American Express -- Located in "The Vibe" East Coast Radio House, Umhlanga Rocks Drive (tel. 031/566-8650; Mon-Fri 8am-5pm, Sat 8:30-11am).
Area Code -- Durban's area code is 031.
Emergencies -- For an ambulance, call tel. 10177 and ask to be taken to the casualty unit at Entabeni Private Hospital (tel. 031/204-1300). Staff will also treat nonemergencies. Police: tel. 031/325-4111; Flying Squad: tel. 10111; SAP Tourist Protection Unit: tel. 031/368-4453; Fire brigade: tel. 031/361-0000; NSRI (sea rescue): tel. 031/361-8567; Rape Crisis: tel. 031/312-2323.
Pharmacy -- Late-night chemists include Medicine Chest (tel. 031/305-6151), 155 Berea Rd., and Day-Night Pharmacy (tel. 031/368-3666), 9A Nedbank Circle, corner of Point and West (the latter has free delivery).
Safety -- Malaria has not been reported in Durban for more than 50 years. If you plan to travel into northern Zululand, a course of antimalarial drugs is necessary, however. Like any large city where a large percentage of the population is poor, Durban is troubled by street crime. The display of wealth is unwise anywhere in the city or beachfront, and visitors are advised to do their explorations of these areas during the day.
Weather -- For a weather report, call tel. 082/231-1603.
Durban Travel Experiences
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The case of the missing twentysomethings
Quick note: the map below has the wrong coordinates for Durban. It's actually on the southeast coast of South Africa, and Cape Town is o... Continue reading »
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The Drakensberg
I took off from Wyn and David's in my new Volkswagen Chico for the Drakensberg Mountains (known by the locals as "The Berg"). Altho... Continue reading »
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Dropping by Durban
Derek found us wandering with our bags back to the town centre and we piled in his car. He was a very interesting guy and it was lovely t... Continue reading »
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Springbok beach weekend (part 1)
After hitting the dizzy heights of seeing so many sightings of rhino on the way out of Kruger, within half an hour we came down to earth... Continue reading »
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Simply the best...
(Ronnie's lists) Happy New Year! Durban is a fantastic city even with rain for the first 2 days. I have compiled my lists... Continue reading »
