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Travel Tips |
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PRE-DEPARTURE
INFORMATION Through our experience in leading tours, we have come to realize how important it is to ensure that one prepares oneself well in advance of your departure. Some useful and essential information to consider during the planning stages and prior to departure on your trip to South Africa is noted to aid in your preparation. It might not all be applicable to you and or your specific trip, however it would be advisable for you to use this as a guideline. Just as much as you would need a valid passport with an expiry date more than six months after your departure date, it is important to consider the following: Insurance - We strongly recommended that you purchase insurance to cover baggage loss, accident and trip cancellation and medical as well as medical evacuation insurance. For the most part, trip cancellation insurance will reimburse you for non-refundable air and land expenses should you have to cancel due to family illness, as well as cover any emergency evacuation expenses should you become ill during a trip. You can usually purchase coverage from your tour agent, or directly from travel insurance companies. Passport - A valid is required for your trip so be sure to check the expiration date. It is a good idea to carry a photocopy of the photo page and the entry stamp page of your passport as an additional piece of identification. Clothing on Safaris - On safari most people wear safari trousers or shorts and a T-shirt or short sleeve shirt during the day, changing in the evening to a long-sleeved shirt and perhaps a change of trousers for warmth as well as protection from mosquitoes. If you are particularly sensitive to the sun, a hat, trousers and a loose cotton shirt is essential during the day. Please do not forget the sunscreen! Some useful items might be included, but remember that South Africa is certainly a first world country. You do not need a Swiss knife or Army survival kit!! Equipment Suggestions: Good-quality sunglasses plus protective case Pocket knife (must be in checked luggage on all flights) Flashlight with spare batteries, head lamps leave your hands free to hold on Repair kit: needle and thread, nylon cord, duct tape Personal first-aid kit (headache, anti allergy, etc) Additional Items: Camera and film, memory sticks or downloading facilities Binoculars, optional as most guides and rangers have some available. Money belt, just incase you feel the need, although there are usually safes available. Additional equipment for July: Extra sweater Wool gloves and a woolen hat (only if you get cold easily) Down vest or jacket (only if you get cold easily) PERSONAL FIRST AID: Strongly recommend a small kit for personal use. Your own experience and preferences will influence your choices. If you take prescription medicines, bring a supply for your entire trip, as these are often not available on safari. (It is also advisable to bring a copy of the prescription incase you need to replace scheduled drugs.) Strongly recommended: - Aspirin or Tylenol for mild pain or headache - Imodium for diarrhea - Topical antibiotic, for cuts bites or sores - Insect repellent. - Sunscreen or sun block. The African Sun can be very strong. A factor 15 or higher screen will be needed for the first few days - especially if you have a light complexion. - Hat, bandanna and sunglasses. - Lip balm Packing your Bag - For your own advantage please travel as light as possible. Depending on which flights you are going to use to safari camps, it might be advisable to have the possibility to switch to a lighter bag during the safaris. 15kg is often the maximum limit on the light aircraft charters. There will be opportunities to do laundry along the way and it is always easier in airports and in camps to move a lighter bag. The following list can be used as a guideline: Luggage - A soft sided duffle bag that is strong and durable, preferably of nylon, with full-length zipper and handles is advisable for safaris. Due to the limited space on the safari vehicles, all your clothing and gear must fit in this bag: no exceptions are allowed. however if you are traveling on Rovos Rail or the Blue Train you will need some more formal clothing which will require a more solid suitcase. We recommend a maximum size duffle bag of 90cm X 45cm (36" x 18") but preferably smaller. A small padlock for locking suitcases or duffle bag, a small soft-sided daypack/rucksack for camera gear, water bottle and personal items needed during the day. Some packs have waterproof side pouches, which are great for storing water bottles. IT IS ESSENTIAL ON YOUR AFRICAN SAFARI TO BRING ALONG: Valid passport (with at least 2 blank pages) and visas if necessary One other picture ID (i.e. driver's license) Photocopy of passport page to carry in wallet All air tickets Expense money, credit and/or ATM cards Certificate showing inoculations Passports and Visas – No visa is required for South Africa, Botswana or Namibia. A visa is required for Zambia on a US passport (it can be obtained on arrival) Your passport should be valid for at least 12 months from date of arrival in Africa It is essential to have 2 x 100% blank pages in your passport (opposite each other) when arriving in South Africa. This is a requirement of the South African Immigration services. NOTE: Your passport photocopies should be stored in a different place from your travel documents. If your passport were in a hotel safe, or in an Embassy for visas or if you were to lose your passport this precaution would prove invaluable. Emergency Contact: Give your family details of the trip you are on, dates of departure and our head office contact details in Pretoria SA. As it may be difficult, expensive or even impossible for short periods to contact you, especially when traveling in rural regions, this should only be used in cases requiring your early return or an immediate telephone call for emergencies. Money Matters: ATMs are available all over South Africa, which does make it easy to obtain local currency Major credit cards (American Express, Visa and Master Card) are widely accepted If you need to carry large amounts of cash we recommend you carry the bulk of your cash in the form of US-dollar or Euro travelers cheques Approximately US $500 cash per person is usually more than enough for even the most avid shopper Do not carry all your money in the same place, or same pocket. That way you won't lose all of it in some unfortunate event Please bear in mind that all this is merely friendly advice and a guideline Money needs to be budgeted for the following: Meals and extras listed as ‘for your own account’ in your trip itinerary International airport departure taxes (where not included) and visas Personal items such as laundry and all communication charges All beverages including soft drinks and snacks are not included Optional side trips and tours/activities Gratuities – all tipping is at your own discretion Souvenirs such as woodcarvings, beadwork, baskets and gemstones and wonderful arts and crafts will be tempting to purchase in South Africa, take care what you buy however as you will need to carry this around with you for your entire trip! Tipping - Tipping is entirely at your own discretion and you should not feel obligated to tip for no reason. (If however, you would like to tip because you have had good service, we suggest the following guideline to assist you: Camps, Game Lodges and Specialist Guides: if the guide has done a good job, we recommended R25 - R50 per guest per day. The General Safari Camp/Lodge Staff: Here we recommend about R20 per guest per day. This should be placed in the communal tipping box to be distributed equally amongst all the staff by the management at a later stage. Hotel staff: Please allow between R5 and R10 per guest per day for hotel staff e.g. housekeeping, etc. Porterage: Here we recommend about R5 per movement of luggage. Transfer and Tour driver/guides: Transfers R10 per person. For half-day tour R25 per person and full-day tour R50 per person. Restaurants/Hotels: 10% - 12% is customary on meal accounts, but only if you are satisfied with the service. Please do not spoil waiters who are lazy or slack! FLIGHT INFORMATION Confirmation: Please reconfirm your flights two days prior to departure if you have made your own travel arrangements and not through a travel agent. Seat assignments can often be made in advance for international flights, but are not usually available for internal flights, where seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. Check-in: International airlines require that you are to check in for your international flight no later than two hours prior to departure. This time is needed because of the time-consuming security checks and the risk that the airline may have overbooked the flight. If luggage is misplaced because off a rushed check-in it may take several days of discomfort before it is recovered. Valuable items such as camera equipment or binoculars and essentials such as prescription medications should always be hand carried on any flight to avoid loss or damage. Checked luggage should preferably be locked. Departure Tax: Departure tax varies, but is approximately US$20 from major African cities, payable in US cash dollars only. There may be domestic taxes for internal flights, too. If you are on a group tour, your tour leader will advise you on these. Missing your flight: If you miss your flight or are otherwise delayed please contact your travel or tour agent immediately. If this happens after working hours please contact your airline to rearrange your flight schedule. Call the airline reservations number, or find an airline agent at the airport who can help you or ask to speak to a supervisor. If your flight was cancelled or you missed it, you need the airline to put you on the next flight to your destination, either on one of their flights or on another carrier. Explain that you are joining a pre-paid tour and you must arrive in time. Jet Lag: To combat the fatigue, insomnia and disorientation, be well rested before your trip. Try and avoid last-minute flurries of activity. If traveling east, start going to bed and getting up earlier for a few days before departure, if traveling west stay up late etc. During your flight eat sparingly. Avoid alcohol and caffeine beverages. Drink other liquids; airplane air can dehydrate you thus aggravating jet lag symptoms. Try to sleep or simply rest with your eyes closed. When awake, occasionally stand, walk or stretch in uncrowned areas. On arrival eat a high-protein meal. Exercise, take a shower or have a swim. It is however important to remember that places like Pretoria and Johannesburg are at an altitude much higher than many European countries and sudden physical activity might be very strenuous for persons not used to everyday exercise. Don’t sleep until evening at your destination, start eating meals at their normal local times. Jet lag in combination with altitude can also have an effect on your body's capacity to tolerate the effects of alcohol. For more information kindly contact us at: info@tokologo.co.za |
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