Included in trip price and Local payment

The tour cost and local tour payment includes transport in a fully equipped overland expedition vehicle, road taxes and tolls, services of the driver-leader, use of camping and cooking equipment, campsite fees, entrance to game parks as specified, and two meals a day while on the truck. Generally at lunchtimes we eat at small cafes or restaurants where you can try cheap and tasty local food. If no local food is available we eat on the truck.

Not included in price

The price does not include flights; ask us for a flight and personal insurance quote, we have very competitive rates. Nor does it include visas, side trips, lunches and meals out. There are a number of optional side trips that you can choose from and pay for on the route.

* Please be aware that once you are booked, your deposit and balance is non refundable. Insure yourself when you book for the full duration of the trip and your whole time away.

Local Payment

Payable in £ Pounds Sterling cash but you can pay in $US dollars or Euros cash at the current cross exchange rate on date of departure, check with the driver for the rate. Please pay this to the driver on departure. Traveller’s cheques, cards or other forms of payment are not accepted.

Buying your flight from Africa

Flight - Although it is our intention to finish the tour on the finishing date, in case of delays en route you should allow a couple days at the end of the trip before you fly out to London or home.

Insurance You must be insured against personal accident, medical expenses and repatriation expenses. We only carry passengers on the understanding that, in most African countries through which we travel no passenger or vehicle liability is available whatsoever. You should take out insurance when you pay your deposit for the tour or for flights so that you are insured against cancellation (for medical reasons, for example). We can organise insurance for you. Bring your policy with you. Be aware if you travel without insurance and you need to get home urgently due to ill health or family problems, you or those responsible for you could incur bills running into many thousands. We can supply you with insurance, please ask when booking.

Inoculations and Malaria

Inoculations - You 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 against Typhoid; Rabies; Hepatitis A; Hepatitis B; Tetanus; Polio and Meningitis.

If possible start your vaccinations two months, but as late as two weeks before departure. Your GP can also inoculate but may take a while to get to get the vaccine in.

Malaria - The risk of contracting malaria in the areas we visit is high. You should be aware that malaria tablets offer only partial protection against malaria and that you should couple taking the tablets with mosquito bite avoidance. The malarial mosquitoes come out at night that is from the beginning of sunset onwards, so from this time you should cover up in long sleeves, jeans or track suit pants plus socks, as mosquitoes tend to bite around the feet and ankles. You must also use insect repellent containing Deet, bring some you will need it. The use of repellents and covering up can be as effective as the use of tablets, so by coupling both methods of protection together you should be malaria free. Whatever type of prophylactic you choose to use you should try a sample of it well before you go as adverse reactions can occur. This often happens with the Larium or Mephloquine type of drug. A can of fly spray is handy for clearing your tent of mosquitoes and bugs before you go to bed.

Medical Kits We carry First Aid kits on board for emergency use only. However, the crew is not entitled to recommend or prescribe any medicine. We advise a health check with your GP and Dentist before you start your journey, and that you carry your own medical kit with you.

General tour info

Video Cameras In most campsites you can charge from the mains so bring a travel adaptor plug, as you'll come across virtually every type of socket ever invented plus a few others. Most countries run on 220 or 240 volt current. You should also bring at least one spare battery with you as you will not be able to purchase spares en-route.

Mobile Phones Your own mobile phone will work abroad if you have roam facility enabled on a dual band phone. Coverage is generally good. Although convenient for outgoing calls at rates of around $2 per minute, incoming calls can cost up to $10 per minute to receive. In most campsites you can charge from the mains using a travel adaptor plug. You can charge off the truck if you have a 24 volt in-car charger though charging from the vehicle will reduce the life of your batteries.

Life on the road There are times when we will have some long drives in order to cover big distances, but on most days that we travel, we only move for half the day. The African landscape and people you pass are never boring and most find it hard to put their head down and read whilst on the road, for fear of missing something. Most evenings we pull into camp and you and your tent partner will put up your tent, then either relax with a cool drink, or get involved in a local activity. Breakfast is usually cereal, toast, tea, and coffee, with the occasional cooked breakfast. Lunch, if we eat on the truck is cold.

Spending Money $25 - $40 a day is a good start excluding side trips. Of course this varies from person to person depending on how much you drink, eat and how many souvenirs you buy. In most parts of Africa it is difficult to change travellers cheques and to use ATMs so we suggest for ease of exchange and better rates of exchange take your money as 50% travellers cheques and 50% cash. As travelling with cash is risky please ensure that you have adequate insurance to hedge against the risk of loss. Be aware that if your cash is lost it is very unlikely you will recover it. In Zimbabwe you need $US cash to change at the banks and they can ask for proof of purchase. A credit card is handy for emergency spending only, but useless for day-to-day spending. Do not rely on credit cards/switch type cards until you get to Southern Africa as money machines are almost non-existent. For spending in Namibia it is best to start the trip with $250 changed into South African Rand as you can't change money for the first few days. You can spend rand all over Namibia and of course in South Africa at the end of the trip, get it before leaving home or at the airport as you fly out.

Maps It's good to have your own map to follow the trip as you go. In Africa use the Michelin 955 of Africa, central and south.

Washing Most of the time you can wash every day and at camp sites you can do your laundry or often have it done for you quite cheaply.

E-mail Can be collected approx every week or two, from £1-£5 to connect.

Camping Tents are provided and all have sown in floors and mosquito netting. You will need to bring with you a sleeping bag, sleep sheet, foam roll mat or airbed. Bring a mosquito net only if you want to sleep outside of your tent, these can be bought in Africa.

Photography African authorities require that tourists do not take pictures of airports, railway stations or military installations. We are often in areas where locals are not used to being photographed and we ask you to show them every respect and courtesy. For SLR cameras we recommend a telephoto of around 120mm or an 80-200 zoom. High-speed film is usually necessary for photographing gorillas or game in early morning or late afternoon particularly if using a long lens. It is best to purchase all film prior to arrival in Africa.

Suggested list of clothing and equipment The less you take the less you have to pack, wash, lug home and you'll always pick up extras along the way. You'll be travelling in the heat and camping in the cool, so bring clothes for all climates, rough stuff is best. The best type of carrier is a rucksack (with an internal frame) or a kit bag.

Sleeping bag & sleeping mat
Medical kit - Bring your own simple kit
Re-hydration sachets available from any chemist
Insect repellent containing Deet e.g. Jungle Juice
Sun cream
Headache tablets
Plasters
Malaria tablets
Toiletries - You can buy most basic toiletries easily in Africa
Toothbrush and toothpaste, dental floss
Soap in a container & razors
Towel & shampoo
Tampons/condoms; enough for the trip
Clothes
Socks
Shirts
Jeans/long trousers
Underwear
Sweatshirt/jumper
Shorts, T-shirts, swimsuit
Skirt
Sandals/flip flops/jandals/thongs
Walking shoes
Small day-pack or bag to carry your daily items
Hat and sunglasses
Camera (in a protective case), spare batteries and all the film you think necessary
Money belt or pouch to hold your passport
Vaccination book
Travellers cheques
Books, personal CD player and CD's
Torch & spare batteries
Water bottle at least 1.5 litres, any old water bottle is fine and these are available in most shops on the way

The easiest and best way to travel is as lightly as possible, taking just what is necessary. Most people make the mistake of bringing too much luggage.

PASSPORTS AND VISAS

Your passport should be valid for at least 6 months with 5 clear pages, 20 for the Trans Africa. If you have dual nationality you should use only one passport. Check what visas you need before departure with the relevant consulates or with www.embassyworld.com

AFRICA – Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe – visas are required by most nationalities, but for most these can be obtained on entry. Or if preferred you can get them from your local embassy before you travel. Botswana, Namibia and South Africa – visas are not required by most passport holders.

MIDDLE EAST – Turkey - Most nationalities need a visa for which can be obtained on arrival. Syria and Jordan – We enter on a group visa which is obtained on route. Egypt – All nationalities need one which can be obtained on entry or from you local Egyptian Embassy. South African and Zimbabweans should contact us for their visa needs. Passports and inoculations cards with any Israeli stamps can’t be used on this trip.

TRANS AFRICA – Visas needed for most countries. These we normally get on route.

WEATHER

Passports & Visa's

Your passport must be valid for at least six months with five clear pages.For the Trans Africa trip 25 clear pages are required. If you have dual nationality you can only do the trip on one passport.

N.B. Nationalities other than NZ, Australia or United Kingdom please seek local consular advice for your visa requirements prior to departure. US and most EU residents can also obtain their visas on the borders (for similar prices to the UK visas) however, as visa requirements are subject to constantly change it is advisable to check before travel.

Please be advised that visa costs can change overnight so prices used are current at the time of publishing.

Tour highlights

The Great Rift Valley is a geographical and geological feature, approximately 6,000 kilometres (3,700 mi) in length, which runs from northern Syria in Southwest Asia to central Mozambique in East Africa. Caused by the geological process of rifting, it is a complex feature where several tectonic plates of the earth's crust join. The rift valley varies from 30 to 100 kilometres in width and from a few hundred to several thousand meters in depth. It was named by the explorer John Walter Gregory.

Ngorongoro Conservation Area The Ngorongoro Conservation Area, established in 1959, is a pioneering experiment in multiple land use. Here pastoralists, conservation and tourism co-exist in a carefully managed harmony. The centrepiece of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area is the breathtaking Ngorongoro Crater which is a caldera.
The Crater floor is a natural sanctuary for thousands of animals and many species of insects and birds. Lush highlands surround the Crater, falling away to the tawny plains and alkaline lakes of the Great Rift Valley.

Serengeti National Park Serengeti National Park is undoubtedly the best-known wildlife sanctuary in the world, unequalled for its natural beauty and scientific value; it has the greatest concentration of plains game in Africa.

The name 'Serengeti' comes from the Maasai language and appropriately means an 'extended place'. The National Park lies between the shores of Lake Victoria in the west, Lake Eyasi in the south, and the Great Rift Valley to the east. As such, it offers the most complex and least disturbed ecosystem on earth.

Dar es Salaam Dar es Salaam is the largest city and the political and economic capital of Tanzania. Located in a quiet bay off the Indian Ocean coast, the city has grown in economic importance to become a prosperous centre of the entire East African region. Its bustling harbour is the main port in Tanzania and also the departure point for the Island of Zanzibar.

Zanzibar Island Portuguese invasion and control of the Swahili Coast in the late 16th century ended the golden age of the archipelago, although the Omani Arabs returned to power less than a century later. Today, many of the winding streets and high townhouses of old Stone Town remain unchanged and visitors can walk between the sultan’s palace, the House of Wonders, the Portuguese fort and gardens, the merchants’ houses, and the Turkish baths of the old city. Day-long spice tours to working plantations offer visitors the chance to observe the cultivation of cloves, vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon, and other spices that have made the island famous.

Are paid for on the spot. As a guide to help you budget your spending money, below are approximate costs for the side trips ($US). These prices are only a guide and may vary.