TOUCHING down at Johannesburg airport after a 12-hour flight from the UK is often an early-morning affair. Many flights to South Africa are overnight, which means that you arrive reasonably refreshed after a night’s rest, and the two-hour time difference means jet lag is not a factor.
Arriving: The airport is 20km (12½ miles) east of the city and hopping aboard one of the airport taxis will set you back R250 (£22 plus tip) to get to the city’s northern suburbs. Check first to establish whether your hotel offers a courtesy bus service. At the airport pick up a copy of the Time Out Johannesburg Guide for up-to-date info on what’s happening in the city. The editor says that the guide provides accurate, honest information to help you decide where and how to spend your free time.
Staying: Jozi, as it’s known locally, has something for everybody. If your tastes run to the plush you won’t go wrong at the Sandton Sun (corner of 5th and Alice Streets) in the centre of the city’s business and commercial district. Sir Richard Branson has been known to drop in. But at about £1,000 a night for a penthouse suite it’s not cheap. Rooms have just about every service you could wish for. For something smaller, try Ten Bompas (10 Bompas Road), a boutique-style hotel with ten rooms, individually themed. In a country where meat consumption is the norm, its excellent Sides restaurant has an impressive selection of vegetarian dishes.
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Eating: South African cuisine puts meat at the heart of most dishes. For a rude introduction make the trip out to Carnivore (011-950 6061) in Muldersdrift where, in addition to the usual roasts, you could try warthog, ostrich, crocodile or springbok. Closer to hand is the Butcher Shop and Grill in Nelson Mandela Square (011-784 8676), another venue for carnivores. George’s on 4th, in Parkhurst (011-447 7705), comes recommended by economist.com for healthy helpings of fusion cooking (tuna steaks and grilled squid in particular).
Business etiquette: Many South Africans have international experience and doing business here should not differ hugely from the way it’s done in the UK. Do not expect race to be an issue despite the country’s history.
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Language: South Africa has 11 official languages, but fortunately for travellers, English is widely spoken and the lingua franca of the business world.
Free time: Johannesburg has fine restaurants and a buzzing nightlife, not to mention about 20 theatres, a range of recreational facilities — including an authentic mine village at the Gold Reef City complex where you can take a trip down a mineshaft. Or take a tour of Soweto, the “City Within a City”, and visit Vilakazi Street, once home to two Nobel prize winners, Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
Transport: Public transport is poor by Western European standards and hiring a car is generally more practical, safer and not expensive. Expect to pay a small tip to a “minder” if you park on the street.
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Little gifts: South Africa offers lots of local delicacies — see the expats loading up on supplies of droë wors (dried sausage) and boerebeskuit (rusks) at the airport on the way out — not all of which suit the visiting palate. The local wine industry has enjoyed a major resurgence in the past 20 years and it’s worth bringing back as much as the import regulations will allow. Personal favourites include reds from the excellent Warwick Estate (www.warwickwine.co.za) and Plaisir de Merle’s sauvignon blanc (www.plaisirdemerle.co.za). Solly Kramer’s (011-646 3663) stocks a huge range while specialist outlets, such as The Wine Room in Bryanston (www.wineroom.co.za), feature smaller estates and will probably still be cheaper than buying your plonk at the airport.
ESSENTIALS