Important Info

Trip Notes & Expectations

ACCOMMODATION

This trip includes 7 nights in comfortable twin rooms in hotels with en-suite bathrooms.

YELLOW FEVER

According to the WHO and CDC, there is no risk of yellow fever in South Africa. It is compulsory to show a valid Yellow Fever Vaccination Certificate if you are traveling to South Africa from a yellow fever endemic country. If required, yellow fever inoculations need to be administered at least 10 days prior to your entry into the country.

MEALS

Eating is a big part of traveling. While traveling with GEEO, you can experience the vast array of wonderful food that is available in South Africa. On this program, most meals are included, but for those that are not, you will have some flexibility to decide where, what, and with whom to eat. This will also provide some budgeting flexibility. While our travelers often eat together and share dishes so that they can taste a larger variety of food and enjoy each other’s company, there is no obligation to do so. Your tour leaders will be able to suggest some favorite restaurants. For the included meals, vegetarian meal requests and other dietary requirements need to be specified in Good to Go prior to arrival.

GROUP LEADER

All GEEO programs are led by a G Adventures Chief Experience Officer (CEO), whose role is to take the hassle out of travel and help you get the most from your trip. They’ll share information about the places you visit, suggest activities and restaurants, and introduce you to our local friends. While not traditional guides, CEOs have broad knowledge of the region’s history, culture, and daily life. On some excursions, local guides are used for deeper insight.

Emergency Contacts

Should you need to contact the tour operator during an emergency, it is best to call the local G Adventures office. If for any reason you do not receive an immediate answer, please leave a detailed message and contact information so they can return your call and assist you as soon as possible.

AIRPORT TRANSFER
If you have purchased an arrival through G Adventures or if an arrival transfer is included in the cost of your tour, please note that your arrival transfer has been arranged based on flight information provided to us. If you are advised of a flight schedule change within 48 hours of your scheduled arrival time, we will do our best to rearrange your arrival transfer however we cannot guarantee this. If your arrival transfer does not arrive within 30 minutes after you have exited the arrivals area, please call the local emergency contact numbers listed below for more information.

EMERGENCY CONTACT NUMBERS:
G Adventures Local Representative (South Africa)
From outside South Africa: +27 713823286
From within South Africa: 071 3823286

If for any reason you are unable to reach the G Adventures local office, please call the numbers listed below, which will connect you directly with the 24-hour G Adventures Sales team, who will happily assist you and connect you with the right person.
Toll-free, North America only: 1 888 800 4100

Internet Access

All of the hotels we use have WiFi. Assuming you bring your smartphone, please make sure you check with your phone company before you leave to find out the data and calling rates and if they have any special international plans. International roaming rates can be extremely high, so you don’t want to be surprised.

Safety

Many national governments provide a regularly updated advice service on safety issues involved with international travel, such as the US State Department. We recommend that you check your government’s advice for their latest travel information before departure. We strongly recommend the use of a neck wallet or money belt for the safe-keeping of your passport, air tickets, cash, and other valuable items. Leave your valuable jewelry at home – you won’t need it while traveling.

Always keep an eye on your belongings, especially in major cities and bus and train terminals.

Many of the hotels we use have safety deposit boxes, which is the most secure way of storing your valuables. A lock is recommended for securing your luggage. When traveling on a group trip, please note that your tour leader has the authority to amend or cancel any part of the trip itinerary if it is deemed necessary due to safety concerns. Your tour leader will accompany you on all included activities. During your trip, you will have some free time to pursue your own interests, relax and take it easy, or explore at your leisure. While your tour leader will assist you with options available in a given location, any optional activities you undertake are not part of your itinerary, and we offer no representations about the safety of the activity or the standard of the operators running them. Please use your own good judgment when selecting an activity in your free time.

Although the cities visited on tour are generally safe during the day, you must be careful with which neighborhoods you enter. The risks are even greater at night. It is our recommendation to stay in small groups and to take taxis to and from restaurants or during excursions, and to ask your tour leader for advice throughout.

Protests and demonstrations, even those that are well-intended, have the potential to turn violent with no warning. Counterprotests can also turn violent. Action by security forces to disperse demonstrators and protesters may occur at any time. If you are in an area where demonstrators or protesters are gathering, avoid the temptation of staying for a photo opportunity and leave the area immediately.

NEA Foundation + GEEO + G Adventures

The NEA Foundation is an independent 501 (c) (3) nonprofit that is partnering with GEEO on this program.

GEEO is also an independent 501c3 nonprofit, and GEEO partners with G Adventures to provide travel experiences for educators and their guests. G Adventures designs the itineraries and provides expert guides, while GEEO customizes trips specifically for teachers, subsidizes and negotiates discounted pricing, and offers added benefits like classroom resources, professional development certificates, and amazingly personal and responsive customer service.

Learn more about our partnership with G Adventures →

Flexibility

While it is our intention to adhere to the routes described on our website, there is a certain amount of flexibility built into the itinerary, and on occasion, it may be necessary or desirable to make alterations. The itinerary is brief, as we never know exactly where our journey will take us. Due to our style of travel and the regions we visit, travel can be unpredictable. The information on our website is a general guide to the tour and region, and any mention of specific destinations or wildlife is by no means a guarantee that they will be visited or encountered. Additionally, any travel times listed are approximations only and subject to vary due to local circumstances.

Classroom Resources

GEEO has several resources to help you get the most out of this program.  Recommended Reading | Lesson Plans | Pinterest boards

Packing List

See our blog post of staff-recommended gear to help you pack for your upcoming travels. You must be able to carry your own luggage—up stairs and on and off of transport. The weight limit for luggage on the internal flight between Cape Town and Johannesburg is 44 pounds. Please limit yourself to one carry-on-sized to medium-sized suitcase, not exceeding 44 pounds, and one daypack for daily items, not exceeding 15 pounds and measuring 22 x 14 x 9 inches. If you exceed the weight limit, you will be responsible for any additional fees.  Space is limited on transportation, so oversized bags cannot travel.

Be Prepared: Be ready for cool days and cold evenings, so bring a warm jacket. Also pack a set of smart casual clothes for dinners. As you prepare your packing list, we recommend checking average weather conditions for your destination.

*Laundry: Please note that both hotels offer laundry service. This may be particularly useful for those of you staying in Africa beyond this program. You can see the laundry price lists for each hotel here:
Cresta Grande Hotel (Cape Town) Laundry Pricing | Hotel Sandton (Johannesburg) Laundry Pricing

Passports and Visas

Travelers are responsible for securing all required travel documents and meeting the entry requirements for every country on their itinerary, including applicable transit/layover countries.

PASSPORT
All travelers must have a passport valid for at least 6 months beyond your trip dates with enough blank pages for stamps. Need to apply or renew? Start here.

ENTRY/VISA REQUIREMENTS
U.S. citizens do not currently need to obtain a visa to travel to South Africa. Visa rules change frequently—always verify the latest requirements on the U.S. State Department Country Information Pages. Non-U.S. passport holders should verify requirements with your country’s official government resources. You can also use Sherpa, a third-party service and trusted G Adventures partner to look up the latest requirements.

Money Exchange

Currency: The local currency in South Africa is the South African rand (ZAR). For current exchange rates, visit www.xe.com.

Cash Requirements: Bring small denomination bills ($1, $5, $10, $20) for tipping, as large bills are difficult to break. Please note that due to past problems with forgery, US dollar notes that are older than the year 2006 are not accepted in Africa.

Credit/Debit Cards: Credit cards can be used in major cities and towns, but please do not rely on them as a method of payment. Visa/Plus cards are the most widely accepted; it can be more difficult to locate ATMs and businesses that accept Mastercard/Cirrus cards. When purchasing products or services on a credit card, a fee of 3%-10% often applies.

Power Outages: There may be occasional power-outages that affect ATMs, and machines not located in city centers may run out of cash or be out of order. Therefore, please do not rely exclusively on credit or debit cards as your only payment method.

Emergency Funds: Bring at least $200 USD (or the equivalent in local currency) in cash for emergencies in case of ATM or card issues. Always carry more rather than less to avoid feeling short of funds while traveling.

For more advice, see our post, Smart Travel Finances: Your Guide to Money, ATMs, Fees, and Safety Abroad

Tipping

Tipping is optional but appreciated and goes a long way for the people who look after you on the trip. If you are happy with the service, use these ballpark amounts and adjust as you see fit:

– Service providers/Waiters: 10-15% of the bill.
– Local guides and drivers: $2-3 USD per person per day.
– G Adventures tour leader (CEO): $5-8 USD per person per day. (We suggest pooling contributions in an envelope and presenting it as a group)

Tipping Kitty: The group will use a “tipping kitty”, where everyone contributes at the start of the tour, and the tour leader will use that pooled amount to tip service providers for the group as a whole (not including your tour leader him/herself). Your tour leader will advise the suggested amount and preferred currency for the kitty.

Vaccinations

GEEO cannot provide any medical advice, so it is very important to consult your doctor or a travel clinic about which vaccinations you will need for your trip. We recommend contacting Passport Health, which has travel clinics located throughout the United States. You can also check the CDC’s recommended vaccinations for your destination. Please take this seriously!

Flights

This program begins in Cape Town and ends in Johannesburg. You will work with the NEA Foundation to book your flights. The program begins on the evening of July 19 and ends on the morning of July 26.

Plugs and Converters

South Africa primarily uses a Type M outlet, although Type N and D outlets can also be found. The voltage is 230V. To use your electronics safely, you’ll need to consider:

1. Adapter (plug shape)
Adapts your U.S. plug to fit another type of socket. See our recommended all-in-one travel adapter in our Gear Recommendations post; you may still need to obtain a plug adapter specifically for Type M outlets.

2. Converter / transformer (voltage)
Steps the outlet voltage down to 120V for U.S. appliances that can’t handle higher voltage.

Check what you need: Look on your device’s plug or power brick. “Input: 100-240V” works worldwide—you only need a plug adapter. Any range narrower (e.g., “110-120V” or “Input: 120V”) means you need an adapter and a voltage converter to avoid damage. Converters are inexpensive and available online or in travel stores.

Weather

This trip takes place over the Southern Hemisphere’s winter. It is a great time to travel in South Africa, as it will be relatively dry, with comfortable temperatures ranging from the upper 50s to 70s during the day.