Travel in Southern Africa
What are your options if you want to travel to southern Africa?
Southern Africa encompasses many countries, such as Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Botswana and South Africa and a fair few islands, such as the Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar. As a result, your travel options are varied; your only limit is your budget.
Speak to your travel agent about various tour packages to specific countries in Africa. For instance, package tours to South Africa could focus on the Kruger National Par...
Travel in Southern Africa
What are your options if you want to travel to southern Africa?
Southern Africa encompasses many countries, such as Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Botswana and South Africa and a fair few islands, such as the Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar. As a result, your travel options are varied; your only limit is your budget.
Speak to your travel agent about various tour packages to specific countries in Africa. For instance, package tours to South Africa could focus on the Kruger National Park or the winelands in the Western Cape.
Alternatively, tour operators for the Seychelles could promote scuba diving deals, while agents in Madagascar could offer a variety of eco-tours.
Take an African cruise
Most people associate Africa with safaris but there are, in fact, many water-based travel options, such river and ocean cruises. For instance, there are many cruise ships that operate on the Zambezi River, Lake Malawi and along the Mozambican and South African coast.
Cruise deals vary from luxury weekend trips to shorter day cruises and even romantic sunset cruises.
If you don’t fancy all the trimmings that go with a cruise ship you can always charter a boat and traverse the waterways on the ultimate private holiday.
The Vaal River in South Africa is perfect for short boat trips, especially on a speed boat, but you might want to slow down the pace and float idly down the Zambezi on one of the many boat houses for hire.
You can also charter a fishing boat and hit the Indian or Atlantic Ocean for a spot of deep-sea fishing. The aquamarine waters of the Seychelles and Mauritius are perfect for yacht charters, which can include deep-sea fishing, diving and just plain sailing.
Travel in style
One of the primary concerns of holiday makers all over the world is what happens once they land. How do they get from the airport to wherever they need to go?
The international airports in most countries in southern Africa have shuttle services that will take you from the airport to your hotel. South Africa’s Gautrain runs between the main cities of Johannesburg and Pretoria but it also has a line from the OR Tambo International airport to Sandton and is guaranteed to be one of the fastest train trips on the continent.
Some tour operators might include pick-up services from the airport, in which case, depending on the operator, you could travel to your destination in a limousine, ordinary sedan, bus or taxi.
If your package tour doesn’t extend to limousine hire you can always hire your own limo, or simply rent a car from one of the many rental agents that are prevalent at most airports.
Also, depending on your destination, travel agent, tour operator and package deal, you can hire a party bus, although this is only recommended for groups travelling together.
Travel Information
Hiring limousines and party buses, boat charters and train trips aside, you need to be well armed with country-specific information if you want to travel to Africa.
Some countries, such as Mozambique, are high-risk malaria zones, while others, like South Africa, only have small risk areas. Some countries require specific vaccinations, such as yellow fever and hepatitis A, depending on your point of origin.
Different countries also have different visa requirements.
Your tour operator should provide you with all essential travel information before you book your tickets.
For additional advice, especially as far as medical requirements are concerned, it’s a good idea to chat to your GP.
Otherwise you can go online and investigate interactive maps and find out miscellaneous travel information about your holiday destinations in South Africa, Namibia, the DRC and Angola.