Driving Guide for Cape Town

Petrol (gas) stations can be found at regular intervals (some stay open 24-hours), but aim to keep the petrol tank filled up to avoid running out of petrol late at night or in remote areas. For your safety, avoid driving in remote areas at night and always park in a designated, well-lit area. When leaving your car, lock valuables in the boot instead of leaving them where they are clearly visible.

Parking Attendants in Cape Town

When driving and parking in Cape Town, you will notice that there are car attendants who will assist you with parking, operating parking metres and who will offer to watch over your car for you. Most of these attendants are part of a new parking plan that has been implemented by the Central City which is helping to boost informal employment. It is customary to give the attendant a tip on return to your vehicle. However, you should not feel obliged to pay and attendants should not badger you for money.

Car Hire Cape Town - Transportation Cape Town

Hiring a car is one of the best ways to explore Cape Town - at your own pace. Cape Town is generally easy to navigate - roads are well laid out and when in doubt, look for the mountain to orientate yourself. Areas of interest and tourist attractions are well sign-posted and most information brochures include maps that highlight attractions.

Cape Town Car Hire Guide

There are many car hire companies in South Africa through which you can hire a vehicle from basic around-town cars to luxury vehicles and 4x4's. It is advisable to hire from a reputable company who are able to offer you new and good quality cars as well as assistance during your rental in the event of a problem. Generally booking via a tour operator will entitle you to lower rental rates and vehicles with unlimited mileage. Vehicles can also be booked directly through car hire providers although rates are usually slightly higher and work on a pay-per-kilometre basis. The major car hire companies have branches for collection and drop-off at airports and in all major cities.

Article Source
Cape Town Car Hire - Aroundabout Cars

Travel to Cape Town

Cape Town is a city located on the West Coast of Africa, near L'agullas that composes most of the Southern part of the continent. It is a beautiful place with a very nice climate with winter rainfall and very strong seasonal winds, knowing that it is a coastal city. Cape Town is also well known for its most miraculous Table Mountain and the laid back attitude, which became part of the Cape cultural heritage.

The History Of Cape Town
It was Bartolomeus Dias who led the Europeans to “The Cape of Good Hope” first. He called it the ‘Cabo Tormentosa’ meaning “The Cape of Storms”. A decade after that, Vasco de Gama arrived at the Cape. From then on, Eastern trade was monopolized by the Portuguese and the local ethnic group the Khoi–khoi became familiar with the Europeans. This planted the seed for the Capes cultural diversity. The Portuguese realized that as the Cape lies on the sea route from Europe and Asia, it could be used as a halfway station for ships to take in fresh water and food. So in 1652, Jan van Riebeek established a permanent settlement there, which facilitated trade to the East. Slaves where imported to work on fields to grow crops that was needed for food for the passing ships. These imported slaves also contributed to the cultural heritage of the Cape.

Tourism
The Cape has a good variety of ethnic music, along with African dancers, which can be witnessed at the St George’s Mall. There one can find good traditional African music performed with instruments such as bongo drums, xylophones and flutes. On the first day of January the streets of Cape Town will be filled with rich cultural activity of the “Kaapse Klopse” or Coon Carnival. This annual parade consists of 20,000 people who will dance and sing, performing traditional tunes to start the New Year on a positive note. This time of the year is famous for the singing of the Cape’s Malay choirs and many church choirs, which forms a distinct part of the music and cultural heritage of Cape Town.

If you are touring to this beautiful city you will find it easy to get around with the attractive Cape Town car rental deals available.

Architecture And Robben Island
Cape Town has a combination of British, Dutch & African styles of houses. The older houses of the Dutch era represent the ancient culture of the city. The poor black people who can not afford nicely built houses, build their own houses in unique indigenous ways, using whatever things available. This style is called “shack chic”. The tourists can visit nearby Robben Island by boat. The erstwhile white racist rulers used to keep political prisoners on this island during the freedom struggle of black African people. The first black president of South Africa Nelson Mandela was imprisoned on the island for 27 years. Many other political leaders fighting against racism of earlier South African regime were kept prisoners on this island. Now the government of South Africa has turned the island into a museum, showing the history of struggle against apartheid.

The Castle Of Good Hope And Table Mountain
A popular tourist attraction in Cape Town is the Castle of Good Hope. It is located in the center of Cape Town. As South Africa s oldest remaining stone building, it is not only a tourist attraction but serves as the headquarters for the Western Cape military. Tourists will find a wonderful museum and great food as well then visiting the castle. The thing that Cape Town’s probably most known for is its flat mountain called “Table Mountain”. There you will find an exciting cable car service that will take you to the top of the mountain where you can then enjoy a meal at the popular restaurant at the top while experiencing the breathtaking view of the whole Cape Town.

Cape town is a city with lot of tourist attractions. Getting a cheap flight into Cape Town is just as easy getting the attractive rates on their car rental deals.The city is also known for its variety of lodges, hotels, bed and breakfast houses, and back packers. The city will suit any type of tourist as it supports different type of people, food, and music and of course variety architecture.

Article Source

World’s Best Travel Destinations – Cape Town

The Cape Town tourism industry has really grown in the past few years. This growth is said to be continuing in the following years, despite the fact that the world is currently experiencing a global economic crisis. Also, the country is making efforts to strengthen its tourism industry, and this includes Cape Town tourism, to make sure that it is ready to accommodate and entertain all the tourists that will travel to South Africa for the international football event, the World Cup in 2010.

As Cape Town began to grow, the world started to really discover the true potential of this beautiful tourist destination. Whether for pure pleasure or business opportunities, the number of people travelling to South Africa, and especially Cape Town, has increased tremendously. You should also know that South Africa was voted as one of the top 25 tourist destinations worldwide.

A truly important aspect that helped Cape Town’s tourism industry’s growth was Cape Town’s architecture that incorporates different architectural styles from all over the world, England, France, Holland, etc. Cape Town’s architecture is considered to have the largest number of buildings built following the trends of the Cape Dutch style.

Cape Town’s tourism industry also profits from the annual Minstrel Carnival, or it is more widely known Kaapse Klopse, which is held each year on January 2nd. While it is not competing with the Rio carnival, Kaapse Klopse has a lot of color, music, and beautiful displays that are sure to entertain anyone visiting or passing through Cape Town.

The Cape, as it was fondly named by locals and tourists who took advantage of what the Cape Town tourism industry has to offer, also has spots untouched by this industry. This virgin spots can be quite a delight for those wanting a little more privacy. Strand beach, for example, is a 5 km long beach where you can rent privately owned homes from people that are on vacation themselves.

To really make your vacation to Cape Town unforgettable, make sure that you rent a car from one of the many car rental Cape Town companies. Apart from the local car rental Cape Town companies, there are a lot of international car rental companies that decided to profit from the growing Cape Town tourism industry.

Whether you are keen on a specific color, brand or type, you can rest assured. There is surely a car rental Cape Town company that has the vehicle that suits each and every one of your needs. Some companies offer full insurance, some do not, so be careful before choosing. The most important factors you need to take into consideration when making your pick from the large variety of car rental Cape Town companies are insurance against theft, and insurance against accidents. Other than that, have a great time in Cape Town.

Article Source

Cape Town Car Hire - Aroundabout Cars

Car hire firms foresee good winter

THE arrival of winter normally brings a chill to local car rental companies. Not so this year.

With the Confederations Cup two weeks away, car rental firms expect brisk business. The British and Irish Lions tour, which got under way on Saturday, amplifies this optimism.

Avis Rent A Car CEO Wayne Duvenage says these two world sport events should boost the car rental industry — which is hurting from the economic downturn — by up to 10%. The firm has seen a spike in bookings as a result of the Confederations Cup and Lions tour, with foreign inbound business more than doubling that of the same period last year.

Dawn Nathan-Jones, CEO of Europcar, formerly known as Imperial Car Rental, says the company has experienced “healthy forward bookings” due to these locally hosted international events.

Some officials, Nathan-Jones says, are already in the country and are hiring vehicles, especially the luxury and minibus sort.

She says Springbok Atlas, a sister company that belongs to Imperial Group, is fully booked — clear evidence of high demand for coaches.

Nathan-Jones said the Indian Premier League (IPL) had stoked demand for rented vehicles.

Ray Booth, MD of Budget Rent A Car, says demand for the company’s rental cars emanates more from the Lions tour than from the Confederations Cup, helping boost its reservations.

About 50000 British and Irish visitors are heading to SA for the 10-match Lions tour.

There is no indication yet how many foreign visitors the Confederations Cup will attract. It kicks off on June 14. This year, winter, normally a bad season for the car rental business, has turned out to be a boon for it.

Booth says this period is usually quiet, suggesting that the business can comfortably accommodate rising demand when it occurs.

Duvenage echoes this: “June is normally a low period for car rental businesses and rental companies have spare capacity to be used in these periods, so it is good for us and the entire tourism industry that these big sporting events are taking place in the winter.” Reservations, Duvenage says, are coming in. “We have not sold out yet.”

Avis Rent A Car, he says, is flexible in moving cars to areas where the demand is high. It has moved 700 cars from Cape Town to Johannesburg, which is where most of the soccer action will take place. The company has placed an order for 100 new vehicles to cover the expected rental demand.

The Confederations Cup will be staged in Johannesburg, Tshwane, Bloemfontein and Rustenburg, and matches are split equally among these cities.

Nathan-Jones says her company too is “flexible” in moving vehicles around quickly and, as an added benefit, has access to vehicles through Imperial Group’s network of dealerships. “We use dealerships where we can to get maximum optimisation of fleet,” says Nathan-Jones, affirming that Europcar has been ready for the sport events for some time.

Nathan-Jones says Europcar has ordered some new luxury cars and minibuses. But the company is not keen on buying fleets of new vehicles for an event that will last just a few weeks.

This does not bode well for new vehicle sales, which could have benefited if car rental companies started buying vehicles in large numbers as a result of SA’s mid-year sports feast.

Bill Stephens, a spokesman for Volkswagen SA, says he expects no change in vehicle sales as a result of these sport events, noting that car hire companies are likely to retain vehicles for a longer period.

Duvenage says the Confederations Cup will not help the group prepare for the 2010 Soccer World Cup because the two soccer tournaments have little in common from the company’s perspective. “The 2010 event will be a big one for us,” says Duvenage, because it is “vastly bigger and spread countrywide.”

Booth disagrees, saying the IPL, Confederations Cup and Lions tour serve as “dry runs” for next year’s event.

Duvenage says the length of rental will increase over the duration of the tournaments to more than two weeks, whereas the average now is around five days.

Article Source

Car Rental in Cape Town For The Younger Generation

Most car rental companies have certain pre-requisites when it comes to renting a car as a younger person

Renting a car in Cape Town is a fairly simple process with many car rental companies available to do business with.

Like in other countries, there are certain rules regarding the minimum age you have to be to rent a car and with the fine print this is often difficult to understand.

We made sense of it and here is the basic gist of renting a car as a younger visitor in Cape Town.

CapeTownMagazine.com has selected good car rental companies in South Africa to book your rental car with. Each car hire company has different requirements for renting a car as a young driver.

The minimum age to rent a car in South Africa varies, and sometimes car hire companies require young drivers to have had their driver’s license for a certain time.

Sixt requires that their drivers are a minimum of 23 years of age. Above and beyond this, Sixt further requires that drivers must have had their license for a minimum of two years in order to be eligible to rent one of their vehicles.

Book with Sixt online (no credit card needed)

Aroundabout Cars do rent out their vehicles to persons under the age of 23, but if you fall into this category you will be required to pay a surcharge of R100 per day.

Book with Aroundabout Cars

Both Avis and Europcar are more lenient when it comes to age restrictions.

Avis requires only that persons renting their cars are 21 years of age and have had their license for a minimum of one year.

Book with Avis online

Europcar, on the other hand, classes drivers under the age of 21 as young drivers and requires that they have had their license for at least two years before permitting rental of their vehicles.

If you are a South African resident, Europcar requires that you are at least 21 years old.

For those who are not resident in South Africa, Europcar charges R110 per a young driver per day if you are 21 or younger and have your driver’s license for 2 years.

Article Source
AroundAboutCars

Car Hire Advice; How To Get The Best From Your Driving Holiday

Quality Car Hire in Cape Town and South Africa from AroundAbout Cars

Wednesday, 2 April 2008 - Thomas Pretty

Before you choose to hire a car there are a number of factors that must be taken into consideration. If travelling away from home by air, car hire is often the best option and thankfully many companies have desks at airport locations to make the transition from plane to car that much easier. Here are some helpful hints that will make your car hire experience simpler and even more affordable.

Firstly if you are part of a frequent fliers plan with a specific air travel company there may be the option of preferential rates. Many companies offer their customers unique discounts on car hire for those who use the service regularly. Before you travel it is definitely worth enquiring if you can apply for these discounted prices.

The internet is a wonderful resource and in the world of car hire this is no different. Most companies, especially the larger companies have websites that offer online booking solutions. These online booking options are often cheaper than phone booking, sometimes as much as ten percent of the price.

Before you hire you should always get a clear idea of what the hire contract contains. Firstly you should get a full understanding of what the insurance covers, checking liability clauses to see if you will be held responsible for any damage to the car is also essential. An added concern you be whether you are the only driver able to drive the hire car, if you want somebody else in your party to be able to drive there is often an applicable surcharge.

At the time of booking you should always ask for a conformation number as this ensures you have fulfilled your booking obligations. Keep this number with you when you travel to ensure your reservation is upheld. If travelling by air it is also worth giving the rental company your flight number and arrival time; by doing this, if your flight does happen to be delayed your reservation should be kept open for you until you land.

Car upgrades may always seem the best option when at the car hire desk, especially when offered at no extra cost. Be careful though, larger cars are often less fuel efficient and subsequently your fuel prices will be higher. If you are worried by the high prices of fuel or even the environmental concerns of driving a larger car, insist that your hire car is smaller and more economical.

If the car had a full tank of fuel when you started your hire period, ensure that it is returned to the rental company in the same way. The fuel excesses charged by companies for filling cars can add a nasty surprise to your bill on returning the car. It is usually cheaper to refill the car yourself rather than rely upon the company's refuelling service.

Before you leave the lot of cars make a detailed check of the condition of the vehicle. Looking for signs of damage and the mileage information is essential. Let the agent know of your findings to ensure they are fully aware of the state of the car before you left, by doing this any queries over the condition of the car when you return can be negated.

Most of us would not even think of drinking at driving, but this is especially important when using a hire car. Most contracts will be declared null and void if you are found to be over the limit. The insurance policy you have with the rental company will be most likely voided if you happen to have an accident under the influence of drink or drugs.

Enquire about the specific time when the car must be returned, many car hire companies will charge heavy penalties for late returns. Charges are usually worked out on a twenty four hour basis so even if you return the car just an hour late, it can be considered the start of another twenty four hour period and hence another full day's charges.

Following this advice should lead to a pleasant car hire experience; ensuring your liability is clearly defined and the rental company are fully aware of any defects with the car is fundamental. Other than that, just remember to take a map of the area to ensure you do not get lost.

Driving in South Africa - Top Tips

Information about driving in South africa and Cape Town Car Hire from Aroundabout Cars

Article Source: http://www.carhire3000.com/Worldwide/Africa/pages6.html

• Drive on the left!

• Road signs, distances and speedometers are in kilometers.

• Many of the national roads between the major cities are toll roads. Make sure that you have either a credit card or enough cash with you to pay.

• Many of the roads in rural areas are unfenced, so you could find dogs, chickens, sheep and even horses or cows on the road. Antelope crossing the road can also be a hazard in certain areas - watch out for the road signs and take it slowly, especially towards evening.

• Make sure you have sufficient petrol for your journey - distances between towns and petrol stations can be significant in some parts of the country.

• Most petrol stations have an attendant who will fill your car, check your oil and clean your windscreen - be prepared to tip a couple of rand.

• Remember to wear your seatbelt, driver or passenger.

• Children under 12 years should ride in the back of the car and be appropriately restrained. Don't forget to reserve your child seat at the same time you book your hire car.

• It is advisable to drive with your doors locked and windows closed.

• Do not pick up hitchhikers.

• Roads can be extremely busy during public holidays such as Freedom Day and Workers Day - it is advisable to allow extra time for your journey during these periods.

• It is illegal to hold a mobile phone whilst driving a vehicle.

• Do not drink and drive.

• When parking in a 2 way street, park in the same direction as the traffic flow.

• In safari areas, do not feed animals from your car.