What was your impression of South Africa when you visited?

[JKT]

Hello everybody!

I am a local South African citizen, and am always fascinated on what overseas visitors think of my country when they visit.

So the question to all you overseas people that have visited my country, what was your overall impression of SA (the people, customs, infrastructure, hunting experience, etc)? And if given the opportunity would you want to visit South Africa again?

Let us know your thoughts, the good and the bad!! Hopefully most of you had an awesome time here!

 

[Pheroze]

I really enjoyed South Africa. The people were very friendly and quick to chat. The infrastructure was as good as any. Cape Town is awesome. If it were closer to North America I am sure it would get a lot more tourism. The Garden route, restaurants etc make it a wonderful place to go. I would certainly hunt there again, but not before discovering more about your neighboring countries, there is so much to see

 

[Hogpatrol]

Great country, great people, with a lot of social and economic issues that I don't envision the basically corrupt present government being capable of solving. Having said that, I'm still enamored by the hunting, variety of terrain and wildlife. Have always been friendly treated and very sociable exchanges with the locals. My fifth trip is coming up in two days and I plan on going back again next year. I vacationed in Venezuela once.

 

[Bert the Turtle]

I've only transited through and spent the night in Johannesburg so my impression is based on minimal exposure. What infrastructure I saw was first rate and I enjoyed the few meals I had. The airport experience was streamlined and efficient with all officials behaving professionally. On the other hand, in the restaurants, it felt to me that a large portion of the black South Africans I encountered expressed what appeared to be a racially based animosity towards me and my family. That feeling was completely absent in Namibia. While any animosity is completely understandable given the historic context, I prefer to do business where it is at least not openly expressed. I live in the South in the US and we have a history at least as bad as ZA (albeit a bit farther in the past) and we for the most part treat each other politely face-to-face whatever the underlying issues may be.

Perhaps it was the difference between Johannesburg in ZA and rural locations in Namibia. People of all walks are friendlier in rural environments in the States; I assume that holds in other places as well. It certainly wasn't so bad that I wouldn't hunt ZA if for example an exportable lion came up that I couldn't find elsewhere or if there was a screaming deal on something I wanted to hunt. But it was enough that if asked for a recommendation as to where to go from a first timer traveling with his family, I would certainly mention it.

 

[CAustin]

Ive been to your country 5 times and love coming there. My hunts have been great and the people I've met have been very nice and good to me.

OR Tambo airport is on par I think with many large international airports from around the globe. I have seen very good infrastructure and some very bad.....no different from other places. Your power grid is a problem.

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

@JKT,

I've had the pleasure to visit RSA four times now and plan to return. I've hunted in Limpopo near Hoedspruit, KZN near Nottingham Road and Hluhluwe, North West a few hours north of Kimberley and out in the Northern Cape near Tgalagadi Park. I've loved the hunting in all of those places and loved seeing the varying terrain types.

From a non-hunting perspective, I would say my favorite place was Nottingham Road. Perhaps due to my British and farming heritage, but the hills and dams, the green......well it was just beautiful to me. I also had a chance to catch a nice trout there using a fly rod as it should be done! I loved it there so much I've even gone so far as to research real estate there.

Being involved in the business and attending DSC and SCI, I've had the opportunity to meet lots of outfitters from Africa as a whole, not just RSA. I always look forward to show season and seeing my African friends again.
Hospitality is certainly something South Africans are very good at.

As most have said, roads on the whole are pretty good. Some of the more rural roads could be better, but that's true almost anywhere you go. I've been fortunate to not have experienced any of the electrical power issues that you've had.

I've only spent a total of a few days in Johannesburg. I don't care for that place to be honest. Tambo is a fine airport however.

As has been mentioned by others, the political/economic situation I share as my biggest concern for RSA. I don't like to panic at news reports nor buy in to the sensationalism that comes with the media. But it does seem the situation is on a downward vector and not improving. I do hope that will change.

 

[sierraone]

With the exception of the airport, I spent all of my time in the hunting camp and field in the Northwest Province. Checking in and out of the airport went smooth. As good as most other international airports I have been to, and I have been to many. The camp and hunting were great. The people I met and worked with for the hunt were all great. I am sure that had I spent a week in Johannesburg, I would have run across a few less than desirable people, but that's just the way it is with cities, anywhere. IMO Zuma is your biggest problem, but we have plenty of those here too! Cape Town has a great reputation and I hope to get there some day as a tourist, tacked on to the end of a hunt. And yes, short of Kim Jon Who launching a nuke my way, I will be back!

 

[Scott Slough]

My only trip to SA involved a 5 day hunt and 9 days self-driving the Garden Route/Cape Town with my 22 year-old daughter. We wanted the more authentic experience of driving and touring on our own. We were not disappointed. Cape Town is my all-time favorite international city and I routinely recommend it to all that ask.

I found no issues with infrastructure or politics...I think the future of your country is continued growth and excellence.

 

[wesheltonj]

I found the Western Cape and Cape Town excellent and most highly developed. Although the road from the airport to downtown was a bumper to bumper disaster and greatly in need of improvement. If there were more Southern Africa flights out of Cape Town Airport, I would skip Jo'berg. I only drove around Jo'berg on the expressway as rioting going on downtown and not safe. Sandton and Rosebank were nice areas. Pretoria was fairly nice. The drive from Nelspuit to Kruger Gate was nice but rather long. My drive from Sishan to McCarty's Rest where I hunting was long and most of the road was unpaved, surprising considering its a border crossing road.

 

[Wheels]

You have a beautiful country. I am not a fan of your big cities, but I'm not a fan of my big cities either. Your rural areas are great.

Population, corruption and politics pose problems going forward, as they do in most African countries.

An economic recession has the possibility of being a very destabilizing event one day. Zuma and the ANC are not optimal, but there are way worse options waiting in the wings for the right opportunity.

Wishing you and your wonderful country the best.

 

[JKT]

Thanks for the feedback so far everyone!

South Africa is in a difficult position of being a mix of first world and third world, which is resulting in a lot of the social issues mentioned. Race relations are a bit tense thanks to the politicians but luckily most people here just want to go about their daily lives. Really hoping that things improve once the current president gets replaced - the economy just went south when he came in (PS - google Guptas and Bell Pottinger to see the root cause of this mess).

Otherwise, really happy to see you all had a great time here. Very cool to hear

 

[enysse]

I always thought the airports were just as good as the USA. We have our problems too. The roads have been good. I have been frustrated by road construction at times, the lack of efficiency. Food is wonderful, wildlife plentiful, wonderful hosts, culture and people are friendly. Yes, it has political problems but don't most of the countries in Africa.

 

[TravisB]

My first thought leaving the airport at night was that I hope to hell we don't break down here. Paper and trash on the streets, listless groups of neer' do wells walking the streets, bars over windows and doors. In other words, kind of like being in any American city. Definitely some infrastructure issues, but I kind of liked that. Made it different. Out at the lodge, it seemed simpler, I guess. You hunt, eat, sleep, and talk. The only thing that really got my attention was the guards carrying machine guns for the money truck at a shopping area we stopped at in Thabazimbi. Never seen that here, personally.

 

[Mort Hill]

In any country you visit, your host will give you the first and greatest impression. Since most of us visit as customers, that being of the outfitters, I think we get a somewhat jaded perspective, most always positive in nature. No different than visiting the states and staying with a good friend. They want to impress, in hopes you will come back. To me, I try to get outside the comfort zone and see what people are really like. On my trips to RSA, I have never been disappointed by the folks I encountered. From the street vendor(note, pies are not fried fruit pies like we have down south. They are filled with kidney, meat, etc. That first bite is quite a shocker!), to the store clerks, to the typical blue-collar worker. All pleasant, hard working, just trying to better their lives. I think the people of Africa are half of what keeps me coming back. Their culture, their history, their differences. It is a jewel to be treasured and enjoyed. If we look hard enough, we can find the bad where ever we go. But I think the positives far outweigh any negatives. Be it corruption, race issues, or poor leadership. Plus, there is no place on earth that gives a hunter the opportunity to hunt in the cradle of civilization, among such a variety of species and with truly awesome people and camp staff! I will be introducing my 18 yr old son to your country next year. I know he will feel as I do.

 

[sestoppelman]

On the whole always very positive, have spent a fair amount of time there and always enjoy it.

 

[Philip Glass]

I love South Africa. I understand the corruption in these countries but what I don't understand is the tolerance for crime. I mean every home has 10' tall fences with electric wire and broken glass cemented into the top of the wall! In Texas you break into a home you get killed, legally! Why not jail and execute criminals? Why not institute Castle Doctrine like we have? If Africa would crack down on crime it would be much better for tourism. But as of now they tolerate it.
Regards,
Philip

 

[Nyati]

I was born in Morocco, lived in Algeria, so never felt a "culture shock", on the contrary, I found it a modern country, much more that others I´ve been to.

Do I like it, well, I´ve been there five times and returning in three days, I guess that answers it

 

[IA Monsterbuck]

I love South Africa. I understand the corruption in these countries but what I don't understand is the tolerance for crime. I mean every home has 10' tall fences with electric wire and broken glass cemented into the top of the wall! In Texas you break into a home you get killed, legally! Why not jail and execute criminals? Why not institute Castle Doctrine like we have? If Africa would crack down on crime it would be much better for tourism. But as of now they tolerate it.
Regards,
Philip

That was my impression as well. After being picked up at Afton House and on the way to the lodge I was amazed at all the houses with razor wire and spikes on top of tall fences. Quite honestly I would never want to travel around Johannesburg on mynown as I would not feel safe.

 

[Alexandro Faria]

South Africa's constitution puts greater importance on human life than any property. We have one of the biggest economic divides between the haves' and the have-nots. Couple that with a government who have fueled racial conflict and aided in the creation of generations of entitlement and you have a recipe for unease. Desperation makes people do weird things. We also have a flawed legal system (in practice, amazing theoretically), so Castle Doctrine would not solve a thing, it would be abused and manipulated.

South Africa is remarkable and a lot safer than you might think. But there are indeed desperate people and that brings with it crime. The answer is to stay out of dodgy areas which is a lot easier when you know the country well. But that's true of many countries and especially large cities. The stats on violence are shocking, but when you see that most of it is in informal settlements and is therefore black on black violence, the image begins to change.

Joburg is a blast, so is Pretoria, just do it with a local and you're sorted!

 

[Shootist43]

I thoroughly enjoyed my first trip to South Africa. I was surprised at how modern some of the country is. Expressways, malls and fast-food that are the equals of those found in so called first world countries. The bush provided more than I expected. The people I came in contact with, both blacks and whites were proud and friendly. In the long run education will remove many if not all of the barriers to national stability.