Safari Holidays to South Africa and Namibia for independent travellers.

Major banks in South Africa include Standard, ABSA and First National.  If you need to visit a bank, you should be aware that they are highly security conscious.  Doors to branches are kept locked at all times, and a sensor detects when a customer wants to enter. 

South Africa's currency is the Rand (R).  South African bank notes come in R10, R20, R50, R100 and R200 denominations. 

There are 100 cents to R1, and coin values are 1c, 5c, 10c, 20c, 50c, R1, R2 and R5.

The Rand fluctuates between R6 and R12 to the US Dollar, but for most of the last year it has been between R6 - R7 to the Dollar.

Current exchange rates against the Pound can be found at www.moneyextra.com and for general guidance on the cost of visiting South Africa today, click here.

Getting Cash

There is a wide network of ATMs (cash points) in throughout the country allowing travellers with a Cirrus or Maestro affiliated card to withdraw money direct from their regular current account.

Credit card withdrawals can also be made at many of these machines, but note that charges are far higher for these than for Cirrus or Maestro transactions.

There are foreign exchange offices in the larger towns and tourist areas.

Travellers cheques in US$, Euro, and GB £ Sterling can be exchanged at most banks.

Credit cards are accepted in most hotels, lodges, restaurants and shops.  However,  all petrol stations require petrol purchases to be made in cash.

Many larger petrol stations have an ATM on site, although we recommend you always have some cash set aside for petrol just in case the ATM is out of order.