All passport holders should verify visa entry requirements with their relevant consulate. Visas are the responsibility of the traveller.
International visitors require a passport valid for at least six months, together with onward travel documents.
Passports should have a minimum of 2–4 clean pages per country visited for visas and entry/exit stamps (some visas take up an entire page).
If you are extending your journey to other countries, please also establish entry requirements for those countries.
Please ensure you have all the necessary visas before departure (unless available on entry).
If you intend to drive a vehicle in Africa, please make sure you have a valid international driving license and vehicle ownership papers.
Keep electronic and physical copies of your documents and vital information, as well as a few passport photos, in your luggage. Leave a few with friends at home (passport, insurance docs, bank and credit card details, 24-hour emergency contact number, and contact details of relatives or friends).
Having some local cash on hand is recommended; however, do not carry large amounts of cash for safety reasons. Your main cash outlay will be for curios, tips and ad-hoc shopping.
Officials and vendors may not always be able to issue large amounts of change, so carry small denominations of cash where possible.
In South Africa, US Dollars are not legally accepted – local currencies only.
Banks and foreign exchange bureaus are available at all international airports and main towns, including Hoedspruit. However ATMs do not dispense USD notes, only local currency. Do not buy local currency from street dealers, as the risk of fraud is high.
Credit cards: VISA and Mastercard are the most widely accepted credit cards, with American Express and Diners only accepted at some locations (due to their high fees). Please note that credit card transactions, especially from more remote areas, could take up to a few months to reflect on your card statement.
We advise against using traveller’s cheques as they are not accepted by street vendors, restaurants and local shops.
Travel insurance is vital for travel anywhere in the world, and you should purchase it within 14 days of paying the deposit for your trip.
Make sure your insurance package covers cancellation or curtailment of the safari, emergency evacuation expenses, medical expenses such as hospitalisation, repatriation expenses, and damage/theft/loss of personal baggage, money and goods
A few things to remember about wild animals:
Wild animals can be dangerous and should be treated with respect and caution.
Our safari camp is big game fenced. However, dangerous animals like buffaloes, lions, hippos, and elephants on occasion can (and do) wander through the camp, particularly at night.
Listen to camp staff and guides. Safety precautions and advice must be taken seriously and strictly adhered to.
Don’t wander off on your own without a guide. Even walking to your room at night can be dangerous. Elephants and buffaloes are impossible to see after dark, even a few metres. Don’t leave your rooms at night.
Observe animals silently and with minimal disturbance to their natural activities. Loud talking and standing up on game drive vehicles can frighten animals away or elicit an aggressive reaction.
Never attempt to attract an animal’s attention. Don’t imitate animal sounds, clap your hands, pound the vehicle or throw objects. Please respect your driver-guide’s judgement about proximity to predators and large animals like elephants. A vehicle driven too close can hinder a hunt or cause animals to abandon a hard-earned meal. It can also trigger a charge.
Litter tossed on the ground, in addition to being unsightly, can choke or poison animals and birds.
Never attempt to feed or approach any wild animal on foot. Lodges and campsites suffer the consequences as these animals may become accustomed to humans – leading to danger for all involved.
Refrain from smoking on game drives. The dry African bushveld ignites very easily, and a fire can kill animals and destroy grazing areas.
Please consult your doctor for advice on malaria precautions before you travel to Africa. Your doctor may recommend malaria prophylaxis and other precautionary measures.
Malaria is a disease transmitted by the female Anopheles mosquito.
When travelling to risk areas, take all precautions possible. Wear long sleeves, trousers and socks and douse any exposed skin with a good mosquito repellent, especially before it gets dark (the anopheles mosquito is active at dawn and dusk). Always sleep under a mosquito net.
Should you experience any combination of headache, fever, nausea, flu-like aches or disorientation while or after entering a malaria area, get yourself tested immediately – malaria responds best to treatment when detected early.
Certain factors influence the risk of contracting malaria. For example, a low-lying equatorial swamp will be high-risk all year round, a dry montane plateau set at a subtropical latitude will probably carry low risk, and places falling between these extremes often show a marked seasonal pattern – medium to high risk in the wet summer months, low to no risk in the dry winter.
Malaria is a potentially fatal disease and preventative measures must always be taken when travelling to areas where malaria is present.
While there are trouble spots in Africa, the areas where you will spend time are probably as far away from those trouble spots as the Middle East is from London.
Africa is no different to the rest of the world. If you plan to spend time in a city, take precautions as you would in your home country.
Petty theft is common in cities, including Hoedspruit, but physical attacks on tourists are extremely rare.
Safety tips for cities:
Don’t wander around the streets after dark.
Leave expensive jewellery at home.
Don’t carry cameras and video cameras in full view.
Keep your money and passport in a money belt and out of sight.
Dress like a local, or at least casually.
Use your cell phone discreetly, and not while driving.
You will spend most of your African holiday in a relatively remote and wild area where crime of any sort is extremely rare, if not non-existent
A good antihistamine cream is recommended for your travels, in case you are bitten by any bugs while on safari (such as tsetse flies, pepper ticks, or spiders).
Check your body for ticks after every bush walk and at least once a day, even if you are not walking. If these bites cause discomfort or concern, approach your lodge manager/ host for advice
The African sun is powerful and harmful, and overexposure can cause sunburns and skin cancer. Always use sunblock and a hat – particularly if you are on foot, on horseback, or in an open vehicle
