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African Overland Travel - Essential Information
Oasis Overland offers the perfect option for African safari travel, overland adventures or gap year travel in Africa. However, before you depart, read here for information on travelling with us through this vast, wild and beautiful continent.
Flights
While we do not sell, book or arrange flights, here is some information that may be of help. For most trips in Africa that we run your destination city is possibly going to be different from the city you started your trip in. In this case you will need to ask for an 'open jaw' ticket instead of a 'return' ticket, This allows you to fly into one destination and out of another.
There are many travel agents both online (Opodo & E-bookers are but two) and in the high streets offering great deals on flights, so shop around and get a few quotes from various agents, some will have better deals than others and its not always the big co's that have the best deals. There is ALWAYS seats available to any destination, it just comes down to how much you are willing to pay for one!
Its not always the cheapest (or the easiest) to book with airlines direct as they tend to give preferential deals to agencies.
If you would like any more advice or specific contact no's etc please feel free to phone or email us.
Starting and Ending your African Travel Experience
Nairobi, Lilongwe, Victoria Falls, Cape Town & Jo'burg are the start and finish points in African adventure travel. We recommend arriving a couple of days before your trip starts in order to acclimatise and give yourself a free day. Most people also leave time spare in Cape Town & Jo'burg to explore the cities and what they have to offer and some will carry on with travel in South Africa for a couple of weeks. Or, if you're embarking on gap year travel in Africa, a trip with Oasis Overland might be the perfect way to kick-start it, and Cape Town & Jo'burg are the perfect places from which to continue your year abroad. We can advise you of places to stay and can book accommodation for you, as well as advise you on general African safari travel information. Contact us today and see how we can help you!
African Adventure Travel Style
We camp in either designated campsites, or bush-camps using two person tents. We usually cook over open fires in a rota system. Driving days normally start around 8am and finish around 5pm with stops for lunch and buying food, seeing local sights etc. We won't be travelling every day, although there are times when we will travel for two days in a row. We will then be stopped for three to four days relaxing somewhere.
African Travel Requirements - passport and visas
Most nationalities require visas for some of the countries that we travel through. However we can obtain these en-route. The costs listed below are a guideline; please note that prices and conditions can change at anytime without notice. Please ensure that you bring US Dollars to pay for your visas. Also be aware that you will need at least one blank page in your passport for each country you enter, which must be valid for at least 9 months. If you have dual nationality you can only use one passport. Contact us for further information regarding passport laws.
Kenya - Tourist visas are currently US$50 (for a 30 day tourist visa) and are issued on arrival for British, Australians, New Zealanders and South Africans. You will need a valid yellow fever certificate and an onward ticket to show immigration on arrival. Americans and Canadians should check with the embassy before travel. Uganda - At present all nationalities require visas. We obtain these on the border for most European nationalities, British, Australian and New Zealanders costing US$50. Americans and Canadians should check with the embassy before travel. Tanzania - We can obtain visas on the border for most EEC nationalities, British, Canadians, American, New Zealand & Australians currently costing US$50. South African require a visas costingUS$60. Swiss & Brazilians require a visa BEFORE they travel. Malawi - No visas are required for most nationalities. Mozambique - All nationalities require a visa. We can obtain a transit visa on route or on the border for US$60 so it is not necessary to have this visa before travelling. Zambia - All nationalities require a visa. Single / double entry visas into Zambia for the following nationalities are currently: £75 / 240 GBP for UK passport holders, $135 USD for Americans ( Multiple entry visas only available ), $50 / $80 USD for other nationalities. Zimbabwe - At present most European nationalities and Australians and New Zealanders require an entry visa, but this is easily purchased on the border. The visa costs US$30 for a single entry and US$50 for a double entry. United Kingdom and Ireland passport holders require a visa costing US$55. Visas for Canadians are US$65. There is also a DEPARTURE tax of US$30 if you are FLYING out of Zimbabwe. Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho and South Africa - Most nationalities do not require a visa.
African Travel - The Climate
Even though we cover fairly large distances during our African safari travel experiences, the climate does not change significantly. In East Africa the year is divided into the 'short' rains (November) and the 'long' rains (March to May). The 'rains' usually last for one or two hours each day followed by sunny weather.
Embarking on an African adventure travel experience means that you need to pack carefully; the 'dry' season is April to October and the 'wet' season is November to March. Although at night temperatures can be very cold the days are usually hot. If you're embarking on gap year travel to Africa, you'll experience all the different seasons. Because of this, make sure you pack appropriate equipment and clothing for all weather types.
Average Night and Day Temperature (°C) Average Monthly Rainfall (mm)
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
EGYPT Cairo
08-18 5
09-21 5
11-24 5
14-28 3
17-33 3
20-35 0
21-36 0
22-35 0
20-32 0
18-30 0
14-26 3
10-20 5
ETHIOPIA Addis Ababa
06-24 13
08-24 38
09-25 66
10-25 86
10-25 86
10-23 137
10-21 279
10-21 300
09-22 191
07-24 20
06-23 15
05-23 5
UGANDA Kampala
09-24 46
11-24 61
11-23 130
11-23 175
11-23 147
11-23 74
09-23 46
08-23 86
09-23 91
11-23 97
11-24 122
10-23 99
KENYA Nairobi
12-25 38
13-26 64
14-22 125
14-22 211
13-21 158
11-21 46
11-21 15
11-24 23
13-24 31
13-23 53
13-23 109
13-23 86
TANZANIA Dar es Salaam
19-27 66
20-27 66
19-27 130
19-27 290
19-28 188
18-28 33
17-28 31
17-29 25
19-29 31
21-29 41
20-27 74
19-26 91
MALAWI Lilongwe
17-27 208
17-27 218
14-27 125
14-27 43
11-25 3
08-23 0
07-23 0
08-25 0
12-27 0
16-30 0
17-29 53
18-28 125
ZIMBABWE Harare
15-26 196
16-26 178
13-26 117
13-26 28
09-23 13
07-21 3
06-21 0
08-23 3
12-26 5
14-27 28
16-27 97
16-26 163
BOTSWANA Maun
19-32 107
19-31 79
14-28 71
14-28 18
10-26 5
08-24 3
08-26 0
11-28 0
05-30 0
17-32 23
18-33 56
18-32 86
NAMIBIA Swakopmund
17-29 0
16-28 5
13-25 8
13-25 3
09-22 3
07-20 0
06-20 3
08-23 0
12-25 0
15-29 0
15-29 0
17-30 0
SOUTH AFRICA Cape Town
14-25 15
14-25 8
10-22 18
10-22 48
06-19 79
04-17 84
04-17 89
06-20 66
09-23 43
12-25 31
13-25 18
14-26 10
African Safari Travel - Spending Money and Local Payment
At the beginning of your trip the crew will collect the Local Payment in Cash, Sterling and/or US Dollars. For personal spending we suggest an average of £80 to £120 per week. Personal spending habits vary hugely depending on individuals. We cannot specify every cost during your trip, but you need to allow for visas, drinks, occasional meals out, curios and local crafts, telephone calls and emails etc. It's a good idea to budget for optional side trips, on your trip separately. Credit cards are virtually useless outside main cities so you need to bring at least two thirds of your spending money in Cash US Dollars and the rest in Sterling or US Dollar Travellers Cheques. For those continuing with African safari travel, most major cities have cash points and foreign exchange facilities within easy reach.
African Safari Travel - Health Precautions
Vaccinations - You will have to be vaccinated against Yellow Fever and will need an International Vaccination Certificate to prove this when we cross some borders. It is also advisable to be vaccinated before embarking on African adventure travel against Typhoid, Tetanus, Polio, Hepatitis A and Meningitis. Consult your doctor about the necessity of having Hepatitis B and Rabies shots and further Africa travel information regarding medicine and vaccination. Malaria - When it comes to African safari travel it is vital that you take Malaria into consideration. Some GPs are quite well versed in tropical medicine, vaccination requirements and malarial prevention. However, many are not! If you are not happy with the information your doctor has provided for your health concerns during your trip, contact a reputable travel clinic in your area or phone us and we can give you the number of several clinics. There are a number of prophylactic malarial treatments on the market and requirements do change. Also, a particular regimen might suit you better than another. It is also wise to take a sample of which ever prophylactic you choose, a few weeks before you leave on your African safari travel experience. This way you may determine early on if you have any adverse reactions so you can change regimens if necessary. For gap year travel in Africa or other long periods of travel, a vaccination booklet is an easy way of keeping records of your immunisations.
WEBSITES THAT MIGHT ALSO BE OF INTEREST: FCO Travel Advice www.fco.gov.uk/travel
UK Government run site with loads of good information on all aspects of travel abroad
Medical Travel Advice www.nathnac.org/travel/index.htm
Useful information and advice for travellers about what vaccinations they may need and general health related issues when travelling abroad. The site is funded by the Department of Health and is based at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases.
World Medical Advice www.wmc-card.co.uk
World Medical Center offers a Card for a nominal fee that enables you to carry any medical information such as medication, allergies and blood type and next of kin information in a credit card style format. The information is then readable by doctors anywhere in the world with a scanning device or by breaking the seal and reading the text inside. The Card is not insurance but is designed to give you safer medical treatment if you need it when abroad.
Where to find a Visa card ATM overseas www.visa.com
Find an ATM machine (some locations will only issue cash in local currency)
Where to find a Mastercard ATM overseas www.mastercard.com
Find an ATM machine (some locations will only issue cash in local currency)
For further information please contact us by phone fax or email. We are always willing to chat about any of the tours. Our Pre-Departure Dossiers also have further information on each of our African tours.
