A few years ago, Zambia decided to boost its tourism appeal by introducing a Visa-waiver for visitors who had pre-booked accommodation in Zambia. It began with Victoria Falls and has spread to the whole of Zambia.

In theory this is how the process works. Our clients send us their passport numbers about three weeks prior to arrival and we send this information onto the first lodge where they are staying in Zambia as well as out clients’ total length of stay in Zambia. This information is handed into the immigration authorities at the airport or border post where the clients will be arriving. It is usually, though not always, filed under the name of the lodge. When the client arrives at the immigration desk, they tell the officials where they are staying and the official looks up their names in the file for that particular lodge or safari company. The client’s name is found and the visa is granted.

However in practice recently we’ve found that the system is not working as well as it should, and that the success rate for receiving the fee-waivered visa is hovering around 60%. It seems that certain border posts are more efficient than others.

What this means is that all clients should be aware that we cannot guarantee a fee-waivered visa. Even if you give us your passport number at the correct time and we pass it on to the lodge and the lodge hands it into the authorities, we are at the mercy of government administration. Be aware that you might have to pay, and then when it all works smoothly, you can rejoice that you received a free visa.

If you are at the immigration counter and they cannot find your name, make sure that they know exactly where you are staying. It is worth standing your ground a little bit so that they do more than just a cursory search. But the visa is not that expensive, in the context of your overall safari, so if a reasonable search does not produce a positive result, we recommend that you accept it with good grace. However please tell your lodge that the system didn’t work, as they can then follow-up with the authorities to improve the situation in the future.

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If you are coming on safari during the peak (dry) season, this is winter in Southern Africa. What this means is that it’s cold in the early morning and after the sun sets but usually pleasantly warm, but not hot, during the day. So far so good…

But keep in mind that most safari lodges are built to enjoy the bush as much as possible. What this means in practice is that many lodges are open to the elements so that even if you dine in the lodge, instead of in the boma, this might not necessarily mean that you will be completely enclosed. Be warned!

So I advise you to bring very warm clothes with you for the game drives and that means hat, scarf, gloves and warm jacket. You probably won’t need these for the afternoon part of the drive but once you’ve enjoyed your sunset drinks, you’ll want to start putting on your warm clothes.

Back at the lodge, your evening wear also needs to be warm. If you are dining in the boma, then the dress code is as casual as on the game drives. But many lodges alternate boma dining with fine dining in the lodge or on the lodge’s deck. You may wish to dress up a little. Think  thermal vests (from your skiing gear perhaps?)  to enable you to wear smarter, ( thinner) clothes on top and still be warm. I also recommend liberal use of pashminas. Finally if you are cold, don’t be shy to ask for more blankets even a hot water bottle. South Africans tend to assume that if they ignore the fact that it is winter, the winter will go away. They sometimes under-cater on this score so tell them!

Game drives
Wear comfortable casual clothing on a game drive. I also recommend that you take the following:

• Camera
• Binoculars (at least one pair between a couple)
• Sunblock
• Lipsalve
• Introductory Animal & Bird book – a number of lodges have inexpensive guides in their curio shops. This really enhances your enjoyment.

Children
If you are on a family safari, I strongly recommend taking or buying the following:

• Disposable camera for each child (so that they have something to do and don’t fight)
• Plenty of binoculars (for the above reasons)
• A children’s safari guide. I recommend the Bushveld Safari Guide for Children published by Struik.

Khaki?
Do you need to wear khaki? This is not strictly necessary though it is a very practical colour for the bush and helps you to feel in the mood. You’ll find that most people around you will be wearing a mix of darker, natural colours. The only time we suggest that people keep to the neutral bush colours is when you’re participating in a game walk.

For more Information & Travel ideas visit our main website at http://cedarberg-travel.com/