The 2010 Fifa World Cup in South Africa is steadily approaching with tickets on sale and the local organising committee responsible for arranging the event confirming that South Africa is ahead of schedule in its preparations. Travellers to South Africa for this momentous festival of football are making final arrangements as more event details become available. With all the activity it’s important, especially for independent travellers, to be organised and plan ahead. Accommodation, match tickets and rental cars are being snatched up by the minute. Fortunately there are excellent online services for making bookings and securing the things you’ll need for your trip to South Africa in 2010.

The World Cup kicks off in June 2010 with 64 matches being played in ten stadiums hosted by nine cities across South Africa. There will also be fan zones – specially demarcated areas with large screen televisions and other facilities – spread throughout the country where games can be viewed in a festive environment. The whole of South Africa will be transformed into a haven for football fans.

Public transport is being beefed up in the country to smoothly get travellers from airports to accommodation, to zones and stadiums, and the after-parties that will ensue at South Africa’s fantastic variety of night-spots. But a rental car is still the best way to guarantee transportation, and also offers travellers the flexibility they need to see the sites when not enjoying the football.

The rental way

The World Cup in 2010 will be a showcase of what South Africa has to offer tourists, with stadiums scattered throughout the country’s nine provinces.

South Africa is a large country spanning 1.2 million square kilometres – almost five times the size of the entire United Kingdom, stretching from the tropical KwaZulu Natal province on the east coast with the modern Durban stadium, to the world-famous and beautiful Cape Town on the south-western tip of the country with its Green Point Stadium.

This massive, beautiful country offers savannah lands, deserts, lush forests, sprawling wine lands, large cities, rolling mountains – and everything in-between. Flying is fast, but getting around for the 2010 World Cup is a perfect opportunity to road trip around South Africa in a rental car and make the most of your trip to see the country.

South Africa’s road network is extensive and covers most of the country. In fact, it is one of the most elaborate road networks in the world. One can drive from East to West or North to South in South Africa on tarred roads, making driving the perfect way to see the country.

Many rental companies operate in South Africa with a variety of cars available from small hatchbacks to large trucks, luxury sports cars and off-road vehicles perfect for the bush. Whatever kind of holiday you design as an independent traveller, and no matter what kind of terrain it will take you through, rental cars are available for couples, families or even large tour groups.

Sorting through the variety of options from one company to the next is confusing, and visitors are therefore encouraged to make use of a service such as Cape Spirit™ that brings the best of South Africa’s rental options together in one place. Prices and availability are compared and travellers are ensured of the best deal without the time-consuming process of manually visiting website for each of the many rental companies in operation - just tell Cape Spirit™ what you need, and it will find the best prices and allow you to make all your bookings with a few clicks.

Cape Spirit™ currently offers fantastic special offers and it is possible to rent a car in South Africa from only R256 per day with unlimited usage in terms of kilometres. Perfect for maximizing your visit and seeing the sites.

There is a limited supply of rental cars available for 2010, however, and it is therefore vital that travellers book well in advance to avoid disappointment.

So whether you need an economical and affordable Opel Corsa hatchback, or flexible and roomy 8-seater Vito, booking in advance will make sure that you get the vehicle you need.

Road trips in South Africa are likely to take you across a variety of terrains, especially if you plan on visiting the Kruger National Park or any of the country’s other nature reserves. A good vehicle for this kind of trip could be the Nissan X-Trail with large amounts of packing and seating space in a semi-offroad vehicle that can be rented over the World Cup for as little as R1563 a day, with no excess and unlimited kilometres.

If your visit to South Africa will keep you mostly on the road, however, then you could rent an above-average saloon for about R365 per day.

Get organised

Since accommodation and travel will be dependant on World Cup arrangements, the first step in planning your 2010 South Africa trip, aside from possibly reserving flights, should be booking tickets for games.

Fifa has made individual match tickets available for all 64 matches of the 2010 World Cup. A maximum of four tickets per person, per match, are allowed, for up to seven matches. They can be booked from the Fifa website at www.fifa.com - however, be aware that category four tickets are available only to residents of the Republic of South Africa.

Tickets will be dealt out using an application system via a form available from the Fifa website. Fifa will then allocate tickets to applicants once the deadline for applications is reached. This will not be on a first-come-first-served basis, however, but rather via a draw. And it doesn’t matter when you apply either – all applicants have an equal chance of receiving tickets for a game, so long as their applications are completed before the deadline expires.

At time of writing tickets are only available to residents of South Africa, but will soon go on sale for the rest of the world – and demand is expected to be high given the tourism prospects for South Africa that extend beyond just the World Cup event.

With tickets in hand one can plan trips around specific games. The stadiums that will be utilised for the World Cup are spread throughout South Africa, and each area has its own list of unique attractions.

Cape Spirit™ can assist independent travellers with booking for all of their travel needs, barring World Cup match tickets. Everything can be booked online from one, central and convenient website.

See the sites

The Greenpoint Stadium is situated in the beautiful Western Cape province, home of Cape Town – the city voted by Telegraph readers in the UK as being the best travel destination on Earth. Cape Town is famous for Table Mountain, the dramatic Cape Point – the southern most tip of civilisation, beautiful national parks and pristine beaches. Cape Town has been described as a traveller’s heaven with bustling nightlife, modern city aspects, mountains, beaches and a plethora of activities for tourists.

Within driving range of Cape Town one could also explore the Cape wine-lands of Stellenbosch, or drive the Garden Route that will take you through breath-taking coastal scenery stretching from Mossel Bay to the Storms River mouth.

The beautiful Northern and Eastern cape provinces are also within half a day’s drive of Cape Town with their own unique attractions.

It is in the Eastern Cape that we find the brand new Port Elizabeth Stadium, perched on the bank of the North End Lake in the serene Nelson Mandela Bay at the end of the Garden Route.

Port Elizabeth is popular for its swimming beaches and historical attractions across the Donkin Heritage Trail. From PE one can easily drive to Plettenberg Bay or Knysna – a nature lover’s paradise – and enjoy the lush forests, adventure activities and glorious beaches that these destinations offer.

In central South Africa Bloemfontein plays host to the Free State Stadium in the heart of the “city of roses”. Bloemfontein is a feast for history buffs as the traditional judicial capital of South Africa.

About three hours away by road from Bloemfontein is South Africa’s busy Gauteng province, housing capital city Pretoria and the economic capital of Africa, Johannesburg.

Soccer City, Ellis Park and Loftus Versfeld are the three stadiums to be found in Gauteng and this area offers a large variety of activities for travellers. Historical and cultural centres, museums, theatres, hundreds of nightspots and dining experience dot the metropolis and travellers can combine the experience of large, sophisticated African cities with their rich and beautiful surroundings.

Less than an hour from the centre of Johannesburg is the Cradle of Human Kind – a world heritage site where the oldest human remains have been found. Explore caves, mountains and museums in the greater Magaliesburg area, or visit the Lion Park where one can meet Africa’s predators just outside of the city limits.

While in Johannesburg a trip to Soweto is recommended and tours are available that will take one through the township, visiting famous centres of the anti-Apartheid struggle and shebeens where travellers can enjoy a drink in true South African style. And then it’s off to Pretoria with the Herbert Baker-designed Union Buildings and other monuments. Pretoria is also famous for its many Jacaranda trees that bloom in spring, carpeting the city in purple flowers, and friendly residents.

To the North of Gauteng is Rustenburg with its Royal Bafokeng Stadium in the heart of South Africa’s famous mining territory, and a short drive away from Sun City – the casino resort where travellers can experience lavish hotels, plenty of entertainment activities and the Valley of the Waves theme park. Golfers will find a paradise in Sun City with its Gary Player-designed golf courses. There are no shortage of golf courses in South Africa, with courses in the bush, on the coast and in the mountains.

Further north of Sun City is the Peter Mokaba stadium in Polokwane, capital of the beautiful Limpopo province with its unique Waterberg biosphere where travellers will find the ultimate nature-lovers paradise.

To the East of Gauteng is South Africa’s Mpumalanga province with the Nelspruit Mbombela stadium. Mpumalanga is famous for its dense forests and mountain streams where fly-fishing is the order of the day.

Mpumalanga is also home to the world famous Kruger National Park – the largest game reserve in South Africa, covering almost 19000 square kilometres (about 7400 square miles) where travellers can view Africa’s ‘Big 5’ animals; the elephant, buffalo, rhino, lion and leopard are among thousands of species that inhabit the park.

And then there is the Durban stadium in the heart of South Africa’s KwaZulu Natal province with its warm climate, tropical beaches and some of the most abundant and diverse marine wildlife on earth. Natal is the perfect place for a beach-holiday and also offers an inland paradise along the Drakensburg mountain range. This is the Kingdom of the Zulu and the secrets of this proud African tribe are waiting to be discovered on the east coast of South Africa.

These are just some of the many sites in close proximity to the ten stadiums that will host the 2010 World Cup matches in South Africa. The country truly is a travellers paradise and best experienced by road, allowing independent travellers to venture off the beaten track, engage with South Africa’s diverse cultures and pick up everything from African art to South African wine.

As things heat up for the big event in 2010 South Africa is preparing to benchmark its abilities with the 2009 Fifa Confederations Cup. Local companies and international sponsors have also started initiating their 2010 campaigns and this will lead to a frenzy of activity in the run-up to the World Cup.

The early bird gets the worm and planning ahead will ensure that visitors to South Africa in 2010 have everything they need, including that vital rental car. Cape Spirit™ is standing by to assist travellers in preparing for the trip of a lifetime.

2010 Car Rentals are now open! Transport was the biggest problem at the 2009 Confederation Cup, so please reserve your 2010 car ASAP to avoid disappointment and have your own transport. If you know anyone who will be visiting South Africa over the Football World Cup Period in 2010 please advise them to book as soon as possible, as cars will soon be fully booked.

Also view our great 2010 car hire offers through Europcar here!

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