Trans Africa Safaris

SOUTH AFRICA: PRE-DEPARTURE INFORMATION

QUICK FACTS

Area: 471 443 sq miles
Capital City: Pretoria (Executive) Bloemfontein (Judicial) Cape Town (Legislative)
Government: Constitutional Democracy
President: Jacob Zuma
Languages: English, Afrikaans, Ndebele, Northern Sotho, Southern Sotho, Swati, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa and Zulu.
Location: Southern Africa
Population size: 47, 900, 000, Population density: 101 sq miles
Telephone code: +27 plus city code and phone number
Time difference: GMT + 2 hours

BANKS/FOREIGN EXCHANGE

Banks are open from 9:00am to 3:30pm, Monday through Friday and 8:30am to 11:00am on Saturdays. Major national banks are available in most large towns, as are automatic teller machines (ATM's). International banks have branches in the major cities. Thomas Cook (represented by Rennies Travel) and American Express foreign exchange offices are available in the major cities.

CLIMATE

H = Average High L = Average Low (in Fahrenheit)

	Summer December to March	Autumn April to May	Winter June to September	Spring September to November
Johannesburg	H 77, L 57 Warm, storms	H 72, L 52 Warm, sunny	H 64, L 41 Mild, sunny	H 74, L61 Warm, sunny
Cape Town	H 78, L 59 Warm, mild	H 75, L 55 Moderate	H 65, L 46 Rainy, windy	H 69, L 50 Moderate
Kruger National Park	H 90, L 68 Hot, rainy	H 86, L 62 Warm to hot	H 80, L 46 Dry, warm	H 85, L 58 Warm to hot
Durban	H 80, L 68 Warm, humid	H 80, L 65 Warm, sunny	H 74, L 54 Mild, windy	H 74, L 61 Moderate

CLOTHING

Lightweight clothing is the norm during summer
In winter a jacket or coat may be needed, particularly in the evenings
Warm (neutral-coloured) clothes are important for late afternoon/evening and early morning game drives. Casual clothing and comfortable walking shoes on tour are advisable, but in the city hotels and restaurants dress is more formal
Jacket & tie are required in the dining cars of the Blue Train and Rovos Rail
Other recommended items are: UV sunblock, sunglasses, hat, insect repellent, torch, binoculars and camera

CREDIT CARDS/CURRENCY

American Express, MasterCard and Visa are widely accepted with some restrictions in small towns and rural area.

The local currency is the South African Rand, which is divided into 100 cents. The exchange rate in April 2010 is approximately US$1,00 = R7,35. Foreign visitors have no restriction on the amount of foreign currency which can be brought into South Africa . Currently a maximum of R20 000 per person per day may be cashed. Unlimited daily spend allowed on credit cards.

DUTY FREE

400 cigarettes
250 grams of tobacco
50 cigars
1 litre of spirits
1, 5 litres of wine
50 ml of perfume; 250 ml of Eau de Toilette
Gifts, souvenirs and any other goods to the value of R3 000 are permitted
Shops at Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban Airports

ELECTRICAL CURRENT

220/230 volts AC, 50 cycles, except in Pretoria where the current is 250 volts AC

HEALTH CONCERNS

South Africa boasts excellent medical facilities. All medical treatment must be paid for at the time of treatment, so clients need to carry medical insurance
Tap water is safe to drink throughout the country. Swimming in rivers, lakes and dams in the eastern (Eastern Cape excluded) and northern regions should be avoided as the bilharzia parasite may be present in the water
Remember malaria medication if you a visiting the game reserves and parks of the Northern, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal Provinces
No vaccinations are required for visitors from the United States or Canada

HOLIDAYS

2012
1 January	New Year's Day
2 January	Public holiday
21 March	Human Rights Day
6 April	Good Friday (Friday before Easter Sunday)
9 April	Family Day (Monday after Easter Sunday)
27 April	Freedom Day
1 May	Workers' Day
16 June	Youth Day
9 August	National Women's Day
24 September	Heritage Day
16 December	Day of Reconciliation
17 December	Public holiday
25 December	Christmas Day
26 December	Day of Goodwill

PASSPORT/VISA REQUIREMENTS

Visas are not the responsibility of Trans Africa Safaris. Please check with local authorities for all information pertaining to visa requirements. USA passport holders do not require a visa for South Africa or Botswana. Other nationalities – it is the responsibility of the overseas booking agent to check visa requirements. If you request us to check the information for you, we will do so and give you the status which is current at that time. Trans Africa Safaris cannot be held responsible if the visa situation changes after we have provided the information. We suggest you check at the time of booking and again one month prior to clients' departure from home country.

Passports: The situation regarding blank pages in passports, for visits to Southern Africa, changes regularly. Please see the list of counties with their specific requirements below:

Passports must be valid for 6 months after your departure from Southern Africa

Please note pages headed “Endorsements, Observations” etc are not VISA pages.

For your visit to Botswana: 3 blank VISA pages
For your visit to Kenya: 2 blank VISA pages
For your visit to Mauritius: 2 blank VISA pages
For your visit to Mozambique: 3 blank VISA pages
For your visit to Namibia: 3 blank VISA pages
For your visit to Seychelles: 3-4 blank VISA pages
For your visit to South Africa: 2 blank VISA pages
For your visit to Tanzania: 3 blank VISA pages
For your visit to Zimbabwe: 3 blank VISA pages
For your visit to Zambia: 2 blank VISA pages

Without the above you could be denied entry

PHOTOGRAPHY

A good SLR (single lens reflex) or digital SLR camera with telephoto zoom lens is recommended for photography of birds and animals, as is colour reversal film (slides) if using film as this will give better quality pictures than regular film. A big memory card / abundant film and spare batteries as recommended as these are often not available at the bush camps/lodges.