Phone calls
Hotels will have phones where you can make calls back home, however please be aware that the cost of these calls may be expensive and rates will vary between hotels. Therefore, always check the costs and procedure with hotel reception beforehand. Calling from a hotel is almost always the most expensive option. If the hotel does enforce a call charge, you will be unable to refute it after making your call.
Australia: to call Australia, the international access code is 00, followed by the country code 61, then the local area code (omitting the first 0), then the number.
New Zealand: to call New Zealand, the international access code is 00, followed by the country code 64, then the local area code (omitting the first 0), then the number.
Calling South Africa: South Africa’s country code is 27. To call from Australia/New Zealand, dial 0027 followed by number minus the first 0.
Mobile phones
Reception is generally excellent. If your cellphone is on a GSM system and you have a world-capable multiband phone, simply call your mobile phone operator and ask for international roaming to be activated on your account. Note, though, that per-minute charges can be very high -if you plan to use your phone a lot (and incoming calls are equally expensive), it's definitely worth purchasing a local SIM card, which costs between R1 and R20, depending on where and when you buy it, and purchasing pay-as-you-go airtime (available in bundled minutes that cost upward of R20). You will find retailers selling SIM cards and airtime throughout metropolitan areas; look for signs pasted on shop windows or inquire at small general dealer shops.
Remote Areas
You will rarely be able to access phone or internet facilities and mobile phones are not likely to have reception. We advise that you let friends and family at home know that you will be out of phone contact during these sections of your itinerary.
Internet and email
The majority of hotels will have Wi-Fi connections available. Please note that some hotels will only provide free Wi-Fi in the hotel lobby, and internet access in your hotel room may come at an additional cost. There are also Wi-Fi zones in coffee shops and public spaces, although Wi-Fi is not as widely available as in some other countries.
Postage
We recommend that you use the Post Offices, rather than your hotel to post items. From large cities or major towns, airmail letters and postcards take 10-14 working days to arrive and from smaller towns, they will take over a month. We advise you to use a courier service from Post Offices to send anything valuable or important.
Time Difference
South Africa is 8 hours behind Australian Eastern Standard Time.