FAQ's
I am a Single Traveller, Is this okay?
You don’t have to worry about the fact that you are traveling alone. We also have a lot of single travelers. That’s the great thing about these trips is that you are in a group so you won't feel alone at all. There is no single supplement on our rates so everyone pays the same.
How close do you get to the Gorillas?
The "official" policy is that you are not allowed to get closer than 7metres from them, However - we have had groups that have had a Silverback nearly in their laps. They are inquisitive by nature & it is not unusual for them to approach humans.
What’s the best deal on insurance?
Global Village’s policy covers for Africa overlanding and repatriation.
See http://www.globalvillage-travel.com/insurance.asp for more details
What’s the age limit?
With regards to age limits, we have had younger and older passengers travel with us without any problem. We just ask that you are fit enough as we have participation trips. Other trips are only open to participants aged 18 and older. You will be required to put up & down your own tent, help out the cook with cooking & cleaning duties and do security. You will need to be able to climb the ladder steps to get on & off the Overland truck. Passengers over 60 years are required to have a medical certificate.
What else do I pay for besides the tour cost?
LOCAL PAYMENT:
The Local Payment forms part of your total trip cost and is used to make payments by your Tour Leader whilst on tour - covering items like Fresh Products, camp fees and Park Entrance fees. The Local payment is paid to your Tour Leader at the Pre departure meeting, so you don't have to carry it with you and worry about it. Therefore we require Local payment to be paid in US$ cash only.
OPTIONAL ACTIVITIES:
These are activities, which are available for you to do along the way on the tour, but are not compulsory. This is why we have not included them in the tour cost. The Optional activities must be booked & paid for along the way and suggested form of payment is US$ cash. Sometimes you can pay by Travelers Cheques or Credit card, however the surcharges, particularly in East Africa can be very high, sometimes up to 14% for Credit Card!
PLEASE NOTE HOWEVER: The Serengeti / Ngorongoro Crater and the Okavango Delta Mokoro Optional excursion can be paid in US$ Travelers Cheques or US$ cash. Please note there is now a 5% Travellers Cheque commission charge to pay for the Serengeti/Ngorongoro Crater trip.
DAILY SPENDING:
We also recommend a guideline of about US$ 25 (2007 guideline only) per person for spending money daily to cover things like Bottled water, Refreshments, Curios and drinks. Of course this amount varies depending on how much of a curio shopper and drinker you are!!
What if I cant get to my pre-departure meeting?
It’s no problem if you can't make the Pre Departure meeting. Just make a note of this when booking on your Booking form, so that we can advise your Tour guide. We send you most of what they speak about in a Pre Departure document when your tour is confirmed to you.
As you will miss the Pre departure meeting we recommend that we pre-book you into the Pre departure hotel for the night before the tour starts, so that you at least don't have to worry about taking a taxi to the departure point the next morning but are already there. You will also need to pay your Local payment to your tour guide the morning of departure instead. Remember to bring this (and any other US$ cash you might need for Optional excursions and personal expenditure) with in US$ cash.
Pre Departure Meetings in Kenya are held at departure point at 5:00pm the day before your departure.
Departure Points in Nairobi, Boulevard Hotel, Harry Thuku Road. Check In Time: 8:45am Departure Time: 9:30am
I enjoy walking/hiking, where will I have an opportunity to hike on tour?
There will be opportunity along the way to do walking and hiking as follows:
Namibia - Sossusvlei: We walk up the Sanddune - Dune 45 over 100metres high.
Malawi - Livingstonia Mission (a Mission village 600m above Lake Malawi) is about a 10-hour hike for those eager feet who would rather be active than relax on the shores of Lake Malawi.
Gorilla Trekking for tours that include this option - trek ranges from 2 hours to 8 hours depending on location of Gorillas and fitness.
Must we bring Sleeping Bag & Sleeping mats on tour?
YES! We provide 2 man tents and camping equipment, but you need to bring along your own Sleeping Bag and Sleeping Mat/Thermorest.
Cotswolds Outdoors do this one below for about £30.
We thinks its worth getting a thermorest (a self inflating mat) - theyre available in Blacks of Greenock, Snow and Rock, Cotswolds Outdoors or any decent camping store. Blacks do a budget one from £40.
Also get a sheet sleeping bag (a kind of inner lining sleeping bag - theyre very easy to make - fold a double sheet in half lengthwise and sew up the sides and bottom - takes 20 mins or take it to a dry cleaners/tailors and theyll do it on a sewing machine for a couple of pounds. Sheet sleeping bags, especially if you use a cotton sheet, will also make youre journey so much more comfortable and they last for ages. Blacks of Greenock do one for about £15.
I want to see the Migration, when should I travel?
The Migration follows a general pattern, however being wild animals, the exact location cannot be guaranteed. Herewith a guideline pattern they have been following in the past years. We also recommend you read up on this if your trip is planned around this amazing event!
December to February:
Serengeti region: Wildebeest "smell rain", graze and in February give birth
March to May/June:
Lake Victoria region: Animals follow rains along Western Corridor to Lake Victoria region
July to August:
Mara region: Animals head East to the Mara region for grazing.
*Lake Nakuru is known for its fantastic Flamingo colony.
Where can you see a lake of Pink Flamingoes?
Pink Flamingoes can be seen seasonally at Walvis Bay in Namibia; Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania and year round in Lake Nakuru in Kenya.
When is the best time to travel to Africa?
East Africa straddles the equator but remember it is a misconception that everywhere on the Equator is hot. Generally the short rains arrive in October & November when there is a pounding of rain most afternoons before the sun shines brightly again. These rains are not too inconvenient whilst traveling, but it is the endless long rains from February to March when you might want to avoid traveling in East Africa. It’s not much fun rolling up a wet tent every morning. Summer below the equator is from November to February when most days are clear and sunny. The tropical coast of Mozambique gets a pounding of rain in February and March and this is not the best time to travel there,(therefore I Mozambique trips run May-Nov only), whilst the Zambezi Valley in Zimbabwe and Zambia becomes excessively hot during October and November before the onset of the mild and cooling rains. Botswana and Namibia receive little rain but can get hot in summer and surprisingly cold in winter. These are desert regions, and like all deserts temperatures drop sharply at night. Camping out in the depths of winter here, July through to August can be quite chilly. South Africa has a moderate climate all year round though Cape Town is wet and windy in the depths of winter when Table Mountain spends most of its time under cloud, and Johannesburg gets a pounding of dramatic electrical storms over summer. Remember this is a guideline only as weather conditions can't be guaranteed!
Must I get a Yellow Fever Vaccination?
YES if you are visiting Kenya, Tanzania or Zambia, or have recently visited an Yellow Fever region in the world. You will not be allowed on the ferry to Zanzibar if you don’t have a Yellow Fever Vaccination card and some of the countries in Southern Africa will not let you in without a card if you are coming from a Yellow Fever endemic area. It is strongly advised to have a Yellow Fever Vaccination if you are visiting any East African countries. Remember to bring along your International Vaccination card as proof of your vaccinations.
How do I charge my batteries for my camera/ipod/laptop?
We recommend you bring along 2 sets of rechargeable batteries + 2 sets of normal batteries, so you can be guaranteed of having working batteries at all times. Some of the campsites will have electricity points (bring along an international converter plug) where you can recharge your batteries. If you know you take a lot of photos, then rather spend a bit more on buying an extra card with a high storage capacity and bring along extra batteries.
Will there be Internet access on the road?
Internet access in Africa is slowly increasing, however internet access speed can still be very slow. Remember to tell those at home eagerly awaiting emails, that you might often be on the road 5-7 days between emailing! There are not going to be many places where you can download photos, as this is normally only possible in big cities at Internet cafes with fast connections, so bring along an extra card for your digital camera if you like taking lots of photos! Internet Cafes can be found in Nairobi, Arusha, Zanzibar, Victoria Falls, Maun, Swakopmund and Cape Town
Flights – how do I get there?
Open Jaw tickets
An Open Jaw airfare is an airline ticket in which the traveller flies into one city eg Nairobi and back from another eg Cape Town. The “surface” trip between these two cities is then made by the Overland Tuck. Moreover it’s usually cheaper than buying two one way tickets.
So if you’re coming back to the UK these Open Jaw tickets are some of the best value tickets you can get.
As Africa Tour specialists, Global Village have some great deals on IT fares (Inclusive Tour rates), that you just can’t and won’t find online, whatsmore we have them on some superb UK and European airlines, not Air Dodgy. We're the experts, so ask us about our Open Jaw IT fares.
eg:
UK - Nairobi surface Victoria Falls - UK fr £450 plus tax
UK - Nairobi surface Johannesburg - UK fr £390 plus tax
UK - Nairobi surface Cape Town - UK fr £399 plus tax
UK - Nairobi surface Dar Es Salaam - UK fr £370 plus tax
Onward tickets to Australia and New Zealand
A lot of our passengers are Australians and New Zealanders going back home. We call it the Ultimate Africa Journey Home. What we've discovered over the years is that time travelling through Africa is expensive (Time equals money spent). So flying a portion of the trip home seems to make a lot of sense, especially if you only have between 2 weeks and 3 months to get home. Basically you'll fly some of the trip and surface (ie make your own way between certain cities) the rest.
Another thing is that these fares are common rated (ie the same price) from London Heathrow, Manchester, Edinburgh and Glasgow.
eg:
UK - Nairobi surface Johannesburg - Australia and New Zealand fr £532 plus tax
UK - Dar Es Salaam surface Johannesburg - Australia and New Zealand fr £532 plus tax
UK - Nairobi surface Johannesburg - Perth - Auckland fr £532 plus tax
UK - Nairobi surface Johannesburg - Sydney - Auckland fr £532 plus tax
Round the World tickets
Global Village are the round the world experts. Our website roundtheworldflights.com is Number 1 on Google and we do thousands of RTWs every year. What most passengers don’t realise is that you can do RTWs incorporating Africa. The tickets have a huge bonus in that they’re mostly valid for 12 months and and can be changed free of charge or for a small fee of £10. In our opinion the best value RTWs, that in effect will give you the Africa as one stopover, is the 7 stop Qantas Round the World fare, that start from £825 plus tax (tax varies hugely on RTWs but budget on anything between £180-£350).
Below is an example of the price variations on different seasons.
Departure Dates
01 Jan - 15 Jan £1136
16 Jan - 15 Apr £932
16 Apr - 15 Jun £824
16 Jun - 30 Jun £932
01 Jul - 14 Aug £1136
15 Aug - 30 Nov £932
01 Dec - 09 Dec £1030
10 Dec - 23 Dec £1315
24 Dec - 31 Dec £1136
An added bonus is that you can fly from London Heathrow, Manchester, Glasgow and Edinburgh for the same fare. These are just some of the many hundreds of example routes you could fly.
eg:
UK - Nairobi surface Johannesburg - Perth - Sydney - Cairns - Auckland - Hong Kong - Bangkok - UK from £824 + tax
UK - Johannesburg - Perth surface Sydney - Auckland - Fiji - Hawaii - San Francisco - UK from £725 + tax
UK - Nairobi surface Cape Town - Johannesburg - Perth - Ayers Rock - Sydney - Fiji - Los Angeles surface New York - UK from £824 + tax
UK - Nairobi surface Johannesburg - Perth - Sydney - Auckland - Santiago surface Buenos Aires - UK from £796 + tax
There are other round the world tickets such as the One World and Star Alliance which might work better. Talk to your consultant and the can tailor make an RTW ticket for you - without it costing heaps.
Links to more info