{"license":"CC BY 4.0 — attribution: IsMyTripSafe.com","source":"https://ismytripsafe.com/south-africa/cape-town","updatedAt":"2026-07-20T07:48:59.210Z","place":{"city":"Cape Town","country":"South Africa","countryCode":"ZA","lat":-33.92584,"lon":18.42322},"safety":{"score":49,"level":"CAUTION","answer":"Caution advised","saferThanPctOfCountries":54,"categories":[{"key":"advisories","label":"Advisories","score":62},{"key":"crime","label":"Crime","score":30},{"key":"health","label":"Health & Air","score":74},{"key":"stability","label":"Stability","score":57}]},"advisories":[{"source":"U.S. Department of State","level":2,"label":"Exercise Increased Caution","updated":"Tue, 27 May 2025","url":"https://travel.state.gov/content/tsg_aem/us/en/home/international-travel/travel-advisories/destination.zaf.html"},{"source":"UK Foreign Office (FCDO)","level":1,"label":"No advisory against travel","updated":"2026-07-08T15:36:29Z","url":"https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/south-africa"},{"source":"Government of Canada","level":2,"label":"Exercise a high degree of caution","updated":"2026-07-13T16:07:28.2534285-04:00","url":"https://travel.gc.ca/destinations/south-africa"}],"indicators":[{"key":"homicide","label":"Homicide rate","value":43.7202551331462,"display":"43.7 / 100k","year":"2022","score":10,"source":"World Bank Open Data"},{"key":"crime_major_constraint","label":"Crime seen as a major business constraint","value":40.4,"display":"40.4%","year":"2007","score":26,"source":"World Bank Enterprise Surveys"},{"key":"terrorism_deaths","label":"Terrorism deaths (latest year)","value":8,"display":"8","year":"2021","score":78,"source":"Global Terrorism Database"},{"key":"road_deaths","label":"Road traffic deaths","value":24.5,"display":"24.5 / 100k","year":"2021","score":35,"source":"WHO Global Health Observatory"},{"key":"stability","label":"Political stability & no terrorism","value":55.3527432,"display":"55/100","year":"2024","score":55,"source":"World Bank Governance Indicators"},{"key":"rule_of_law","label":"Rule of law","value":57.2693915,"display":"57/100","year":"2024","score":57,"source":"World Bank Governance Indicators"},{"key":"corruption","label":"Control of corruption","value":43.9726469,"display":"44/100","year":"2024","score":44,"source":"World Bank Governance Indicators"},{"key":"gov_effectiveness","label":"Government effectiveness","value":46.9478119,"display":"47/100","year":"2024","score":47,"source":"World Bank Governance Indicators"},{"key":"regulatory","label":"Regulatory quality","value":53.9146724,"display":"54/100","year":"2024","score":54,"source":"World Bank Governance Indicators"},{"key":"voice","label":"Voice & accountability","value":67.4781439,"display":"67/100","year":"2024","score":67,"source":"World Bank Governance Indicators"},{"key":"numbeo_crime_index","label":"Crime index (crowdsourced)","value":73.58,"display":"73.6 / 100 · city-level","year":null,"score":26,"source":"Numbeo Crime Index"},{"key":"numbeo_safety_index","label":"Safety index (crowdsourced)","value":26.42,"display":"26.4 / 100 · city-level","year":null,"score":26,"source":"Numbeo Crime Index"},{"key":"safe_walking_dark","label":"Feel safe walking alone after dark","value":37,"display":"37.0%","year":"2022","score":33,"source":"UN SDG Global Database"},{"key":"human_trafficking_victims","label":"Detected human-trafficking victims","value":0.03,"display":"0.03 / 100k","year":"2022","score":97,"source":"UN SDG Global Database"},{"key":"bribery_contact_rate","label":"Bribery during public-official contact","value":18,"display":"18.0%","year":"2019","score":62,"source":"UN SDG Global Database"},{"key":"air_quality","label":"Air quality","value":71,"display":"US AQI 71 · Moderate","year":null,"score":80,"source":"Open-Meteo Air Quality"},{"key":"health","label":"Travel health notices","value":null,"display":"3 global notices","year":null,"score":92,"source":"CDC Travelers' Health"},{"key":"hospitals","label":"Hospitals nearby","value":22.512779725,"display":"23 beds / 10k · country avg","year":"2010","score":65,"source":"WHO Global Health Observatory"},{"key":"weather","label":"Extreme weather","value":27,"display":"July: highs ~27°C · damaging winds","year":null,"score":70,"source":"Open-Meteo"},{"key":"natural_hazards","label":"Natural hazards","value":0,"display":"No active alerts · low seismicity","year":null,"score":100,"source":"GDACS / USGS"},{"key":"advisory","label":"Government travel advisory","value":2,"display":"Level 2 — Exercise Increased Caution · 2 govts","year":null,"score":70,"source":"US State Dept · Canada"}],"healthNotices":[{"level":"Alert","title":"Global Polio","url":"https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices/level2/global-polio"},{"level":"Watch","title":"Global Dengue","url":"https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices/level1/dengue-global"},{"level":"Watch","title":"Global Measles","url":"https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices/level1/measles-globe"}],"hazardAlerts":[],"fieldResearch":{"verdict":"Yes, with serious caveats — Cape Town's tourist core is well-patrolled and most visits are trouble-free, but violent crime is a real risk outside it and street smarts are non-negotiable.","summary":"South Africa's homicide rate (43.7 per 100k) is among the world's highest, but that violence is heavily concentrated in the Cape Flats townships, far from where visitors stay — tourist districts like Sea Point and Camps Bay recorded zero murders in the latest quarter, and Western Cape murders fell 8% year-on-year with aggravated robbery down 19%. Only 37% of residents feel safe walking alone after dark, which matches the practical rule for visitors: daytime in the tourist zones is fine, after dark you take an Uber door-to-door.","robberyRisk":{"level":"High","note":"Armed robbery and mugging are genuine risks — concentrated on quiet streets after dark, hiking trails (Lion's Head/Signal Hill/Table Mountain), and township areas rather than the patrolled tourist core."},"pickpocketRisk":{"level":"High","note":"Pickpocketing, bag- and chain-snatching are rife in crowds — Long Street, markets, transport hubs, and a 2026 wave of daylight chain-snatching on the Sea Point promenade."},"safeAreas":["V&A Waterfront","Camps Bay & Clifton","Green Point"],"avoidAreas":["Nyanga and the Cape Flats townships (gang and extortion violence; among SA's highest murder rates)","Khayelitsha unescorted (visit only on a guided tour)","Secondary roads around Cape Town International Airport (robbery risk — stay on the N2/M3 main routes)"],"scams":["Fake taxis and unofficial 'drivers' soliciting arrivals at the airport — the U.S. Embassy issued a specific warning in Feb 2026","ATM 'helpers' who offer assistance and skim or swap your card — never let anyone near your transaction","Self-appointed parking marshals and aggressive 'car guards' demanding fees","Bogus tour guides and overpriced unofficial township tours — book through your hotel or a registered operator"],"zones":[{"name":"V&A Waterfront","level":"safe","note":"Heavily secured, camera-covered precinct — the safest place in the city day and night."},{"name":"Camps Bay","level":"safe","note":"Affluent, patrolled beachfront strip with very low violent crime; normal car-break-in precautions apply."},{"name":"Green Point","level":"safe","note":"Well-lit, walkable stadium-and-promenade district popular with visitors, with active neighbourhood patrols."},{"name":"Sea Point","level":"caution","note":"Pleasant and patrolled by day, but a 2026 chain-snatching wave on the promenade and a 36% jump in theft from cars mean staying alert, especially after dark."},{"name":"City Bowl (CBD)","level":"caution","note":"Fine in daylight with CCTV and patrols on the main streets, but deserted blocks after dark bring real mugging risk — Uber between venues at night."},{"name":"Bo-Kaap","level":"caution","note":"A must-see by day; go in daylight, keep cameras discreet, and don't wander its quiet upper streets after dark."},{"name":"Observatory","level":"caution","note":"Bohemian student quarter with good nightlife but frequent after-dark muggings — door-to-door transport at night."},{"name":"Nyanga","level":"avoid","note":"One of South Africa's highest-murder-rate areas, currently hit by extortion violence and taxi-industry conflict — no reason for a visitor to be here."},{"name":"Khayelitsha","level":"avoid","note":"Large township with severe gang violence; visit only on an organised guided tour, never independently."}]}}