Some Useful Tips for Those Going to Visit South Africa
This is the world of tropical forests, magnificent mountains, underground caves, wide rivers and heavy waterfalls, hot deserts and the world’s highest sand dunes. Africa is a wonderful place, which has everything for an unforgettable rest. Nature lovers will be able to see incredible sceneries, photographers will have a chance to take unique pictures of the exotic South African world, and those to be fond of adventures will be able to reach the peaks of the Drakensberg or travel through the Namib, the most severe and mysterious desert in the world.
You should plan your trip thoroughly, if you want it to be successful and full of pleasant memories. First of all you should find a reliable tour operator and work out a plan of the future trip together with specialists. Your plan should be as much detailed as possible, including the time of arrival/departure to/from a place (places) you’re going to stay at. It is a very important aspect especially if you’re planning to go through deserted and uninhabited places.
If you don’t want to feel exhausted with your flight, try to find a way to travel with a minimal number of stops, changes and long-time waiting at airports. Of course, you should plan your finances thoroughly too, and to leave some extra money for emergency occasions. Don’t forget to make a yellow fever vaccination. Doctors strongly recommend not to visit the country until this vaccination is done.
Remember about time difference. No matter whether you’re going to stay in a guest-house or in a comfortable hotel – it’s better to come there in day time, not at night. There’s a quite well-organised transport system between towns and cities. But most of trips and roots take place in a day-time. So, if your plane lands late at night, it’s better to wait till morning at the airport, to avoid any unpleasant situations.
As to the high seasons – all of them are good except summer. In Africa, the temperature doesn’t rise above the point of +35° C in autumn, winter and spring. But the summer temperatures are for strongest people only.
Besides, experienced travellers don’t recommend you to go to Africa alone. It’s better to go there with a group of 5-7 people. In this case you’ll have more fun there and get your friends’ support when in need. Kids should be left at home because of the large number of mosquitoes which can influence their health and mood in a bad way.
When planning to go to the Republic of Mozambique or to have a rest nearby, take mosquito netting, anti-malarial tablets or other insecticides with you.
The clothes you’re to take should be modest and the simplest you have. Keep your best dresses for a trip to another country. There should not be any open skin areas; otherwise you’ll get sunburn under the hot African sun.
We also don’t recommend you to take jewels with you, not to tempt local people. Remember, that Africa is a rather poor country. This is also the reason why you should not have a lot of cash in your pocket, but to withdraw small amounts from your account. Try not to give your credit card to a shop assistant, waiter or anyone else to charge a payment. Credit card frauds in such cases are widely spread there.
And, of course, if you’re an active person and plan to have long walks through the forests and deserts, you should collect a lot of information about South African flora and fauna to learn about all venomous snakes and spiders to avoid them during your trip. In this case your trip will bring you joy and positive emotions only.
