Points for Attention Cape Town

South Africa employs the GSM Mobile Telephone System, where you can use international roaming. The providers for public mobile service in South Africa include Vodacom, MTN and the cost is 3.69 Rand per minute during the time of 7:00 to 20:00, and 0.96 Rand per minute after 20:00. People who have no cell phone can rent a mobile phone in the main airports or some service centers.

The post office provides internet service but it is quite expensive, approximately 5 Rand per minute or 100 Rand per day. Most of the internet service in hotels is charged, except some rest areas.

Compared with other African countries, South Africa has a better medical and health conditions due to its advanced medical level and well-equipped hospitals. The treatment cost of public hospitals is affordable, but crowed with patients, which may require people wait for a long time. Private hospitals have favorable condition and service, but the cost is proportionately high.

There are parasitic flatworms living in some rivers and lakes in South Africa, so the swimming and direct-drinking should be avoided.

One should pay more attention to prevent malaria in the lowland district of Mpumalanga and Limpopo, the concrete measure is to prepare some tools to prevent mosquito bites. South Africa has more than 5,000,000 people infected with H.I.V., the largest number of any country, so one should learn about the relevant prevention methods before coming here. The blood and body fluids is the main transmission route for H.I.V.

ER24 EMS and NETCARE 911 are all private and national medical institutions that you can depend on. Some supermarkets and chain stores such as PnP, Woolworth, Checkers, Spar and Clicks all have medical counters, in which you can buy some common antipyretics, painkillers, Band-Aids and so on. Chronic illnesses patients should carry along necessary medicine or prescription.

The best travel month: September, October, November, December, January and February