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Health:
There are a few basic health matters that require care and attention. We are not medical practitioners and the following points are recommended guidelines only. Please consult your doctor and also check with your health department prior to departure for any changes in health regulations.

Malaria
Malaria within South Africa's borders is only prevalent in a few areas. It is encountered mainly in northern and eastern Mpumalanga, northern Kwa-Zulu Natal, and the border areas of the Northern and North West Provinces. Malaria is also common in the lower lying areas of Swaziland. It can be found throughout Mozambique and Zimbabwe, and much of Botswana. Northern Namibia is also a malaria area. Should you be visiting these areas malaria precautions are advised.

Malaria transmission is at its highest during the warmer and wetter months of November through to April. From May to October the risks of acquiring malaria are reduced. The malaria parasite requires a human host in order to complete its life cycle. In most cases, camps and lodges are situated in remote, unpopulated areas, so the chances of contracting malaria are very slim. Nonetheless, it is worth taking preventative measures. Both chloroquine-resistant and normal strains of malaria are prevalent in Africa. Malaria is transmitted by a very small percentage of female Anopheles mosquitoes. They are only active in the early evening and throughout the night, at the times when one is usually sleeping or sitting around the campfire.

Malaria prophylactic recommendations for southern African travelers
Expert opinion differs regarding the best approach to malaria prophylaxis. It is important to bear in mind that malaria may be contracted despite chemoprophylaxis, especially in areas where chloroquine resistance has been reported. Please remember that the best insurance is the preventative kind; avoid being bitten by using mosquito repellents liberally. Wear long-sleeved shirts and trousers/slacks in the evenings. If staying in a bungalow or tent, spray with an insecticide like DOOM to kill any mosquitoes that may have flown into your room. If you become ill on your return, while still on prophylaxis or even once you have stopped taking them, ensure that your doctor does everything to establish that your illness is not malaria. Malaria is not a serious problem if you are sensible and take basic precautions. There have been no cases of our guests contracting malaria during 4 years to date, of operation.

Water
It is very important that you drink plenty of water, especially during the warmer months. It is generally recommended that guests drink at least 2 to 3 litres of water per day to limit effects of dehydration. This excludes tea, coffee and alcoholic beverages, which act as diuretics and can, actually contribute to dehydration.

Generally, water throughout southern Africa is safe to drink directly from the tap. However, bottles water is readily available, so please do not allow yourself to become dehydrated. Besides keeping yourself hydrated, please note that water is a scarce commodity in southern Africa, and every effort should be made to save where possible!

Insurance:
It is a condition of booking that the sole responsibility lies with the guest to ensure that they carry the correct comprehensive travel and medical insurance to cover themselves, as well as any dependants / traveling companion for the duration of their trip to southern Africa. This insurance should include cover in respect of, but not limited to, the following eventualities: cancellation or curtailment of the safari, emergency evacuation expenses, medical expenses, and repatriation expenses, damage/theft/loss of personal baggage, money and goods. Tou Safaris, including their representatives, employees and agents will take no responsibility for any costs, losses incurred or suffered by the guest, or guest's dependants or traveling companions, with regards to, but not limited to, any of the above mentioned eventualities. Guests will be charged directly by the relevant service providers for any emergency services they may require, and may find themselves in a position unable to access such services should they not be carrying the relevant insurance cover.

Travel Insurance
Here are some on-line insurance links for your convenience :-

Passports and Visas
International visitors require a valid passport together with onward travel documents. If traveling to southern Africa 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 may 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 (aged 18 years or younger) 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).

Flight check-in times
Please check in early at all airports (at least one hour for domestic flights, two hours for regional flights and three hours for international flights) as the flights are occasionally overbooked. Please be aware that during peak season, delays are often encountered on scheduled flights. Remember that you are on holiday…relax and enjoy the ambience, which sometimes has no sense of urgency at all!

Reconfirmation of flights
Please ensure that all your onward flights are reconfirmed at least 72 hours prior to flying. Listed below are some helpful telephone numbers to assist you in reconfirming flights.

Lost baggage:
Luggage that goes missing on scheduled flights is beyond the control of Tou Safaris, and often the airline concerned. The airport controls what happens to passengers' luggage from when it is checked in until it is put on board the flight. We would like to suggest that you take the following precautionary action; please pack a small bag with your essentials including any life sustaining medication, which can be carried with you as hand luggage, and pack a second bag containing non-essentials that be loaded in the aircraft hold. If the second bag does not arrive, you will still have your essential items on hand to see you through the first couple of days while we try and recover your bag.

Currency and credit cards
Visa and Master Card are usually accepted throughout southern Africa, but American Express and Diners Club are often not accepted. Travelers cheques can be exchanged at most bureaus de change and banks. Suppliers of services are less likely to accept travelers cheques. Most foreign hard currencies (US$, £, €, ZAR and CHF are the most commonly accepted) can be exchanged at bureaus de change and banks.

Business Hours
There are no uniform times for opening and closing, and hours may vary from business to business and town to town. Please note that the below guidelines may vary and that most businesses are closed on Sundays.

Tipping and gratuities:
Tipping is customary in southern Africa, but a gratuity or service fee is not required by law and not compulsory. If, however, you want to tip because you have received good service, we have enclosed a brief guideline to assist you:

Camp/lodge and specialist guides
If the guide has done a good job, we recommend US$ 10 per guest per day.

Mokoro paddlers and trackers
We recommend that each paddler received US$ 5 per guest per day and that camp/lodge trackers receive US$ 5 per guest per day.

General camp/lodge staff
Here we recommend about US$ 5 per guest per day for camps/lodges. This should be placed in the communal tipping box to be distributed equally amongst all the staff at a later stage.

Hotel staff
Please allow between US$ 1 and US$ 2 per guest per day for hotel staff (housekeeping, etc.).

Porters
Here we recommend US$ 1 per luggage piece.

Waiters In restaurants
A tip of 10% of the entire bill is customary, depending on the quality of the service.

In accommodation establishments where meals are generally included in a package price, a tip is not necessary with the meal, but a tip should be left at the reception for the general ‘tip box' on departure.

In restaurants in the national parks, no tip should be given. The Ministry of Environment and Tourism have a NO tipping policy.

Transfer and touring driver/guides
Transfer US$ 2 per person
Half day tour US$ 5 per person
Full day tour US$ 10 per person

Taxi drivers
If using a ‘radio taxi' (characterized by a black number in a white square) tip between US$1 and US$2 for shorter distances.

If using a normal inner city taxi, shared with others, pay the fare in exact change and do not tip. Note that a display of wealth may attract unwanted attention.

Car guards
The presence of a car guard deters vehicle related crime. The car guard may also fill up an empty parking meter if a parking inspector approaches. Tip car guards US$ 1. If the meter is re-filled, reimburse the car guard the amount put in the meter and tip US$ 2.

Petrol pump attendants
A tip of US$ 1 may be given, depending on the quality of the service. It is NOT customary to tip for re-fuelling only.

Officials and public servants
Never tip or attempt to bride an official or public servant. Report any requests for bribes to us and note that bribery is punishable by imprisonment.

Traveling companions:
When traveling to camps ad lodges on our safaris you will meet up with other guests from different parts of the world, and are of various ages. To get the most out of your safari experience, co-operation and harmony between you and your fellow guests is essential. Should any guest behave in such a way that it affects either the enjoyment or safety of other guests, that guest will be warned and if need be, eventually taken off the safari.

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 70 – 200 mm, though a 100 – 400 mm is ideal. Modern image stabilized lenses are best as they allow photographers to hand hold their cameras at slower shutter speeds with sharp results. The new high-resolution digital cameras are outstanding and give superb quality images, especially if you are using a digital SLR camera body, with inter-changeable lenses. Camera bodies like the Canon 20D, Digital Rebel and Nikon D70 are excellent. The advantage of digital photography is that one can get instant feedback on images and adjustments can be made in the field to ensure that your photographs are correctly exposed. Spare batteries are essential and a storage device of some sort is recommended. Make certain you have enough card storage – most people take more photographs than they expected to. Camps and lodges have facilities for recharging batteries and storage devices. Strips for charging more than one device are suggested for more serious photographers.

For people using film, colour reversal film (slides) will give better quality results than print film. There are good high speed films, 400 ASA, on the market that give good colour with very little grain – either Fuji or Kodac. This is especially useful when using a big lens in low light situations. The guides' personal preference is for slow film (either 50 or 100 ASA) as this gives almost perfect quality for normal light. However, you may consider going to faster film for larger lenses in low light conditions. The only disadvantage with the low ASA film is that you need good support, either a tripod or bean bag, for the early morning and evening shots. IMPORTANT: Bring spare film (although it is available in most camps/lodges) and a spare camera battery.

Respecting wildlife & safety in the bush

• Wild animals are not like those found in theme parks – they are not tame.
• Please listen to the camp/lodge staff and guides. The safety precautions need to be taken seriously, and strictly adhered to.
• Observe animals silently and with minimum disturbance to their natural activities. Loud talking on game drives can frighten the animals away.
• Never attempt to attract an animal's attention. Do not imitate animal sounds, clap your hands, pound the vehicle or throw objects.
• Please respect your guide's judgment about proximity to animals. Do not insist to take the vehicle closer!
• Litter tossed on the ground (including cigarette buts) can choke or poison animals and birds, and is unsightly.
• Never attempt to feed or approach any wild animal on foot. This is especially important near lodges or campsites where animals may have become accustomed to human visitors.
• Refrain from smoking on game drives and in vehicles.

Suggested luggage list

• Good quality sunglasses – preferably polarized. Tinted fashion glasses are not good in strong light.
• Sun hat.
• Golf-shirts, T-shirts and long-sleeved cotton shorts.
• Shorts/skirts.
• Long trousers/slacks.
• Track suit.
• More formal attire (semi-formal) for your stay at prestigious city hotels or on one of the luxury trains.
• Underwear (sports bra recommended on game drives as the roads can be bumpy and uneven) and socks.
• Good walking shoes (trainers are fine).
• Sandals.
• Swimming costume.
• Warm winter jersey.
• Warm anorak or parka and scarf and gloves for the cold winter months (May to September).
• Light rain gear for the summer months (late November to April).
• Camera equipment and plenty of film.
• If you wear contact lenses, we recommend that you bring a pair of glasses in case you get irritation from the dust.
• BINOCULARS.
• Newman's/Sasol bird book if you are a keen birder.
• Personal toiletries.
• Malaria tablets (if applicable).
• Moisturizing cream and suntan lotion.
• Insect repellent.
• Basic medical kit (aspirins, plasters, Imodium, antiseptic cream, anti-histamine, etc.).
• Tissues/"Wet Ones".
• Visas, tickets, passports, money, etc.
• Waterproof/dustproof bags/cover for cameras.

Please note that bright colours and white are NOT advisable whilst on safari. Please remember that there may be a restriction on luggage limits on your safari – please ensure that you have the details from your agent according to your itinerary and ask your agent ahead of time if you would like details on the feasibility and costs of taking excess luggage with you on any of these restricted luggage safaris.