Cairo to Cape Town

What is included

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

What is not included

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
Items of a personal nature & spending money
Travel Insurance and Visas
Local Tour Payment

Local Tour Payment:

Local Tour Payment: GBP1000

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. 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. Travellers cheques, cards or other forms of payment are not accepted.

Seeing the Gorillas and Gorilla Permits

We see the gorillas in either; 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 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.

Ngorongoro Crater and Serengeti National Park

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.
Pre Departure Information.

Life on Tour - What is it like?

As we will be camping and travelling for an extended period of time, you must be prepared for an adventurous challenge. It can be hot and dusty, and will sometimes be out of contact from the rest of the world. This means no telephones, shops or any other mod cons. We need you to participate and work with all members of the expedition. For the Trans we use sturdy purpose-built vehicles for these rugged off-road conditions.

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. All campsites have ablution facilities & bars, and some have restaurants, shops and internet facilities. Also, about half the campsites we visit offer the facility to upgrade to hut or cabin accommodation for an extra charge. Washing - Most of the time you can wash every day and at camp sites you can do your laundry or often have it done quite cheaply.

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, Currency and Credit Cards
For side trips and visas you need $US cash. Not having enough US$ cash is normally the biggest spending money problem people face on the trip. The dilemma been that though cash is easiest you risk losing your money with no chance of getting it back. For general spending £10 - £30 a day is a good start excluding side trips. Depending on how much you drink, eat out and the souvenirs you buy.
The best way to bring your money for of ease of exchange and safety is 1/3 cash in US$, 1/3 Travellers cheques in either US$ or Pounds sterling and 1/3 in money on your credit card. It is easier to change money along the way if you have cash in US Dollars and Euros. But of course if you lose your cash you are lost. So the best bet is to carry a third each of: Sterling travellers cheques in small denominations; Euros cash or travellers cheques, we will be in Euros countries for around eight weeks so budget your Euros accordingly and US Dollars cash. From Cameroon onwards US Dollars give more spending power. Don't bring Scottish money. Bring your US$ cash in a mix of clean new notes. The smaller notes are handy for paying things such as bar bills whereas the bigger US$ ie 50 and 100 give you a better rate of exchange. Only bring dollars with the large head year 2000 onwards.
Bring at least two credit/debit cards as one might be rejected by the cash machine. Tell your bank before you travel to stop them blocking your card. In East and Southern Africa ATM machines are available about every three days - ATM machines only pay out local currency. Visa credit and debit cards are better than MasterCard/American Express/ Maestro/Cirrus for acceptability Money Gram and Western Union - If you’re concerned about carrying cash and knowing the pain travelers cheques are to cash get someone to MoneyGram or Western Union funds to you as you travel on your trips. On their websites are the locations of their offices in Africa. MoneyGram International - moneygram.com or Western Union - westernunion.com On most borders you can change excess left over currency for the next country's money.

Group Size
The average number of passengers on an Africa tour is normally between 12 - 18, with a maximum of 30 and minimum of 8.

Flights

Although it is our intention to finish the trip on the finishing date, in case of delays en route you should allow a couple days at the end of the trip before you fly out. Ensure when you buy your flight that you don't go just on price. Also check conditions and flexibility. Take into consideration that you may be buying your flight well ahead of time and the nature of your trip you are doing. It may be worthwhile paying more to have a flexible flight with a better airline that flies frequently to your destination. We can obtain competitive fares for you, please ask when booking your trip.

Pre and Post Tour Accommodation

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.

Your crew / driver will meet you in the reception of the Bostan Hotel at 8am on the day of departure.

We depart from the Bostan Hotel in Cairo

Bostan Hotel
94 Mohamed Farid Street ,
Down Town.
Tel 00 20 2 393 0040 or 390 2990
Fax 00 20 2 390 2990
e: bostanhotel@hotmail.com

It costs approx. £4 a night for a shared room including breakfast. The staff at the hotel can also arrange a tour around town.

*Prices are subject to change

Transfers

Gett to town by taxi - this is approximately £6. Book at a limousine desk on leaving customs. Taxi drivers often insist on taking you to a hotel of their choice to earn a commission; they will pretend to ring a hotel, tell you it is full and dump you at a hotel they deal with, or pretend your hotel does not exist. Avoid this by booking at the limousine desk, make sure they understand where it is before you set off.

Passorts and Visas

Visas are not included in the tour price or recommended daily spending money. If you have dual nationality you should use only one passport. Visas are required for most countries visited on this trip.

Bring 10 passport photos with you for visas. If you run out of photos there are photo shops to get more.

Visas are required for most countries visited , we normally get them on the way at the border till we reach Ethiopia, from there we have to get them before we enter each country. For most nationalities the total visa cost will be about $450 to Cape Town . You'll need 10 blank pages in your passport, which must be valid for 9 months from the date of travel. If you don't have enough pages in your passport you will need to get another passport on the way which with new security regulations on the issue of new passports will be difficult. Passports and inoculation cards with any Israeli stamps must be replaced. Your passport must be valid for at least 9 months from the date of travel. If you don't have enough pages in your passport you will need to get another passport. The lack of western embassies in African countries means you really must leave with enough pages in your passport to do the trip. Passports and inoculation cards with any Israeli stamps must be replaced. Check what visas you need before departure with the relevant consulates or with www.embassyworld.com

Inoculations and Malaria

You have to be vaccinated against Yellow Fever and will need an International Vaccination Certificate to prove this when we cross borders. It is also advisable to be vaccinated against Typhoid; Rabies; Hepatitis A; Hepatitis B; Tetanus; Polio and Meningitis. If possible start your vaccinations two months, but as late as two weeks before departure. Your GP can also inoculate but may take a while to get to get the vaccine in. Medical centre with their own travel educated Doctors can supply up-to-date medical advice and also administer vaccinations.

The risk of contracting malaria in the areas we visit is high. You should be aware that malaria tablets offer only partial protection against malaria and that you should couple taking the tablets with mosquito bite avoidance. The malarial mosquitoes come out at night that is from the beginning of sunset onwards, so from this time you should cover up in long sleeves, jeans or track suit pants plus socks - mosquitoes tend to bite around the feet and ankles. You must also use insect repellent containing Deet, bring some you will need it. The use of repellents and covering up can be as effective as the use of tablets, so by coupling both methods of protection together you should be malaria free. Whatever type of prophylactic you choose to use you should try a sample of it well before you go as adverse reactions can occur. This often happens with the Larium or Mephloquine type of drug. In Africa buy a can of fly/bug spray to clear your tent of mosquitoes and bugs before you go to bed.

Insurance

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. If you travel without insurance and need to get home urgently due to ill health or family problems, you or those responsible for you could incur huge expense. 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.