Disabled travel in South Africa

Guide dogs are allowed to travel on local South African flights.

• South African Airways - In the cabin with their owner. Dog should not take up a seat and be harnessed. Free of charge.

O.R. Tambo International Airport have braille on elevator buttons only in the international terminal; domestic terminal and parkade elevators do not. There are no audio announcement when stopping at any floor. The moving walkway in the domestic terminal have audio announcement on reaching the end of the walkway, but not before entering it.

Some of the larger car rental companies can supply vehicles with paraplegic hand controls

• Avis, ☏ +27 11 923-3660. From Johannesburg, Durban, Cape Town and Pretoria. Booking must be made at least 72 hours in advance. No extra cost. 
• Budget, ☏ +27 11 398-0123, fax: +27 11 398-0124, reservations@budget.co.za. Requires prior arrangement via reservations. From Johannesburg, Durban, Cape Town. No extra cost. 

Both powered and non-powered wheelchairs can be rented

• Mr Wheelchair, Marine Parade, Durban, ☏ +27 31 368-7406, fax: +27 86 689-8973, info@mrwheelchair.co.za. 

South African banknotes are progressively larger in larger denominations.

New banknotes have raised diamond shapes in the middle of the bottom half of each note for tactile identification. A R10 note has one, a R20 note has two, a R50 rand note has three, a R100 note has four and a R200 note has 5. They also have large geometric shapes on the front for easy identification by people with partial sight. The R10 note has a diamond, the R20 a square, the R50 a circle, the R100 a hexagon and the R200 a honeycomb hexagon.

Be aware that a lot of older notes without these features are still in circulation

• Outeniqua Wheelchair Challenge, George Tourist Resort, ☏ +27 82 421-9359, info@georgeocc.co.za. Held annually in February in George, this event boasts a full marathon, half marathon, 10km and fun race. Come see the wheels roll or better still grab an entry form for next year's event. 

• Table Mountain, Tafelberg Road, Cape Town, ☏ +27 21 424-8181. The lower station provides disabled parking close to the lifts and have toilets for wheelchair users. The cable car can be boarded easily by wheelchair and guide dogs are welcome aboard. On top of the mountain there is about 2km of walkways that can easily be explored in a wheelchair (ask for a wheelchair map when buying your cable car tickets) and all but two of the viewpoints are accessible. The restaurant is wheelchair friendly and wheelchair toilet facilities are provided. The weather at the top of the mountain can be dramatically different from that at the lower cable station, when it is 32C in Cape Town it may only be 16C on top of the mountain. Take a jacket and something to cover your legs if you are in a wheelchair. 
• Restaurants. Most restaurants in and around Cape Town are wheelchair friendly and happy to accommodate wheelchair users. However, even restaurants who describe themselves as wheelchair friendly, do not necessarily have accessible toilets. Specifically check to ensure that toilets are accessible. One more thing, very few wheelchair friendly toilets in Cape Town have mirrors, and those that do, are often too high for a seated person to use. This includes Cape Town International Airport, so if you want to touch up your make-up, keep a compact mirror in your handbag. Examples of accessible restaurants are the Lookout Deck in Hout Bay. There is an accessible toilet, but the door is difficult to close with a wheelchair inside. The Dros Restaurant at Willowbridge has a spacious toilet for wheelchair patrons, but again, no mirror. Shopping Centres such as Tygervalley, are accessible, but without mirrors. The reasoning is a mystery.
• Live shows.The Artscape Theatre and the Baxter Theatre are completely accessible. At the Baxter Theatre, parking and wheelchair access is available at the back entrance. The Barnyard Theatre is also accessible, but book early because there is limited space for wheelchairs. Wheelchair users who want to attend a show at Cape Town stadium in Green Point, are advised to book early since space for wheelchair users and their companions is limited. If you experience problems when trying to book through booking agents - such as not being able to book with your walking companions - contact stadium management directly.
• Nature Reserves. The following nature reserves in and around Cape Town have wheelchair friendly trails and toilets: Helderberg Nature Reserve; Tygerberg Nature Reserve; Rondevlei Nature Reserve; Blaauwberg Nature Reserve has wheelchair friendly toilets, but not trails. Tokai forest and arboretum on the eastern slopes of Table Mountain is an accessible haven of tranquility. However, be warned, the trails are rather steep, so you need to be fit to access the trails in a wheelchair. Wiesenhof Wildpark near Stellenbosch is accessible to day visitors and has a wheelchair friendly chalet. Gamkaskloof have wheelchair friendly cottages.

• Durban beaches, ☏ +27 82 464-3842 (Ocean Braai), +27 84 823-9470 (uShaka). QuadPara provides beach wheelchairs with wide wheels that can easily be pushed over sand and even into the water. The wheelchairs can be found at the Ocean Braai restaurant on the North Beach and uShaka Surf & Adventures on the South Beach in Durban. No usage charge. 

• 🌍 Voortrekker Monument, Eeufees Road, Groenkloof (On Proclamation Hill, big cubic building, to the south west of the city, you can't miss it), ☏ +27 12 326-6770. There is ramp access to the entrance (use the pathways through the gardens) and the monument is fitted with two lifts. One to access the Museum on the lower level and another to access the outside viewpoints at the top. Access to the top of the dome requires the climbing of stairs. R32 per person. 

In August 2007 the Tourism Grading Council of South Africa introduced a Universal Accessibility Scheme with four levels each in Mobility, Hearing and Visual categories. Though not many establishments have yet been rated according to this scheme, there are a number that will be during 2008.