How safe is South Africa? My tips.

South Africa is a beautiful country. If you follow a few rules, you can travel there easily and safely. Here are my safety tips.

South Africa offers magnificent nature, wildlife, wonderful parks, friendly people, and beautiful accommodations. With a little caution and my tips, you can enjoy South Africa easily and safely. I traveled alone for most of the six weeks and wasn't afraid, even hiking alone. However, there are a few things you should be aware of.

Here are my tips for traveling safely in South Africa:

1 My most important tip: Ask the locals if it is safe.

I always asked the locals if I could hike there. When I drove from point A to point B, I checked with the lodges to see if the trail was safe. Google Maps doesn't always show you the best route, so it's safer to ask.

2 Store all your luggage in the trunk.

Handbags or backpacks also have no place on the passenger seat.

3 Button down

When driving through busy streets, keep the windows closed and lock the doors.

4 Don't stop for anyone.

It's best to double-check with the rental car company, but there are people who will try to stop you on the road. In our case, it was right at the airport in Johannesburg as we were getting onto the highway. A white van with a man with a walkie-talkie tried to wave us down. Luckily, the rental car company employee had warned us, so we just kept driving.

5 Try not to travel at night

If you have to go, definitely order an Uber and don't walk.

6 Federal Foreign Office

Also check the Foreign Office website to see which roads are currently considered unsafe.

And here too, just talk to the locals and ask them what they would recommend.

7 Leave expensive jewelry and other accessories at home

Don't carry cameras openly on the street. It's safest to not carry a bag.

Here all my blog posts for South Africa

8 copies of all travel documents

Before traveling, you should save copies of all important documents such as passports and airline tickets in the cloud.

9 Withdraw money

If you need to withdraw money from an ATM—I actually got through most of the time with my card—insert your card and cancel the process before entering your PIN. Then have the card issued and insert it back in. Now you can withdraw money as usual. This procedure is supposed to help prevent PIN fishing.

10 parking spaces

When you lock your car, check that it's really locked. There are devices that can block the locking process remotely.

Most important: Don't be afraid and enjoy South Africa

All of these tips sound much more drastic than traveling through South Africa actually is. If you follow my number 1 tip, talk to the locals, and follow their advice, you'll have no problem traveling safely in the country and can enjoy it to the fullest. Have fun!

Do you find these tips helpful, or do you have other tips? I look forward to your feedback.