Important: As we are sometimes traveling in extreme terrain, it is important not to overload our expedition vehicles, which means: to travel weight- and space-saving. Therefore, we ask you not to bring suitcases, but backpacks and flexible travel bags that can be easily stowed. Please limit your luggage to what is really necessary. A good guideline is 12 – 15 kg. In our experience, this is quite sufficient. Besides, you will surely want to take home souvenirs. There are always opportunities to do laundry or have laundry done along the way.
long-sleeved, warm clothing for the evening, light clothing for the day, swimwear, sturdy shoes as well as sandals, headgear, sunglasses, sunscreen, flashlight, binoculars and mosquito repellent. Do not be afraid to ask us, we will be happy to give you tips on the necessary equipment, as it changes depending on the season.
We are all a team together. To make it a stress-free and successful safari, we ask for your help with the daily tasks. This means, for example, helping with: Setting up and dismantling the tents, cooking preparations, washing up.
In recent years Namibia has become a very popular destination. Large tour operators reserve, often a year in advance, the most popular places. In this respect, we have meanwhile especially for safaris with overnight stays in lodges and guesthouses, as well as at well-known places like: Etosha National Park, Sossusvlei and Caprivi a lead time of one year. This means an early registration is useful, it is especially in the peak travel periods necessary to pre-book the national parks in time, otherwise there may be bottlenecks or long travel times to the sights must be accepted.
For tetanus and polio, there should still be valid vaccination protection. When entering Malawi and Tanzania, a yellow fever vaccination is required and you should carry your international vaccination card with you.
About recommended vaccinations and malaria prophylaxis please talk to your family doctor or inform yourself at the nearest tropical institute. Please do this early, as some vaccinations require intervals of several weeks.
For Namibia, South Africa and Botswana, no pre-issued visas are required for travelers with German citizenship for stays of up to 90 days. Visas for Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi are available on arrival.
Travelers with other citizenship must inform themselves in time at the respective embassy about the entry formalities.
In any case, a passport valid for at least six months beyond the return date with at least two free pages, as well as a valid airline ticket for home or onward travel are required.
Children and adolescents under the age of 18 who are not traveling to Namibia, South Africa or Botwana accompanied by their parents or with only one legal guardian must carry a declaration of consent in English signed by both parents or the absent legal guardian in addition to the required entry documents.
The declaration must contain the passport number of the juvenile. Passport copies of the absent parent(s) and an international birth certificate of the child/adolescent (translated into English) naming the parents are also required. If one parent has sole custody, the court order on this must be shown on request; in the event of the death of one parent, the death certificate. Children traveling alone must also carry a letter of confirmation from the person with whom the minor traveling alone is staying in Namibia, South Africa and Botswana, copies of their passport and residence permit, if applicable.
The background to the stricter regulations is the growing number of kidnappings, human trafficking and human robbery in southern Africa.
Since in Africa the usual insurances in Europe do not exist, we can unfortunately not offer you any insurance coverage and also not assume any liability for any personal injury, financial loss or property damage. Therefore, please inform yourself in good time in your home country about insurances that make sense for you, such as travel health insurance, travel accident insurance, luggage insurance and travel liability insurance. These insurance policies are highly recommended and some are available for very low premiums.
Our individual and X-Dream Safaris are not comparable to any well-planned package tour, but require a sense of adventure from everyone. This means that unexpected situations such as extreme weather conditions (e.g. impassable roads), unforeseeable technical defects, political difficulties (e.g. border closures with other countries) can lead to spontaneous changes in the itinerary.
We hope this information was helpful. If you have any further questions or need information, we are always at your disposal.
Your Rafiki X-Dream Safari Team
Harry and Silke Wedel