ISCE 2028 · Venue & Travel
Protea Hotel Stellenbosch Technopark
Stellenbosch, about 45 km from Cape Town. Where the meeting is, what to see nearby, and what you need to travel to South Africa.
Conference venue
Six conference venues with mountain views
Stellenbosch is about 45 km from Cape Town, surrounded by mountains and vineyards with magnificent views throughout the year. It is a modern, thriving town, and also the second oldest town in South Africa after Cape Town.
Protea Hotel Technopark in Stellenbosch offers excellent conference facilities, with six high-tech venues totalling over 11 000 square feet, and magnificent views.
Accommodation
Where to stay
Various accommodation options are available. Booking information will be published on the website soon.
Booking details to follow
Rates and how to book will be added to this page. Join the interest list to hear when registration and accommodation open. Interest list
Stellenbosch
Mountains, vineyards and history
Stellenbosch is surrounded by mountains and vineyards with magnificent views throughout the year. It is a modern, thriving town, yet also the second oldest town in South Africa after Cape Town and steeped in history. Tourism, wine and food play a leading role in its history and its future.
Visit Stellenbosch has practical, up-to-date information for visitors to Stellenbosch and the surrounding winelands of the Western Cape.
Around the Cape
Some popular sightseeing options are listed below, and there are many more. The organising committee will share details of travel and tour companies in due course.
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Table Mountain
One of the New Seven Wonders of Nature, featured on the Cape Town flag and the city's logo. Its highest point, Maclear's Beacon, is 1 086 m (3 563 feet) above sea level, named after the man who built a stone cairn there in 1865.
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Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden
On the eastern slopes of Table Mountain, with more than 7 000 plant species, many of them rare and threatened. Established in 1913, it was the first botanical garden devoted to a country's indigenous flora, and covers 36 hectares.
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Robben Island
An island in Table Bay, used as a prison between the 17th and 20th centuries, and also as a hospital and a military base. A lighthouse 18 m tall was built on Minto Hill, the island's highest point, in 1865.
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Cape Point
Known as the windiest place in South Africa, with some of the cleanest air. Cape Point has 1 080 plant species, one of the highest densities of plant species for an area of its size, and 14 species found nowhere else in the world.
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Aquila Private Game Reserve
Just under two hours from Cape Town in the Klein Karoo, with Big Five safaris on a 10 000 hectare, malaria-free reserve. Look out for lion, leopard, rhino, elephant and buffalo on guided game drives.
Visas and passports
Travelling to South Africa
- Check whether you need a visa to travel to South Africa with the Department of Home Affairs. A visa application can take about two months, so apply in good time.
- A special visa is not needed to attend a conference in South Africa, but the standard visa rules for your nationality apply.
- Your passport needs at least two blank pages next to each other, and must be valid for at least six months after the date you leave South Africa.
- You need a yellow fever certificate if your journey starts in, or passes through, the yellow fever belt of Africa or South America. Have the vaccination at least six weeks before you travel.
For more information, contact the South African embassy in your country.
South Africa's three visa categories
Check well in advance which one applies to you.
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Visa-exempt
You receive an entry stamp at the port of entry.
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e-Visa eligible
Apply online. You must have your visa confirmation before you leave.
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Traditional visa required
Submit physical documents to an embassy or visa processing centre, and have the visa in your passport before you leave.
Visa letters
Invitation letters
Email isce2028@carlamani.com with "Visa and your surname" in the subject line.
- 01 An invitation letter, if you need one, is issued on request after you have registered and paid.
- 02 Email isce2028@carlamani.com with "Visa and your surname" in the subject line. We will ask for the details we need and a copy of your passport.
- 03 Your name must be exactly as it appears in your passport. Any difference between your passport and your invitation letter or other documents can delay or prevent your visa.
- 04 ISCE and the organising committees cannot help with the visa process beyond the invitation letter. If an application is refused, the committee cannot change the embassy's decision or correspond with the embassy for the applicant. The registration fee cannot be refunded after the cancellation deadlines because a visa was refused.
- 05 A visa letter is not a commitment from the organising committee to provide any financial assistance.
Practical information
Winter in the Cape
Cool days, chilly nights and regular rain in July. Bring layers and a rain jacket.
- Time zone
- South African Standard Time (SAST), GMT/UTC+2.
- Weather
- July is mid-winter in the Cape, with cool days, chilly nights and regular winter rain. Days average about 16°C and nights about 7°C.
- Currency
- The South African Rand (ZAR). Visa and Mastercard are accepted almost everywhere, and everything is paid in rand. Use ATMs inside shopping malls rather than on the street, and change money at the airport if you need to.
- Language
- English is widely spoken.
- Safety
- Take the normal precautions: plan your route, do not walk alone after dark, and keep valuables out of sight. South Africans drive on the left, so look right before you cross the road.
- Power
- Electricity is 240 V, 50 Hz. Most world travel adapters do not fit South African plugs, so you will need a specific adapter.
- Power cuts
- Scheduled power cuts (load-shedding) of about two hours at a time have been part of life in South Africa. They affect cellphone reception, traffic lights and ATMs. The EskomSePush app shows the schedule.
- Gratuities
- Tips are usually 10%.
