Laurelie

I can't seem to find this anywhere on the web. Can anyone living in or just returning from the Cape Town area tell me how much it will cost to buy a litre of gas for your car? Also as you can only pay cash at the gas stations do most have ATM's and are they safe to use or should you get cash at a more central ATM machine?
Thanks to all , these little tips help when trip planning

Gordon_R

I suspect you couldn't find this info on the web because you searched under the American word "gas". In South Africa (just as in the UK), it's called petrol! Currently prices at the pump (in South African cents (=1/100 of a Rand) are published on:- http://www.shell.co.za/vpower/pprice.htm. Note that some of these rates are state-controlled.

You are correct that petrol stations do not accept CCs. A few of the larger ons do have ATMs, but with fuel being relatively cheap in SA, we never found ourselves without enough cash to pay for petrol. Personally, I feel safer getting cash from ATMs in large shopping centres or inside banks (all of which have security guards in profusion) rather than standing outside at a petrol station.

Are you also aware of the refuelling etiquette in SA? When you pull into a petrol station, an attendant will wave you towards a particular pump. Wind down your window and tell him what value of fuel you want. He will then refuel the car for you and usually someone else will clean the windscreen for you. When it's done give the attendant the money in cash, plus a tip of a few Rand. You don't normally get out of the car at all unless you need to visit the toilets or the shop.

How far are you planning to drive - just round the Cape Town area, or further afield? If you are planning a longer drive into rural areas (eg the Karoo), another tip is to get into the habit of topping up the tank whenever the opportunity arises. This is good practive as petrol stations can be separated by long distances in some of these areas and you really don't want to run out of fuel.

Gritty

Gordon, thanks for the refuelling etiquette tips. That's a nice bit of information to know.

Laurelie

Thanks Gordon I had no idea about the etiquette at the pumps either. We plan on staying in Cape Town for 4 days without a car then picking up our rental to travel to Simonstown for 3 nights followed by a week tour of the Garden Route ending near Grahamstown for a 2 night stay at a Game Reserve and a 1 night stay near Addo before returning back to Cape Town airport. Should we be making sure the tank is topped up along the way? I was thinking this is a much travelled route( Our trip is the first part of Feb).
Also I looked at the link you sent and it is way to complicated for this Canadian girl! I just want to know about how many Rands a litre of gas costs!I hope someone can give me a simple answer!!

Gordon_R

LOL! It's R7.46/litre in Cape Town right now (whatever that is in CDN$ I've no idea sorry, but you can look this up).

There's no shortage of re-fuelling stations along the Garden Route. Between Plettenberg Bay and Port Elizabeth, the N2 passes through the fairly remote Tsitsikamma NP, where there's no fuel for maybe 60-70 miles or so. Addo is fabulous by the way, well worth the long drive from Cape Town.

Laurelie

Thanks Again Gordon. I just did the calculations and that works out to a little over $1 CAD which is about what it is here now. We plan on spending time around the Tsitsikamma NP as well so thanks for that tip. I have been planning this trip for a year now and can't wait!!!

rhkkmk

thanks for this info and for the tips