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6 Budget Tips for your Africa Overland Tour

How much and what (cash or traveller’s cheques) to take on your Africa overland tour, can be a headache. Fear not as we have a few budget tips for your Africa overland tour. The following should be used as guidelines only. If you are unsure or have any questions about the relevance to your particular tour, please contact us!

NB: Any US Dollar cash notes you bring into Africa must be issued POST 2004. Absolutely no US Dollars issued PRE 2004 will be accepted for payment of your Local Payment, Optional Activities / Excursions or accepted by any Foreign Exchange Bureau.

6 Budget Tips for your Africa Overland Tour

1. Spending Money

A good estimate for spending money on any tour throughout Africa is USD10 to USD15 cash per person per day. This would include general drinks, snacks and internet usages while on tour. We recommend smokers bring extra cigarettes from home, as these can be expensive in Africa.

2. Curio / Souvenir Shopping

Everyone does a bit of curio / souvenir shopping while in Africa to take home. Cape Town (South Africa), Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe), Livingstone (Zambia), Lake Malawi (Malawi) and throughout Kenya and Uganda are the most popular curio shopping spots. You can budget anything from a conservative USD80 to a generous USD180 cash.

3. Local Payments

All Local Payments are paid in cash in the currency quoted. Most tours carry a US Dollar (USD) Local Payment while selected tours in Southern Africa carry a South African Rand (ZAR) Local Payment.

4. Visas

Some nationalities can obtain their visa for a particular African country once they arrive at the border (by overland tour or safari) or the airport. Please check your visa requirements at the relevant Consulate / Embassy for the country you are visiting. In this case, your visa must be paid in US Dollars cash only. No traveller’s cheques, foreign currency (GBP, EUR etc.) or credit cards.

5. Emergency Fund

Each traveller should have an “emergency fund” on which to fall back on in an emergency. We recommend USD150 – USD200 cash and sufficient money on your credit card for a flight ticket home.

6. Optional Activities / Excursions

These activities / excursions are operated and managed by local operators throughout Africa. They are booked and paid to your Tour Leader once you arrive in Africa and are on tour. They are paid in the currency quoted which is quoted to us by the local ground handler.

– In Namibia most optional excursions are quoted in US Dollars (USD cash) but can also be paid in South African Rand (ZAR cash). Excursions in Swakopmund (quad biking, sand boarding, sky diving, dinners out etc.) and Windhoek (dinners out) can be paid using your credit card.

– In Botswana optional excursions are quoted in US Dollars (USD cash) but can be paid in South African Rand (ZAR cash), Euro (EUR cash) or British pounds (GBP cash). The local supplier will convert the quoted cost of the excursion into your preferred currency, at their preferred exchange rate.

– In Zimbabwe and Zambia you can budget US Dollars cash or traveller’s cheques for optional excursions. Any credit card transactions will incur a 5% to 8% additional surcharge.

– In Malawi you should budget US Dollars cash for these excursions.

– In Tanzania you should budget US Dollars cash (preferable) or traveller’s cheques for Zanzibar. US Dollars cash should be budgeted for the Serengeti & Ngorongoro Crater excursion (only if not already included in your tour price).

– In Kenya and Uganda you should budget US Dollars cash (preferable) for all your additional excursions. Your Gorilla Permit (either Uganda, Rwanda or the DRC) must be paid in US Dollars cash.

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Article by: admin
on April 23, 2013
Filed under  Africa Blog • Travel Articles 
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