Driving

I don't believe you NEED an IDL but it's not a bad idea to have. South Africans drive on the left hand side of the road, which takes a little getting used to but apart from that, their road system is generally very good. On single lane highways, slower vehicles almost always pull over to let you pass. Like anywhere you got your fair share of numbnuts and Friday evenings are a good time to not be driving. There are some very good local car hire companies. Every time I go, I always rent from Tempest Car hire. They have a website so you can check. I suggest that you get an automatic as changing gears with the other hand while you are driving on the other side of the road just complicates things a bit.

I used an IDL. The roads are quite good except for the odd pothole here and there (so keep a lookout). Drivers will use their turn signal to let you know whether it's OK or not OK to pass them. I found that more than a few drivers signalled with the "wrong" signal, making for an interesting and sometimes enjoyable game. Of course, sometimes they are just turning too.

I am a lefty so the left-hand gear-shift was not an issue, but I will note that automatics are usually very expensive compared with standard-shift cars.

CK

"Driver’s licences
Any valid driver’s licence is accepted provided it bears the photograph and signature of the holder and is printed in English. "
source:
click here

Seb

I didn't need an IDL when I rented in SA (I'm American). I've rented a car in Spain before. SA wasn't more difficult than driving in Spain except that in SA it's on the left side of the road which you get used to fast enough because you have to. There were a fair number of maniacs in both countries as there are in the US, too. I always rent from Hertz and they were fine in SA but I don't know that they're the cheapest.

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<hr>Is is better to rent a car from Spain, with an international company, Avis, Hertz, and so on, or, should we go for a local company? What about fares?<hr></blockquote>
We used Hertz last year... ordered from Norway. We were very satisfied. As for fares... what can you afford?

Chriskean1 is correct in that automatic are more expensive. Appromately R100 per day more. If you are used to driving a stick shift, it shouldn't be an issue. Picking a random date, however, Hertz are R40 a day cheaper on their basic rates. Be careful of the add-ons though as they tend to drive up the cost. Some have add-ons and other quote all inclusive.

Hi, you can check this post:

http://www.foro.geoplaneta.com/Default.aspx?g=posts&t=15870

Thank you very much to everybody. Your comments have been very useful, but one more question. What abour driving through the Swaziland region? We want to go from the Kruger Park to Durban via Swaziland.

Thanks.

The way I understood it was you don't need a IDL to drive in SA if your drivers license is in English.