport. You get on and the doors are sealed. On one on or off until you reach the airport even though the train stops at one or two other places.

The airport only compartments have about 4 police guards per compartment and there is space for luggage.

Once at the airport its an easy walk to the OR Tambo Terminal.

I would do it again!

 

[drron]

Also thinking of SA next year.Flying into Joburg as first stop on DONEx.
Thinking of staying at Hilton sandton for 1-2 nights before going to Kruger and Drakensburg(seeing Tugela Falls).Then flying to Livingstone for Victoria falls and then a 10 day tour of Botswana-3 camps and flying between.
Then to Capetown and thinking of Westin Arabella.
Now mrs.dr.ron can not fly light.So is there safe luggage storage at JNB or the Hilton sandton.