Well done.

I have done the same thing myself and booked my first trip on my own also to South Africa but I am going on 21st September. Would be very interested in your comments on how it goes and any good tips when you return.

I've booked South Africa with Victoria Falls add on for March 2012, so I'll be interested in all your stories and tips on return.

Enjoy!

Sylvia

I've just come back from South Africa. It was a great trip. The Victoria Falls add-on was fantastic. Flying over the falls in a microlight is a experience I will never forget.

One tip, make sure you have lots of rand. The optional tours for South Africa are priced in pounds but you have tp pay in rand. You can use dollars, pounds or rand in Zambia.

Regds

Jim

I've just come back from South Africa. It was a great trip. The Victoria Falls add-on was fantastic. Flying over the falls in a microlight is a experience I will never forget.

One tip, make sure you have lots of rand. The optional tours for South Africa are priced in pounds but you have tp pay in rand. You can use dollars, pounds or rand in Zambia.

Regds

Jim

---------------------

Hi Jim

Glad you had a good time. I am doing this trip in March 2012. Can I ask you some questions, please?

1. How did you cope with the mosquitos.

2. How much money is needed (Rand and US $?).

3. What was the weather like ie temperature.

3. How was entry to Zambia and paying for the visa in US $.

4. And, how did you cope with sharing a room on the lodge part of the tour!

Hope you won't mind these ramblings...

Regards

Sylvia

I am doing the South Africa Explorer with Victoria Falls add on holiday later this year departing on 21st September.

I notice in your questions to Jim you are asking about entry to Zambia and paying for a visa. What has prompted you to ask this as I cannot find anything about it in the holiday details.

You also mention about sharing a room on the lodge part of the tour but I was under the impression you get your own room for the whole of the holiday. There is certainly no mention of sharing in the itinery.

Mike

Hi all,

I've just come back from South Africa. It was a great trip. The Victoria Falls add-on was fantastic. Flying over the falls in a microlight is a experience I will never forget.

One tip, make sure you have lots of rand. The optional tours for South Africa are priced in pounds but you have tp pay in rand. You can use dollars, pounds or rand in Zambia.

Regds

Jim

---------------------

Hi Jim

Glad you had a good time. I am doing this trip in March 2012. Can I ask you some questions, please?

1. How did you cope with the mosquitos.

2. How much money is needed (Rand and US $?).

3. What was the weather like ie temperature.

3. How was entry to Zambia and paying for the visa in US $.

4. And, how did you cope with sharing a room on the lodge part of the tour!

Hope you won't mind these ramblings...

Regards

Sylvia

Hi Sylvia,

You will love the trip. Everybody in my group had a great time.

Answers to your questions:

1. I had anti-malaria tablets (malarone) and a tropical insect repellant (50% DEET). Everyplace we stayed in had air-conditioning so you didn't have to leave your windows open. Still got bitten a few times but nothing serious.

2.You are only allowed to take 5000 rand into South Africa but we had plenty of opportunities to visit an ATM.I wouldn't bother with travellers cheques. In South Africa , most days you have to buy your lunch and on some occasions dinner as well. In Zambia you are on a bed and breakfast basis. It all depends on how many of the optional excursions you want to do too. I took the maximum amount of rand into South Africa and enough dollars to cover the costs of the visa for Zambia and a little bit more. Then if I needed more cash I just visited an ATM.

3. The weather was generally sunny and very warm, usually between the high twenties and low to mid thirties, although it did get to around 100F on a couple of occasions. We also had a couple of thunderstorms but these happened during the night.

4. Getting into Zambia wasn't too bad. You have to fill in an immigration form. Our tour guide collected all our passports and visa money at the airport and sorted it all out. You will get used to filling in forms if you do the optional trip into Botswana (which I recommend). You have to fill in a form to get out of Zambia and one to get into Botswana and vice versa.

5. No-one on our trip had to share a room at any of the lodges/hotels we stayed in. I know you have to share a room if you go on the Kenya trip but not on the South Africa trip.

Regds

Jim

If you have a hard copy of the brochure the back pages have details about visas for certain countries. For Zambia it says you have to pay US$50 in cash.

Also, see JimS comments to my questions. Lodge sharing is of course for the Kenya trip - I knew I had read it somewhere!

Sorry if I alarmed you. Enjoy your trip and please share any tips on your return.

Sylvia

Hi all,

I've just come back from South Africa. It was a great trip. The Victoria Falls add-on was fantastic. Flying over the falls in a microlight is a experience I will never forget.

One tip, make sure you have lots of rand. The optional tours for South Africa are priced in pounds but you have tp pay in rand. You can use dollars, pounds or rand in Zambia.

Regds

Jim

---------------------

Hi Jim

Glad you had a good time. I am doing this trip in March 2012. Can I ask you some questions, please?

1. How did you cope with the mosquitos.

2. How much money is needed (Rand and US $?).

3. What was the weather like ie temperature.

3. How was entry to Zambia and paying for the visa in US $.

4. And, how did you cope with sharing a room on the lodge part of the tour!

Hope you won't mind these ramblings...

Regards

Sylvia

Hi Sylvia,

You will love the trip. Everybody in my group had a great time.

Answers to your questions:

1. I had anti-malaria tablets (malarone) and a tropical insect repellant (50% DEET). Everyplace we stayed in had air-conditioning so you didn't have to leave your windows open. Still got bitten a few times but nothing serious.

2.You are only allowed to take 5000 rand into South Africa but we had plenty of opportunities to visit an ATM.I wouldn't bother with travellers cheques. In South Africa , most days you have to buy your lunch and on some occasions dinner as well. In Zambia you are on a bed and breakfast basis. It all depends on how many of the optional excursions you want to do too. I took the maximum amount of rand into South Africa and enough dollars to cover the costs of the visa for Zambia and a little bit more. Then if I needed more cash I just visited an ATM.

3. The weather was generally sunny and very warm, usually between the high twenties and low to mid thirties, although it did get to around 100F on a couple of occasions. We also had a couple of thunderstorms but these happened during the night.

4. Getting into Zambia wasn't too bad. You have to fill in an immigration form. Our tour guide collected all our passports and visa money at the airport and sorted it all out. You will get used to filling in forms if you do the optional trip into Botswana (which I recommend). You have to fill in a form to get out of Zambia and one to get into Botswana and vice versa.

5. No-one on our trip had to share a room at any of the lodges/hotels we stayed in. I know you have to share a room if you go on the Kenya trip but not on the South Africa trip.

Regds

Jim

Hi Jim

Thanks for the answers. Is there any money involved in Botswana visa?

Still a bit concerned about the mozzies as normally get eaten alive by any insect! So why am I going to Africa??

Yes I remember now the sharing of lodges is for Kenya. Phew!

Sylvia

The trip to Botswana is an optional excursion so there is the additional cost of the trip. You won't need a visa for Botswana but you will have to pay $80 (instead of $50) for a double entry/exit visa when you get to Zambia. It's a great day out and well worh the extra money.

I must admit I never saw that many mozzies and only got a few other insect bites. I think everybody on the trip was bitten, some more than others, but just remember to apply liberal doses of insect repellant and it shouldn't be too bad.Take some sting cream too.

Why Africa? It's a fantastic holiday!

Regds

Jim

Just to confirm - if you going to SA then ensure that you've a fair amount of ZAR with you. I'm South African and have just returned from a holiday back home - I was very shocked at the price of things over there. In the last nearly 2 years the prices have doubled, tripled and in some cases were 4 times the price they were when I left.

Other hints - be aware of your surroundings when out in public and who's about you. Don't wear all your jewels or flash your wallets and mobiles about. Money belts are good and ensure that all the ladies have their handbags closed and tucked tight under their arms. It's a beautiful country and wonderful experience, but you still need to be careful.

And best repellent for bugs and mosquitoes are the rubber bands / bangles you get from the pharmacy - your wear them on her ankles or wrists and trust me nothing comes near you for 7 days - you can also shower and swim with them on. Just put it on and forget about it for 7 days. I've used these in Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland. They are very effective.

Enjoy!

Hello to all,

Just to confirm - if you going to SA then ensure that you've a fair amount of ZAR with you. I'm South African and have just returned from a holiday back home - I was very shocked at the price of things over there. In the last nearly 2 years the prices have doubled, tripled and in some cases were 4 times the price they were when I left.

Other hints - be aware of your surroundings when out in public and who's about you. Don't wear all your jewels or flash your wallets and mobiles about. Money belts are good and ensure that all the ladies have their handbags closed and tucked tight under their arms. It's a beautiful country and wonderful experience, but you still need to be careful.

And best repellent for bugs and mosquitoes are the rubber bands / bangles you get from the pharmacy - your wear them on her ankles or wrists and trust me nothing comes near you for 7 days - you can also shower and swim with them on. Just put it on and forget about it for 7 days. I've used these in Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland. They are very effective.

Enjoy!

Thanks for the very useful information.

I assume by ZAR you mean South African Rand.

Also the rubber bands/bangles you mention, are they available in the UK or do we get them in South Africa.

Thanks

Mike

Hi Mike

If you have a hard copy of the brochure the back pages have details about visas for certain countries. For Zambia it says you have to pay US$50 in cash.

Also, see JimS comments to my questions. Lodge sharing is of course for the Kenya trip - I knew I had read it somewhere!

Sorry if I alarmed you. Enjoy your trip and please share any tips on your return.

Sylvia

Hi Sylvia,

I saw Jim's comments which were very useful. I booked online and don't have a brochure, so I've learned something new about needing some US dollars for the visa.

Mike

Hi Sylvia,

The trip to Botswana is an optional excursion so there is the additional cost of the trip. You won't need a visa for Botswana but you will have to pay $80 (instead of $50) for a double entry/exit visa when you get to Zambia. It's a great day out and well worh the extra money.

I must admit I never saw that many mozzies and only got a few other insect bites. I think everybody on the trip was bitten, some more than others, but just remember to apply liberal doses of insect repellant and it shouldn't be too bad.Take some sting cream too.

Why Africa? It's a fantastic holiday!

Regds

Jim

Hi Jim

Thanks for the further advice and info. Quite looking forward to it now.

Sylvia

Hello to all,

Just to confirm - if you going to SA then ensure that you've a fair amount of ZAR with you. I'm South African and have just returned from a holiday back home - I was very shocked at the price of things over there. In the last nearly 2 years the prices have doubled, tripled and in some cases were 4 times the price they were when I left.

Other hints - be aware of your surroundings when out in public and who's about you. Don't wear all your jewels or flash your wallets and mobiles about. Money belts are good and ensure that all the ladies have their handbags closed and tucked tight under their arms. It's a beautiful country and wonderful experience, but you still need to be careful.

And best repellent for bugs and mosquitoes are the rubber bands / bangles you get from the pharmacy - your wear them on her ankles or wrists and trust me nothing comes near you for 7 days - you can also shower and swim with them on. Just put it on and forget about it for 7 days. I've used these in Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland. They are very effective.

Enjoy!

Hi Chanty

Thanks for tips and advice. I'll be looking out for the bands!

Sylvia

Hi Mike

If you have a hard copy of the brochure the back pages have details about visas for certain countries. For Zambia it says you have to pay US$50 in cash.

Also, see JimS comments to my questions. Lodge sharing is of course for the Kenya trip - I knew I had read it somewhere!

Sorry if I alarmed you. Enjoy your trip and please share any tips on your return.

Sylvia

Hi Sylvia,

I saw Jim's comments which were very useful. I booked online and don't have a brochure, so I've learned something new about needing some US dollars for the visa.

Mike

Hi Mike

The website has details about visas - Essential information at bottom left of screen. Once in you'll have to scroll quite a way down.

Sylvia