A trip to Southern Africa requires some preparation. We understand that you can run into a number of questions. Below you will find the frequently asked questions
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You do not need a visa for a trip to Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa. The visa for the various countries are to obtain at the border and you will receive a sticker in your passport. The visa is free in South Africa, Botswana and Namibia. You pay for the visa in Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Malawi.
Please do notice that it is important that your international passport is valid for a minimum of six months on returning home from Africa.
Please note: for Namibia and Botswana minor children (<18 years) will need an official birth certificate. And in case there is only one parents present additional documents are required. This will be checked prior to boarding flights to Windhoek.
In advance you can contact your doctor. On the website of disease control and prevention you will find a clear overview per country which vaccinations you will need for the trip.
Malaria occurs in areas in Southern Africa. The advice here is to contact your doctor before going on your trip. Covering clothing for the evening and sufficient insect repellents can prevent you from being stabbed by mosquitoes.
We recommend a number of items for a trip to Southern Africa. We have compiled a packing list for you with the most essential requirements. Check this link.
We advise to take a GPS with you when you are travelling with a 4×4 vehicle. It is possible to rent a GPS with latest Tracks4Africa software with us. A GPS is always included in our self drive package trips.
For most locations, a satellite phone is not necessary. There is a decent GSM network. In game parks and some remote areas (Kaokoland, Salt Pans, Ugab Rhino), a satellite phone can be usefull
Travel insurance is a condition to participate in one of the Selfdrive4x4 safaris. We also advise you to take out cancellation insurance. Also we recommend to take out CDW2 insurance for damage and accidents to the rental car. However, is it never possible to exclude 100% of the excess.
Every season has its charms. In general, all self drive trips can be made the whole year around. In the green season (December till March) you can expect warm temperatures and a lot of rain. The surroundings are greener and there is less dust. The change of spotting young animals is bigger!
If you are not dependent of summer holidays, April and May are great months to travel. The European summer months are winter months in Southern Africa, which means that the mornings and evenings are cold.
The most popular travel period is in July and August. If you want to travel in these months, we recommend to start planning a year in advance.
September and October are dry months with high temperatures. October is the warmest month with temperatures over 30 degrees Celsius and no rain. The sandy roads in the wild parks are full with loose sand.
We recommend Lonely Planet travel guide for Botswana, Namibia and South Africa. For Zambia, the Bradt travel guide is a good option.
We recommend stocking up on most of your groceries at the start of your trip. And then add a few things during the trip. In towns like Windhoek and Johannesburg you will find huge supermarkets with a wide range of products. In smaller towns there are smaller supermarkets.
The 4×4 cars with a refrigerator have a limited capacity to keep food cool. Advice is not to buy too many things that need to be cooled. The refrigerator can sometimes fail due to the bumpy roads.
Also e.g. fresh milk doesn’t get any better from being shaken in the car. Meat products that are sealed keep longer.
Tip: use sterilized milk in small packages of 0.5 liters for example in the musli.
Water is available in the cities and on the camping pitches. Usually filtered and often just drinkable. If you want to be sure that there is no pollution in the water, it is advisable to buy a number of 5 liters containers ‘spring water’ in the supermarket. Use this water for drinking. Then use the water from the taps for cooking and washing.
A 40 liter water tank is usually built into the cars with camping equipment. We do recommend to use that water mainly for cooking and washing.
The 4×4 cars are all equipped with one or two USB A ports. There is also a 12V socket (cigarette lighter plug). In some cases (Bushcamper) there is also a 220v inverter built into the car.
In Southern Africa you drive on the left side of the road. The steering wheel is placed on the right side of your rental car. Usually, drivers who are used to drive a left-hand drive car get used to the situation quite fast. The biggest difference is changing gears with your left hand (both manual and automatic vehicles).
There is no real need to bring an international driving license. It is not necessary for the rental company, but it is quite possible that in case of an unexpected calamity an English version of the driving license is requested.
Our partners in Africa use different minimum ages. This can be 19 or 21 years. Ask us when booking the 4×4 rental car in Southern Africa. Some vehicles do require a minimum age of 25 or 30 years old.
Nowadays you can withdraw money at the ATM almost everywhere in Southern Africa (South Africa, Namibia and Botswana). It is also generally accepted that groceries or fuel are paid for via a card payment. It is therefore not necessary to carry large amounts of cash. However, it is advisable to take a back-up amount with you in Euros/GBP/USD in case it is not possible to withdraw money. For some countries (Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique) it is also useful to bring US dollars in cash (for visa, fuel and shopping).
In addition to a debit card, a credit card is essential for paying the excess deposit of the rental car.
The entrance fees of the wild parks differ per country. See the rates below.
Botswana
Entry fees for the parks in Botswana are 270 Pula (ca. 22 Euro) per person per day and 75 Pula (ca. 6 Euro) per day for the car.
Namibia
Entry fees for the parks in Namibia are N$ 100-150 (ca. 5-8 Euro) per person per day and N$ 50 (ca. 2,50 Euro) per day for the car.
South Africa
Entry fees for the parks in South Africa are ca. R460 (ca. 23 Euro) per person per day. When you stay more than 7 days, it could be cheaper to buy a Wildcard. Find more information about this Wildcard here.
Zambia
Entry fees for the parks in Zambia are USD 25 per person per day.
Zimbabwe
Entry fees for the parks in Zimbabwe are USD 10-25 per person per day.
Most campsites have excellent shower and toilet facilities. Mostly shared but some sites have private facilities. There is also always water. A small number of campsites (such as in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve or Kubu Island) have simple long-drop toilets. And there is no water available.
