PLANNING YOUR TRIP TO SOUTH AFRICA

Welcome to Lion Roar Safaris (Pty) Ltd – AWARD WINNING TOUR OPERATOR AND KRUGER NATIONAL PARK SAFARI SPECIALIST

Make safety a priority for an enjoyable holiday in South Africa. Do your research, plan ahead and follow these valuable travel tips for a memorable, hassle-free trip to South Africa.

Things to keep in mind when you are planning your trip to South Africa

Pre-plan your itinerary before you visit South Africa

First things first! Most travelers have some sort of itinerary in mind or scribbled down on a piece of paper when planning to visit a specific destination. Make sure to dedicate a fair amount of time to your itinerary, this will ultimately help you to get the most out of your holiday in South Africa.

An example of a basic itinerary includes, but is not limited to the below:

• Date of departure
• Fight information
• Travel time | shuttle | rent a car | taxi | transfer services etc.
• Number of people traveling
• Number of days to spend in one area
• Accommodation | location of accommodation | booking info etc.
• A list of activities | location of activity | price of activity etc.
• Budget

Make sure your passport is valid before you decide to travel

It is very important to check your passport before you travel. Make sure your passport is still valid and has enough time left on it for you to travel without any hassle.

Your passport must be valid for a minimum of six months after you have left South Africa and must have at least two blank pages remaining. You must know that Authorities are very strict about this and you will run into trouble at the airport if this is not correct.

Check your visa requirements

Have a look online and see if you meet all the visa and entry requirements for South Africa. For more information Click Here

Required documents you will need to travel with children to South Africa

• For more information – click here. Do this well in advance as you will be denied access into South Africa if you don’t have the right documents

Make sure you get medical travel insurance

Accidents do happen, that is why they are called accidents! Make sure you are covered for any unforeseen event. We recommend that you take out full, comprehensive medical travel insurance for your whole family. This usually includes hospitalization and medical repatriation. A flight out of South Africa for a medical emergency will cost a lot.  Make sure your medical travel insurance covers both pre-existing conditions and any high-risk activities you would like to do, including (but not limited to) scuba diving, paragliding, and skydiving.

Get vaccinated, if required

Speak to your doctor and find out about any vaccinations you may need to enter South Africa, alternatively, you can follow this link for more information, Click Here

Gather information about areas that may be affected by Malaria

Read all about Malaria, how to prevent Malaria etc

Leave important information with family or friends

It is advisable to give a copy of your itinerary to a close friend or family member before traveling to South Africa. Remember to include valuable information, for example, contact numbers for your accommodation and tour operators that you will be using during your visit to South Africa. Perhaps leave them with certified copies of all your travel documents which can be couriered to you in South Africa if your passport, banking cards, and travel insurance documents gets lost or stolen. Scan and save a certified copy of your important travel documents which you can print out if needed. Lastly, remember to inform your family and friends that you have arrived safely in South Africa and update them during your travels.

Choose your dates to travel to South Africa carefully

South Africa is very busy during the Public Holiday period and coincides with South African school holidays. People take advantage of the public holidays to extend the number of days leave they can take. Tourism and holiday hotspots are usually very busy during these times.

It is advisable to Google the South African school holidays when planning your itinerary as well as booking your flights, accommodation, etc.

One of the peak seasons is during Easter Holidays.

• IMPORTANT (PUBLIC HOLIDAY PRICE INCREASE) – Holiday time equals school holidays in South Africa; general prices for accommodation increase during peak season. Plan your budget and trip to South Africa accordingly.
• IMPORTANT (CHRISTMAS DAY) – Mostly everything comes to a STAND-STILL ON CHRISTMAS DAY! If you are planning to travel during this time, make sure you do this well in advance. 99% of all companies including restaurants, transport services and tour operators to mention but a few SHUT DOWN COMPLETELY ON CHRISTMAS DAY.
• IMPORTANT (PRICE INCREASE) – Prices for example: accommodation, activities, safaris, etc. will be more expensive during December. If you want to book on Christmas day, you can prepare to pay at least double for services and activities.  This is the one day in the year where you will struggle to do something unless you are staying in and relaxing at a hotel.

Pre-book your accommodation

Pre-book your accommodation or at least have an idea when and where you would like to book accommodation in a specific area you may be visiting.

Check if the accommodation will cater for your needs. For example, does it have an en-suite bathroom or communal bathroom and kitchen facilities, TV, air-conditioning, single bed, double bed, does it serve breakfast, lunch, dinner, does it have towels and bed linen etc.? Make sure you choose the right accommodation so you won’t be disappointed when you arrive and it was not what you were bargaining on.

Make sure the accommodation you book is in the correct area on Google Maps

Before you book your accommodation, go and check out the location on Google Maps. Put the address of the accommodation in Google Maps and put in the address of a good restaurant, or a shopping mall and some activities you may want to go see and do. Check how far Google Maps says it is from the accommodation you are looking to book.

The last thing you want to do is book accommodation in one area, and everything you want to go see and do is so far away from the address your accommodation is situated. This will ultimately result in your transportation to cost more than what you budgeted for.

Choose your accommodation location carefully – Make sure you are central, for example, close to a hospital, restaurants, shopping malls and other things that you may want to visit. (Remember accidents do happen and you don’t want to be miles away from a Doctor or Hospital in case of emergency.)

Check the location on Google Maps – See how far it is from the thing you want to go see and do. (Make sure if the accommodation says it is for example: “10 minutes away from the airport” that it truly is 10 minutes away from the Airport)

Make sure that there are companies available to transport you to your chosen accommodation address – Some location is not easy to reach by normal car and you may need a 4×4 to reach certain accommodation locations.  Make sure that someone is willing and able to transport you to the address and make sure that you get a quotation beforehand, so you can budget for it. Such transfers can sometimes be costly as it is far from the city center, time-consuming, and sometimes difficult to reach by normal transport.

What Adaptors do I need for charging devices in South Africa?  – Power plugs and sockets

Make 100% sure you know which adaptors you need to charge your phones, laptops and other devices.

Electricity in South Africa

In South Africa, the power plugs and sockets are of type D, M and N. The standard voltage is 230 V and the standard frequency is 50 Hz.

Which power plugs and sockets in South Africa?

In South Africa the power plugs and sockets are of type D, M and N. Check out the following pictures.

• Type D: mainly used in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and some African countries. This socket only works with plug D.
• Type M: looks like plug D, but with larger pins. This socket only works with plug M.
• Type N: used in Brazil and South Africa. This socket also works with plug C.
• For more information on this – Click Here

Basic guidelines to deal with multi-cultured people in South Africa

• Always be polite and respectful to all people and all cultures
• Avoid asking political questions or converse in political debates or arguments
• Avoid discussions about religion
• Always ask before you take photos of people
• Do not point & stare and make remarks that will make people feel uncomfortable
• Most importantly avoid talking or discussions about racism or any racial topic for that matter with any South African as this is frowned upon and is a thing of the past.
• Show your appreciation by tipping staff: example hotel porters, waiters, drivers, tourism guides, field guides/rangers, etc.
• Respect the country by sticking to the rules and regulations, this includes traffic rules and regulations, no littering, keeping public toilets clean, etc.
• If you follow these basic guidelines it will prevent misunderstanding, confusion, as well as possible conflict and will ultimately ensure that your experience is one that is positive and memorable for all the right reasons.

Pre-book your transportation when visiting South Africa

Remember public transport is not like in Europe where there are bus and taxi and tube transport options, NO! You will need to pre-book your shuttle service from a reputable company (preferably in advance) or you will need to rent a vehicle and do self-drive.

Make sure you are prepared and know the rules and regulations of the road, especially if you are accustomed to having the steering wheel on the left side, instead of having it on the right side like in South Africa and driving on the left side of the road.

Be sure to research safe and reliable transportation options and car rental companies. Do not get into just any taxi service in South Africa!

Road safety tips in South Africa

Important to know is that Uber is only operating in the big cities, for example, Cape Town, Johannesburg, Pretoria, and Durban. Uber is not currently operating small towns and cities. You can always ask at the front desk when you are staying at a guest house or a hotel to arrange a shuttle/taxi for you. They normally know and have reputable companies working with them; this includes arranging safaris or suggesting activities if you did not pre-plan your itinerary.

Ensure your plan by booking your transport in advance. Or at least have a plan in mind that you know will work when you get to point A and need to get to point B. The last thing you want is being left stranded outside an airport or hotel without a ride. The Gautrain is a state-of-the-art commuter rail system which links Johannesburg, Pretoria and OR Tambo International Airport. The high-speed train takes you from the airport to central stations in the two city centers but from there you need transport to your hotel or guest lodge.

Be sure to stick to the speed limits, follow all rules and regulations in residential areas, nature reserves as well as tourist destinations. Rules and regulations are in place for your own safety, stick to it!

Use your common sense when traveling in South Africa

• Do not walk around alone at night in areas that are seen as potentially unsafe.
• Do not travel at night if you do self-drive, especially if you are not familiar with the road. Make sure you reach your destination during the daytime, and always travel with a map or GPS to avoid getting lost. Better yet, make use of a tour operator, travel agency, or reputable transfer company. This way you do not need to worry to get lost and only need to make sure you are on time for your departure.
• Do not leave your bags/luggage unattended or let other people handle your personal belongings without your consent. Always keep an eye on your belongings to prevent them from getting lost, forgotten or stolen.
• When you do self-drive and make use of a rental car, make sure you lock your car when you leave it, and make sure that there are no visible valuables, like money, passports, cameras, sunglasses, computers, etc. visible, that may encourage criminals to smash the windows of the car and steal your belongings.
• Don’t keep all your money in one location. If you are a group, you can spread the money between all of you and hide it in unlikely places like in sock, between your toiletries or in a book. If something happens, then at least you will have money left to help yourself. Think smart!
• Do not advertise that you are a foreign visitor by flashing a wallet with a large amount of cash. Do not flash your expensive jewelry and fancy, phones, cameras, and gadgets. Be discreet. Do not advertise that you have money.
• When you are withdrawing money at a cash machine (ATM) do not let anyone help you or take your bank card/credit card. Rather go into the back itself so the staff can help you and you are on the bank’s CCTV cameras for your protection.
• Travel with copies of your passports, medical documents, etc. so you have a copy should it get lost or stolen.
• Do not travel with too much cash. Rather use your card or withdraw and exchange foreign currency as you go. Most facilities have card machine facilities.
• Be careful with whom you exchange personal information, especially credit card information.
• When you stay over in accommodation, for example, hotels, guest houses, etc. do not leave your valuables lying around in the room if you are not present. Make use of the safe or keep your valuables with you at all times.
• Always lock your doors and do not invite strangers into your personal space.
• Do not pick up hitch-hikers.
• Think logically and use your common sense, then you will be fine!

HAVE A GREAT HOLIDAY IN SOUTH AFRICA

YES! We offer affordable Kruger National Park safaris

Our rates include the following:

Please note:

Our area of operation covers Nelspruit and surrounding areas, White River | Malelane | Hazyview | Komatipoort | Marloth Park | Kruger National Park | KMI Airport | Skukuza Airport.

Please contact us if your accommodation falls outside of our area of operation.

We also conduct safari tours in the North of Kruger upon request and need. You also have the option to hire the safari vehicle privately, email us to find out more. Additionally, you have the option to add your Kruger entrance fee/conservation fees when you make your booking so you don’t have to go to the office on the morning of the safari to make payment for entrance fees.