FCDO updates safety advice for travellers to South Africa
The warning follows recent attacks on tourists in the Cape Town area
The UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) has updated its travel advice for British travellers to South Africa, in light of a spate of recent attacks on hikers and tourists.
In a section on outdoor activities, the new advice says: “There have been a number of recent violent attacks and muggings on hikers and foreign tourists in Table Mountain National Park, including on Lion’s Head and Signal Hill.”
It warns travellers to ‘take care in quieter isolated areas of the park, especially during early mornings and evenings’, to ‘stick to busy marked trails on popular days such as weekends’, and advises against hiking alone. Instead, the FCDO suggests using local social media groups to arrange group hikes, and recommends a free safety tracking service.
In addition, the FCDO has updated its advice on travelling to and from airports. “In Cape Town people have been affected by attacks and violent crime on secondary roads near the airport,” it says. British travellers are advised to stick to the M3 and N2 where possible when travelling to and from Cape Town International Airport.
The FCDO also recently issued new advice for travellers to Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon.