Car / Taxi, Cape Town

Drive up Sani Pass before it's paved... they want to pave it to help the local economy of Lesotho. That's all well and good, but the icy, snowy, muddy, narrow switchback road up Sani Pass is a great drive up to the highlands of Lesotho... not something to be missed. I'll try to find another image of it, but I was busy driving and not taking pictures.

Sani Pass is a beautiful off-road drive. You'll need four-wheel drive in the winter, especially, but I'm not sure you're allowed to go up if you don't have it. It'd be nice to have in Lesotho as well.

Cape Town though is usually safe but it is always recommended to take the official Taxi written on Yellow for transportation. DO NOT take lift or Taxi which are not officially designated. Law and order tend to be loose at night. Always carry your hotel card with you as somtime language can be problem with Taxi driver.

Public transport in Cape Town is basically non-existent. You can use metered taxis/cabs, but you might pay a lot. So the best way of getting around is by using Rikkis- basically a cab that you can phone up, but you share it with other people. Check it out at http://www.rikkis.co.za/index.htm. They fetch you quickly and the prices are very reasonable. Alternatively people might also recommend 'black taxis', which are very cheap to use, but often the drivers don't have drivers' licences and their vehicles aren't roadworthy. Best other bet: rent a car. Just be warned, throughout the city, you have informal 'car guards' who look after your car if you park on the street- they're an absolute nuisance, but the easiest thing to do is just give them R2 when you come back to your car- never pay anyone upfront!

Public transport in Cape Town is basically non-existent. You can use metered taxis/cabs, but you might pay a lot. So the best way of getting around is by using Rikkis- basically a cab that you can phone up, but you share it with other people. Check it out at http://www.rikkis.co.za/index.htm. They fetch you quickly and the prices are very reasonable. Alternatively people might also recommend 'black taxis', which are very cheap to use, but often the drivers don't have drivers' licences and their vehicles aren't roadworthy. Best other bet: rent a car. Just be warned, throughout the city, you have informal 'car guards' who look after your car if you park on the street- they're an absolute nuisance, but the easiest thing to do is just give them R2 when you come back to your car- never pay anyone upfront!

We arranged our car hire when we were in Stellenbosch, so on our second day in Cape Town we wandered around to the National car hire building and picked up our brand new fiesta which was to be our means of transport in South Africa for 5 weeks.

Cape Town is a city, so it is fairly busy.
This is South Africa remember - so you must use common sense when driving around, we always kept our car doors locked, its a bonus to have air con inside your car. Always park in a prking bay or a car park - many will have attendants who keep an eye on your car - drop them a few rand when you go back to collect.

I seriously heard so many negative comments from people when we said we were hiring a car, but for us it was the only option - to go where we pleased when we pleased.

We did not encounter any problems - just use your head!

Aside from the shock of finding that the right-hand lane in South Africa is the passing lane, the biggest surprise to me has been the kamikaze-like fervor of the drivers, not just on the interstate-analogs (N1, N2) but even on tiny suburban streets that barely allow two
vehicles to pass if both have one set of wheels up on the curb. Traffic enforcement, at least in Cape Town, is almost exclusively by camera. There are periodic signs along the autoroute with a speed listed and a camera icon. However, many of these are not operational cameras. You need to know which are -- because the rental car companies generally charge an "administrative fee" on top of whatever traffic fine is assessed if you're caught doing 120 in an 80 zone.

The rates for taxis in Cape Town are the highest we've seen anywhere in the world. Starting at 7 rand per Km they can go up to 11 Rand per Km, that is a whooping EUR1.16 per Km or $2.37 per mile!!!. We're talking here about fully legal and metered taxis.
It is up to the taxi company to determine how much to charge per km as long as it is listed on the taxi itself. To avoid nasty surprises chech the following before getting into a cab:

1 - check price per km listed at the back of the taxi and remember you can look/call for a cheaper one. I'd suggest to ask your hotel for the number of cheaper ones.
2 - Ask in advance how far is the place you're going to and the approximate cost of the taxi ride.

Taxis can't be stopped in the middle of the street, you can find them at taxi stands or call for one.

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If driving around Cape Town from Hout Bay to Vishoek please note that the Chapmans Peak route is a toll road and traffic is allowed only from one direction each way for 15 minutes before switching around again so tip - take money and patience. The road offers spectacular views of the ocean and mountains along the way but a beautiful drive to see

If you are planning on taxi'ing around Cape Town, I would recommend getting one called from your hotel, and then provided you are happy with the driver, keeping his number for future needs. After my initial taxi ride, I was able to arrange drop offs/pick ups with the same driver, saving the hassle of trying to find a cab later. You do not want to be stuck without a taxi and have to walk any significant distance at night.

It is easy as long as you are ok driving on the LEFT hand side of the road with a stick shift.
Car Rental rates are rasonable (more $$ than US but less than Europe)
All the majors can be found in Cape Town so shop around.

Traffic is calm for a large city and other than not signalling turns Capetonian drivers are not all that bad.
Signage is great and it is pretty hard to get lost.