Cape Town Travel Forum

Hi

We are travelling to Cape town on 30th December to watch England in the third test. I have never been to SA before and spoken to various people about the safety aspects. Some people have told us is as safe as London and others have advised us not to get into any taxis etc. We are statying at the protea hotel sea point which i think is about 3km from the Victoria and Albert waterfront which is where all the main bars and restuarents are. I was just wondering if anybody had any advice about getting taxis etc back from here to the hotel?

Thanks

I am sure , the hotel where you will be staying will advice you and either organize a taxi or shuttle service and should inform you on where to go and what to avoid.
If not sure, always ask at the hotel. If you take the necessary precautions, and be street wise , you should be ok. My daughter lives in Sea Point, and loves the area. Cape Town is a great city, like any other city it has its grey areas,but you will love it.

Just responded to another question about safety (in Pretoria) so I'll plagiarise myself and copy my previous response to this forum because most of it is applicable to your question as well:

Hi, you are correct to take crime seriously. Safety, after all, is a prime concern when travelling.

As an intro, have a look at the warnings published by VT members:
http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Africa/South_Africa/Province_of_the_Western_Cape/Cape_Town-2225504/Warnings_or_Dangers-Cape_Town-Crime_theft-BR-1.html

For your info, crime figures for Sea Point (2008) can be found at:
http://www.saps.gov.za/statistics/reports/crimestats/2008/_provinces/w_cape/pdf/seapoint.pdf

You'll find some good tips on the VT pages above. Things to keep in mind would be the adoption of crime prevention strategies to minimise the potential for falling prey to criminals. Common ones would be:

1. Try and travel in groups.
2. Let someone know your destination and estimated time of arrival.
3. Tell a responsible person when you're expected back from your excursion.
4. Do not advertise items of wealth: jewellery, Ipod, mobile phone, wallets, purses, anything that may be a target for an opportunist criminal.
5. Try not to go out at night.
6. Walk confidently with head erect and taking obvious notice of your surroundings.
7. Never be encumbered with lots of baggage or bags.
8. Maintain clear sightlines. If you are unsure of what may lie ahead, cross the road so that you can see what's ahead.

Public transport in South Africa is pretty poor. Minibus taxis are common on the roads; however, I would be very hesitant to use these on a regular basis. Aside from questions about their roadworthiness, many road users travel at high speeds and very serious crashes are tragically not uncommon.

I've never been to London so I cannot comment on whether crime in Cape Town is comparable to crime in London. However, it is indicative that South Africa continues to drop in the Global Peace Index, ranked 123rd in the world, compared to 116th in 2008 and 99th in 2007. In contrast, the UK was ranked 35th in 2009. Crime plays a significant part in this less than stellar "performance".

Looking on the bright side, South Africa is hosting the Soccer World Cup next year and I would think authorities would throw absolutely everything at clamping down on crime, considering the world's attention focused on the country.

Best of luck and once you've acclimatised you'll have a great time. There are some wonderful sights to see! I know this post probably won't ease your mind, but it's better to be aware and take precautions than being unaware and finding yourself in a difficult spot.

"I was just wondering if anybody had any advice about getting taxis etc back from here to the hotel?"

You don't seem to be aware that we have two distinctly different types of taxi:

1. Mini-bus taxis drive on certain routes and will stop anywhere on the route to pick up or drop off (18 seats). These are the ones that give the taxi industry a bad reputation.

2. Sedan taxis. They are metered and operate from ranks or on telephone calls to your address (same as the ones you know at home). They are of a similar standard to your local taxi industry.

Hi
Just a short note to say that safety in Cape Town is fine as long as you stick to the highly populated areas (e.g. waterfront), and keep your money well protected... the hotel staff will be on hand to guide and assist you. If you are staying a few days, rent a car (less expensive). Otherwise get the hotel to arrange a taxi for you when you need one. There are also loads of one or half-day trips around the Peninsula... or simply hop on the bus.

Hi.

As per other posts, you should be fine if you get a metered taxi. They're not obvious like black cabs in London, but they have a thing on top of them, like a minicap in UK. The hotel can call them for you and at the V&A there are big official taxi ranks.

Perhaps consider hiring a car. Taxi's are very expensive in SA (for SA!), especially Cape Town. From Sea Point you may want to go see Camps Bay (lovely beach about 10 mins drive), the cable car up Table Mountain, the winelands, Cape Point etc. etc. Driving in Cape Town is fine, but recommend getting a GPS / satnav (but keeping out of site) so you know where you're going (there are some big roads with plenty of lane-changing). There's an Avis office between Sea Point and the V&A.

Otherwise the open-top Tour Buses (hop on and hop off, like in London) are a really good way to see the city.

I've been with my wife in the same hotel on March, and we found that hiring a car was the best option. Just park in the hotel, drive for about 5 minutes and park in the waterfront. There's a big parking lot just half block from the waterfront. You can also get a taxi from the hotel (very safe), and when you return from the waterfront, there's a guard that waits in front of a long taxi line, also safe... The surroundings of the hotel is nice in daylight (lots of shops, laundry, bank, the sea at 1 block), but at night it may seem a little bit dark with not too much people movement or restaurants near, but also safe. We'be been walking at night near the hotel and it was perfectly safe.
Anything you need please write to me.

I Hope you decide to travel and enjoy ZA!!
Sebastian