Internet

In South Africa there are internet cafes everywhere, especially in the big cities, or WIFI spots (for example at shops or restaurants).
Many accommodations also offer internet use, not always free of charge and also not always wireless. Ask at reception about the possibilities.

There are also many places, e.g. in the game parks, where you have no reception. This also applies to your mobile phone. At these places there is often a satellite connection at the accommodation.

If you bring your own laptop, you can buy a dongle with sim card for your laptop at Vodacom or MTN and charge it with calling credit / data bundles. A dongle is a small router, slightly larger than a USB stick. This includes software for your laptop and for wireless internet. Nowadays, however, many people use their cell phones as a Wi-Fi hotspot for a laptop. Note that the speed of the internet in South Africa is considerably slower in most places than in the Netherlands.

GPS

You can rent a GPS and / or satellite phone at attractive rates through us in combination with your car or camper rental.

At our car rental company a NAVIGATION SATELLITE SYSTEM costs: R 100 per day. (deposit: approx. R 1000).

If you already have a GPS, you can also order maps of South Africa through the site of your GPS supplier. This is particularly worthwhile for longer journeys. Extra tickets for Southern Africa at Tom Tom for example are approx. € 100

Would you prefer to rent a GPS in the Netherlands so that you can practice before leaving and plan your route accurately? Then have a look at the website of Navigation for Rent. If you want to book a navigation system via this website, indicate when booking that you have come to them via the South Africa Specialist. You only pay € 15 per week to rent a GPS with the most recent maps available (two weeks: € 25, three weeks: € 35)

There are also companies in South Africa that program a GPS with your route plan.
This is not cheap and our experience with this was not positive, so we have not chosen to offer this service.

A very good GPS and GPS map supplier for Africa is Tracks. You can find out whether this is attractive for you on the Tracks of Africa website

Garmin GPSMAP62 inclusive Tracks4Africa software

The Garmin GPSMAP62 is a small navigation system when you go ‘off the beaten tracks’ in Southern Africa. It is a very versatile GPS with cartography display. It is equipped with the highly sensitive SiRF GPS receiver, which makes receiving possible at almost any time. The price: € 5 per day (Deposit € 150) You can order it yourself or we can do this for you.

Tracks4Africa Overland Navigator

We would like to introduce the Tracks4Africa Overland Navigator app (or trip planner) to you to make your camper trip as efficient as possible!

The app is suitable for an Ipad / Iphone (however, the Ipad must have a GPS module) and includes coverage for South and East Africa. The app is what we call an offline app, meaning that once it is installed on your device, you do not need an internet connection to use the app or its content cards. Internet during your trip is therefore not necessary!

Travel planning is useful if you want to find out how long it will take to drive from place A to place B, if you would like to pre-plan your day trips or obtain additional information about certain accommodations.

The Tracks4Africa GPS maps have been used by many travelers in Africa for the past 10 years. The GPS maps are compiled by real travelers and only contain controlled roads and points of interest. The cards answer the most important questions of every traveler, including: where do we go to sleep, where do we find fuel, where do we go to eat or buy things, what can we see or do here, where do we go in an emergency and what should we be aware of.

The app gives you comprehensive information about, among other things, roads, places of interest, accommodations, campsites, petrol stations, car services, restaurants, shops, banks, currencies, border controls etc. Many places of interest have additional, additional information such as contact details and descriptions.

The Tracks4Africa travel planner also has the largest camping database for Africa, of which most campsites provide a description, rates, contact details and what facilities they offer. A large number are also provided with photos supplied by travelers. Along the way you have the option to search for accommodation and calculate distances between the different locations. The app then shows you a map with the route and spoken instructions as you are used to from the GPS.

The app can be purchased in I tunes under Tracks4Afrika Overland Navigator. The current price is approx. USD99 (prices may vary in different countries) and it is a one-time purchase. Once installed you can use the app at all times.

Note: In South Africa it is customary to name the house number first and then the street name. sometimes there is no street name. Sometimes place names are indicated in Afrikaans or Xhosa instead of English, which can lead to confusion. When you book accommodations through us you will get directions as they are provided by the accommodations themselves, this can help you should the GPS cause problems.

Telephone

In South Africa almost everyone has a mobile phone and everywhere you are asked for your mobile phone number. Sometimes you have to call the reception at the entrance to the area where your lodge is located, after which they will open the gate for you. Very handy to have a mobile phone at your disposal. But also if you unexpectedly break down and / or need help.

You can call the Netherlands from any telephone booth. First dial 00 31 and then the subscriber number without the 0. Depending on your provider, your own GSM also works in South Africa. However, the costs are quite high. You pay the costs from and to the Netherlands. The costs depend on your telephone provider.

Buy local SIM card

You can also choose to purchase a SIM card and calling credit in South Africa yourself. You can place it in your own telephone or you may have an old telephone that you can use for this. You can buy a SIM card and calling credit at the airport and in the many telephone stores of MTN, Vodafone, CellC and Telkom, among others. You can also buy calling credit (called lug time or airtime in South Africa) at the Pick & Pay supermarket and PEP stores. The range of mobile phones is not equally good everywhere.

You can also rent a mobile phone at the airport at the Vodacom store or buy a cheap (around R 200) phone at one of the many phone stores. This can be advantageous if you want to make a lot of calls within South Africa and also want to keep your Dutch telephone within reach.

Rent a satellite telephone

For example, if you go to the South African neighboring countries by camper van, renting a satellite telephone is a possibility that we heartily recommend.

We are an agent for a satellite telephone rental company. The rent is approximately € 6 per day (depending on the package you choose, ask us for a quote).

The satellite phone comes with a SIM card where you can choose from a prepaid package with 30.50,100 and 200 calling minutes. You make a choice in advance for the number of calling minutes. If you do not use these minutes, the amount will unfortunately not be refunded. If you use more call minutes than your package allows, these extra costs will be charged afterwards when you return the phone (at the same rate per minute). Being called is completely free of charge.

Send us an email if you want to use this service.

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