BootsnAll Travel Community

Hi I will be going to South Africa (Durban, East London) on a missions trip but I have an opportunity to stay for another 10 days by myself. I wanted to know if it is safe for a woman to travel by herself? I would be going to Cape Town for most of the time with a few days in Jo' Burg.

Any input would be helpful.

Thank you.

hi,

first of all good choice! you will have a very good time travelling in this beautiful country.
You are right to be aware of security matters beacuse crime is a problem. personally i have never felt unsafe here. i think you will be fine to travel by yourself if you just listen to your insticts and use your common sense. don't walk alone at night, avoid places that seem deserted and look dodgy to you, don't carry lots of money and valuables and don't flash cameras and cell phones in public.
generally people are very freindly and as i said, nothing ever happened to me(touch wood).

what's your budget? a good option if you feel like company and being on the safe side is the Baz bus it's a backpacker's bus which travels on different routes. their service is good and reliable but pricey too.
if you have any other questions, just come back to me.

sunne is right, it is a crime-riddled area, but you can manage your own safety. reputable hostel, and don't go out alone, don't get cornered anywhere and don't get intoxicated. several students were mugged of their cell phones, etc but they were also drunk and "letting their valuables show" so...keep that in mind. that being said, its one of the best places to go solo..you will LOVE it!

Hey there

I spent 5mths traveling SA by myself. It is perfectly ok as long as you don't do anything stupid like walk down a dark alley alone etc...
Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.

Trekker

My girlfriend and I traveled Cape Town in April and had no problems with anything ot anyone whatsoever. Our hostel had several girls that were traveling on their own as well as one Aussie woman working there who had planned to stay for two weeks and hasn't left in three years! You will be fine. Be as cautious as you would anywhere else.