• > How Strenuous are these Trips?
• > Group Participants and Tour Leader
• > Private Tours and Custom Dates
• > Local Transportation
• > Accommodations
• > Meals
• > Climate
• > Travel Documents
• > Flights
• > Airline Tickets
• > Money
• > Health
• > Luggage & Clothing
• > Resources
• > Communication

How Strenuous are these Trips?

You should count on an active pace with lots of walking and nature exploration. There is no porter service so you should be able to carry your luggage from vehicle to lodgings. 

Group Participants and Tour Leader

Participants:  
International Group  MIN: 8 MAX: 20  Local tour leader speaks English and Afrikkans (the local form of Dutch).


Guide Service
They provide information about the daily life and culture and practical tips regarding restaurants, transport, admission fees, activities, etc.  The tour leader organizes and accompanies some activities but participants also enjoy independent time.
 
In-Country Staff
Our land representatives are situated in the destination country you will visit. We work closely with them and they function as our liaison with the guide, drivers and hotels. They are also available in the case of an emergency and their number will be provided on your emergency contact list.
 
Problems or Emergencies
While you are away, should you have a problem, you have several points of contact. Your guide, our land representative, and of course, we are just a call or email away. We will provide contact numbers for you before you leave. Please distribute this list to family or to your contact person at home. If someone needs to reach you from home due to an emergency, but is having difficulty due to language or bad connections, they can call our office and we will assist in contacting you.
 

What To Expect When Traveling on an INTERNATIONAL GROUP TRIP

Djoser, Inc. is an offshoot of a  highly regarded, Dutch tour operator, established in 1985 in the Netherlands.  Djoser has operated in the U.S. since 1998.  We share an outstanding network of land representatives around the world, many of whom have worked with us since our beginnings.  Many of our trips are offered in cooperation with the Djoser, Netherlands office.

On our Price/Dates pages you will see that departure dates are denoted as being organized for  NORTH AMERICAN GROUPS or INTERNATIONAL GROUPS.  On INTERNATIONAL GROUPS trips you will join Dutch and Belgian travelers. This multi-cultural aspect is the draw for many regular Djoser travelers, but not the perfect fit for every traveler. We invite you to consider the description below when selecting to travel with an INTERNATIONAL GROUP or a NORTH AMERICAN GROUP. 

All Djoser adventures are designed for active travelers with emphasis on cultural interaction and nature explorations. The balance of guidance and freedom is also crucial to our journeys. Our International Group programs are some of our most adventurous and comprehensive. Some trips feature days spent in remote areas, with some long drive days, and a night or two in very basic or indigenous accommodations.

The group size ranges from 8 to 22 travelers of all ages, most from Holland.  You will find 1 to 5 North Americans participating in these groups. Almost every participant will have a superb command of English, but you are sure to hear plenty of Dutch. You may need to exert a bit more effort to make initial contact but usually in a day or two, the group warms up to one another. The success of the social interaction tends to depend more on the individual personalities in the group rather than nationalities, just as with any other tour group. 

On most trips, a Dutch tour leader will accompany the group and will speak both Dutch and English. In a few countries, a local guide will accompany instead or will assist the Dutch tour leader, such as in Japan or Syria. 

These are not lecture tours. The guide functions as a logistics coordinator and you will receive the important information. The guide will organize and accompany some activities and meals, but also gives suggestions so that participants can dine and explore independently.  Participants on these trips are rather independent-minded and welcome time on their own in addition to the group activity. Don't expect as much one-one-one attention from the guide as you would find on a North American Group tour.  

On our African safaris with camping accommodations, there will be an English-speaking, African guide with a camp courier assisting with food preparations.Most of the safaris with lodge accommodations will have a a Dutch tour leader.

If you have a travel partner, or if you are solo and can easily engage with others, and welcome the idea of an international mix and an active travel style, then this should be a fun experience for you. If you are traveling alone, or if you are more introverted, blending with the group may be more challenging. Again, so much  depends on the chemistry of the individual group members.

We want you to be happy and it is important that you select a trip style that fits.  If you are worried that you will feel like the "odd man out" then we suggest that you consider a North American group trip.  But if you welcome the added layer and occasional challenges of this added cultural experience, as well as the more adventurous nature of these trips, then these journeys are for you. 

Feel free to call us with your questions. 877-356-7376

Private Tours and Custom Dates

Do you have your own group of 8 or more?  We an arrange this trip for you on a private group basis on a custom date.  Call for pricing. 

Local Transportation

Accommodations

We in South Africa using different types of accommodation. We stay in hotels, apartments and lodges / chalets. In Cape Town, Pretoria, Plettenberg, Durban and other places are comfortable hotels, with rooms with shower and toilet. The chalets / apartments / lodges sometimes have two double bedrooms, the living room and share a bathroom with up to three other participants.  Often there is a kitchenette where coffee and tea can be prepared. Frequently there is also a patio with seating.

Also, we stay a few nights in tented camp. You sleep in a spacious double tents, with regular beds and sanitation. In Pilanesberg we stay in a tented camp where we use communal bath facilities.  

Keep in mind that if you book a single room, in cottages, you can get a private bedroom but you will share bathroom and living room with others.  In Marakele National Park there are single rooms or tents so you must share here.

Meals

Meals are not included in the fare, so you can determine where and with whom you will eat.  In some remote overnight accommodations there may be only one restaurant . Much of the South African cuisine has its origin in India or Malaysia. There are also many typical African specialties on the menu: Bobotie for example, and miliepap and biltong. Bobotie is a delectable mixture of minced yellow rice and coconut. Biltong is mainly as a drink or snack in between snacks eaten. It is in strips or pieces of dried meat, a large variety of animals is made from buffalo or ostrich (like beef jerky). A popular activity in South Africa is holding a 'braai', our barbecue. During the nights in a chalet with your own 'braai vleis' you can prepare a barbecue. Fruit can be found in South Africa in abundance. Fresh fruit and fruit juices are also available everywhere. Breakfast is often a choice of eggs with bacon or boerewors, bread with jam or cheese and traditional miliepap made from cornmeal. With regard to alcohol there are many local beers and wines at reasonable prices.

Climate

South Africa is an ideal country for year-round traveling. Because it is situated in the Southern Hemisphere, the seasons are opposite to the States’; July is the coldest month and January the warmest. The climate is moderate; winters are mild and the summers can be quite hot. At night the temperature on the coast will not drop substantially. A bit more inland and in mountainous regions, you can experience very cool temperatures. The summer is comfortably warm with clear blue skies and temperatures between 77° and 84° Fahrenheit. There is no distinguishable monsoon period but every area has its own wet season. Because Zambia stretches over a high plateau averaging 3,000 ft. above sea level, it is not as hot as you would expect. May to October resembles a Mediterranean summer with warm, sunny days and cool, clear nights.

Check the weather for your destination: Check temperature and rainfall for specific cities on your trip, during your month of travel at www.worldweather.org

Travel Documents

A visa is not required for South Africa
 
Be sure to check with the Department of State for the most recent document requirements for travel to your destinations. Be sure that your passport is valid for at least six months after departure from your destination. Also make sure there are extra pages in your passport.  When completing VISA applications, be sure to confirm whether you will need a SINGLE or DOUBLE entry tourist visa. We will provide you in-country contact information for your visa application. The website for the Dept. of State is:  http://travel.state.gov/travel/travel_1744.html.


 

Flights

Airline Tickets

Money

Currency: South African Rand.
ATMS: in the large cities
Cash: Euro.
Credit cards: Widely accepted.  

Travelers checks: accepted in many places in exchange, but often time consuming to cash.

As a guideline figure for expenditure not included in cost such as meals, other entry fees, optional excursions and personal expenses for this trip, you should budget about $325 per week.

Included in your trip price are park fees  worth $120

It is customary to tip for services rendered. As a convenience a tip jar is organized at the beginning of the trip for drivers, guides, hotel staff.  These amounts will be dispersed by your tour leader who will keep an accounting of the amounts.  The tip jar does not include a tip for the tour leader. 

Health

Check with your doctor or local health authorities for the latest recommendations. Be mindful of what you eat. We recommend you carry a first aid kit and be sure to be equipped with your personal medications, painkillers, and medicines to prevent diarrhea and stomach disorders. The tour leader will also carry a first aid kit in case of emergencies. Keep in mind that travel can be tiring. It is important to be in good health, in good condition and fully equipped for the journey. Take care that you eat properly, drink plenty of water and get lots of rest. Those who travel on our more physically active trips, including our   Walking Tours or Biking Tours, should have higher level of fitness and stamina. For country specific health advice, please consult the Center for Disease Control website at www.cdc.gov.

For this trip we recommend:
- DTP vaccinations against hepatitis A and
- Malaria tablets.

TRAVEL INSURANCE
For piece of mind, we highly recommend that you procure travel insurance.  Make sure that you are covered in the event of illness or injury. If adequate treatment is not readily available in the area,  emergency evacuation is often required by private carrier and can be exorbitantly expensive. Also, unforeseen events at home can prevent you from going, such as the illness of an immediate relative. Even things like delayed or missed flights or lost luggage can be costly. You are free to choose your own insurance provider. Over the years, we have recommended TRAVELEX. They offer a variety of plans and most importantly, they are responsive. Should you choose to go with TRAVELEX, you will contact them directly and the cost of your coverage will depend on the plan you choose. The cost will be based over the total cost of your trip and flights, and the amount is also subject to your age. Ask about the TRAVEL PLUS plan and the more economical TRAVEL LITE plan.  Their website is www.travelexinsurance.com and phone number is 1-800-228-9792.  It is important to get travel insurance immediately after booking as most companies have a brief window (10 days from booking) for coverage of pre-existing conditions, for example, coverage of cancellation due to a chronically sick relative.
South Africa is in the medical field a modern country with excellent facilities. The tap water is drinkable and restaurants are all good and clean. However, it remains advisable to drink bottled water. It is wise to watch what you eat. Also, we recommend a small medical kit to take along with aspirin and medicine for intestinal disorders.

Luggage & Clothing

Please limit your luggage to 35 pounds. We recommend a soft, rolling duffle as the hard suitcases are difficult to pack on the vehicle. Be sure to bring good comfortable walking shoes with good tread, and already broken in. Sneakers can be slippery. Keep in mind that most hotels will not have porter service.

VOLTAGE
220 Volts.

It is recommended that you bring a universal adapter plug and extra batteries for your flashlight, in the event of power outages. 

Resources

A good guidebook is invaluable. We recommend the Lonely Planet series as well as the DK Guidebooks.

Communication

Mobile telephone use is limited. Internet cafes can often be found in larger cities but count on a slow connection. Check with your phone provider before departure regarding coverage or consult the following webpage: www.gsmworld.com/roaming/gsminfo/index.shtml