So I realize this gets asked a decent amount, but I'm a solo female heading there next month and this has come up more than a few times amongst travel connections (both those who have lived there and those who have traveled). Apparently traveling to South Africa is beyond dangerous and I should not be considering such a thing as I will surely be mugged or worse, everyone has a story about witnessing a carjacking or being involved in one, etc etc. Some of the travelers have told me on a more rational level that it's not so bad, just need to get the hell out of Jo'burg and be wary in Cape Town particularly since I plan to spend most of my time in places like the Garden Route and the Wild Coast.

Now I'm normally not terribly scared off by this sort of talk- I went to uni in an area in the US that freaks the hell out of most non-Americans to hear about- but I've had these conversations enough by this point that I'm starting to wonder. Safe or not safe? Am I going to be cloistered in hostels the whole time? Hope that's not the case as I deliberately saved South Africa last for my rtw as it's the place I most want to visit, it sounds like such an exciting country! Thanks all.

Hi there

First of all let me say, that yes SOuth Africa is a dangerous place to visit, but then again walking down the street is dangerous too.

I travelled in south africa by myself for 5mths (I am a solo female too), here are some tips I found useful

1 - bazbus: A great way to get from hostel to hostel and also offer some good tours in cape town and such, I never realised how much I appreciated this until I went to visit my uncle and took a normal bus. The baz bus is a great way too go.

2 - get out of jo'berg, most south africans will tell you the only reason to go to jo'berg is to get to the Kruger National Park (it does have its good points but if you have a choice don't even leave the airport)

3 - If possible always walk in groups, definately after dark, its safer no matter where you are anywhere in the world

4 - don't go down dark alleys, this may seem obvious but you would be suprised

5 - try not to LOOK like a tourist, with a camera hanging round your neck, a guidebook in hand and new flashy clothes

6- have a over shoulder bag that is harder to snatch

7 - if you are mugged just give them what they want

8 - don't be afraid of adventure but be sensible

9 - be wary of people around cash machines, go into banks if possible and never let anyone "help" you at the cash machine, they may switch cards on you

10 - be aware of scammers on the street, like most countries with tourists there are always those people who will try and scam you!

11 - bargain for things at the market, its part of the fun and always start at half price, they really mark prices up

I am from south africa and my family was never mugged, robbed or attacked while living There. When I returned for 5 mths of backpacking the worst thing that happened is someone slashed my tent and stole my half a bottle of whiskey - I most annoyed at the slashing as the tent had a freaking zipper.

Please feel free to contact me if you have anymore questions or want help planning your trip.

Trekker

I completely agree with everything trekker says.
I too travelled S Africa by myself/lone female. I Had no problems.
I had to fly out of Jo'berg so had to go there but instead of staying in Jo'berg I stayed in Pretoria - 50k away but which is equidistant from the airport as Jo'berg and I felt much better/safer there. Unfortunatley my friend got mugged in a shopping mall in broad daylight for her coat in Jo'berg! However I still did an organised tour daytrip to Soweto which I really liked and was really interesting to see where history was made - I would recommedn this.

I too used the Baz bus - fab way to get around and meet other travellers.
I didnt like Durban - didnt feel safe there.
Loved Cape town - felt safe.
Loved the Garden route - beautiful.
Loved St Lucia - the hippos.
My tour to Kruger starting from Jo'burg was happy to pick me up on the way in Neilspruit so I didnt have to travel into Jo'burg - I just gave them the name of my backpacker hostel.
Obviously the normal safety rules apply - but probably more so. Dont let your guard down.
Take the advice of hostel/hotel/travel agency staff - if they say dont go somewhere then dont go, or if they say get a taxi then get one.
But do go - I really enjoyed it.
I LOVED Swaziland too - totally different feel to it completely.

I spent about 6 weeks solo in SA in 2007. I traveled with the Bazbus, and for the most part was happy with my decision. I did join some friends I met traveling in their rental car for about a week, and I can also see the pros of doing that, I just wouldn't do it alone, mainly for cost.

I kind of disagree with the previous posts about Jo'burg. I arrived on the bus from Namibia, and had a hostel come pick me up, which I had pre-arranged. Because of the bazbus schedule, I ended up staying in Jo'burg 3 days which I wasn't planning. I went to the Apartheid museum, which in my opinion is a must-see. I also did a Soweto tour, and went to Nelson Mandela's home, and toured downtown a bit. It was basically a private tour with another backpacker. It was booked through my hostel and quite expensive, but I'm glad I got to see a bit of Jo'burg. I wouldn't recommend going out at night unless you are with people who know where they are going.

I really did not feel unsafe in S Africa at all. I heard of beach muggings when we stayed at Jeffreys Bay, and we actually stopped a bag snatching at the beach in Durban. Cape Town seemed very safe to me, maybe I just didn't go off the beaten path enough, but I walked around a ton by myself (during the day) and nothing happened. I was in Durban during the Rugby world cup final, and partied on the street til 4am, and felt totally safe. Granted there are tons of people out as well.

I think common sense prevails, and safety in numbers is always key. One thing I liked about S AFrica is a lot of the hostels end up being where you hang out at night, since many along the coast are in small towns and rural areas. Other people may hate this atmosphere but I quite enjoyed it and met some good friends. There will be opportunities to get away from hostels and that scene, and there will be other people who also want to get out. I do think the bazbus is the way to go when you're solo. I did public transport the rest of my time in Africa and my RTW ,and it was such a comfortable, relief to travel that way at the end of my trip. I'm sure public transport would open up a whole other world to you. I just can't recommend it b/c I didn't do it in S Africa.