BOOKING CONDITIONS AND ACCEPTANCE ON THIS SAFARI
Please ensure that you are aware of our booking conditions. Please ask your agent for a copy of the booking conditions for africian safari trips. Your travelling on the safari implies acceptance of these conditions.
Southern Africa is a relatively healthy place in which to live and travel. Please do not go overboard with the information put out by some of the disease control centres abroad. We often have guests arriving who have had every possible injection available and who are taking every pill imaginable. We sometimes meet guests travelling in totally healthy areas who are petrified to touch the local salads and fruits or drink the local water. As a result, they do not enjoy the region as much as they should. Many parts of Africa do have problems with their water and with their foods. Southern Africa, however, is generally a lot safer than the rest of Africa, so please don't over~react to the detriment of your own enjoyment. Be careful, but not overcautious. If in doubt, ask your guide for advice.
PHOTOGRAPHY
The choice of the correct camera equipment and film will determine the quality of your photographs on the trip. For good photography of birds and animals, a good SLR camera and telephoto lens is necessary. A zoom lens can be extremely useful on safari and the minimum recommended size is 200mm. Consideration should be given before traveling with any lens bigger than 400 mm as most interesting shots are taken using hand held equipment. The new high-resolution digital cameras are outstanding and give great quality images, especially if you are using a digital camera body which takes normal camera lenses. Camera bodies like the Canon D60 and 1D are superb. The advantage of digital photography is that one can get instant feedback and adjustments can be made in the field to your techniques to ensure that your photographs are the quality that you would like. Color reversal film (slides) will give far better quality than prints.
The guides have found that they are getting the best results using Fuji film. Fuji has brought out a good high-speed film that gives good color with very little grain (less so than any of their competitors). This is especially useful when using a big lens in low light situations. The guides' personal preference is the slower film (either 50 or 100 ASA) as this gives almost perfect quality for normal light. However, you may consider going to 200 ASA for a larger lens in low lighting conditions. The new Fuji 400, we believe is giving great results too. The only disadvantage with the low ASA film is that you need a tripod for the early morning and evening shots. IMPORTANT: BRING SPARE FILM (ALTHOUGH IT IS AVAILABLE IN MOST CAMPS/LODGES) AND A SPARE CAMERA BATTERY.
PASSPORTS & VISAS
International visitors require a valid passport together with onward travel documents.
If traveling to South Africa then guests must please ensure that their passport is valid for at least 6 months after their entry date and that they have a minimum of 2 blank pages (if there is insufficient space in the passport then entry will be denied) in their passport to enable the entry visa to be issued. In addition if a father (or mother) is traveling with his (her) children alone then a letter of consent, certified by their local police, must be signed by the mother (father) and carried with them.
All passport holders should verify with their travel agent or relevant consulate concerning visa entry requirements. If you are extending your journey to other countries, please establish entry requirements for those countries as well.
Please ensure that you have all the necessary visas prior to departure (unless available on entry) AS NONE OF THE WILDERNESS GROUP OF COMPANIES, THEIR STAFF, THEIR AGENTS NOR THEIR OPERATORS CAN BE HELD LIABLE FOR ANY ERRORS.
LOSS OF ARTICLES
Please note that we cannot accept any responsibility for the misplacement of any articles while on your travels. Naturally, we will endeavour to re-unite you with your misplaced items. However, logistics may not be favorable for the returning of articles unless you are prepared to pay for the cost to get your goods back to you. Any costs incurred in this process will be for your own account. This issue is possibly the single biggest form of stress for guests who have left their goods behind somewhere in route and who are not prepared to pay for the costs to be reunited with their possessions. So please make sure that you keep all your goods with you.
DRINKS POLICY
Drinks in camps may be included or excluded. Please refer to your itinerary for specific details.
DUTY FREE
Please make sure any duty free purchases of camera film, alcohol, etc. are made before arriving in southern Africa.
LAUNDRY
Laundry can be done at most camps. This service is complimentary at some managed camps but there may be a nominal charge at other establishments. The camp staff will not wash underwear, due to prevailing local traditions in the country.
POWER AT CAMPS
All our camps are situated in remote areas and we have to generate our own electricity. We do so in a number of ways. Each camp has a generator that runs for about 6 hours per day (3 hours in the morning and 3 in the afternoon when guests are out on activities). These generators then charge batteries located at each tented room, which provide good 12v lights all night (if used sensibly).
There are no 220v or 110v power points in camp. If you need to have your video battery re-charged we can do so while you are out on an activity. Therefore, please bring a spare battery for use while the other is being charged. These systems are simple but perfectly functional.
Electrical plug outlets are not available in the camp tented rooms and therefore it is not possible to use such appliances such as hairdryers or electric shavers during your stay there.
Everyone must bring his or her own pair of BINOCULARS in order to get the most out of the safaris |
