All visitors require a valid passport with a minimum 6-months remaining before expiration, sufficient blank pages for Visa/s and entry/departure stamps, and a return air ticket.

Visas are required for USA passport holders. Please check with the respective embassies, well in advance, as processing can take from a few days to a few weeks. Remember that it is your responsibility to obtain necessary Visas. You can visit the respective African Embassy web sites or purchase them at the respective African airports upon arrival. Please note, at time long lines do occur at some of these airports. The current visa costs when purchasing them at the airport are:
Ethiopian Visa cost $25.00
Kenyan Visa cost $50.00
Tanzania Visa cost $100.00
Uganda Visa cost $50.00
Zambia Visa cost $50.00
Zimbabwe Visa cost $50.00
Note: South Africa, Namibia, Botswana and Rwanda do not require visas for USA Passport holders.

We recommend that you contact the Centers for Disease Control to learn current information regarding travel to Africa. You can contact the CDC through their website at www.cdc.gov/travel. Prior to any inoculation or taking medicines, you should discuss this with your personal physician who knows your medical history. Presently, Yellow Fever vaccinations are NOT required except for UGANDA, RWANDA and ZAMBIA only, for visitors arriving direct from Western Countries. The CDC might also recommend additional inoculations. A course of anti-malarial medication will also be recommended for individuals traveling to these countries. Check whether your insurance company will reimburse for travel related immunizations and/or medicines, but don’t be surprised if they won’t. The above guidance is subject to change depending on current conditions.

All hotels, lodges and tented camp accommodations are considered superior first class to deluxe. There may be a few exceptions in rural Ethiopia.

Food is generally Continental, with Traditional hot African dishes. If you have special dietary needs, do not hesitate to let us know in advance and every attempt will be made to meet your requirements.

Water is generally safe in urban areas and established hotels/resorts. It is best to drink sealed bottled water, which is available throughout – hotels, lodges and camps. This same sealed bottled or purified water is what is used by hotels, lodges and camps to make ice cubes, so they are safe; but if you are not comfortable doing so, avoid the ice cubes. Bottled water should also be used for brushing your teeth.

The electricity supply is 220 / 240V AC, 50 Hz. and can be round 2-pin or flat 3-pin plugs. If you use electrical appliances (shaver, hair dryer, curling iron, etc.) that are not compatible or at least dual-voltage, it is suggested you bring a converter and appropriate adapter plugs. If for some reason your appliances do not work properly, do not hesitate to contact Reception, who will likely have an appliance for your use.

With the exception of bumpy and dusty road conditions, we believe your overall comfort will be more than satisfactory as far as the accommodations and meals on your itinerary

There are snakes in Africa and probably some will be out and about while you are on your African safari, but it is unlikely you will see any. The same can be said for spiders and other insects. As to flying insects, especially tsetse and mosquito, these are around and you should take precautions with insect repellent that contains Deet. Tsetses are around more often during the wet seasons. As to mosquitoes, especially the malaria type… biting time is between dusk and dawn, when you should wear long pants, shirt sleeves, socks and apply repellent on exposed skin.

In Ethiopia, there are about 84 indigenous languages and English is the first foreign language of choice. In Kenya, with over 40 ethnic languages, the official national language is Swahili, though English is spoken throughout the country. And in Tanzania, with 120 different tribes with as many languages, both Kiswahili and English are the official languages. An English speaker should not encounter too many problems in being able to communicate. In Uganda and Southern Africa countries there are many languages but it has become more prevalent that English is spoken.

ET African Journeys strongly recommends the purchase of the Tour Protection Plan. This
plan provides protection for your non-refundable tour costs and cancellation fees should you
need to cancel or interrupt your trip due to unforeseen circumstances. It also provides
important medical benefits and assistance while traveling. The Certificate of Insurance/Policy
will be provided to you with your travel documents; it contains complete details on the coverage provided

Each African country has their own national currency. To acquaint yourself with the name and exchange rate for each country, we recommend that you visit this website: www.xe.com/ucc/

Cash – US Dollars are widely accepted. We recommend you bring cash in $1s, $5s, $10s & $20s (no older than 4/years) in good condition – not torn, folded or taped

Most costs will be paid for prior to your departure. At some lodges/camps there will be a charge for bottled waters, soft drinks, beer, and other alcoholic beverages. Of course, any items of a personal nature such as phone calls, laundry, souvenirs, etc. are your responsibility

Gratuities/tipping should always be at your discretion, based on the level of service received from your guide/driver, lodge/camp staff and hotel staff in cities. For your guide/driver consider $5-$10/per person/per day; trackers at $5/per person/per day; camp staff (porters, housekeeping, chefs, waiters) is shared and placed in a “tip box” found at Reception at $3-$5/per person/per day. And remember the porters at city hotels at $1/bag, housekeeping at $2 per night and meals ranging from $1-3 per person per meal.

Comfortable and interchangeability is “de rigueur” in Africa. Stay with neutral colors – tan, brown and khaki – pants, shirts and shoes. A sweater or light weight jacket are best for cool mornings and evenings; often daytime clothing is acceptable for dinner attire. Most lodges/camps in East Africa offer laundry services at a nominal price.

Since you don’t have to pack much in the way of formal clothing, the ideal piece of luggage is a duffle bag or soft sided luggage. These are easy to pack, easy to transport in safari vehicles, and a “must” if you are taking any internal flights. As many roads will kick up lots of dust, it is recommended that you secure your cameras in zip-lock plastic bags.

Most lodges/camps, communicate to their home base, usually the closet major city. Some of the lodges might have telephone service and some accommodations might have Internet services which can be used for a small fee, but transmission speeds are often slow. Except for some hotels in cities, there are few lodges/camps in the bush that have hook-ups for your personal laptop. Mobile (cell) phone service is available, clarity will vary. We suggest you contact your local provider regarding International use of your mobile device.