We’re confident that you have chosen one of the best tour operators in Southern Africa and being a small family operated tour company, we will go out of our way to prove it. Footprints in Africa Tours have been enjoyed by many people from all over the world since early 2000s. A great attitude, an open mind and being well-prepared ensures that your holiday adventure is a trip of a lifetime.

We will provide you with as much information about our tours as possible but please feel free to contact us directly info@footprintsinafrica.co.za if there is anything specific at all that you’d like more information on. For specific route information refer to your tour itinerary which you will find on our website on the individual tour page. www.footprintsinafrica.co.za – please be sure to read through your itinerary carefully before joining us on tour.

Please also ensure that you download/request your tour itinerary one week prior to your tour departure date so that you are guaranteed to have the most up to date version of the itinerary as we do frequently update our itineraries. Tour itineraries should be seen as a guide only and are subject to change.

Keep in mind that you are in Africa. Standards and services should not be compared with first world countries. You came here to get away from all that – to experience Africa as it really is. The unexpected is included in your tour – free of charge! Leave your computer, iPad and phone at home and enjoy the surroundings of nature and your fellow travellers.

We make every effort to ensure that this document is up to date, but it should be noted that sudden changes in the operational conditions might result in changes to this information. To the best of our knowledge all of the information is as accurate as possible, however it must be accepted that various details are subject to change according to local conditions of which you will be informed as soon as possible after Footprints in Africa Tours & Safaris have been informed thereof.

Footprints in Africa Tours & Safaris has put the necessary measures in place to ensure that all health & safety protocols are being followed to reduce the risk of spreading the Covid-19 virus. To this extent, we have implemented a number of regulations that will be carried out during the course of your tour. While we are following all necessary guidelines, the responsibility of safety and hygiene remains the clients.

• All clients will be responsible to ensure that they fully comply with the requirements of each of the countries that will be visited and entered for the duration of the tour.
• All documentation remains the responsibility of the client and Footprints will not be held accountable or responsible for any client not in possession of their own paperwork.
• Footprints will not be liable for any claims arising from a client being denied access into a country due to non-compliance with covid-19 regulations.
• Should a client contract the covid-19 virus while on tour, the cost of all additional expenses (including but not limited to testing, medical related expenses, hospitalisation, quarantine accommodation) will be for the client’s own expense.
• No refunds will be granted for unused tour nights and services in the event a client contracts covid-19 while on tour.
• Any guest not adhering to protocols on tour may be expelled from the tour.
• It remains the responsibility of the client to ensure that adequate travel and medical insurance cover is purchased prior to arrival.

A Footprints tour is a journey along a suggested route, which is aimed at the Budget conscious traveller. It is sometimes off the beaten track and many of the areas that we visit will have limited infrastructure that the “package holiday tourist” may require. The route and accommodation made use of on the route taken may also change from time to time due to unforeseen circumstances as conditions change on the road very quickly. Footprints will always do what is in the best interest of the tour in these instances.

A Footprint tour is different from your usual overland truck/coach liner. Instead of limiting the experience by providing transport in an air-conditioned mini bus/SUV and accommodation only. Our Tours include a variety of activities from cultural, game drives and social interaction part of the itinerary with options to do additional activities unique to each destination visited. (i.e. extra game drives, scuba diving and adrenaline-based experiences)

All of our tours have a minimum of 2 and maximum of 10 guests. Providing more of a personal experience for the traveller. Our tours have flexible departure dates for private groups as well as our usual set departure dates and rates.

Our belief is that it’s not about the arrival at a destination, but the total experience of the journey that is important. We travel together, eat together, learn from each other’s cultures and form a strong, supportive team – so put all your electronics away, get off the internet, leave home behind you, and take advantage of your chance to meet new people. Although our guides are professionals, they are not “heroes” and won’t pamper you. Our guides are passionate about Africa, enthusiastic and will always do their best to get you through any challenges with a smile. For a successful adventure, all we need is space under the stars and your willingness to join in and expect the unexpected! A typical day on tour starts when the sun comes up – we live by nature’s timetable and use as many daylight hours as possible.

One of the few things we can guarantee about Africa is that not everything is going to run perfectly. Along the way there are sure to be a few unexpected surprises! These include road closures, border delays, mechanical failure (it happens, but not often), accommodation changes or having wild animals in the camp! Anything can happen, the main thing to remember is that whatever happens, we are experienced enough to handle the situation and make sure that you still have a fantastic adventure with Footprints in Africa!

Every single trip is different – and we like it that way!

In the past, our groups tended to be very young as the majority of travellers to Africa were backpackers and student tours. As Southern Africa has become a progressively more mainstream destination and is far more accessible than it was years ago, our guests have also changed.

As our guests have changed over the past 20 years we have also. Our original tours where mainly camping tours through Southern Africa, but as camping is not for everyone, we have now introduced the Economy & Comfort options. We have done all that we can to keep our fantastic low prices on these tours so the accommodation is not luxury but you can expect comfortable 2 – 3-star twin / double accommodation.

In some places, we also make use of permanent safari tents which are considered “accommodation”. We have selected accommodation that is in line with the areas we visit so there is a good variety. (i.e. Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary in Eswatini we make use of traditional beehive huts which have been equipped with the traveller in mind with your modern-day extras.)

The ages of our guests have also changed over the years and now we have anyone from 6 – 80 years of age. We have had a large range of nationalities on our tours and although there are often couples and groups of friends who have booked single travellers are welcome. Use this opportunity to slip out of your comfort zone and learn about the people on your tour with you – there are so few opportunities in life that we have to do this, take advantage of it!

The difference between our Economy and Comfort tours is the room type. Comfort Tours are in more upmarket rooms with en-suite bathrooms where possible while our Economy Tours are in more basic budget friendly rooms and sometimes with shared bathrooms. Note that not all lodge establishments have en-suite rooms and air-conditioning, for those that don’t usually have ceiling fans. On all of our tours we have both Economy and Comfort guests travelling together.

Camping tours are available on request only for student/private and family groups. Contact us for more information about camping tours. On a camping tour, you need to provide your own pillow, sleeping bag and towel.

Other than the room type that you sleep in, everything else about these tours is exactly the same. Please note we recommend bringing along your own towel as these are not always provided.

Breakfasts: All Breakfasts are included and are either prepared by your guide and or by the lodge.

Lunches: All lunches are excluded and for guests own expense unless otherwise stated, lunch stops will depend on the day and available time for that day. On driving days lunches are enjoyed on route either at a restaurant (time permitting) but on occasions long driving days will be on the road (Takeaway options). Lunch stops will be made at shopping centres, fuel stations with supermarkets where you will have takeaway options available.

Dinners: Sometimes dinners are included on the tour and are prepared by either your guide or the lodge. Meals that are excluded are enjoyed at the lodge’s restaurant, while on some occasions we head out to town to enjoy one of the local restaurants. Where dinners are excluded and self-catering is available your guide will advise you that you can start a kitty for that night’s dinner, meaning your guide will collect kitty money for shopping for dinner supplies and prepare a meal for the group members that put money into the kitty. Usually preparing a traditional Braai (BBQ).

See relevant itinerary for detailed meal plan.

Budgeting for meals: Past travellers have spent, on average, R250 to R650 ($15-$40) on meals for one day.

While we do include a variety of activities on our tours – See each individual itinerary for which activities are included. Your local payment which is payable on departure to your guide in Local currency (ZAR – South African Rand) covers the activities that are included on the tour.

We provide you with a great tour however there are always additional optional activities that you can do on route, with each itinerary you will find a selection of Optional Activities that can be booked on the tour you have chosen.

Please keep in mind that in the winter months, we lose 5 daylight hours, so it may happen that not all optional activities are available during these months. Also, if there are circumstances that mean we arrive later at camp than expected, an optional activity may not be available.

Unfortunately, not everyone can afford to do all of the activities on offer. We keep our tour price as low as possible without compromising the quality of the tour so that you have choices as to what you’d like to do. The optional experiences and activities are there to give you the opportunity to have some free time or experience extra activities. They enhance your holiday and give you an adrenaline rush when you need one! These are selected for their value for money, enjoyment factor and feedback from our guests, however, they are not endorsed by Footprints and carries no responsibility for the activities. It is completely up to the guest and their own discretion as to whether they’d like to participate in an optional activity or not.

Optional activities are not included in the price of the tour for a few reasons:

• Not everyone can afford to do them all
• Not everyone wants to do them all! (No point in throwing you out of a plane if you can’t bear heights!)
• Optional Activities are not always available and are time, season and weather dependent

We leave the running and safety of these specialised activities to the people who do them best. We take you there and then let the professionals take care of you in pursuit of your thrills and spills! With optional activities offered in Game Reserves and/or National Parks there is an additional payment that it not always included in the fee and differs per reserve (Check with your guide). This is known a conservation fee.

The below is an example of optional activities, see each individual tour itinerary. Download or Request a copy.

Please keep in mind that the prices that we display for these optional activities, can change from time to time as we do not control the pricing of the operators who run these activities. We do our best to ensure that we give you accurate figures so that you can Economy accordingly.

Southern Africa (South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Eswatini, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Mozambique) has adapted to its visitors needs and most who are involved in the tourism industry put a lot of effort into ensuring that guests have an incredible all-round experience while visiting. You will find most of your home comforts here and be very surprised at how easy it is to find your way around, especially with English being widely spoken throughout all Southern African countries. The infrastructure is for the most part good and travelling in these areas is “comfortable”. Accommodation is of a high standard and service levels are excellent.

Medical insurance is compulsory and you will be asked for your policy number before embarking on tour. Please make sure that your travel and medical insurance covers cancellation as well as being airlifted in case of a serious illness or injury as our tours often travel a long way from good hospital facilities. If credit card insurance is taken out, this often does not provide sufficient cover therefore a separate travel insurance policy is recommended.

Please settle any outstanding payments at least 30 days before your tour departs. We reserve the right to cancel a booking if payment is not received in full and you will not be allowed to depart on tour unless payment is received.

We are more than happy to assist with booking accommodation and transfers for you before and after your tour. The properties that we use are generally agreed at time of booking. Accommodation can be arranged near the OR Tambo airport (Johannesburg), Sandton area and Pretoria area and we offer this service to make life easier for you. If your transfer is not where they’re supposed to be, please contact Footprints on our emergency contact number (+27 (0)83 302 1976) so that we can resolve this immediately – it does sometimes happen as communications are always difficult when arriving in a new country. Please don’t let something like this affect the rest of your time on tour. Put it behind you and give the tour the opportunity to show you the best of Africa.

Please ensure that your onward travel arrangements are made before you depart on tour as it is difficult to make these arrangements while on tour. Please ask at time of booking about the options of onward travel with your tour and for names of low-cost airlines if you want to fly to your next destination.

Do not book your onward travel or flights on the day your tour is scheduled to end (unless the last day of tour does not involve any travelling and ends after breakfast). We could be running late for a number of reasons. This also puts a lot of unnecessary pressure on your fellow travellers and guides, turning the last day of tour into a rush. Footprints will not be held accountable if you have booked flights out on the last day of tour and you are not able to get to the airport on time. We will also not rush to get to there as we can’t jeopardize the safety and enjoyment of everyone else on the tour. Remember, expect the unexpected.

Although we intend to stick to the published itineraries it is critical to understand that the routing can and does change from time to time. Africa is unpredictable and many variables may require changes to the itinerary, this cannot be stressed enough. If we are forced to make a change to a tour, we will ensure that we still provide what we specified in our brochure. If we can no longer provide what is published in the brochure, we will provide a comparable experience of the same value.

Your passport must have enough pages for all visas, at least 2 pages free for every country that you’ll be visiting. Please ensure that you take your passport out from your hotel / backpackers safe the night before departure. We recommend that you also leave a copy at home or with some friends. Another good idea would be to take a photo of your passport, and the contents, and email it to yourself. Please note that South Africa insists having 2 clear pages available when you enter the country. Keep this in mind if you are going to fly home from South Africa after completing a tour to multiple African countries.

Please ensure that your passport is valid for at least six months after your date of departure from Africa. You are personally responsible for ensuring that passports, visas, vaccination certificates and other travel documents are in order and for all costs relating thereto. Please note that it is not advisable to use more than one passport (to avoid visa payments) when travelling. When entering (for example) Mozambique, the immigration official needs to see the exit stamp for South Africa and it must be in the same passport in order to allow entry.

As visa requirements vary considerably depending on your nationality, please contact the various embassies or visa service agencies to re-check visa requirements at least four weeks prior to departing for your tour. Please note that visas are the responsibility of the traveller and that Footprints in Africa will not be held responsible for clients being denied entry should they not be in the possession of the relevant visas.

All travellers must be in possession of a valid onward/return air ticket or proof of other means of transport enabling the traveller to leave the country in which your adventure tour terminates. Alternatively, you must have proof of sufficient funds (i.e. credit card) enabling you to purchase an air ticket to leave the country. Should the tour you are joining be re-entering a country, be sure to have a multiple entry visa that enables you to re-enter the country.

Visa regulations in Africa change from time to time. Please contact the embassies of the countries you plan to visit on your Footprints Tour. Arranging VISAS is not our specialty and due to this we do not always have the most updated information as these regulations change regularly.