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Renting a car in South Africa is a winning idea. Distances in this wonderful South African country can be immense, and a car is therefore recommended. The most traveled routes by car in South Africa are basically two. The first route allows you to get to know Cape Town, Agulhas (the southernmost point in all of Africa) and the Garden Route. The second itinerary, on the other hand, allows you to start from Johannesburg and learn about the Panorama Route, Blyde Canyon, and Kruger Park.
Both itineraries last approximately one week. In this post I pass you lots of information on how to rent a car in South Africa and the itinerary from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth.
Renting a car in South Africa: DiscoverCars
To rent the car I relied on DiscoverCars: with them you can rent the car in Cape Town and leave it in Port Elizabeth, 750 kilometers away. In my case, I paid a fee of about 100 euros to leave the car in a different place than the place of departure. I also added insurance, which lowered the value of the deductible. I admit that initially I was a little concerned about the driving side: in South Africa, in fact, you drive on the opposite side from what we are used to.
All in all, the cost of renting a car for a week is around 250 euros: this is a very good price, factoring in insurance and calculating that Cape Town is quite a distance from Port Elizabeth. The one-fee is definitely well spent: this way you can see different places and there is no obligation to go back to the starting point.
Renting a car in South Africa: driving in reverse
As I told you, at first I was quite concerned about reverse driving. To overcome this concern one must, first of all, follow a simple rule: look right, look to the right. At a stop sign, then you have to look first to the right, and then to the left. The same thing happens at a traffic circle: you have to check for cars coming from your right.
Driving on the opposite side of the road also means that the handbrake is on the left, the window on the right…and not only that! It happened to me several times to operate the windshield wiper instead of operating the turn signals. Back in Italy, the same thing happened to me: by then my head had gotten used to driving in the opposite direction!
Renting a car in South Africa: four-stroke stop signs
Renting a car in South Africa is basically easy, and the road rules are pretty much the same as ours. One thing I found bizarre is the four-stroke stop sign. In South Africa, in fact, you will often find a sign that says ‘Stop’ and the number 4 underneath. This means that to pass the stop sign, you have to follow the four-stroke law. The first rule of this stop sign is simple: you stop totally, even if there are no other cars. In the event that several cars arrive at about the same time, the first car to arrive passes. The second passing car is not the one following the first, but the one coming from its left. Thus, a clockwise direction is followed: one and only one car passes on each side of the stop sign.
It sounds like a strange rule, and indeed it seemed nonsensical to me at first. Actually, it is a way that works to make cars decrease their speed: the rule is always obeyed by all motorists. I have never seen two cars pass each other consecutively: the clock rule, of one at a time, works very well!
Renting a car in South Africa: gas stations
Highways in South Africa are not the same as ours. The N4, for example, which connects Cape Town to Port Elizabeth, is a highway in its own right. Often, however, the highway is only one lane. Top speeds can touch 120 km/h even on one-lane stretches.
On the highways in South Africa there are counterparts to our truck stops. At gas stations you can find supplies, both to cars and to humans! In particular, there is no shortage of typical products: everywhere you can find boerewors (dried sausages), billtongs (dried beef) and many kinds of fruit (I have often found litches, which I love!).
Some of these truck stops are a real postcard of South Africa. At Alzu Petroport (Google Maps), for example, in addition to the above you can see a waterhole that large animals approach!
Renting a car in South Africa: solidarity among motorists
As I mentioned earlier, there is often only one lane on South African road sections. Slower vehicles tend to move into the emergency lane so that it is easier for faster vehicles to overtake. An unwritten rule, but one that I have seen observed all the time, says that the faster vehicle puts on its four arrows when overtaking is complete-this is the way to thank the facilitated overtaking. The overtaken vehicle responds with short high beams: in this way it says ‘you’re welcome!’
Renting a car in South Africa: a recommended itinerary
The best place to rent a car in South Africa is Cape Town. This makes it possible to take a drive around the beautiful South African city: by car it is easy to reach Boulders Beach, the Cape of Good Hope, and the beaches of Cape Town (here you can find what to see in Cape Town).. After seeing Cape Town in depth, the best thing to do is to reach Agulhas, the southernmost point in all of Africa. From Agulhas drive up to Port Elizabeth, following the magnificent Garden Route, which follows the N4 highway.
I have traveled exactly this route, described in this post. It took me about a week to cover the 750 kilometers from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth. Of course, I added a few detours: in total I drove 1,400 kilometers.
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INFORMATION ON RENTING A CAR IN SOUTH AFRICA
- A credit card is required. At the time of booking I recommend that you secure it further: this will lower your deductible. Remember to check your credit card’s ceiling: about 1,000 euros may be blocked when you pick up the car, which will be released at the end of the trip.
- An international driver’s license is not necessary. It may be necessary, however, to have an English driver’s license. Personally, I showed up at the car rental with my laminated driver’s license and had no problem.
- Generally, the car at pickup has a full tank of gasoline. It must, therefore, be left with a full tank.
- There are many speed bumps: I advise you not to exceed 30 km/h when you encounter one, as they may be higher than they look.
- There are many speed cameras, well marked by road signs.
- Strong winds often blow in South Africa, especially in the southern part. In such cases it is necessary to lower the cruising speed.
- It is not forbidden to drive at night, but I don’t see the need!
- Renting a car in South Africa allows you to get to know this country in depth: by driving slowly and relaxed you will appreciate the beauty of South Africa even more!
