07.21.12

South Africa Horse Safari: Traveling There.

Posted in South Africa, Travel at 4:20 pm by Thomas

The thought of International travel can be a little intimidating at first, but in this day and age it shouldn’t be the reason that you do not travel abroad. The first order of business is to have a U.S. Passport which will cost you $135 and is good for 10 years for individuals over 16 years of age.  You will want to give yourself about 3 months lead time before your trip to get your Passport back though it is possible to get it expedited for an additional fee.  South Africa like many countries has a diplomatic agreement with the United States that allows citizens to travel there without a Visa.

As with any International Travel you will want to keep up on any potential security and health concerns.  The United States Department of State provides a great service through their website with all the relevant information for traveling abroad, here is the specific link for South Africa.  We do highly recommend that you enroll in the SMART TRAVELER ENROLLMENT PROGRAM (STEP) which will provide you with updates as well as providing a way for friends and family to get in touch with you in an emergency.

Now that you have your Passport in hand and you have checked out any last minute concerns its time to buy your ticket.  There are a number of airlines that fly to South Africa as well as a number of routes you can take.  We have flown both Delta and South African and prefer South African both in cost and service.  The cost per person is going to run between $1400 and $3000 given a number of factors, primarily date of travel and how far in advance you purchase your tickets.  Given the exchange rate between the South African RAND and  the U.S. Dollar of between 6.5 and 8 to 1 currently, a trip to South Africa is quite affordable as a once in a lifetime adventure.

I will admit that I am quite bias on South Africa. I have said it before and I will say it again, there is a feeling I get when I am there and the experience has changed me for the better and always draws me back.

Kentucky Colonel
Thomas P. Demond
KyWEGO

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