Travel to South Africa to backpack, study, intern, volunteer, work,

or live as a digital nomad, expat or emigrant?

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 South Africa

Intro

Backpacking in South Africa?

  • One of the best backpacking destinations in Africa, with dedicated backpacker buses, unique hostels, variety of beach life, surf spots, nightlife and camping among the big five.
  • Characteristics: diverse, adventurous, rich culture, safaris, great differences between urban and rural.   

Traveling in South Africa?

  • Top destination with safari in the Kruger Park, nightlife in Cape Town, diving around Durban and particularly beautiful car routes. 
  • City spotting: Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban, Pretoria, Stellenbosch.
  • Activity spotting: Safari in Kruger National Park, wine tasting in Stellenbosch, mountain climbing on Table Mountain, surfing in Durban, whale watching in Hermanus, diving with sharks in Gansbaai, bungee jumping off Bloukrans Bridge. 
  • Nature spotting: the Drakensberg Mountains, the Garden Route, Blyde River Canyon, the Kruger National Park, the Cedar Mountains, the game reserves of KwaZulu-Natal, Tsitsikamma National Park and much more. Imagine vast savannahs, imposing mountains, lush forests, rugged coastlines and spectacular waterfalls. 
  • Animal spotting: Spot the Big Five (lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant, buffalo) on safari, observe whales in Hermanus, see penguins at Boulders Beach, spot dolphins along the coast, and view rich bird life in the many national parks and nature reserves.  

Studying in South Africa?

  • Education in South Africa: The South African education system is internationally recognized and has a number of highly regarded universities, such as the University of Cape Town and the University of Witwatersrand. 
  • Language: the language of instruction is mainly English. 
  • Studies: popular fields of study include social sciences, environmental sciences, medicine and development studies. South African universities also offer excellent programs in law, psychology, and business studies. Healthcare courses and co-ops in South Africa are also popular.
  • Study cities: Cape Town, Johannesburg, Pretoria, Stellenbosch, and Durban.
  • Study culture: the study culture in South Africa is often dynamic and participatory, with a strong emphasis on collaboration and practical experience. Diversity and inclusion are strongly promoted, with respect for students' diverse cultural and social backgrounds.
  • Language learning: for international students, a good command of English is sufficient to study there. 

Doing an internship in South Africa?

  • Internship opportunities: South Africa offers a wide range of internship opportunities, especially in sectors such as tourism, wildlife and nature research, health care, social development, engineering and renewable energy. Large companies and international organizations may also offer internships, often with a focus on innovation and hands-on experience.
  • Internship cities: Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban, Pretoria, and Stellenbosch.
  • Characteristics: many options, mixed culture, dynamic economy, English, lots to do in free time, discovering local cultures and contributing to global challenges.  
  • Competencies: during an internship in South Africa, you will develop skills in professional English, practical work experience while contributing to global challenges, and learn to deal with a diverse and inclusive work culture. Thus, you will also learn intercultural communication skills and networking. 

Doing volunteer work in South Africa?

  • Many projects in animal care, education, social work and nature conservation. 
  • Animals/Nature projects: many options such as wildlife protection, research, nature conservation, marine conservation, animal care and rehabilitation. 
  • Characteristics: many options both social and nature. However, you do often pay a hefty sum unless you find something through private individuals. 

Work in South Africa?

  • Jobs: for temporary work e.g. opportunities at helpdesks and in tourism. For long-term work, for example, in health care, IT, education, mining and engineering, tourism. It is important to note that unemployment is quite high in South Africa. 
  • Work culture: especially in the financial sector and large corporations, the work culture is informal and hierarchical. South Africans are generally very loyal to their employer, being on time, avoiding confrontation and building trust is important. In meetings, therefore, South Africans tend to be direct and honest, any vagueness can be taken as a sign of unreliability. Furthermore, they work hard, but also like to have fun. If you are invited to social gatherings, don't turn them down and use them to build better relationships and trust with colleagues. 
  • Characteristics: English, sometimes a word of Dutch, lots of unemployment, hierarchical, hard work. 

Working as a digital nomad in South Africa?

  • South Africa is very popular among digital nomads because of its amenities, English language, recreational options and relatively low costs compared to similar places elsewhere in the world. 
  • Favorite locations: hotspots include Durban, Cape Town, Port Elisabeth, Stellenbosch and several smaller towns in beautiful locations.
  • Characteristics: large community, lots of activities, good amenities, English language, wonderful life with a good salary. 

Living in South Africa?

  • A beautiful, modern country with a mix of colonial and ancient history. If you like nature you will feast your eyes and the amenities are good, but security does leave something to be desired. 
  • Quality of life: South Africa offers a good standard of living with modern amenities, a well-developed infrastructure and plenty of stores and restaurants. The country is known for its beautiful nature and outdoor activities. In addition, it is one of the most unequal societies in the world and, as a result, there are considerable security challenges. The cost of living, especially in major cities such as Johannesburg and Cape Town, is also quite high. 
  • Culture: South Africa has a diverse and inclusive culture with influences from various ethnic groups, including the Zulu, Xhosa, and Afrikaners, in addition to European colonial history. Respect for indigenous cultures and customs is strongly encouraged. South African culture values diversity, environmental awareness, and a relaxed lifestyle.
  • Features: modern living options, excellent infrastructure and many cultural and recreational activities. English is sufficient to communicate and work, but knowledge of local languages such as Afrikaans or Zulu may be helpful. The work-life balance is not very good, and the country is not secure. Many expats invest in their own security.   
  • Health care: health care in South Africa varies widely between private and public facilities. Private hospitals are generally well equipped and provide high-quality care, while public hospitals have fewer resources and can be overburdened. So arrange your own (international) health insurance well.

Supporting content

South Africa Country Bundle: suggestions, stories and tips

South Africa Country Bundle: suggestions, stories and tips

Content about South Africa on WorldSupporter

South Africa: Updates & Travel

South Africa: Updates & Travel

Travel in South Africa

  • South Africa is a rare beautiful country. It has different climates and beautiful natural areas. you can visit wildlife parks like Kruger, Natal Drakensberg or Tsitsikamma Coastal National Park. Not only are you assured of wildlife success there, but you can usually drive yourself through them. Cape Town (at the foot of Table Mountain) is a metropolis not to be missed. From Cape Town to Durban, you have beaches everywhere for surfing or swimming. Just check that you are not diving into the territory of a penguin, white shark or sea lion.
  • Bungee jumping off Bloukrans Bridge is the highest bungee jump in the world.
  • Blyderiver Canyon is the third largest canyon in the world and is known for its impressive natural phenomena. So there are a number of different itineraries for the Blyderiver Canyon.
  • Safari in the Kruger Park because the Kruger Park is the most famous wildlife park in the world where the big five, cheetahs and hyenas, among others, live. There are also a number of camps where you can stay overnight.
  • Durban's beaches. Durban is also known as the Miami of South Africa. The beaches are wildly popular with surfers and the boulevard is widely skated. Towards the border with Mozambique you come to the most beautiful nature reserves and better diving locations (including whale sharks).
  • Robben Island in Cape Town. A place of exile founded by the VOC. Nelson Mandela was imprisoned here for his opposition to the apartheid regime. You can take a look inside his cell and visit the village where the guards used to live. The tours are done by former prisoners.
  • Travel along Route 62. This is a beautiful road past pretty towns, vineyards and orchards.
  • JoHotspots in South Africa?
  • Cape Town. The city has many historic buildings and is located on one of the more beautiful bays, with Table Mountain in the background. The colorful city has many different nationalities and this is reflected everywhere, for example in the delicious food. Another example is the oldest neighborhood Bo-kaap, with brightly colored houses and an Islamic character. It also has good beaches and a super entertainment center on Long Street, where there are also many bookstores, antique shops and boutiques. Nearby are several wine regions and botanical gardens.
  • At the top of Cape Point, you have extensive views of the Indian and Atlantic oceans. The coast is also known for the many baboons that live there.
  • Visit the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg. It is an interesting and visit-worthy hotspot in South Africa. This museum tells the most important part of South African history. A visit to the museum is quite moving and quite fascinating.
  • Elephant Coast combines white beaches with swamps and a rainforest. Here you can find a lot of diversity of wildlife. For lovers of true wilderness, the safari in Kosi Bay is recommended. St. Lucia is suitable for the more upscale tourist.
  • Mpumalanga - The south-eastern province of South Africa is perhaps the most beautiful in South Africa with spectacular wildlife (especially the Drakensberg). Also visit Pimgrim's Rest, an old gold mining village in this province.
  • The seaside resort of Hermanus where you can spot whales. You can swim among the world's largest sharks or rappel off Table Mountain, if you like.
  • Be aware that the cost of safari parks can be very high. 
  • There is a big difference between the rich and poor. Johannesburg is not really safe. In the big cities, the suburbs (townships) can be dangerous.
  • Some fish have a somewhat unfriendly character.

Updates South Africa

  • More about South Africa, updates and contributions, see the link below.

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From language courses to gap year abroad, from work experience to volunteering abroad, from paid work to internship abroad, from mountaineering to diving and from backpacking to travel around the world

    What social activities can you do abroad?

    • Opportunities are found in the areas of helping, learning or studying. You can get involved to volunteer in a social project at a school in Africa, Asia or Latin America. You can get involved in nature, in a project with animals or cleaning the sea or beaches. Those who want to learn more can choose for example a language course in Latin America, Spain or South Africa.

    What work related activities can you do abroad?

    • If you want to gain work experience, and/or also earn money, go and work abroad. You can combine backpacking in Australia with temporary work. You can work on campsites in Europe or bush camps in Africa. You can pretty much go all over the world to work in the hospitality industry, hotels and hostels, in the healthcare sector or for example at a diving school.

    What sports activities to do abroad?

    • Have you ever thought of mountain biking, rafting (going down a wild river on a raft or rubber dinghy, climbing or canoeing), survival (which involves building rafts, climbing or canoeing), abseiling (descending a rock face while secured to ropes), zip-lining (whizzing down a cable), canyoning (starting at the top of a river and then climbing, swimming, diving down the bed) or caving (scrambling, wriggling and crawling through caves and crevices)?
    • Maybe you feel more comfortable on a bodyboard (on a half-wave surfboard, you surf the high waves lying down-with flippers), on a hang glider or while paragliding (with a parachute you float down a mountain or dune), hydrospeeding (on a bodyboard with flippers and a wetsuit on you go down a wild river via rapids) or Tiefschneeskiing (racing down through powder snow)?

    Check the pages below for more activities and inspiration and where to go and how to arrange it

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