Car hire in Durban without a credit card

Why hire a car in Durban?

From Durban you can drive to two World Heritage Sites: the iSimangaliso Wetland Park on the coast to the north and the Maloti-Drakensberg Park in the mountains to the west. In between lie the Valley of a Thousand Hills, the Midlands and Hluhluwe-iMfolozi, one of the parks with the Big Five. A car lets you go from beach to mountains to game reserve in a single trip.

King Shaka International Airport is at La Mercy, about 35 kilometres north of the city centre, with uMhlanga between the two. You can also collect your car in uMhlanga, Pinetown or the city. For more destinations, see car hire in South Africa.

Exploring Durban and KwaZulu-Natal by car

Along the coast

uMhlanga, about 20 kilometres south of the airport, is known for its lighthouse on the beach, built in 1954. Further north, the iSimangaliso Wetland Park covers coral reefs, wide sandy beaches, forested dunes and Lake St Lucia. The town of St Lucia is about 205 kilometres from the airport and Cape Vidal about 240; bring a mask and snorkel. On the south coast, Oribi Gorge Nature Reserve lies about 25 kilometres inland from Port Shepstone, with trails you can walk without a guide.

Inland: the valley, the Midlands and the Drakensberg

The Valley of a Thousand Hills lies between Durban and Pietermaritzburg, with Zulu homesteads, craft markets and cultural villages. The tourism office is on Old Main Road in Botha's Hill, about 60 kilometres from the airport. Howick is about 130 kilometres away.

The Maloti-Drakensberg Park has been a World Heritage Site since 2000 and holds about 690 rock art sites. Its best-known view is the Amphitheatre in the Royal Natal National Park, a rock wall more than five kilometres long. Bergville, the nearest town with plenty of places to stay, is about 260 kilometres from the airport.

Game drives in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi

Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park covers 96,000 hectares and has the Big Five. Its Memorial Gate is about 225 kilometres from King Shaka. The gates open at 05:00 or 06:00 and close at 18:00 or 19:00, depending on the season, and the times are strictly enforced. The conservation levy is paid at the gate.

Driving in Durban

South Africa drives on the left. Your own licence is valid if it is in English and has your photo and signature; otherwise bring an International Driving Permit. The N2 along the north and south coast and the N3 inland have toll plazas. On the N3 you can pay in cash, and the operator lists contactless cards issued by South African banks; magnetic-stripe cards are no longer accepted. Keep some rand in cash.

Best time to hire a car in Durban

Durban is warm all year. Average highs range from about 23°C in July to 28°C in February, and even in winter the nights average 10 to 12°C. Summer is the wet season: January brings about 134 millimetres of rain over 15 days, while June and July have only four or five wet days. Winter is therefore the driest time in Durban.

In June or July the sardine run moves along the KwaZulu-Natal coast, mainly off the south coast, and it coincides with the winter school holidays. While it lasts, the KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board removes its shark nets and swimming is at your own risk. Inland, winter can bring snow to the Drakensberg: snowfall can close the Sani Pass, and the province watches the N3 over Van Reenen's Pass so it can close the road quickly when needed.

The longest South African school holiday runs from mid-December to mid-January, with shorter breaks around Easter, from late June to mid-July and in late September. On the N3, traffic is busy around the start and end of the school holidays and at Easter.