Northbound and Gorillas
Chobe NP Game Drive
Kalahari Desert
Lake Malawi
Mikumu National Park
Masai Mara Game Reserve
Lake Nakuru
All transport whilst on tour
Road tolls & taxes
Use of comprehensive cooking and camping equipment – tents on board
Campsite fees
Services of professional crew
The main sites listed in the trip dossier
Food – 2 meals a day whilst on the truck
International flight transfers and taxes
Pre and Post tour Accommodation (can be arranged at time of booking)
Lunches & meals out
Items listed in ‘Optional activities’ section
Gorilla Permits
Items of a personal nature & spending money
Travel Insurance and Visas
Local Tour Payment
Payable in £ Pounds Sterling cash but you can pay in $US dollars or Euros cash at the current cross exchange rate on date of departure, check with the driver for the rate. Please pay this to the driver on departure. Traveller’s Cheques, cards or other forms of payment are not
We require the local payment as we are unable to reliably
transfer foreign currency required to operate the tour. It is for this reason
that we ask for a part of your tour payment to be paid on the first day,
directly to your driver. The Local Payment is not a Food Kitty. Whilst it does
pay for the food as per itinerary, it also covers; camping accommodation cost,
local tolls and taxes and other payments required to make the tour run
successfully. It is administered by the driver/guide and is not
refundable.
All Local Payment amounts are subject to change without
notice. Changes are very rare and are normally due to a sudden or unexpected
price increase by a local service provider or National Park.
Although
the LP is better for the Driver in USD, with the ever fluctuating exchange rates
we feel it is fairer to advertise in Pounds as it is a far more stable amount.
We can then worry about the exchange rate rather than you.
Serengeti National Park
Ngorongoro Crater
Zanzibar Island
Okavango Delta
Mountain Gorilla Trek
Please see the OPTIONAL ACTIVITY PAGE for a full list of what is available en-route
There are times when we will have some long drives in order to cover big distances, but on most days that we travel, we only move for half the day. The African landscape and people you pass are never boring and most find it hard to put their head down and read whilst on the road, for fear of missing something. Most evenings we pull into camp and you and your tent partner will put up your tent, then either relax with a cool drink, or get involved in a local activity. Breakfast is usually cereal, toast, tea, and coffee, with the occasional cooked breakfast. Lunch, if we eat on the truck is cold.
Camping
Tents
are provided and all have sewn in floors and mosquito netting. You will need to
bring with you a sleeping bag, sleep sheet, foam roll mat or airbed. Bring a
mosquito net only if you want to sleep outside of your tent, these can be bought
in
Africa.
Participation
Participation
is essential. A successful and smooth tour depends very much on
everyone taking part in the duties that arise i.e. cooking, vehicle
cleaning and food shopping. With this in mind your crew will organize
groups on a rotating roster. The most successful tours are those where
everyone becomes involved as much as possible. These are not luxury
tours, so join in! In the end the more you put in the more you get out.
Spending Money
£15 - £30 a day is a
good start excluding side trips. Of course this varies from person to person
depending on how much you drink, eat and how many souvenirs you buy. In most
parts of
Africa it is difficult to change
travellers cheques and to use ATMs so we suggest for ease of exchange and
better rates of exchange take your money as 50% travellers cheques and 50%
cash. As travelling with cash is risky please ensure that you have adequate
insurance to hedge against the risk of loss. Be aware that if your cash is lost
it is very unlikely you will recover it. In
Zimbabwe you need $US cash to
change at the banks and they can ask for proof of purchase. A credit card is handy
for emergency spending only, but useless for day-to-day spending. Do not rely
on credit cards/switch type cards until you get to
Southern
Africa as money machines are almost non-existent. For spending in
Namibia it is
best to start the trip with £100 changed into South African Rand as you can't
change money for the first few days. You can spend rand all over
Namibia and of course in
South Africa at
the end of the trip, get it before leaving home or at the airport as you fly
out.
Group Size
The average number of passengers on an Africa tour is normally between 12 - 18,
with a maximum of 26 and minimum of 8.
We see the Gorillas in Uganda, Rwanda or DR Congo. The Gorilla permits are payable on the spot and can only be paid in US dollars cash. The cost of the permit is: $500 payable to the park authorities. There is also a small charge to get up to the Gorilla viewing area. The price of the Gorilla permits can change without notice. Seeing the Gorillas may involve you having to get extra visas on the borders, this changes with each trip and with the country we see them.
The options for seeing these parks are either (1) an overnight trip to Ngorongoro Crater or (2) a two night trip to both Serengeti Park and Ngorongoro Crater. The Serengeti can only be reached by twice passing through Ngorongoro Crater. For this we arrange to hire 4x4 vehicles from Arusha. While here it’s well worth seeing both parks; they are the best wildlife parks in the world. The side trip is expensive, but most of the cost goes towards park entrance fees and therefore to park upkeep and anti poaching. The Tanzanian Park Authority often change the fees with short notice so prices can increase.
We can book pre tour accommodation at our departure hotel/hostel for you if you provide us with your arrival details. You will need to pay for your room upon arrival. Post tour accommodation can be booked en-route with the help of your crew.
Depart from: Amadwala Lodge
203 Pierre Road
Wilgespruit, Honeydew
Johannesburg,
South Africa
Central Reservations: +27 (0)84 4472724
Dinner Reservations: +27 (0)079 5489358
24 Hr Queries +27 (0)083 641 1429
Email:amadwala@iburst.co.za
Web: http://www.amadwalalodge.co.za
CHALETS
HONEYMOON SUITE - R 1500.00
ACCOMMODATION ONLY PER PERSON SHARING - R 540.00
BED & BREAKFAST PER PERSON SHARING - R 625.00
DINNER/ BED/ BREAKFAST PER PERSON SHARING - R 735.00
ACCOMMODATION ONLY - R 750.00
BED & BREAKFAST SINGLE - R 835.00
DINNER/ BED/ BREAKFAST SINGLE - R 940.00
TENTED EN SUITE CABINS
PER PERSON SHARING - R 410.00
BED & BREAKFAST SHARING - R 495.00
DINNER/ BED/ BREAKFAST SHARING - R 605.00
SINGLE - R690.00
BED & BREAKFAST SINGLE - R775.00
DINNER/ BED/ BREAKFAST - R880.00
BUSH
CAMP
TENTS
PER PERSON SHARING - R 340.00
BED & BREAKFAST SHARING - R 425.00
DINNER/ BED/ BREAKFAST SHARING - R 535.00
SINGLE - R375.00
BED & BREAKFAST SINGLE - R 460.00
DINNER/ BED/ BREAKFAST SINGLE - R 565.00
*Prices are subject to change
If you would like the security of an airport pickup you should provide us with your flight details at the time of booking.
Airport to Amadwala (max 3 Pax) - R 500.00. For every other passenger in addition - R 50.00
You must be insured against personal accident, medical expenses and repatriation expenses. We only carry passengers on the understanding that, in most African countries through which we travel no passenger or vehicle liability is available whatsoever. You should take out insurance when you pay your deposit for the tour or for flights so that you are insured against cancellation (for medical or family reasons, for example). Bring your policy with you. Be aware if you travel without insurance and you need to get home urgently due to ill health or family problems, you or those responsible for you could incur bills running into many thousands. The medical coverage is the most important part of the insurance policy, loss of belongings less so. For UK, Australian and NZ residents, we can point you in the right direction for insurance if you contact us. For other nations, it is best to search online - there are some good online insurance companies catering for US, Canadian and European residents.
Visas are not included in the tour price or recommended daily spending money. Your passport should be valid for at least 6 months with 5 clear pages, 20 for the Trans Africa. If you have dual nationality you should use only one passport. Check what visas you need before departure with the relevant consulates or with www.embassyworld.com
AFRICA – Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe – visas are required by most nationalities, but for most these can be obtained on entry. Or if preferred you can get them from your local embassy before you travel. Botswana, Namibia and South Africa – visas are not required by most passport holders.
TRANS AFRICA – Visas needed for most countries. These we normally get on route.
For information on the location of your nearest embassy or consulate we recommend the following website: yahoo.com/Government/Embassies_and_Consulates/ . For current updates on visa information you can try the website www.visaproject.com