Prepare your trip

Prepare your trip

A thorough preparation departure for your travel requires a collection of a number of information.
To know the sanitary situation, politics and security of the destination envisaged, these are potential elements which can help you very much to reach your destination and all serenity.

General information concerning the journey  we would recommend that you consult the council of travel from Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
For a travel in Namibia, you can equally consult the  council of travel in Namibia from Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Namibian Tourism Board is an ovarall organisation that regulates and controls the activities of tourism in Namibia, it is a branch or parastatal of the Ministry of Environment and Tourism in Namibia. www.namibiatourism.com.na

Your travel with Tourmaline Safaris

Years of experience in trip preparations in Southern Africa are invested in the organisation for your safaris.
In this kind of journey, every element must be carefully planned in detail.
Essential factors such as bookings, distance, water supply will receive particular attention.

The guides:

Our guided tours are accompagnied by an educated and experienced tour guide.

The info-pack:

A file given to every person registered for one of our trips.
Contains:

• a bibliography
• a reminder of the itinerary
• a map
• a technical sheet with a list of equipment we suggest you bring.

Air travel :

Click here for our page : Flight connections The international air fare are not included in our quotations. However on request we can propose you an air fare.

We do organise all local flights such as Victoria Falls, Cape town…

For those of you who are responsible vis-à-vis the environment, consider offsetting your CO2 emissions generated by air travel vote and / or vehicle  :  co2solidaire.org (deductible amount on your tax return). 

Vehicles :

For the 4×4 guided camping tours, we use 4×4 ” Toyota Land Cruiser ” specially equiped for camping or 4X4 double cabine according to the number of people.
Tours which do not necessitate a 4X4 are conducted either in a Land Cruiser or a VW microbus.

Concerning rental of vehicles for self drives, see our page: Car rental

The rental companies we work with have been selected for their reliability, quality of their services and vehicle reliability. According to the models, the proposed rates are more or less competitive, we remind you that your safety is priceless. Some rental companies (but not all) require an age limit for drivers 25 years minimum. Tell us if you are under 25 years.
If you plan to drive, remember to bring an international driver’s license with your national license without which you will not be allowed to drive in the country.

Caution is essential to note that in all rental Namibia, where damage to the vehicle if you’re legally responsible for damage to the vehicle driving “negligent” (eg speeding, driving while intoxicated, driving the wrong side of the runway, misuse of vehicle including 4×4, …) the repairs are your responsibility regardless of the option reduction franchise subscribed. If the vehicle is no longer drivable and must be replaced, the delivery of a new vehicle, the evacuation of the damaged vehicle, at your expense. Furthermore, the new vehicle delivered is then subjected to a new lease ! This case is extremely rare but it deserves to be emphasized, so we invite you to the utmost vigilance when your driving in Namibia.

For credit card holders or FIRST GOLD, it is advisable to review your insurance contract because it is common for smaller allowances are not granted on certain types of vehicles, including 4×4.

Accomodation :

The proposed accomodation of Lodges, Pensions and Guest Farms have all been selected for the quality of their provisions and their welcoming environment.

Food :

Every day you will eat fresh fruit and vegetables. Throughout most of the region the water is drinkable and of good quality. On camping tour, your driver and guide will prepare food as splendid as the sights of the region itself. (Healthy breakfast, salad for lunch, hot meal with braai in the evening)

Insurance :

An insurance plan to cover medical care and assistance, hospital fees and international care, which are not included in our tours, is essential for all tours with Tourmaline Safaris and the responsability of the traveller.

• If you plan to carry out regulations with the blue map, browse the conditions of insurance for assistance as planned with your map
• If you plan to carry out regulations first with a visa card, browse the conditions insurance for assistance as planned with your card
• If you envisage to carry out regulations with bank transfers, you will enjoy a benefit discount of 3%, and/or if you wish to subscribe for complementary insurance browse at out page: www.ava.fr

Price :

We do our best to offer you the most possible attractive rate. Our prices correspond to the quality provisions and services we have selected in order to ensure your tour a success.
Travelling with Tourmaline Safari isn’t more expensive than to organise your whole trip by yourself. See our page : Price

Climate :

Namibia: Hot and dry, cool on the coast. There are two main seasons: The dry season is from may to september, with temperatures between 20 and 25°C during the day and cool or even cold nights. The humid season is from october to april with temperatures ranging from 30 to 40°C, and rainfall from December to March.
Botswana : Dry season starts from May to September; humid season starts from October to April with most needed rainfall from January to April.
South Africa: Same season as Namibia and Botswana except for the Cape Peninsula which is an inverted season.
In Southern Africa rainfall always arrive from the East Coast at that time the eastern region is more humid.

Prophylaxie :

Namibia, South Africa : Besides an anti-tetanus vaccination which is recommended if not obligatory everywhere there is no specific vaccination needed for those regions.
Botswana, Northen Namibia and Victoria Falls: Anti malaria prophylaxie is recommended.
For your information to be precise on this question, we invite you to consult the site council of travel with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Formalities :

No visa is required for the French, Belgian, Swiss, Luxembourg and Monaco. The passport must be valid more than 6 months after the date of leaving the country. Warning: Your passport must have at least two blank pages.