Staying Connected

Telephones

To call southern Africa from another country: Dial the international access code (United States or Canada 011, United Kingdom or New Zealand 00, Australia 0011) plus the country code (the country code for South Africa is 27; for Zimbabwe, it is 263; for Botswana, it is 267), plus the local region code (minus the 0) and the number.

To make an international call from South Africa: Dial 00, then the country code (U.S. or Canada 1, U.K. 44, Australia 61, New Zealand 64), the area code, and the local number.

To charge international calls from South Africa: Dial AT&T Direct (tel. 0-800-99-0123), Sprint (tel. 0800-99-0001), or MCI (tel. 0800-99-0011).

At press time, AT&T Direct, Sprint, and MCI did not have international toll-free access numbers from Zimbabwe or Botswana.

To make a local call: If you have a number with the country code, you will need to drop the country code and add a zero (0) to the city code (except in Botswana, which has no city codes). In South Africa you now have to dial the city or region code, for example 012, before every Cape Town number. Note also that if you are using a mobile phone, you always need to enter the network code before the telephone number; codes 082, 083, 084, 072, 073, and 074 are mobile or cell numbers, and these codes must also not be dropped.

Looking for a number: In South Africa: Call directory assistance at tel. 1023 for numbers in South Africa, and tel. 0903 for international numbers. To track down a service, call tel. 10118. Be patient, speak slowly, and check spellings with your operator.

Pay phones require a minimum of 80¢ for a local call; because hotels often charge a massive markup, it's worth purchasing a telephone card (used in specific pay phones) for international calls -- these card pay phones are also often the only ones working. Cards are available from post offices and most newsagents, and come in units of R20 ($3), R50 ($7.45), R100 ($15), and R200 ($30).

Cellphones

The three letters that define much of the world's wireless capabilities are GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications), a big, seamless network that makes for easy cross-border cellphone use throughout Europe and dozens of other countries worldwide. In the U.S., T-Mobile and AT&T use this quasi-universal system; in Canada, Microcell and some Rogers customers are GSM, and all Europeans and most Australians use GSM. GSM phones function with a removable plastic SIM card, encoded with your phone number and account information. If your cellphone is on a GSM system, and you have a world-capable multiband phone such as many Sony Ericsson, Motorola, or Samsung models, you can make and receive calls across civilized areas around much of the globe. Just call your wireless operator and ask for "international roaming" to be activated on your account. Unfortunately, per-minute charges can be high -- usually $1 to $1.50 in western Europe and up to $5 in places like Russia and Indonesia.

For many, renting a phone is a good idea; you can do this at a Vodafone outlet at any of the international airports in South Africa. Vodacom has 24-hour desks at all major international airports offering mobile phones for rent -- a recommended option if you haven't prebooked your entire holiday. Alternatively, bring your own phone with you; check that the handset is GSM and will be compatible with the S.A. frequency (900/1,800). You can use your U.S. SIM card in South Africa to receive calls from home, but making local calls will cost a lot; it's best to purchase a local SIM card and a pay-as-you-go airtime card.

You can also rent the phone before you leave home. North Americans can rent one before leaving home from InTouch USA (tel. 800/872-7626; www.intouchglobal.com) or RoadPost (tel. 888/290-1606 or 905/272-5665; www.roadpost.com). InTouch will also, for free, advise you on whether your existing phone will work overseas; simply call tel. 703/222-7161 between 9am and 4pm EST, or go to http://intouchglobal.com/travel.htm.

Buying a phone can be economically attractive, as many nations have cheap prepaid phone systems. Once you arrive at your destination, stop by a local cellphone shop and get the cheapest package; you'll probably pay less than $100 for a phone and less than $10 for a starter calling card. Local calls may be as low as 10¢ per minute, and in many countries incoming calls are free.

Internet/E-mail

Without Your Own Computer -- There are plenty of cybercafes throughout South Africa's urban areas -- in fact, anywhere you find travelers. To find well-established locations near you, ask the nearest information bureau (many of whom offer Internet access) or check www.cybercaptive.com and www.cybercafe.com.

Most major airports have Internet kiosks that provide basic Web access for a per-minute fee that's usually higher than cybercafe prices.

With Your Own Computer -- More and more hotels, resorts, airports, cafes, and retailers are going Wi-Fi (wireless fidelity), becoming "hotspots" that offer free high-speed Wi-Fi access or charge a small fee for usage. Most laptops sold today have built-in wireless capability. To find public Wi-Fi hotspots at your destination, go to www.jiwire.com; its Hotspot Finder holds the world's largest directory of public wireless hotspots.

For dial-up access, most business-class hotels throughout the world offer dataports for laptop modems, and a few thousand hotels in Europe now offer free high-speed Internet access.

Wherever you go, bring a connection kit of the right power and phone adapters, a spare phone cord, and a spare Ethernet network cable -- or find out whether your hotel supplies them to guests.