Why you need mobile data for your South Africa road trip

If you're planning a road trip in South Africa, sorting out your rental car probably tops your to do list. Arranging your mobile data should be right up there with it, since being connected is the one thing you don't want to leave until you're already in the car driving to your first destination.

South Africa is a big country and a road trip here usually means covering long distances between towns and destinations.

Being connected with mobile data throughout that drive makes a real difference. It's good for navigation, looking up a nice spot for lunch along the way, checking out something worth seeing nearby, or simply having peace of mind should something happen.

This post may contain affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission on qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you. For further info, please see our Disclosure

Good to know before you go

South Africa actually has world class mobile coverage overall where the main routes are better covered than most people expect.

Did you know that all the N roads (the national highways) have almost 100% coverage? As a lot of your self-drive in South Africa will take you along at least one of the N-roads, you will generally be connected most of the way.

Where you're more likely to lose signal is on the smaller regional roads winding through farmland, deep in wildlife reserves like Kruger National Park, in remote areas like parts of the Kalahari or Great Karoo and on some mountain passes. It’s good to be aware that you can have the occasional quiet patch where the connection won't be so good, but this is only once you go far off the main roads.

You’ll still want mobile data, even with offline maps

Some people like to download their maps in advance at their hotel or accommodation the night before, just to be safe. That's not a bad idea, but it doesn't solve everything. If you need to reroute because of roadworks, a closed road or a wrong turn, or you want to quickly check a restaurant's opening hours or look something up along the way, you'll still need an active data connection for that.

Whatever app you use to navigate, whether that's Google Maps, Waze, Maps.me or Sygic, download the offline maps for the areas you're driving through before you set off. Do this the night before at your accommodation, not in the car the next morning when you suddenly realise you have no signal to download anything.

Having your maps saved offline covers the basics, but a South Africa eSIM for mobile data is still worth having for everything else. 

We always do this ourselves before a long driving day. Even with decent data coverage, having your route saved offline means one less thing to worry about if/when you do hit a dead zone.

Why having a Simunye Mobile eSIM active before arriving helps

Sure, you could get a local SIM card when you arrive in South Africa, that's always an option. But that usually means finding a telecom shop at the airport, waiting in line, registering your details, and waiting for it to activate, all after a long flight when you'd rather just get going.

With an eSIM, you sort all of that out at home before you even leave. It's installed and ready the moment you land, so you're not relying on patchy, unsecured airport wifi or hunting down a SIM card at arrivals. You just pick up your luggage, collect your rental car, and start enjoying South Africa. If you're driving straight out of Cape Town International or O.R. Tambo airport, that's one less stop to make.

In an emergency, you don’t even need an active SIM or calling minutes

Worth remembering; if you ever have a genuine emergency on the road, you can dial 112 from any phone as long as you're within range of any network at all, active SIM or not. Save the rental car company's emergency number too, and check with them beforehand what to do in case of a breakdown.

Also good to know; most companies, including hotels and car rental agencies in South Africa have moved over to WhatsApp for communication rather than phone calls. So you don't really need calling minutes anymore, as long as you have data, you can reach almost anyone you'd need to.

If you really do need to make a regular call you can probably just use your home operator, but check first what their roaming rates are for calls.

A few practical tips for staying connected on the road in South Africa

Here are some practical and useful tips for staying connected during your road trip in South Africa:

• Keep a car charger or power bank with you. Long driving days plus constant navigation use will drain your battery faster than you'd think and the last thing you want is 20% battery left when you still need your phone for maps or to make a call.
• Avoid using 5G as it uses quite a bit of extra battery power. Set your phone to stay on LTE only.
• Let someone know your rough route and timing for the day, especially if you are going somewhere remote for a few hours. Just send a quick message before you lose signal so someone knows where you are. This is not necessary but just do it if it makes you feel more relaxed.
• Should you lose signal for a while, don't panic, it happens to everyone on a proper South African road trip at some point. Just make sure you've got your offline maps ready and you know the next town where you'll likely pick up signal again.

Good to know before you go

Getting your eSIM sorted at home takes only a few minutes and means one less thing on your list once you're picking up the rental car and figuring out which side of the road to drive on, which is the LEFT.

Have a look at our South Africa eSIM plans and install one before you leave home allowing you to connect the moment you touch down.

Useful driving tips in South Africa

Before you head off, a few of the basics worth keeping in mind:

• South Africa drives on the left side of the road, with the driver's seat on the right side of the car.
• Avoid driving at night where possible, both for safety and because of poor visibility, potholes and animals on the road.
• Watch out for animals and people crossing at anytime of day or night, even on major highways.
• Speed limits are strictly enforced, so stick to them.
• Never pay a traffic fine directly to a police officer on the spot, always ask for an official fine and pay through the proper channels.
• Come to a full stop at stop streets, and remember the first come first served rule at four way stops.
• Fuel stations are always manned, you are not allowed to pump your own fuel.
• Keep an eye out for speed bumps, especially near towns and schools.
• Be patient at roadworks, the stop-go system can mean a wait of up to 20 minutes.

This is just the short version. For the full details on all of this and more, including toll roads, road conditions and everything else you need to know before you start driving, head over to our complete guide with 16 useful tips for driving in South Africa.