Countdown to Kickoff!
After endless controversy, countless predictions of failure and many of the usual hiccups and hurdles, the countdown to the FIFA World Cup 2010 Soccer Tournament is on. Welcome to the BootsnAll 2010 How To Get Around South Africa Page for those contemplating a trip to the tournament and a bit of travel afterwards
Host Cities
Nine South African cities will be hosting matches, with all the usual suspects, and a few smaller, regional centers thrown in to enliven the mix. South African cities enjoy great regional variations, from the dusty bushveld capital of Polokwane, the gateway to the lowveld and Kruger National Park, to the national capitals of Johannesburg and Cape Town. The best of South Africa is showcased in each of these, and here is a look at each one…
Johannesburg Cape Town Pretoria Durban Port Elizabeth Bloemfontein Polokwane Nelspruit Rustenburg
Venues
South Africa has pulled out all the stops to showcase Africa as a viable destination for such an important international event, and a series of world class venues have either been built from scratch or comprehensively upgraded to accommodate the influx of visitors and fans expected for tournament.
Soccer City Stadium – Johannesburg Ellis Park Stadium – Johanneburg Loftus Versfeld – Pretoria Green Point Stadium – Cape Town Moses Mabhida Stadium – Durban Freestate Stadium – Bloemfontein Mbombela Stadium – Nelspruit Peter Makoba Stadium – Polokwane Royal Bafokeng Stadium - Rustenburg
Airports
All the cities chosen to host matches for the FIFA World Cup 2010 are served by the world class ports of arrival that are to be expected in South Africa.
Oliver Tambo International Airport – Johannesburg/Pretoria Cape Town International Airport – Cape Town Bloemfontein Airport – Bloemfontein Durban International Airport/ King Shaka – Durban Port Elizabeth – Port Elizabeth Airport Nelspruit Airport – Nelspruit
Gauntrain: Gautrain is a state of the art inter city rail transport system touted to be readi for the first influx of visitors to the metropolitan region of Gauteng, comprising the cities of Durban and Pretoria.
General Transport Provisions
Johannesburg Pretoria Cape Town Bloemfontein Port Elizabeth Nelspruit Polokwane Rustenburg
Car Hire: A comprehensive system of car hire is available in South Africa, with all the main international car hire companies represented, and many other local companies offering excellent deals on all styles and standards of vehicle. Get you bid in early though, since the rush is bound to see the best deals snapped up.
Accommodation
Visitors from the west will recognise a lot of international brand name hotels in the all the main South African cities, as well as a huge variety of private hotels, local franchises, lodges, guest houses and B&Bs. Once again there is likely to be a tremendous last minute rush for hotel space as the kick off date draws near so early booking is the key.
Hotels close to World Cup Stadium Durban Hotels/Lodges Hostels/Backpackers Lodges
After party
Check Out the BootsnAll World Cup Celebration Africa Overland Trip
South Africa offers one of the most comprehensive travel destinations in Africa, with the best transport and communications infrastructure in Africa, and a wider selection of tour operations and diverse activities than just about anywhere in the developing world. Here are a selection of destinations and activities to help you celebrate or commiserate after the last ball has hit the back of the net.
Cape Town Durban Johannesburg Kalahari Region/Kgalagadi TransFrontier National Park Lowveld/Kruger National Park Maputaland/St Lucia Midlands/Drakensberg South Coast The Cape/Winelands The Wild Coast
Travel risks
South Africa has a terrible reputation for crime, but it also has superb law enforcement facilities and every effort will be put into providing for the safety of visitors entering the country in 2010. However the best law enforcement in the world cannot cover for all the variations of human idiocy, so the emphasis remains on the visitor to remember that South Africa is a high crime country, and sensible precautions and rational behavior will be the best protection against any unfortunate incidents, or worse.
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In my opinion South Africa will be the greatest host in the past 2-3 decades, I sure hope the Bafana Bafana boys will go higher than ever during this World Cup!
Looking forward to travelling to Cape Town and Johannesburg this year!
Good luck South Africa!