Travel Tips
Some handy tips to assist you when travelling to Southern Africa
Getting to Southern Africa
OR Tambo International Airport (Johannesburg) and Cape Town International Airport (Cape Town) are the major international airports in South Africa receiving flights from all five continents.
Flights from the UK and Europe are usually overnight with a flight from London to Johannesburg or Cape Town taking approximately 12-hours. Direct flights between the USA and Johannesburg are approximately 18-hours.
South Africa has an excellent network of domestic carriers offering flights to all major city centres throughout South Africa. A flight between Johannesburg and Cape Town is 2-hours. Regional flights to neighboring countries operate out of Johannesburg – the flight to Livingstone is approximately 2 hours.
What to pack
Pack ahead. Most of the time you'll be most comfortable in light, summer-weight clothes but do pack a warm jacket, socks, good shoes and a rain jacket. Pack sunscreen – lots of it – and a hat and sunglasses. Make sure you have at least one cool shirt with a collar for sun protection. Stock up on insect repellent and, if you'll be in a malaria area, ensure you have a cool, long-sleeved shirt and cool long pants for evenings. Bring good walking shoes.
Always pack a bandanna or cotton scarf and a sarong, kanga, pareo, kikoi – whatever you want to call it. These two garments are probably the most useful and versatile items in the world. If you're spending time watching game, you should try to wear reasonably neutral colours but, really, you don't have to look like an extra on the set of Out of Africa. You don't need formal clothes, but you will need something smart / smart casual for exclusive hotels and the formal attire for the Blue Train and Rovos Rail.
If you've forgotten anything – don't panic. This is not the back of beyond, and you can buy whatever you need – probably at a good price.
And pack a camera – you'll want to save your wonderful memories. You can buy film and additional memory cards anywhere, and camera batteries in any city.
When you pack your bag please bear in mind the luggage restrictions of 12kg (26lbs) on light aircraft transfers and 20kg (44lbs) on scheduled airline flights. One carry-on bag is allowed as hand luggage - not exceeding 7 kg (15lbs).
When arriving
The First Thing to Do When You Get Off a Long Flight: How to adjust quickly (and stay healthy) while traveling
- First: Resist the urge to snooze. No matter where you are going, no matter what time you get there, stay up until midnight local time. If you absolutely can’t keep your eyes open, it’s OK to take a short nap. Just make sure you don’t sleep for more than a couple of hours. And try to get into your normal routine as soon as possible. Get up when you usually do, and try to eat your meals, exercise, and go to bed at your regular times.
- Then: Drink plenty of water as dehydration occurs whilst flying. And, for the first day, don’t eat anything with heavy sauces or anything that your body is going to have to work extra-hard to digest. Fruit, raw vegetables, and salads are all good choices.
Health
Health & medical care
South Africa has excellent health services and doctors with some of the best training in the world. There are adequate hospitals and medical care facilities throughout the country. However, visitors should ensure that they have sufficient funds and medical insurance to cover the fees of private facilities.
Malaria
Malaria is found in South Africa only in the Lowveld of Mpumalanga and Limpopo and on the Maputaland coast of KwaZulu-Natal (See map). It is also found in Nambia (Caprivi region only), Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Mozambique.
Malaria is at low risk in the winter months. It is only possible to contract malaria by being bitten by an infected mosquito - however, when visiting these areas it is advisable to take the necessary safety and medical precautions. Use mosquito nets and an insect repellent to avoid being bitten. In addition, medication can be taken and should be taken according to the instructions given. Medication should be taken starting two weeks before entering the malaria zone and for four weeks after leaving the area. Consult with your doctor beforehand and note that malaria medication should not be taken during pregnancy.
Click here for more detailed information on Malaria
Drugs / medication
If you are dependent on any drugs – or medication, as we say – bring a supply and a spare prescription. (We call our drugstores "pharmacies".)
Spectacles (glasses), contact lenses
Bring spare spectacles, and/or a copy of your prescription. If you wear contact lenses, consider using disposables for a short holiday, especially if you're planning to river raft, dive or such. Also bring spectacles, as the dry dusty environment of some areas may irritate your eyes.
Drinking Water
In South Africa you can drink the tap water throughout the country. Bottled water is available in all Southern African countries. Drinking water straight from rivers however can put you at risk for bilharzia and is therefore not recommended.
Smoking
Law prohibits smoking in most public areas, including airports and railway stations. Most restaurants have designated smoking and non-smoking areas.
Important documents
Make two copies of all your important documents, like passports. Take one with you, in a different bag to the original, and leave one at home with a responsible, easily reachable person. Try to memorise all your important numbers - passport numbers, credit card numbers, etc. If you lose your bag, this could be an enormous help.
Tax
Value-added-tax (VAT) is charged on most items. Foreign tourists to South Africa can have their 14% VAT refunded provided that the value of the items purchased exceeds R250.00. Refunds are only given on goods leaving the country. VAT is refunded at the point of departure and receipts from purchases must be kept and produced. Please take note that the Customs officials want to see the purchased items and receipts - so everything should be packed at the top of the suitcase and with-in easy reach. The VAT refund procedure is completed before guests check their luggage in. They are issued with a refund voucher which can be redeemed on the air-side of International Departures. An additional 30 - 60 minutes should be allowed for this procedure.
