Practical information for South Africa
Arrival:
On the plane going to South Africa, you will be requested to fill in an entry form. Upon arrival at Johannesburg Airport, a Firearm Certificate must be issued before Customs. You will be met by a
guide and this guide will help you with all the formalities.
The Hunt:
Normally the hunt starts in the morning. Most likely you will be hunting in different areas and the hunt is therefore different from day to day. Sometimes you will have lunch in the camp and
sometimes they will bring refrigerated food and beverages along. Dinner is normally in the camp. Please be aware of the transportation time between the different hunting areas.
REMEMBER: that wounded game = shot game. This means that the normal trophy fee will be charged in connection with wounded game. You can be charged for spoiled meat in case the game
is found later.
Furthermore a VAT of 14% is being charged on wounding. This VAT is not being charged on shot trophies, as export is exempted from VAT.
Please notice that it is the hunter’s responsibility to inform the people in camp how he wants his trophies to be prepared, i.e. for full mount, shoulder mount or European mount.
Hunting Result:
Even though they have excellent hunting ground, have all the best equipment as well as welltrained professional hunters, trackers, and skinners, factors such as weather, wind, luck, and the
skill of the individual hunter always influence the result. HUNTING IS HUNTING! They further stress that even though in many areas, fencing is common, all is nevertheless done to secure that the hunters are offered ethical hunting in the best traditions. It is advisable to be in a reasonable physical condition, and to have done some practice shooting, before leaving.
Visa:
No visa for South Africa is required for a number of EU citizenz, carrying a passport, valid at least 30 days after the date of departure from South Africa. Please check with your nearest South African Embassy or click here see if your country is exempted from applying for a visa in advance. It is your own responsibility to do so. Your passport must contain 2 blank visa pages next to each other.
Children under 18 years - important information
As per November 8th 2019 the South African authorities have changed the documentation for children travelling to South African. Click here
Please do not hesitate to contact us in case you have questions or need further information!
Vaccinations:
Please contact your own physician some time before the trip to find out, which inoculations etc. are either required or recommended for South Africa at the present time.
Important information:
Yellow fever policy for South Africa. Yellow fever is an infectious vector-borne disease that is caused by a virus transmitted by the bite of an infected mosquito vector such as Aëdes aegypti. South Africa has a risk of introduction of the disease as the mosquito vector exists in the country.
In order to prevent introduction of the disease into the country, South Africa requires a valid yellow fever certificate from all citizens and non-citizens over one year of age travelling from an
infected area or having been in transit through infected areas. To assist passengers SAA will be checking the requirements leaving South Africa as they would be required to be in possession of
this certificate on the return flight. Passengers making a return booking to or from these countries must be advised that they require a yellow fever vaccination certificate.
Disinfection of aircraft is required coming from infected areas.
List of countries for which a yellow fever vaccination certificate is required for entry into South Africa:
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Currency:
South African Rand, but foreign currency is welcome in most places. Please note that trophy fees MUST be settled in EURO (either cash or travellers’ cheques) BEFORE departure – and this
rule is in force without exceptions. Tips must be given in EURO or South African Rand. Most international credit cards are accepted at hotels and in shops.
Electricity:
220 volt.
Medicine:
Even though the camp is well equipped with a first aid kit, we would still recommend that you bring medicine, ordered by your own doctor, as well as: tablets for headache and diarrhoea, suntan oil,
antibiotics, insect spray, talcum powder, eye drops.
Clothes etc.:
In general, we would recommend lightweight clothing, either made of cotton or similar fabric, which allows the body to “breathe”. May to September is winter in South Africa. The night and
morning temperature can therefore be rather low, so we would recommend that you bring an extra wollen cardigan or sweater.
We would recommend:
- 2 pair of long trousers
- 2 pair of long-sleeved shirts
- 2 pair of shorts
- 2 pair of short sleeved shirts
- 1 pair of hunting boots (well-worn)
- 1 pair of training shoes
- 1 woollen sweater
- 1 a light hunting jacket preferable a wind tight
- 3 sets of underwear
- 3 pair of socks
- 1 pair of gloves
- 1 pair of sun glasses
- 1 wide brimmed hat
- 1 camera with lots of films and flash
- 1 torch (with extra batteries)
Please do not bring too much; there is a daily laundry service. Please also remember that you cannot buy items like batteries or films for your camera in the “Bush” - so bring it all.
Duty-free purchases:
We recommend that you make any duty-free etc. purchases in the airport, since normally the stock on the aircraft is very limited. Alcohol is proportionally cheap in South Africa except brandy which
is extremely expensive.
South Africa can offer a very varied selection of goods, often at prices lower than in Europe. South Africa is among other things famous for its good wines, diamonds, jewellery and arts and crafts.
Weapon:
We recommend you to bring a rifle of minimum calibre 7 mm for Antelopes and around 60 rounds of ammunition. Shooting range is 100-150 meter. You are NOT allowed to bring automatic or semi-automatic weapons into South Africa.
Weapons should be carried in a solid hard case. Ammunition and bolt must not be carried in the rifle case, but in another luggage, which must be checked in (therefore not in the hand luggage).
PLEASE NOTE; it is no longer legal to transport ammunition in original packing. All ammunition must be kept in a lockable metal ammunition box to be checked in separately with own baggage tag.
For daily use while in the field, we would suggest that you bring a soft rifle case to protect the rifle. Please bring your EU weapon passport if you are an EU citizen and it is important that you bring all the weapon documents (2 of each is recommendable) on your trip.
Please note that airlines are entitled to charge a fee for handling your weapon (The fee vary from airline to airline), as well as charging for overweight when with travelling with weapon.
IMPORTANT!
It is very important that you bring a stamped/signed export declaration form from your country.
The South African Police will ask for it and in case you do not have there is a risk that they will confiscate your firearm.
In certain airports an extra inspection in regards to weapon and ammunition has been imposed, which can result in passengers having to point out the luggage tag belonging to their weapon and which to the ammunition. This will most likely take place at the gate in transit airports, for example when connecting from one flight to another, in Frankfurt f. inst. Therefore it is VERY IMPORTANT that passengers - at check-in - are aware of which luggage tag belongs to the weapon and which to the ammunition. In case passengers are not able to do so, the consequence could be that the luggage will simply not be loaded on to the aircraft.
If you are under the age of 21, you cannot import weapons into South Africa.
Trophy Import:
If you wish to hunt game, protected by the Washington Convention, you should contact your local authorities PRIOR to departure regarding any necessary formalities in connection with the import to
your own country. The responsibility for these formalities rests solely on the hunter, and we would recommend that you either contact a taxidermist or a shipping agent.
Gratuities:
It is always difficult to give an exact amount, because it depends on your satisfaction with the guides and staff. Nevertheless tipping of Camp Staff is expected and hereby we give some guidelines: For the whole camp Staff Rand 60-80 per day per hunter is normal. You can for instance give the money to the hunting guide and he will then split it between the staff. . For the trackers the
amount is from Rand 200 and upwards, and for the skinners the same (per hunter). The professional hunter normally gets from Euro 250 and upwards for 5-7 days of hunting 1:1, when you hunt 2:1
the amount is min. Euro 125 per hunter.
Hunting Protocol:
When the Safari is over, a protocol must be made and signed by each participant. It is imperative that any complaints be entered into this protocol, since otherwise they cannot be dealt with (please
see below).
Photos:
From our hunters we are very interested in receiving photos, which possibly can be used in connection with offers and our annual catalogue appearing at the end of the year. We would very
much like to receive the photos as soon as possible after your return. If your pictures are used in the catalogue, you will receive € 65,- per photo. The amount will be credited your Limpopo Travel
account and may be used on your next trip. Please note the importance of where the picture is taken, which means that it is best photographing
for example the shot stag in the nature and not in front of a house, a Landrover, a fence etc.
Possible Misunderstandings:
If, contrary to expectations, any problems should arise during your stay, which you feel unable to solve yourself, please contact us either by phone 0045 62 20 25 40 or by fax 0045 62 20 25 42,
during office hours (Mon-Fri 9.00-17.00). As we have already informed, it is too late to correct any misunderstanding or faults after your return home. Therefore, it is vital that you contact us
immediately, if problems arise, in order that we may correct any misunderstanding on the spot. It is only possible for us to react on complaints, brought to our attention immediately and entered into the protocol.
24-hour-service:
We have established a 24-hour-service telephone, whereby our clients can reach us 24 hours a day - 7 days a week - and talk to a competent member of our staff. We would like to stress that this
service is intended for emergency calls only, where contact with Limpopo Travel or a next of kin is vital. Please feel free to use this line, when absolutely necessary, but please also avoid any unnecessary calls. 0045 30 26 25 40.
After you return:
We are always happy to hear from you, after you have returned home. It is of great importance for us to know, what happens “out there”. This is the only way, we can develop and possibly improve
our hunting tours. Therefore - whether you wish to praise or criticise - please let us hear from you! We hope that the above information answers some of the many questions, which you will naturally
have before the trip. Should you need additional information, please do not hesitate to contact us.
