Getting Around Inside South Africa

As I suggested in an earlier post, I think it is a good idea to wait until after the draw on December 4 to buy plane tickets for the trip. As it currently stands, flights on Delta from Minneapolis to Johannesburg vary as much as $800 depending on departure and return dates. I don't even know if Johannesburg is where I want to be yet, so I'll wait until the groups are determined on the 4th.

I did a check on flying internally too. IOL reported that flights from Cape Town to Johannesburg have doubled in price during the WC. The prices quoted in the article equate to $500-$700 for the round trip. My own tests on the British Airways web site match with this. A round trip from CT to Joburg costs about $717 during the first week of the World Cup. Ironically, a BA spokesman said in this article that ,"British Airways will not be increasing prices during the World Cup." Does that mean that it is always insanely expensive to fly from CT to Joburg?

In case anyone is interested, according to Google Maps the drive from CT to Joburg is 16 hours.

Alright, so what about trains? There are no high speed trains in SA, but there are several rail companies. The Shosholoza Meyl is the long range line that runs between Joburg and the big outlying cities, including CT. That trip takes more than 27 hours but costs only around $75 for a spot in a sleeper car. See more at the great site Seat61.com.

Buses? I'm not sure I want to go there for long trips. After having spent 12 hours on a crappy bus ride in Venezuela a couple years ago, I can't say I'd recommend that mode of travel. But then it may be safer than driving. It is something I'll continue to investigate.