Is South Africa Safe For Solo Female Travelers?
Me at the top of Table Mountain in March 2025 in Cape Town
I had always wanted to do this trip with a friend, since Africa was more out of my comfort zone despite having traveled Europe, the U.S., and Asia alone – and after a “friend” tried to scam me over $2000 claiming to have booked our South African escape to Cape Town and the Garden Route when she never really did… I decided to bite the bullet and book my trip to Cape Town and South Africa solo and hope that all of my homework, safety precautions, and careful planning would work out for the best.
Dining alone as a young, solo female traveler in Cape Town is perfectly safe!
Ultimately, this is the main take away is this – Cape Town and South Africa are safe travel destinations for solo female travelers, but they aren’t places I would recommend for someone going on a first time trip alone.
I’m going to break down why I think Cape Town and South Africa are safe for solo female travelers by sharing my own experience, tips, and general safety and travel advice for South Africa.
Why travel to South Africa if it’s not safe?
It’s true that South Africa comes with higher risk than other common solo destinations such as countries in Europe, Asia, and Oceania.
The country often suffers from load shedding, has high crime and murder statistics, and tourists have remained the culprits of many crimes – with a British tourist renting a car and being killed and a young German tourist who was hiking near Hout Bay and never seen again.
However, both of these incidents could be avoided with two main safety tips in Cape Town and South Africa
NEVER go hiking alone
DO NOT rent your own car unless you have instructions from a trusted driver in the area, as Google Maps and a GPS will often take you right through the townships
It’s important to note that as a tourist, as long as the right precautions are taken – you won’t be anywhere near the areas in Cape Town where something bad is likely to happen to you.
A deserted Bo-Kaap in Cape Town, South Africa; March 2025
Why is South Africa worth traveling to?
This all being said, there is still a lot to see and do in Cape Town and South Africa – making it an appealing travel destination and worth seeing for the following reasons:
Gorgeous Scenery – I didn’t expected the entire country to be as stunning as it was, but South Africa as a whole has a wide variety of wildlife, coastlines, beaches, and more – making it a photographer’s heaven.
Affordability – I’d say that meals in a restaurants about half the price that they are in countries like France, the U.K., and the U.S. – making it a cheaper travel destination to enjoy restaurants. Even touristic places such as the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town are extremely affordable!
Beaches & Hiking – South Africa, and Cape Town specifically, has something for everyone - but a city with both beaches and beautiful hikes such as the hikes up Table Mountain or Lion’s head in addition to stunning beaches like Camp’s Bay and Clifton offer the best of both worlds for outdoorsy travelers.
No Jet-Lag for European Travelers – Being half-European and living in France now, I can see the appeal of escaping to sunny Cape Town during Europe’s grey, white sky season – as an 11 hour flight isn’t that bad, and there’s only a one hour time change and NO time change during some parts of the year as South Africa doesn’t observe Daylight Savings Times (DST) they way most European countries do.
Wildlife Viewing – I only opted for a mini safari on the Garden Route while most of my tour opted to fly to Johannesburg and drive to Kruger National Park – but even on my mini private game reserve safari, I saw Giraffes, Elephants, Zebras, Rhinos, and more. In addition to this, I went to the Birds of Eden near Plettenberg Bay and saw gorgeous birds from around the world. Safe to say, South Africa has ample opportunities for those itching to see some special animals.
Wineries – Although I live in France, I’m not a big wine drinker – but I can say that the tastings and presentation I experienced in Stellenbosch and Paarl are on par and if not better than those I’ve experienced in France, and definitely more affordable.
View of Table Mountain from Signal Hill in Cape Town; March 2025
How can I stay safe while traveling in South Africa?
I would say all of the main rules apply when traveling South Africa: don’t flash your valuables, try to blend in, be aware of your surroundings, etc.
Is it safe to go out at night in Cape Town?
However, South Africa and Cape Town do come with extra necessary precautions – such as going out at night. Honestly, if you can help it – I would avoid going out at night at all while staying in Cape Town or South Africa.
I have never traveled somewhere where my hotel left a sign in the room near the safe to not walk outside during the evening. There is a reason why people will tell you to take an Uber, even if it’s two blocks away, back to your accommodation if it’s dark – it’s because it’s necessary.
I’m going to tell you a little story, not to scare you – but so you get the gist. The first night in Cape Town, we were staying on Bree Street in the Central Business District (CBD) – and we were walking home from dinner as a group around 9pm with our trusted, born-and-raised South African tour guide.
All of the sudden, a homeless man started coming towards our group with a hook – our tour guide was chatting back to him in Afrikaans, but the New Yorker in me didn’t like it and I bolted quickly to the hotel door.
However, during the day I felt relatively safe in Cape Town. I even walked the CBD during the day by myself the first day to go to the grocery store after landing, but again – I wouldn’t recommend it to someone who has never traveled by themselves.
At Maiden’s Cove in Cape Town; March 2025
Safety tips for traveling in South Africa & Cape Town
First off, you should take down all of these essential emergency numbers and have them saved on your phone or on a piece of paper in the event something happens:
Mobile 911: 112
Emergency: 10111
Medical & Fire: 021 535 1100
Ambulance: 10177
South African Police: 10111
Table Mountain Emergencies: 021 480 7700
Sea and Mountain Rescue: 021 948 9900
Transportation
The safest and best form of transportation in Cape Town really is Uber. It’s a fraction of the price it is in the U.S. and Europe, and is okay to use from the airport and at night.
Upon landing, I was still skeptical that Uber was safe in South Africa – so I booked a Welcome Pickups, which was also safe. However, by the end of the trip – I was confident to take Uber to Cape Town International Airport and everything went smoothly.
Be wary of people at the airport asking you for a taxi; they will try to charge you more than it actually costs and could be unsafe.
While Cape Town does have public transportation, I would say this isn’t the smartest or safest way of getting around the city – you’re better off with Uber or the Hop-On-Hop-Off bus.
Be careful if renting a car
As I explained before, the main threat in Cape Town and South Africa isn’t driving on the “wrong” side of the road - it’s not knowing where you’re going. One wrong turn when driving in South Africa could very well cost you your life.
Therefore, if you have your heart set on renting a car – please consult a local for driving advice and the safest directions possible and do not rely on your GPS to take you anywhere.
Taking in the view at Tsitsikamma National Park; March 2025
Additional general safety tips in south africa
Many of the main travel rules apply in South Africa as they would anywhere, but here’s a specific breakdown if you need it:
Make Use of Free WiFi – I won’t lie, South Africa had pretty terrible WiFi – even in hotels and especially when it was windy or raining in more remote areas like Hermanus or Mossel Bay. I found that the BEST WiFi was when we were sitting in restaurants, cafés, or coffee shops – so try your best to connect to the internet in these places whenever possible to check in with friends and family during the trip.
Tipping is Big in South Africa – I was surprised to learn this, but South Africa is big on tipping – whether it be in restaurants, with Uber drivers, or even just hotel staff. Therefore, I would say South Africa is a country where having local currency on hand is useful and even necessary at times.
Casual Clothes & Don’t Flash Valuables – This rule generally applies everywhere you travel, but in South Africa it’s especially important to rid yourself of expensive looking gadgets, jewelry, or clothes.
Leave Valuables at Your Hotel – In countries like Switzerland, Australia, and New Zealand – I’m not as worried about leaving my phone on the table or bringing something valuable in my backpack. Unfortunately, South Africa is not one of those places you can chance it – especially if traveling alone. I made use of the safe in every single hotel, and locked anything important in my suitcase when there wasn’t a safe. I also recommend buying Air Tags to track your valuables and to bring paper copies of important documents.
Drink Bottled Water – While our tour guide said you could drink water from the tap in the Western and even in the Eastern Cape – he said to not drink more than 6-7 glasses in the Western Cape and no more than 2-3 glasses in the Eastern Cape. This is because the tap water in South Africa contains added chemicals that international travelers may not be used to drinking. In fact – water in the Eastern Cape is brown in color from added minerals, and the tour guide told us if we were to drink it, he would recommend boiling it first. I like the err on the side of safety, and just drank bottled water the whole trip and avoided drinks with ice – even when sitting in a nice restaurant.
Wrap Luggage if Transiting through O.R. Tambo International Airport – At Cape Town’s International Airport, which is voted the best airport in Africa, I wouldn’t worry about luggage being stolen. However, there is a lot of concern when transiting through O.R. Tambo International Airport or the main international airport in Johannesburg. It only costs around 90 ZAR (around $5 USD) to wrap your luggage, and it could help you from losing anything important on your big South African adventure.
Check Your Vaccines – As this was my first trip to Africa as a whole, I was paranoid if I needed special vaccines such as Yellow Fever, Rabies, or Malaria pills to go to South Africa. After asking many native South Africans – they told me I only needed my basic childhood vaccines such as Hep A, Hep B, Measels, etc., and being American (where we need lots of vaccinations to go to school and even attend college) – I was good to go. I will say, there are lots of baboons surrounding Cape Town and could enter your hotels in areas along the Garden Route. If this happens, put your hands up and slowly back away – they are still wild animals. I was also paranoid of bats in the Cango Caves, but the tour guide told me there were only a few – and they never saw them during the day with the tours. I was perfectly fine traveling Cape Town and the Garden Route without any of the vaccines I mentioned. However, if you go to Kruger – you will probably be prescribed anti-malaria pills prior to your trip.
Don’t Share Your Safari Location on Social Media – I would’ve done this myself if our tour guides didn’t tell us otherwise. The reason for not sharing the exact private game reserve you went to is in order to keep rhinos safe, as rhino’s remain vulnerable to poaching – where thieves will enter the private reserve and kills rhino’s only for their horns. We have to protect and preserve the beautiful nature and wildlife present in South Africa, so keep those Safari locations a secret when online!
Table Mountain and I at Signal Hill; Cape Town in March 2025
Can I travel to South Africa alone?
Yes, you can travel to South Africa alone – as long as you are not a first time traveler and are ready to take the necessary safety precautions.
I, as a small and very young looking 26-year-old woman was able to get from my apartment in Paris to the hotel in Cape Town without anything bad happening to me. That being said, I really think the best way to see South Africa is on a guided tour – so you won’t have to drink or think too deeply about potentially missing anything.
Some of my favorite things I did in South Africa were:
Visit Boulder’s Beach Penguin Colony
Take the cable car to the top of Table Mountain
Eat at the V&A Waterfront
Tsitsikamma National Park
Birds of Eden
Have lunch at the Kynsna Waterfront
Want to see my trip to South Africa as a solo female traveler in action?
Check out my video below to here more on my thought on safety in South Africa and Cape Town!
Looking for more advice to plan your trip to South Africa? Click here to read more about what to do in Cape Town and to see on the Garden Route.