About Straight Talk South Africa

Annelie Botha is the pen name of this site's editorial team. We use one name and one consistent voice so the site reads like it comes from one place, but there's no single person called Annelie, and we won't pretend otherwise. You won't find invented trip diaries or "when I was in Kruger" stories here.

Our guides are researched from published sources: the Department of Home Affairs, SARS, SANParks, the UK Foreign Office and US State Department advisories, airline and car-hire terms, and operators' published prices, plus readers' real experiences when they share them with us. We link every source and give the date we checked it. When we use a scenario to show how a plan works, we say clearly that it's an example, not a real traveller.

What we cover

Everything a first-time visitor from the US, UK or Europe needs to plan a South Africa trip: visas and entry rules, safety, safaris and Kruger, itineraries, driving and getting around, money and costs, and Cape Town and the Winelands.

How we approach it

• Straight answers first. The answer to your question is in the first few lines. The detail comes after, for when you need it.
• Blunt about safety, without the scaremongering. We tell you what the official advisories say and which precautions make a real difference.
• Obsessed with logistics. Opening hours, booking windows, drive times and fees, because that's where trips go wrong.
• Honest about what isn't worth it. If a paid service or an add-on doesn't earn its price, we say so.

How the site is paid for

The guides are free to read. We may earn a commission from links, at no cost to you, for example when you book a tour or a hire car through a partner link. We may also show ads. That never changes what our guides say. See our affiliate disclosure for details.

Corrections

Entry rules and prices change, and we make mistakes. If you spot something wrong or out of date, please tell us with the source and we'll fix it and note the change.