Medical spa treatment in South Africa: Travel and accommodation

Johannesburg International Airport is the major airport in South Africa. Flights from Europe are generally overnight with flying time between London and Johannesburg around 12 hours (but South African is only two hours ahead of GMT). International flights also arrive at Cape Town International Airport and Durban International Airport. The journey time into the centre of town is around half an hour, by car or bus from each of the airports.

Entry into South Africa for a medical holiday is straightforward and there is no need for travellers from Commonwealth countries to formally apply for a visa. The automatic entry permit is for a stay of around 90 days (with a valid passport).

Air fares tend to be at their most expensive between September and February. The airlines flying to South Africa directly from the UK include South African Airways and British Airways. British Airways flies to Johannesburg from £595.90 return including taxes, fees and charges, to Cape Town from £700.90 including taxes, fees and charges and Durban from £729.10 including taxes, fees and charges. All flights depart from London Heathrow and the Durban flight is a connection with BA’s franchise partner, Comair, from Jo'burg.

South African Airways offer convenient flight times from London Heathrow departing early evening and arriving early morning the next day and passengers can enjoy their flight knowing that South Africa is only a dinner, movie and breakfast away. Depending on the month of travel, return fares start from £528.00, plus tax.

South African Airways have twice daily direct flights to Johannesburg (11 hours flight time) and daily direct flights to Cape Town (11 hours 30 mins flight time). Look out for special fares, for example in May and June 2006 a return from London to Johnnesburg is just £399.00 plus tax and London to Cape Town £419.00 plus tax.

Other airlines include Virgin Atlantic which flies to South Africa from New York via London, KLM via Amsterdam and Air France via Paris.

Internal travel

South Africa has a well-established transport infrastructure and a plethora of car hire providers and other transport requirements. The country borders six other Southern African countries and has rail links to Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Mozambique. South African Airways has an extensive domestic itinerary covering major cities and some of the major tourist sights such as Kruger National Park - it is advisable to pre-book for the best deal.

Alternatively, long distance coaches are a popular way of traversing the country; the main operators are Greyhound, Citiliner (tel 083 915-8000), Intercape and Translux Express. Trains are considered to be slow in comparison to Europe, but if you have no time or budgeting constraints then the scenic train journey from Cape Town to Pretoria is well worth considering while over this side of the world. The Blue Train offers luxury accommodation, delicious food and delivers excellent service as it travels through the scenic Hex River Valley. Additionally, Rovos Rail is another luxury rail journey which travels to Kruger, Durban, the Garden Route and Cape Town.

The roads in South Africa are excellent for driving, but as distances between towns are fairly long an itinerary is essential to avoid road fatigue. Another factor to be aware of, and to be on the look out for, is stray animals on the road as there are often no fences. Driving is on the left.

Prices

The currency in South Africa is the Rand, and 100 cents make up R1 (one Rand). £1 = approximately 11 ZAR (South African Rand). As for accommodation a typical three star hotel in Johannesburg costs R448 and a four star hotel R555. In Cape Town the average price for a two star hotel is R350, a three star hotel R650 and a four star hotel around R1500. A guest house / B&B costs between R300 and R400.

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