Do your research, plan ahead and follow these valuable travel tips for a drama-free trip.
PLANNING YOUR TRIP TO SOUTH AFRICA
Choose your dates carefully Don’t book a holiday to South Africa in the peak tourism seasons, unless you are visiting family. Durban and Cape Town suffer from tourism overcrowding in the very busy holiday periods. The traffic is hectic, restaurants are overbooked, and accommodation is scarce and more expensive in the peak season. It’s not fun waiting for ages to get a table at a restaurant or being stuck in holiday traffic on a gorgeous sunny day in Cape Town when you should be on the beach. Holiday destinations in South Africa get very busy during the Public Holiday period and coincide with school holidays. People take advantage of the public holidays to extend the number of days of leave they can take and flock in their droves to holiday hotspots. If possible, avoid booking a holiday to South Africa during these busy periods
• December/January: Christmas/New Year/end of year
• March/April: Easter/summer school holiday
• July: winter school holiday
• August/September: spring school holiday
Pre-book your accommodation
South Africa is not Europe. You can’t arrive in a city and walk into an establishment and ask for a room. Don’t leave it to chance that you’ll find a decent room in a decent hotel in a decent location. Book ahead – at the very least, for the first two nights of your holiday in South Africa. While you are at it, book in advance for a special restaurant you’d like to try. South Africa has excellent restaurants run by award-winning chefs and in the very busy holiday periods, like Christmas, these restaurants are usually fully booked months ahead.
Check your passport is valid
Make sure your passport is valid and has not expired. Important! Your passport must be valid for a minimum of six months after you leave South Africa and must have at least two blank pages in it. Authorities are very strict about this and you will have a problem at the airport if you make a mistake. Give yourself enough time before leaving for your holiday to apply for a new passport if necessary. Don’t leave it until the last moment.
Check visa requirements
Check online for visa and entry requirements for South Africa. For more information, visit: http://www.dha.gov.za/index.php/applying-for-sa-visa.
Get the documents you need if traveling to South Africa with children
South Africa has introduced stringent requirements for children entering South Africa. For more information, visit: http://www.home-affairs.gov.za/index.php/civic-services/traveling-with-children Do this well in advance as you will be denied access into South Africa if you don’t have the right documents. This is important if you are divorced or widowed. Parents travelling with children who are 18 years and younger must produce a full unabridged birth certificate for each child. Please note!
Their full unabridged certificate – not their short, abridged certificate.
The full unabridged birth certificate must list the child’s details and both parents’ details. Supporting documents for minors are not required if you are in transit through a South African International Airport. If you go through immigration, you will need to present the relevant documents for your children. There are other requirements if a child is traveling with only one parent or is traveling without a biological parent, is unaccompanied or traveling in a school tour group. Check online for consent forms needed, otherwise, the child will not be allowed to enter South Africa.
Take out medical travel insurance
This is a priority. Don’t skimp on this as a medical emergency in South Africa will cost you a fortune. State-funded hospitals are not recommended because the quality of care and hygiene at public hospitals cannot be guaranteed. Only seek medical attention at one of the large reputable private hospitals in South Africa, such as a Medi-Clinic or Life Hospital in the major towns and cities. Take out full, comprehensive medical travel insurance for your whole family. This must include hospitalisation and medical repatriation. A flight out of South Africa for a medical emergency will cost you a fortune. Make sure your medical travel insurance covers both pre-existing conditions and any high-risk activities you would like to do, including scuba diving, paragliding, and skydiving.
Get vaccinated if required
Speak to your doctor or someone at a travel clinic for information on any vaccinations you need for a trip to South Africa, and what health risks you must know about for the area you will be visiting. For more information, visit: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/traveler/none/south-africa
Take malaria tablets if you are going to a malaria area
This is not negotiable. Malaria can be deadly and must be taken seriously. Firstly, find out from your local travel clinic or online if you will be traveling to or through a malaria area. You arrive in South Africa at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg. This is not a malaria area, so you have a bit of time if you are not going on a safari straightaway. If you are going straight from the airport to a game reserve in a malaria area, you need to start taking your malaria tablets before you arrive in South Africa, as per the instructions. Get the right advice! Either buy malaria tablets before you leave home or buy them in South Africa at a travel clinic located in one of the large pharmacies in Johannesburg and Cape Town. It all depends on your travel itinerary.
Get sorted for your medical needs
Ask your doctor to write out a prescription for any chronic medication you are taking in case you run out of tablets on your trip. Your doctor also needs to provide you with a signed medical certificate which you may have to show to Customs officials if they question why you have scheduled drugs in your bag. Get a medical alert bracelet if you don’t have one, if you are highly allergic to something, or suffer from a medical condition like diabetes. The bracelet will speak for you if you are very ill and can’t let people know what is wrong. Make sure your children’s immunisations are up-to-date. This includes measles, tetanus, and polio vaccinations. Visit your dentist and fix any niggling problems before you leave home.
You will battle to find a decent dentist in remote areas in South Africa, and you don’t want your holiday ruined by chronic toothache. If you are traveling to South Africa in the summer months and will be swimming in pools and the sea, ask your doctor for prescription drops for earache. Kids often get ear infections and bad earaches after hours in a pool or the sea, and this could end up in a trip to the hospital. Buy an anti-fungal ointment for the plane trip – in South Africa we use Bactroban. Smear a generous blob around the inside of your nose to stop nasty germs from getting up there and into your throat. Most holiday colds and flu are picked up on long-haul flights. Prepare a first-aid kit for your holiday that includes basic stuff to treat minor ailments like cuts and bruises, sprained ankles, headaches, and sunburn. This should include an antiseptic wash and cream, bandages, plasters, and ointment for skin rashes. Buy good quality insect repellent as soon as you arrive in South Africa.
Johannesburg is not a malaria area, but mosquitos come out at night to bite you when you are sitting in summer clothes outside. There’s nothing worse than walking around with open sores on your legs from scratching like crazy. You’ll need mosquito spray for your room if your hotel doesn’t have mosquito nets. A tiny mosquito can drive you nuts in the middle of the night. Either buy insect repellent and sunscreen lotion before you leave home or buy it as soon as you arrive in South Africa. Also, pack a soothing lotion for sunburn. This is important if you are in South Africa during our hot summer season but also applies to the winter months.
Get travel smart with the right gear
Purchase a light daypack and a second travel bag that is light and slimline. The latter should be used for your important travel documents and chronic medication. It should be suitable to wear over your shoulder and under a jacket. Think man purse with a long strap. Pack a travel umbrella for rainy days and a light windproof jacket. When the wind blows on a hot summer’s day, you don’t want to wear a heavy, thick winter jacket. You end up taking it off during the day and that’s a nuisance to carry around. Buy cable ties or extra padlocks for your luggage. This is needed for the flight over to South Africa and recommended if you are leaving valuables behind in your hotel and there isn’t a safe in your room. Remember to take a pair of small scissors with you if you are using cable ties. Put the spare key for your locks in a separate bag. Preferably purchase luggage made from hard plastic that can’t be cut and opened by thieves handling luggage at airports. Use a padlock to secure your luggage instead of wrapping your suitcase in reams of plastic.
There is too much plastic in this world and South Africa doesn’t want all that plastic. Invest in a good pair of walking shoes, or takkies as we call them in South Africa. Don’t start your holiday off on the wrong footing with blisters! Also, pack a pair of closed shoes for the evening if you are on safari in a malaria area. Plan your wardrobe and pack light. The exchange rate is so favourable for foreigners in South Africa, you’ll definitely buy new clothes on your holiday and need that extra space in your suitcase.
Plan your holiday wardrobe
Pack what you need for the seasonal weather variations. South Africa is not all sunshine and sweltering hot days. It can get bitterly cold and wet in the winter months in Cape Town and the Garden Route which experiences winter rainfall. And you can get caught in a violent thunderstorm in the Highveld which experiences summer rainfall. Seasoned travelers to South Africa pack layers of clothing. If you don’t want to travel with a thick, bulky jacket – bring a light, weatherproof jacket and wear layers of long sleeve shirts and cardigans under it. Bring warm scarves and beanies if you are going on a safari.
It can get nippy on the back of an open vehicle in a game park on evening and night drives. Bring lots of socks – thick and thin, so you always have dry and warm feet if it gets wet and cold. And don’t worry, if you need clothes you can go shopping at the fantastic shopping malls in South Africa.
Pack what you need for a safari
Buy spare batteries and a memory card before you leave home or buy them at one of the large shopping centers when you arrive in South Africa. The convenience shops in Kruger National Park and other game reserves are very expensive and a bit of a tourist trap. They also might not stock what you need for your camera and mobile devices. Don’t forget to pack an international travel plug. South Africa uses a three-prong round plug. Bring an extra charger for your devices in case you leave yours behind in your hotel room. You don’t need heavy, rugged hiking boots for a safari unless you plan to do a walking trail in Kruger Park. Pack a sturdy pair of walking shoes (sneakers) that are comfortable and waterproof, if you are worried about space in your luggage.
BACK HOME – Write a review
If you’ve had a fantastic holiday, enjoyed the hotels you’ve stayed in, and picked up interesting travel tips; write a review on sites like TripAdvisor. South Africa relies heavily on tourism to keep businesses busy and people employed. All positive feedback is welcomed and good PR for South Africa. If you have experienced poor service, shoddy accommodation, and dodgy operators; write a review. Firstly, it’s important for hotels and restaurants to get this feedback so they can improve what they offer and deliver to foreign customers. And secondly, the threat of poor reviews keeps establishments on their toes.
Tell people about South Africa
Spread the word and tell your family and friends about your exciting holiday to South Africa. Tourism boosts our economy which in turn creates employment and puts food on the table for many local South Africans who in some way or the other are part of the tourism scene.
One tourist on South Africa’s shores can make a positive impact on the lives of many people in South Africa. South Africa is a beautiful country and should be a place travelers have on their bucket lists. Don’t limit yourself to the highlights of South Africa like the Cape, Garden Route, and the Kruger National Park. South Africa is a land of vast contrasts and extraordinary scenery – don’t miss out on seeing the rest of South Africa because you’ll miss out on discovering all the colours of our Rainbow Nation.
SAFETY TIPS WHILE IN SOUTH AFRICA: CLICK HERE