South Africa Sports & Outdoors

  SA vs West Indies, 2007
by PierreZA
 
  • SA vs West Indies, 2007
      SA vs West Indies, 2007
    by PierreZA
  • Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein
      Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein
    by CatherineReichardt
  • Boogaloo's skate park at Brightwater Commons
      Boogaloo's skate park at Brightwater...
    by CatherineReichardt
  •   Sports & Outdoors
    by Jenniflower
  •   Sports & Outdoors
    by kenHuocj
 

Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Update on public transport for World Cup venues

by CatherineReichardt

Details on the public transport arrangements for the World Cup stadia continue to be issued in drips and drabs. The most comprehensive and user-friendly useful summary I've seen was from Prega Govender in this morrning's Sunday Times - follow this link: http://www.timeslive.co.za/sport/soccer/article477498.ece/How-to-get-therePlease note that private vehicles (including taxis) will NOT be allowed close to the stadia for most venues, so if you are planning to travel to the stadia in your own or someone else's vehicle, be prepared for a long walk (and potentially problems finding your taxi pick up after the game).Perhaps the most useful snippet of information here for visitors from out of town is that Innesfree Park (where there is also a 'fanzone' for those without tickets) is in the Sandton area, close to where most of the international tourists will be staying. It seems like it will be...

Festive football at the Montecasino Fanzone

by CatherineReichardt

For those who aren't lucky enough to have tickets for all the games but want to watch the soccer in a festive atmosphere, probably the best established and most 'user friendly' of the Fanzones in Jo'burg will be the MTN Fanzone at Montecasino. This is usually THE place to watch major sporting events such as the rugby World Cup on a big screen, and there is no reason to doubt that it won't be as successful for Soccer World Cup. The advantage of this venue is that it has heaps of undercover parking, excellent security and superb amenities (from restaurants to toilets). The facilities are obviously well established, and so are likely to be much better than those at the venues organised by the Johannesburg municipality solely for the World Cup (which is why an entry fee is being charged at Montecasino but not for the municipal facilities).The cost of entry is R50.00 - about US$8 - per person...

'Must have' World Cup car accessories (Part 2)

by CatherineReichardt

The other 'must have' World Cup car accessories are 'sokkies' (Afrikaans diminutive meaning 'little socks') that fit over the car's wing mirrors. They don't obscure your view in the mirrors if you're driving - not that most South African drivers seem to ever use them anyway - but from the front, the mirrors look like they're wearing national flags! One witty radio broadcaster described them as "Speedos for wing mirrors" ... However, purists need to check for accuracy prior to purchase, as the manufacturers are not overly familiar with the flags of other nations and as a result, one of my German sokkies has been oriented the wrong way so that the stripes run vertically rather than horizontally. This sends the rather confusing message that I am supporting both Germany and Belgium (even more curious given that Belgium haven't even qualified!)Completely frivolous, irrelevant and utterly...

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Collecting your World Cup tickets is easy!!!

by CatherineReichardt

I picked up my World Cup tickets today (Germany/Ghana, here I - and most of the rest of the German population of Gauteng - come!) and was gobsmacked at how efficient the process was. From a South African perspective, the whole ticketing exercise has been badly pitched and entirely inappropriate for a country where the majority of people don't have Internet access (yet more reason to loathe and detest FIFA), so I had been expecting the worst. After the chaos that accompanied the opening of the ticketing centres, I approached the Sandton ticketing centre at the corner of Rivonia Road and Linden Street with considerable trepidation, and was astonished to emerge less than 5 minutes later, tickets clutched in my fist!If you booked online, you have to bring the credit card you used to make the booking - you then insert the card into the machine and the tickets are issued automatically. If you...

'Flying the flag' takes on a whole new meaning!

by CatherineReichardt

The latest 'must have' fashion accessories in Jo'burg are flags of the World Cup nations that clip onto your car windows - even the queues of rush hour traffic and the tailbacks behind ubiquitous roadworks look almost festive with the flags fluttering in the breeze. In a town where 'bling is king', it's refreshing to encounter a fashion item that isn't beyond the pockets of the average citizen (about US$5) - makes a nice change from Rolexes, BM Vums and Armani suits!Obviously the vast majority of flags are South African, but the Politically Correct thing to do for those of us who are supporting the other teams is to fly the South African flag on the passenger side, and the team of your choice on the driver side. As of today our cars are produly sporting South African and German flags (the latter on the driver's side!).Let the games begin!!!

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The World Cup

by Gili_S

Well, everyone knows this, in the summer of 2010 the world cup in football will be held in South Africa. 32 nations from around the world will participate in the competition.Who will win? Only 8 nations has won the competition in the 80 years of it, will it a be a surprise this time?

Storm's River - Extreme Sports Capital!

by sunshinejo

The town of Storm's River is located next to a large gorge carved out of the rocks by Storm's River. From here Storm's River Adventures run a number of adventure activities such as abseiling and black-water tubing. There is also the world's highest bungee jump (216m), which is located at Bloukrans River Bridge. During our stay in Storm's River, we decided to take part in the "Ultimate Gorge Challenge" with Storm's River's Adventures, which involved abseiling 100m into the gorge, then black-water tubing about 4 km down the river and finally mountain biking back to the activity centre. Unfortunately the water levels were really low the day we did it, and we actually had to walk a lot of the way carrying our tubes, which were really heavy, but even so it was quite a fun day out! When you call up to book the activities they will advise you if there's anything you have to bring. All we...

SOCCER WORLD CUP

by henri123

2010 JUNE SOUTH AFRICA IS HOSTING THE SOCCER WORLD CUPWELCOME TO ALL VISITORS.AT THE AIRPORT AND DOWNTOWN JOHANNESBURG ,YOU WILL FIND HUDGE SOCCER BALLS, YOU MAY SIGN THEM AS A SOUVENIR OF YOUR VISIT.

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Can you resist wonderful wire and bead sculptures?

by CatherineReichardt

Fortunately there are much better souvenir options than Zakumi, as the range and quality of South African crafts is extraordinary.I especially enjoy the wire and bead sculptures, which are getting more imaginative by the day and are evolving beyond their usual animal themes to capitalise on the World Cup. My favourite artist stands at a street corner en route for my daughter's school, and I have recently been particularly taken by a wire and bead globe (complete with charmingly eccentric rearrangement of the continents).This evening as I was stuck in the traffic on my way home, a hawker tried to sell me this sculpture of a soccer player captured in mid kick. This costs less than US$20, and is amazing value considering the time and workmanship involved. And before you ask, I have yet to see a wire and bead Zakumi!

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Can you resist the opportunity to build a Zakumi?

by CatherineReichardt

Those of you who are visiting us for the soccer and just can't get enough of World Cup memorabilia will doubtless be ecstatic to know that the 'Build a Bear' stores here in South Africa now offer you an opportunity to build your very own Zakumi! "Who's Zakumi?", I hear you ask. Well, Zakumi is the official World Cup mascot, and a strong contender for the most uncharismatic mascot ever conceived for an international sporting event (although having recently seen the two metallic horrors that London is trotting out for its Olympics, maybe I should revise my opinion). For those who have not yet made his acquaintance, Zakumi is a scrofulous-looking feline sporting unsavoury green dreadlocks. He is apparently a leopard, and whilst the Powers That Be should at least be applauded for not going with the all-too-obvious lion mascot, the caricature is unfortunate, with his mouth set into a...

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Top 3 Hotels in South Africa

The Table Bay Hotel  Cape Town

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Questions and Answers

guillerminamc profile photo

Q:  Hi all, im travelling to South Africa and Malarone is not sold in Argentina, so I should buy it when I get to South Africa. Do you... 

Gerald_D profile photo

A: You will need a prescription from a South Africa registered doctor. 

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