3 guides, each rated 1 to 5 with the reason — and two lists per place, where you are comfortable and where to pay attention. Nowhere is called dangerous; the specific thing is what helps.
The rules exist because people die ignoring them: stay in the vehicle except at designated points, keep the windows up near elephants, never get out for a photograph, and be inside a camp by gate-closing time. Malaria is present in the summer months and prophylaxis is worth discussing. Crime inside the park is essentially nil; on the roads outside it, normal South African caution applies — do not leave valuables visible and avoid driving after dark.
Comfortable: Kruger National Park · Skukuza · Hazyview
Getting out of the vehicle anywhere in the park, which is how people are killed
Driving after the gates close, which carries a fine and a genuine risk
The route itself is one of the easier parts of South Africa and the towns along it are comfortable by day. The standard precautions are not optional: do not drive at night on the N2 outside towns, do not stop for anyone flagging you down, keep bags out of sight in the car, and use ATMs inside buildings. Hiking trails are safe; the Indian Ocean has strong rips and few lifeguards outside the main beaches.
Comfortable: Knysna · Plettenberg Bay · Wilderness · Mossel Bay · the Tsitsikamma park · the N2 by day
driving the N2 after dark — pedestrians on the verge, livestock, and no lighting
leaving anything visible in a parked car — smash-and-grab at viewpoints and trailheads is the commonest crime on this coast
beaches without a lifeguard — strong rips, and shark activity is monitored at the flagged beaches only
stopping for anyone flagging you down on a quiet road
Avoid walking alone at night outside tourist areas. Don’t leave valuables visible in cars. Uber everywhere after dark.
Comfortable: V&A Waterfront · Camps Bay · Sea Point Promenade · Constantia · City Bowl
Cape Town CBD — and Long Street on foot after dark — take a car, however short the distance
Lion’s Head — and the Table Mountain trails alone, where muggings are reported
Stopping at the roadside on the N2 from the airport
Displaying a phone at a traffic light with the window down
The ratings are this site's own, from the guides' authors and the corrections readers send in; they are not an index. Read the general advice in travel safety tips.
