General Information for Your Kosher Vacation

Visas

• Citizens of the U.S., most commonwealth countries, and Israel do not require visas to enter South Africa.

• Visitors must ensure that they have at least 2 blank VISA pages (not endorsement pages) in their passport for this, or they WILL be denied boarding to South Africa. Due to the many different countries that are often visited and reentry into South Africa, we strongly suggest having at least 5 empty VISA pages available!

• Botswana also gives free visas to citizens of most of these countries but their rules change from time to time.

• Zambia and Zimbabwe (Victoria Falls on our itineraries ) require visitors to buy visas. For U.S. and European citizens, this is possible at port of entry but their rules tend to change regularly.

• Israeli citizens sometimes need to apply for Zambian visas in advance , but at times are able to get visas at the point of entry, so keep posted with the latest developments please

• As AKS cannot take responsibility for accuracy of visa information, it MUST be verified by the consulates of these countries well in advance of travel .

Flights

• International flights to and from Johannesburg or Cape Town need to be booked directly by clients.

• El Al flies direct from Tel Aviv to Johannesburg a number of times a week.

• South African airways flies direct from New York and Washington to Johannesburg daily, sometimes with an hour stopover in Dakar.

• Delta flies non-stop from Atlanta to Johannesburg daily.

• British airways fly regularly from London to Johannesburg and Cape Town .

• Other possible routings from New York include NorthWest/KLM via Amsterdam or Virgin Atlantic/British Airways via London.

-AKS is happy to advise you with the booking process

Food

• Africa Kosher Safaris is famous for providing gourmet high quality kosher food in the most out-of-the-way places, and all our African safaris and tours fall under the supervision of the Johannesburg Beis Din.

• On luxury tours and most semi-luxury and budget tours, food is prepared fresh on site in the presence of a mashgiach, and we are the only kosher safari company in the world licensed by a recognized kashrus authority to do this.

• On our VIP tours, our very own pastry chef bakes fresh breads and pastries daily, and our tastebuds are tempted daily by our fantastic sushi chef .

• When out for the day, packed lunches are provided or a sandwich station is set-up at breakfast for clients to prepare their own.

• Where cheaper tour options are selected, quality pre-prepared kosher meals can be sent with clients

Safety

• Despite its reputation for having a high crime rate, South Africa is generally a very safe destination for tourists.

• The Jewish centres of Johannesburg are now protected by CAP, community active patrol, which has brought about an 80% reduction in violent crime over the past two years and has made our suburbs relatively safe once again.

• Although a low-risk area for terrorism, the global climate dictates that we take certain precautions and exact venues of tours are only made known to confirmed participants.

Weather

Most of South africa has a moderate climate all year round with warm to hot rainy summers (October-March) and dry winters (April-September.)

-During our winter (May-August), the safari areas (Kruger region, Victoria falls, and Chobe) are usually mild to warm by day (highs in the 70's and 80's F) and cold at night (lows in the 40's and 50's F), Cape Town is usually mild by day (highs in the 60's F) and cool to cold by night (lows in the 50's F) with both sunshine, rain and fog being common, and Johannesburg and Madikwe are mild by day (highs in the 60's and 70's F) and very cold by night (lows in the 30's F) .

-During our summer (Oct-March), the safari areas are usually very hot (80's and 90's F by day, 70's by night) with regular thunderstorms and rain, Cape Town is usually hot and dry ( 80's and 90's F by day, 60's and 70's by night), and Johannesburg and Madikwe are warm to hot and very rainy (80's and 90's by day, 60's by night.)

September and April are usually warm and dry in all venues, though weather can be very changeable during these transition months.

EAST AFRICA has an equatorial climate and the temperatures are fairly similar throughout the year. They vary with elevation and precipitation, and although usually pleasantly warm , the higher areas of the Serengeti, Masai Mara, Ngorongoro, and Kilimanjaro regions can be windy, rainy, and cool, and a sweatshirt and jacket are always recommended.

Participants

• Our participants range in age from senior citizens to young infants, and in observance level, from chareidi, to modern Orthodox and traditional.

• Some of the luxury tours might be restricted to adults, while our family tours cater wonderfully for children of all ages.

• Special interest tours for specific ages and/or group types, or private family tours, can be arranged on request.

• Unless otherwise stated, tours are open to participants of all ages and levels of observance.

• Very young children are generally not allowed on open jeep game-drives.

Cellphones and Internet

• International cellphones on full roaming contracts usually work well in South Africa and other African countries, where there is network coverage, but are very expensive. As they work in most places, they are usually the most reliable means of keeping in phone and email contact.

• A South African phone or sim-card can be hired at the airport for a nominal fee.

• In Botswana, Zambia, Kenya, and Tanzania, a local sim-card can be purchased, but constantly changing sim-cards when crossing borders can be a nuisance.

• wireless internet and/or internet stations, are available free, or for a fee, at most lodges, though connectivity can be slow and unreliable.

• Due to the "retreat" ambience of some of our partner lodges, telephones are not always available in the rooms.

Health

South Africa has a modern health-care system and good medical care is available in all main urban centres.

This is not always so in the more remote regions, and other African countries, so good medical travel and evacuation insurance is essential.

Yellow fever innoculations are required for Victoria Falls/Zambia and for East Africa .

Malaria is a risk in all of East Africa throughout the year, as well as in Victoria Falls, Chobe, and most tropical areas of Southern Africa. It is also a threat in The Kruger Park Region of South Africa, mostly, but not limited to the summer months (October-April) .

Appropriate malaria prophylaxis should be taken before visiting these areas - consult your doctor about Malarone, meflaquine, or doxycycline.

Women who are pregnant, infants, children under 4-5 should consult their doctor before visiting malaria areas. Malaria-free Safari areas like Madikwe and the Pilanesberg can be arranged in such cases.

Johannesburg, Cape Town, and the Garden Route are completely malaria free.

Currency

• The unit of currency in South Africa is the Rand which is currently valued at about 10 US cents, although currency fluctuations can be rather drastic.

• ATMs in South Africa accept most foreign Visa and Mastercards and are the best way of drawing the local currency.

• Botswana pula can also be obtained at ATMs in Botswana, and curio stores in Zambia and Zimbabwe will take $US

Booking Terms

• In keeping with general policy in this region, bookings can only be confirmed once we have received the minimum non-refundable deposit , as per payment terms, plus completed registration/contract forms.

• All Payments need to be made by direct wire into our South African account or our U S agent's account.

• Unless otherwise stated, package prices DO NOT include any flights, and all local and regional flights need to be purchased by the client, according to the guidance of AKS, preferably at the time of purchase of international tickets [ which usually results in significant fare savings.]

-Clients can elect for AKS to purchase their local flights for them at the rate on the day of purchase plus a 10% service charge. As fares tend to rise significantly as time progresses, we recommend doing this sooner rather than later.

• PAYMENT TERMS: A. On registration, with signed contracts: 25% non-refundable deposit B. 4 months prior to tour: a further 25% non-refundable deposit

C. 6 weeks prior to tour: the balance of 50% plus 6% tip levy is due to keep bookings secure and avoid cancellation of deposits paid till now.

CANCELLATION POLICY: i. All ammounts paid are NON REFUNDABLE.

ii. It is the client's responsibility to take out the necessary trip cancellation insurance to cover for the unlikely event of an emergency cancellation.

iii. In certain extreme cases, AKS may use (and has used in the past) its discretion to refund clients part or all of their fee, where it is able to do so without occuring a loss as a result, but this is purely on a voluntary and non obligatory basis.