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Visas,
Paperwork and Travel Insurance |
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Visas |
Passports |
Travel Insurance |
Other Paperwork |
| Visas |
Travellers of most nationalities need visas for some,
if not all, of the African countries. Most of these can be obtained at the
land borders when travelling through Africa, or alternatively at
the airport when arriving. It is essential that you check the visa
requirements for your nationality of each country before you arrive
in Africa. You will find general visa information specific to each
country in our destination guide, but visa requirements and
costs change frequently so it’s always best to get up-to- date
information before you travel. Our consultants can advise you and visa
requirements are included in our pre-departure information. Most visas obtained
whilst in Africa must be paid for in cash in US$, so you need to bring
dollars with you from your home country.
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| Passports |
All visitors to Africa
must be in possession of a full passport which is valid for at least
six months after the finish date of a trip. It should have plenty
of empty pages, particularly if you are doing a longer trip as you
will collect a bunch of visas and stamps. It is advisable to allow
at least one blank page for each country you are visiting. If your passport
is almost full you may find yourself unable to complete the tour.
Getting a new passport in Africa is extremely difficult, so always
keep your passport safe. You should also take photocopies of it with you and keep these separately
from the passport. When travelling in Africa, do not keep any
other paperwork, such as your vaccination certificate inside your
passport. When crossing borders, only produce paperwork on demand. Do not offer it to the customs or immigration officials, or they
may decide they want to see it from every member of your tour!
When crossing borders your tour leader will often be able to take
the passports for the whole group and do all the border crossing
procedures on your behalf. At borders, listen to what the tour
leader tells you, turn the stereo off, and remember that border officials
do not take kindly to you entering the border post with no shirt or
shoes on!
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| Travel
insurance |
It is essential that you
have travel insurance obtained in your home country for any trip to
Africa. You will not be permitted to join a tour without it and your
tour leader will request contact details for the insurance company
at the beginning of the tour. Your policy should cover you for personal
accident, medical costs, and loss, damage to, or theft of personal belongings.
Ideally the policy should include repatriation in the event of a medical
emergency back to your home country. You should carefully consider
a policy that specifically covers adventure travel if you plan on
doing many of the optional adventure excursions. Most policies limit
the value of personal baggage and belongings, so if you have expensive
camera or video equipment, you may want to consider extra cover. Read
your policy carefully. Travelling overland in Africa does not require
you to look like you do at home. Leave behind your jewellery and
the expensive watch, and don’t bring your best clothes –
they will only get trashed!
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| Other
paperwork |
You need to have an up-to-date
vaccination card. It is essential that you consult your doctor
or travel clinic a few weeks before coming to Africa for advice on
what vaccinations you need for the countries you are travelling through.
At some border crossings you will be asked to produce your vaccination
card, and in some countries officials particularly want to see proof
of a yellow fever vaccination. In some East African countries, when
changing money, some banks or bureau de changes want to see the proof
of purchase receipt for changing traveller's cheques. This is the piece
of paper you are supposed to keep separate from your traveller's cheques
in the event they get lost or stolen! Although you have to take both
the traveller's cheques and the proof of purchase receipt to the bank
at the same time, try to keep them separate somehow. All vehicles
have safes on board, so lock away your air ticket for the duration
of the tour, and only get it out if you are required to reconfirm
your flight before you fly. Take photocopies of all your paperwork
and keep these separately somewhere. Some travellers scan copies of
their passport and other documents and send them to a personal email address that
can be accessed in Africa.
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