Botswana
General information: The republic of Botswana is a land-locked country in southern Africa – surrounded by Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe. It covers an area of 581 730kms2 with an average elevation of 1000m above sea level. Mostly semi-desert and Kalahari sands, it also contains the world’s largest oasis, the Okavango Delta, as well as the world’s concentration of rock art in the Tsodilo Hills with approximately 3500 paintings. Added to this is Botswana’s rich abundance of varied birds, wildlife and flora. The capital city Gabarone is situated in the south eastern end of the country, and the currency is the Pula.

Climate: Summer: October-April, daytime temperatures up to 380 C.
Winter: May-September, daytime temperatures up to 250 C but can drop to 50 C at night.

Population: 1.5 million, with English and Setswana as official languages.

Local time: GMT plus 2 hours

Clothing: Casual, lightweight, comfortable, light colored cotton clothing, except in up market hotels/ lodges. Warm clothing will be required at night for example a windbreaker or tracksuit.

Health: It is advisable to take along sufficient supply of prescribed medications as well as malaria precautions, information and prescriptions can be obtained from your nearest travel clinic.

Insurance: Travel insurance (medical, hospitalization, baggage, theft and cancellation) is highly recommended, and can be arranged in country of origin. Travel insurance documents must be in the possession of the holder at all times.

Electrical appliances: 220/240 Volts 50hz – both round and square pin plugs are used.

Accessories: Sun block lotion, sunglasses, hats and insect repellent.

Telephone
The international dialling code for Botswana is +267
Ambulance 977
Fire 998
Police 999

Photography: Please note that photography of government buildings, State House and officials in uniform are strictly prohibited.

Game Parks and Reserves
Moremi Game Reserve: In 1962 the local BaTawana people set aside a third of the Okavango Delta to protect it for the future. They called this the Moremi Game Reserve, and it now forms the core of the region's reserves.

Moremi encompasses a large area of the Delta's wetlands and the main dry peninsula that juts into the Delta, known as the Mopane Tongue. Moremi is lush and varied - a patchwork of lagoons, shallow flooded pans, plains and forests. It is one of Africa's finest areas for wildlife, with particularly high game densities. The animals found here are numerous and relaxed, often allowing vehicles to approach closely. Most of Moremi is only accessible to the fly-in camps on its fringes. However, there are several prime areas on the edge of the Mopane Tongue, a dry peninsula, where the land meets the Okavango's permanent waters.

These include Khwai River, Xakanaxa Lagoon and Third Bridge - and they can be reached with a mobile safari.

Chobe National Park: Located in the northern Kalahari region; Chobe National Park covers about 11,700 square kilometres, and consists mainly of dense thorny bush emerging from deep alluvial soils. A well-worn safari circuit, made famous by the massive herds of elephant and buffalo and significant prides of lion that have become skilled at to hunting large herbivores. The Chobe River apparently flows in both directions and holds the secrecy of the Savuti Channel which vanished in recent time.

The highlight to this safari area is Chobe's animal migrations. The animals move with the available food and water in the district, exhibiting the ancient patterns of time.

Many head for open plains to the south and east during the rainy months (December to March). Then, eventually, from April to November, as the land dries out and the heat builds, the animals migrate back to the great rivers of the north and west.

The Okavango: The Okavango River rises in the highlands of Angola & flows southeast into the Kalahari.

Here it spreads out into a delta formation covering over 15,000 square kilometres with a lush water wilderness of papyrus swamps, shallow reed-beds and floodplains, dotted with islands & laced with a network of channels. This is a unique environment: there's nowhere else quite like it. It's an amazing, world-class destination for wildlife, from birds to big game.

It's also a wonderful place to relax. Gliding silently in a mokoro (a dugout canoe), you can watch the wildlife at eye level. Often it's the smaller things that catch your eye, like the tropical fish that flash through the clear waters or the iridescent malachite kingfishers that dive for them.

It might take your guide's keen eyes to spot the terrapins basking on floating logs, or a fish eagle just perching, watching and waiting. Sometimes it's larger animals - red lechwe wading through the shallows, or elephants on the islands - whilst all around water lilies bloom and birds call.

Namibia
General information: Situated along the south-western coast of the African continent, Namibia is truly a remarkable country of contrasts. With a land surface of 824 269 kms2 it is nearly four times the size of Great Britain. Despite the size it is one of the most sparsely populated countries in Africa. The country’s landscapes are an ever changing kaleidoscope, varying from the Namib dune sea in the west to teak woodlands and waterways in the northeast. The Namib desert in the west and the Kalahari in the east account for about 22% of the country’s surface. Namibia’s people are diverse, ranging from the pastoral Himba in the northwest, to the San in the east. The San no longer pursue an exclusively hunter – gatherer existence, but are struggling to adapt to a new way of life. Namibia is also one of the top diamond producing companies in the world.

Climate: Summer: October- April, average temperatures range from 200C to 340C during the day
Winter: May- September, average temperatures range from 180C to
250C during the day but can drop below 00C at night.

Population: 1,927 million, the official language is English but Afrikaans and German is also widely used.

Local time: GMT plus 2 hours

Clothing: Casual, lightweight, comfortable, light colored cotton clothing. Warm clothing will be required at night for example a windbreaker or tracksuit.

Health: Medical services in Namibia are of a very high standard. It is advised to take along sufficient supply of prescribed medications as well as malaria precautions, information and prescriptions can be obtained from your nearest travel clinic.

Insurance: Travel insurance (medical, hospitalization, baggage, theft and cancellation) is highly recommended, and can be arranged in country of origin. Travel insurance documents must be in the possession of the holder at all times.

Electrical appliances: All run on 220/240 volts. Outlets are of the round 3 pin, 15 amps type

Accessories: Sun block lotion, sunglasses, hats and insect repellent.

Telephone
Police 10111
Fire 211111
Ambulance 211111

Game Parks and Reserves
The Caprivi Strip: The Caprivi Strip is a long panhandle enclosed by permanent water and stretching eastwards from the Kavango River to and along the Zambezi ending at the border junction of Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Zambia.

This lush savannah area is bounded by the Kwando, Linyanti and Chobe River system on the southern border with Botswana and with the Zambezi River forming part of its northern boundary with Zambia.

Wildlife in the Caprivi has not yet recovered from years of poaching and the destructive bushwar of the 70's and 80's but its superb conservation areas may in the future rival Etosha. Almost 70% of the bird species found in Namibia have been recorded in the Caprivi.

As the best of the Caprivi habitat is captured in the area shared with Botswana, it's usually more productive to look at the Selinda Reserve as a safari option.

Kaokoveld: Originally referred to as the Kaokoland district, the remote north-western corner of Namibia is rugged, harsh, untamed and practically devoid of commercial tourist developments. This hinterland, reached by the Herero during the early southward Bantu migrations about 450 years ago and the Dorstlandtrekkers over 120 years ago is still sparsely inhabited by man. The Himba (or Ovahimba) tribe are Herero descendants who continue their semi-nomadic existence in this primitive wilderness today. The Kaokoveld remains a wild sanctuary for small but wide-ranging populations of the renowned desert elephant, rhino, giraffe and lion. Roads are horrendous and basic infrastructure is virtually non-existent - this is prime safari territory!

Etosha National Park: One of the world's pre-eminent wildlife areas, at the turn of the century the governor of then German South West Africa proclaimed an area of nearly 100000 square kilometres as a game reserve - until modern times, the largest reserve on earth. Present day Etosha National Park was pared down due to political considerations in the 1960's and is now a modest but still very impressive 23175 square kilometres in extent.

A vast area on Namibia's central plateau, a haven for 93 mammal species and 340 bird species, the park's focal point is the Etosha Pan - a flat saline desert, 130 km long by 50km at its widest in the eastern sector of the park.

South Africa
General information: The diversity of the scenery, people and cultures, the wildlife, climate and vegetation make South Africa one of the most interesting and attractive places to visit in the world. The land surface is a large 1 220 430kms2 with Cape Town as the Legislative Capital, Bloemfontein as the Judicial Capital and Pretoria as the Administrative Capital. The currency used in South Africa is the South African Rand, and most hotels have foreign exchange facilities and most shops and travel agencies accept travellers cheques. The Mpumalanga region is well known for its spectacular wildlife and historical interest, whilst the Cape region is famous for the amazing Garden Route, Oudtshoorn situated in the Great Karoo, its winelands and of course- Table Mountain. KwaZulu Natal’s extraordinary scenic diversity encompasses wilderness, sandy beaches, the soaring peaks of the Drakensberg Mountains and the farmlands, towns and hills of the Midlands.

Climate: Summer: October to April, temperatures between 210 C and 300 C
Winter: May to August, temperatures between 150 C and 240 C, but can drop below 00 C at night.

Population: Approximately 40 million, there are 11 official languages in South Africa, the most used are English, Afrikaans, Zulu and Xhosa. The English speaking visitor would have no problem whilst travelling.

Local time: GMT plus 2 hours

Clothing: Casual, comfortable wash and wear clothing is most useful. Jackets and ties are required in city hotel restaurants and golf clubs.

Health: Medical services in South Africa are readily available. Doctors are listed under “Medical” and hospitals under H. Visitors are however advised to bring along supplies of specialized medication they may require. If you are visiting a malaria area whilst your stay it is advisable to take the necessary malaria precautions, starting a week before entering a malaria area.

Insurance: Travel insurance (medical, hospitalization, baggage, theft and cancellation) is highly recommended, and can be arranged in country of origin. Travel insurance documents must be in the possession of the holder at all times.

Electrical appliances: Voltage in South Africa is 230 to 240 volts, 50Hz. You will need an adaptor, which can be purchased in South Africa.

Accessories: Shorts & cotton T-shirts, swimming costume, comfortable walking shoes, hat, sunglasses, camera.

Telephone
Police 10111
Ambulance 999
Fire 999

Game Parks and Reserves
The Kruger National Park: The world-renowned Kruger National Park in South Africa offers a wildlife experience that ranks with the best in Africa and the world. Established in 1898 to protect the wildlife of the South African Lowveld, this national park of nearly 2 million hectares, is unrivalled in the diversity of its life forms and a world leader in advanced environmental management techniques and policies.

Kruger Park is mainly a self-drive destination with the infrastructure of roads, waterholes, hides, picnic sites and rest camps spread through the park to ensure the visitor maximum exposure to the fauna and flora this remarkable reserve offers.

The Cango Ostrich Farm - Oudtshoorn: The Cango Ostrich and Butterfly farm is a family concern and is situated in the beautiful Cango Valley, halfway between Oudtshoorn and the world famous Cango Caves. The farm offers the following, guided tours of the Ostrich farm, a wine house, the Rietkraal open-air eating venue, a curio shop and Butterfly farm.

Visitors are introduced to the Ostrich industry - from eggs, the chicks to the mature birds and allow visitors to sit on and ride the Ostriches. Those who are not so daring can hug and feed the birds.

Lake St Lucia: A very special slice of Africa, the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park offers ecotourists some of the most diverse wildlife and outdoor experiences imaginable. Besides Lake St Lucia - a unique, 38 000 ha expanse of lake, islands and estuary - the park incorporates an astonishing variety of habitats ranging from the Ubombo mountains to grasslands, forests, wetlands, mangroves and vegetated dunes, with magnificent beaches and coral reefs. This diversity gives rise to a multiplicity of fauna and flora, unrivalled anywhere in South Africa. It supports an abundance of Nile crocodile and hippo, as well as rhino (both black and white), elephant, buffalo, giraffe, waterbuck, kudu, nyala, impala, duiker and reedbuck, amongst a host of other species.

Cape Winelands: With its magnificent natural beauty, its rich cultural heritage and its world-renowned wines - the Winelands Region is synonymous with all the best that the Cape has to offer. A 45-minute drive from Cape Town take you to the Winelands where splendid mountains form a dramatic backdrop to lush vineyards and gabled Cape Dutch homesteads steeped in history. The Winelands is the ideal base from which to explore Cape Town and its surrounding area.