Travel Information
VISA / PASSPORT
Please ensure that you fulfill the Visa requirements for entering South Africa. US and Scandinavian citizens DO NOT need a visa to enter South Africa, unless your visit will be more than 90 days. If you are a non US or Scandinavian citizen, please contact us for further information.
Get a passport if you do not have one already, or check your existing one. Make sure that it will be valid for at least six months, after your intended date of departure from your safari destination. Bear in mind that getting a new passport may take up to six months in some US states.
BRING CASH
We recommend you bring some cash for tipping, restaurant visits, shopping souvenirs, excursion entry fees etc. Note that there are limits on the amount of currency which you can bring into South Africa. For cash in South African Rand (ZAR), the limit is 25,000ZAR. For cash in USD, the limit is $10,000. Whatever cash you do not spend, can be used to pay your final invoice. We accept South African Rand (ZAR) or American Dollars (USD). Note that cash fee for USD is 3% (ZAR is without any fees).
INSURANCE & MEDICAL ASSISTANCE
Please ensure you have sufficient health and travel insurance to cover your hunting safari in South Africa.
Global Rescue
No matter if it’s your first or fifth time hunting in Africa, unavoidable accidents do happen. Whether a medical or security emergency, an evacuation from a remote part of Africa could cost well over $100,000. We recommend that anyone traveling down on a hunt purchase a membership with Global Rescue, the only crisis response company that provides hunters with medical and security evacuation and consultation services anywhere in the world, even the most remote areas. Their deployable teams of paramedics and special operations veterans, backed by on-staff physicians and the specialists at Johns Hopkins Medicine, will get to you wherever you are, by any means necessary, and evacuate you all the way to your home country hospital of choice.
Member benefits include:
– 24hr medical advisory services from critical care paramedics and in-house physicians
– Specialists at Johns Hopkins Medicine available in real-time
– Field Rescue from the point of illness or injury
– Evacuation back to the member’s home hospital of choice
– Global network of medical Centers Of Excellence
– Deployable medical and security teams
– Evacuation services provided up to $500,000
Memberships start at $119. Global Rescue can be reached anytime at +1 (617) 459-4200, or via www.globalrescue.com, click here.
GEAR & CLOTHES
Bring the right gear and clothes. Please see our list of “What to bring”
PRACTICE SHOOTING FROM STICKS
The most important thing to prepare yourself for before going on an african hunting safari, is to practice shooting from shooting sticks. The biggest cause of wounded or lost animals is due to lack of training in shooting from sticks. So we please ask you to practice this thoroughly before arriving in South Africa. Also, try to make your practice similar to the situation that you will be put in, by practicing quick follow-up shots and if possible, moving targets (for wounded animals on the run).
We will off course go to our shooting range and sight in the rifle etc. upon your arrival, giving you a chance to practice a few shots as well. However this should not constitute for not practicing before traveling down!
PAYMENT OPTIONS (VERY IMPORTANT TO READ)
We ONLY accept the following options for the final payment upon completion of the safari:
Read more here
Credit card – VISA, Debit or Mastercard is accepted (subject to 3 % card fee). We CANNOT accept American Express Cards.
PLEASE MAKE 100% SURE that your credit card(s) will NOT be limited in regards to larger pay amounts, and that you will be able to pay the expected amounts for your safari before leaving here. Note that your card limits will be different when in SA compared to in the USA, so it’s vital that you increase these limits in coordination with your bank before traveling! Please also bring more than one credit card! Note that we ONLY accept wireless tap cards or cards with a chip, as we cannot swipe cards the old way. Lastly, you NEED TO HAVE A PIN-CODE for your Visa and Mastercards, otherwise you cannot use them for larger card payments in South Africa!!
Cash – We accept American Dollars (USD) or South African Rand (ZAR).
Cash deposits (except ZAR) are subject to 3% bank exchange fees.
Bank transfer – ONLY ALLOWED FOR DEPOSIT PAYMENTS. You may however, bank wire larger deposit amounts upon arrival, should you wish to save some on credit card fees at the final payment.
BOOKING AIR TRAVELS IN GENERAL
Purchase your airline tickets in due time. Tickets typically go on sale a year in advance – We recommend purchasing tickets sooner rather than later, to ensure you get a seat at the best rate. Many African destinations have few airline options and have limited airline capacity. Many routes sell out months in advance during peak season, which varies according to the destination.
When booking your airline tickets to/from South Africa, please make sure that you have sufficient transfer time in Johannesburg (O.R. Tambo Airport). During peak season, long queues usually build up at the passport control, and claiming your luggage may take a while. When flying domestically from Johannesburg to Port Elizabeth (or other domestic destination), you also have to consider that latest check-in for these flights are 45 minutes before departure! In other words, make sure you have enough time for unforeseen delays and rush hours. We recommend at least 3 hours transfer time in Johannesburg – This especially applies if you are planning on bringing your own firearms!
IMPORTATION OF FIREARMS
In general, we recommend clients to bring their own firearms. Should you choose to do so, then please make use of our detailed guide (How do I bring Firearms to South Africa ), which describes step-by-step, how to bring your own firearms. If you follow this guide, the process is very straight forward. Should you however prefer to rent a rifle from us, we do have a limited amount of rifles available – Price is $45 pr. person/hunting day, including ammunition.
VACCINES
In addition to routine vaccines (measles-mumps-rubella (MMR), diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis, varicella (chickenpox) vaccine, polio vaccine, and your yearly flu shot – CDC (Center of Disease Control and Prevention) in the USA, recommends the following vaccines:
- Hepatitis A
- Typhoid
- Rabies
NB: Most countries (except for the US) only recommend the Hepatitis A and Diphteria-tetanis vaccine, which we also deem sufficient. However, we recommend that you follow your home country recommendations.
The Eastern Cape is completely MALARIA FREE and you thereby need no vaccine for this. Hepatitis B is only recommended if you intend to have sex with a new partner, get a tattoo/piercing or have any medical procedures performed.
GRATUITIES
Tipping is greatly appreciated and a part of the South African culture. For instance, professional hunters have many expenses to cover as a hunting guide (vehicle, insurance, salary to his tracker etc.) and tips are therefor a crucial part of his operation. Other staff is also very dependent on tips for everyday survival. A typical guideline for tipping of staff on a 5-7 day safari will be:
– Professional Hunter = $50-100 pr. hunting day
– Tracker= $100 for a complete safari
– Kitchen and cleaning staff = $100 for a complete safari