Meeting date and time

We will meet at Nata Lodge, for our first night, 21 May 2024 in the afternoon or evening. See the map below.

We will depart for Kasane the next morning on 22 May at 7h00. An early start to get to Livingstone and visit the Vic falls.

Tour Distance:

From JHB to JHB about.10500 km

Plastic carrier bags:

Please note no carrier bags allowed in Tanzania

Malaria:

Please consult your GP. This is Malaria area.

Fuel availability:

Fuel will be available everywhere. If you can get 650km between stops you will be ok. We will strategise on tour to buy fuel in the cheapest countries and avoid the expensive ones as far as possible.

Fuel purchase:

We will buy fuel with cash and cards. Credit cards are becoming more accepted and has changed the picture over the last couple of years. 

Cash:

We will do most transactions in cash but cards will work where we are at lodges, like a restaurant or boat cruise etc.

For cash we take USD only and exchange as we go.

We will exchange where necessary at recognised exchanges 

Credit cards will also work from time to time. MasterCard might work but VISA remains the best option.

US $:

Please note large denominations ( US$50 and US$100 ) will exchange at better rates. 

Also note currently the generally acceptable age of the note is issue 2017 or later. Please ask for this when ordering your cash.

Serengeti Kitty:

I run a kitty on tour for smaller expenses at borders and normally on Zanzibar. Once your account reaches USD100, you pay me your USD 100 back. This keeps the system simple and prevents everybody from sitting with small change.

Note I only take large notes 100 and 50. Also only 2017 or later.

Vehicles more than 2000kg, as per your licence disk:

Note that Serengeti and Ngorogoro charges a higher rate for vehicles with a Tare mass indicated on their registration document higher than 2000kg. You need to budget an extra USD 110 + VAT @ 18% per day for your vehicle, if this is the case. 

Basic Cash Budget:

• Border fees payable in USD +/- 350 per vehicle.
• Fuel costs, budget the same as in SA, but convert to USD ( 11000km @ 9 = 1222 litre x R24 = R29 300 = USD1590 )

Extra Activities Budget ( normally card payments can work.):

• The hot air balloon over the Serengeti costs about USD 550 – 580pp
• Zanzibar including everything from hotel to ferry and all your tourist stuff and food USD 300 pp ( half cash, half card )
• Boat cruises USD 50 pp
• Restaurants USD 100 pp
• Touristy stuff USD 50 pp

Botswana:

Botswana normally takes a card at the border and you can use a credit card to fill up with fuel, so you technically do not need any Pula, however I would advise to have 500Pula with you in case of a fine etc. You can use the rest of your Pula when filling up in Kasane before we enter Zambia.

Groceries:

We will stop for groceries as is needed, but our major stops would be:

• Livingstone day 2
• Lusaka day 4
• Mwanza day 10
• Arusha day 17
• Dar es Salaam 19
• Mzuzu day 25
• Lusaka day 29 

Washing:

There will be lodges that take in washing to be done, otherwise you will have to wash as we go. Our planned double days are:

• Lake shore Tanganyika day 8
• Mwanza day 11
• Dar es Salaam day 20,21,22
• Malawi, day 25, 26

4×4 driving:

There should be almost no 4×4 driving required except when going in to the Ngorogoro crater, and the Serengeti if it is muddy.

Water:

There is water for cooking and cleaning everywhere. We will buy bottled water at the shops as we go for cold drinking water.