South Africa travel FAQ's
SOUTH AFRICA:
Australia: No visa required
Belgium: No visa required
Canada: No visa required
Germany: No visa required
Ireland: No visa required
Netherlands: No visa required
New Zealand: No visa required
Switzerland: No visa required
United Kingdom: No visa required
USA: No visa required
Citizens of the above countries do not need visas to visit South Africa as a tourist for up to three months. Citizens of all other countries should check with the relevant consulates as to whether a visa is required.
Entry Requirements – Passports:
Please note that non-machine readable passports are no longer accepted by South African immigration. All visitors to South Africa must have a machine readable travel document (e-passport). Failure to present an e-passport will result in denied entry. Passengers with a valid visa issued in a non-machine readable passport will be handled on a case by case basis, but a fine will still be applicable.
Entry Requirements - Yellow Fever Certificate:
A valid Yellow Fever Vaccination Certificate is required for all passengers over one year of age who arrive or are transiting through South Africa, from a country or region listed by the World Health Organization as infected by yellow fever. Travellers unable to present a valid yellow fever vaccination certificate issued at least 10 days before arrival in South Africa will be refused entry. There is no option for travellers without a vaccination certificate to be vaccinated on arrival. Please note this also includes transiting through an infected country or region.
Entry Requirements - Travelling with Children:
Parents need to produce an original unabridged birth certificate if they are travelling with children. This regulation has been put in place to protect children from being abducted, kidnapped and child trafficking. The Department of Home Affairs has urged all parents to apply for unabridged certificates for their children. Additionally, further documentation including permission to travel, may be required if only one parent is travelling. These are requirements of the immigration regulation 6 (12)(a) for parents travelling with children.
We recommend travellers check all entry and visa requirements before travel as they can change.
It's considered polite to tip service workers in South Africa, as most receive a small wage. As a general rule, add 10-15% to bills at cafes, bars and restaurants (if it hasn’t already been added). Tour guides, drivers, valets and porters also should be tipped (5-10 ZAR should be sufficient).
Travellers will be able to access the internet quite easily in the internet cafes of South Africa’s large cities but limited to no access should be expected in rural areas.
Mobile phone coverage is very good in South Africa’s large cities and towns, but less so in rural and mountainous areas. Ensure you have global roaming activated before leaving home if you wish to use your mobile phone. However a cheaper option may be to buy a sim card at the airport and purchase a plan with both calls and data.
South Africa is modern country with mostly flushable toilets. However, areas like national parks and rural villages may have squat toilets.
Coffee in a cafe = 12 ZAR
Beer in a bar = 16 ZAR
Simple takeaway meal = 35 ZAR
Bottle of wine = 45 ZAR
Three-course restaurant meal = 300 ZAR
Tap water is safe to drink in South Africa’s cities, however drinking tap water in rural areas isn't recommended. For environmental reasons, try to avoid buying bottled water. Fill a reusable water bottle or canteen with filtered water. Ask your tour guide where filtered water can be found, some hotels we stay in may have drinking water available.
Credit cards are usually accepted by large hotels, modern shops and western-style restaurants but not by smaller vendors. Ensure you have adequate cash to cover purchases where credit cards are not accepted.
There are many ATM's in the cities and regional towns of South Africa. Rural areas, national parks and small villages will have limited to no ATM's.
Absolutely. All passengers travelling with Hoza Africa are required to purchase travel insurance before the start of their trip. Your travel insurance details will be recorded by your tour guide on the first day of the trip. Due to the varying nature, availability and cost of health care around the world, travel insurance is very much an essential and necessary part of every journey.
Please note these dates are for 2017.
Your safety is our first and highest priority. Your personal tour guide will take all the necessary precautions to insure your safety, while on holiday and traveling with us.
Luxury Guided Holiday Tours, Golf Tours, and Day Tours.
Johannesburg
Cape Town
Gold Reef City
