YOUR O.A.T. ADVENTURE TRAVEL PLANNING GUIDE® New! South Africa & Eswatini: Kruger National Park, the Garden Route & Cape Town 2022 Small Groups: 8-16 travelers—guaranteed! (average of 13) Overseas Adventure Travel ® The Leader in Personalized Small Group Adventures on the Road Less Traveled 1 Dear Traveler, At last, the world is opening up again for curious travel lovers like you and me. And the O.A.T. New! South Africa & Eswatini: Kruger National Park, the Garden Route & Cape Town itinerary you’ve expressed interest in will be a wonderful way to resume the discoveries that bring us so much joy. You might soon be enjoying standout moments like these: There’s something magical that continues to draw me back to South Africa. With a rich and complex cultural heritage and vast terrain rife with wildlife, it is truly a wonder to behold. But when I reflect on my time there—from images of expansive plains and sounds of animals wandering through the night air—the most vivid memories are those of the people I’ve met along the way, like the small Swazi community in the Ezulwini Valley where you’ll experience A Day in the Life of a local village. You’ll see firsthand what it’s like to live in the village when you meet the the InDuna, village’s leader, and visit the two homesteads, where you’ll help to prepare a traditional Swazi meal at a local homestead with the elderly women who live and care for their families here. One of the most moving stories I heard was from a relative of Hector Pietersen, the young boy who was shot and killed by police during a protest in 1976 and became an iconic image of the struggle for equality. You’ll meet this member of Pietersen’s family, too, and hear their personal and poignant perspctive on apartheid when you visit the Hector Pietersen memorial in Soweto, a former shantytown on the outskirts of Johannesburg. The way we see it, you’ve come a long way to experience the true culture—not some fairytale version of it. So we keep our groups small, with only 8-16 travelers (average 13) to ensure that your encounters with local people are as intimate and authentic as possible. It’s also why your O.A.T. Trip Experience Leader will be a resident “insider” who can show you the culture as only a local can. To ensure that your adventure is truly unique, put your own personal stamp on it. You can arrive early and stay later, add a pre- or post-trip extension, spend time in a Stopover city, or combine two or more trips. Plus, your itinerary offers ample free time so you can pursue your own interests. So until the day comes when you are off to enjoy your New! South Africa & Eswatini: Kruger National Park, the Garden Route & Cape Town adventure, I hope you will relish the fun and anticipation that this O.A.T. Adventure Travel Planning Guide® will inspire. Should you have further questions, feel free to call our Regional Adventure Counselors at 1-800-955-1925. Love and peace, Harriet R. Lewis Vice Chairman, Overseas Adventure Travel P.S. For further peace of mind, please know that we are EXTENDING our Risk-Free Booking Policy through 12/31/21. Learn more at www.oattravel.com/risk-free-booking. USA Today “Best Tours” 10Best Readers’ Presented by Choice Awards Solo Traveler 2 CONTENTS A Letter from Harriet Lewis ................................................................2 The O.A.T. Difference......................................................................4 The Freedom to Personalize Your Experience ................................................6 Grand Circle Foundation...................................................................8 The Leader in Solo Travel ..................................................................9 SOUTH AFRICA & ESWATINI: KRUGER ABOUT YOUR DESTINATIONS: NATIONAL PARK, THE GARDEN ROUTE CULTURE, ETIQUETTE & MORE & CAPE TOWN South African Culture .................... 81 Your Adventure at a Glance: Shopping: What to Buy, Customs, Where You’re Going, What it Costs, Shipping & More ........................ 85 and What’s Included ..................... 10 Your Detailed Day-To-Day Itinerary ........ 12 DEMOGRAPHICS & HISTORY Optional Tours .......................... 30 South Africa............................. 88 Pre-Trip Extensions ...................... 31 Facts, Figures & National Holidays ........ 88 41 Post-Trip Extensions ..................... South Africa: A Brief History .............. 89 Dates & Prices ........................... 52 Eswatini ................................ 90 Facts, Figures & National Holidays ........ 90 ESSENTIAL TRAVEL INFORMATION Eswatini: A Brief History .................. 91 Travel Documents & Entry Requirements. 53 Zimbabwe .............................. 92 Visas Required .......................... 54 Facts, Figures & National Holidays ........ 92 Rigors, Vaccines & General Health ......... 56 Zimbabwe: A Brief History ................ 92 Vaccines Required ....................... 57 Madagascar ............................. 94 Money Matters: Local Currency & Tipping Facts, Figures & National Holidays ........ 94 Guidelines .............................. 60 Madagascar: A Brief History .............. 95 Tipping Guidelines....................... 63 Zanzibar ................................ 97 Air, Optional Tours & Staying in Touch ..... 65 Facts, Figures & National Holidays ........ 97 Optional Tours .......................... 65 Zanzibar: A Brief History ................. 98 Optional Tours: Reserve Before You Go .... 66 Communicating with Home from Abroad . 67 RESOURCES Packing: What to Bring & Luggage Limits . 70 Suggested Reading ...................... 100 Suggested Packing Lists .................. 72 Suggested Film & Video .................. 103 Electricity Abroad ....................... 75 Climate & Average Temperatures .......... 77 O.A.T. Health & Safety Measures.......................................................... 106 Notes.................................................................................. 107 Map ................................................................................... 111 3 EXPERIENCE THE O.A.T. DIFFERENCE in South Africa This adventure not only showcases iconic sights, but takes you beyond them to experience the culture through unique activities, engagement with the natural world, and authentic encounters with local people. Since our founding in 1978, O.A.T. has become America’s leader in personalized small group journeys on the road less traveled. SMALL GROUPS: 8-16 TRAVELERS LOCAL MODES OF TRANSPORTATION (AVERAGE OF 13)—GUARANTEED To see the world like the locals, you should The world feels more intimate and engaging travel like one. Our small group size allows when your experience of it is also personal us to take the roads and waterways that are and genuine. That’s why our groups never less traveled, and we often follow them using exceed 16 travelers. This gives you access to the same unique modes of transportation people and places larger groups simply can’t that the locals use—be it a canoe, a camel or a reach. More authentic interactions. Deeper vintage cab. bonds with your travel mates. Personal service from your Trip Experience Leader. Smoother UNIQUE LODGINGS transitions. And a far more satisfying Our lodgings reflect the local character, experience than any traditional tour offers. from smaller family-run hotels and historic manors to comfy inns. Occasionally, larger THE BEST TRIP EXPERIENCE LEADERS hotels closer to city centers are used. Wherever Your English-speaking, O.A.T. Trip Experience you stay, you’re assured fine comfort and Leader is a resident of the region you are hospitality. visiting, so you will get a true insider’s perspective that brings each place alive—the OUR WORLDWIDE OFFICES stories, food, customs, hidden treasures With 36 regional offices around the world, and more. we are perfectly poised to leverage our local relationships to deliver an excellent experience AUTHENTIC CULTURAL CONNECTIONS and value. During this trip, you’ll be supported Engage with local people through visits to by our team in Cape Town. farms, factories, markets, and artisans’ studios; school visits; Home-Hosted meals; and more. Witness wildlife during a game drive in Kruger National Park Connect with local people in a Swazi market 4 THE PILLARS OF DISCOVERY Enriching. Inspiring. Unforgettable. These features form the foundation of your South Africa & Eswatini adventure. GRAND CIRCLE FOUNDATION (GCF) VISIT exclusive, immersive experience that places GCF was established in 1992 to help change you in the heart of a community where you’ll people’s lives in the world where we live, meet various people where they live, work, work, and travel. To date, we have pledged or and play; visit the neighborhood school; lend a donated $200 million worldwide. hand with daily chores; and break bread with our hosts. You’ll see GCF’s work in action when we visit A Day in the Life the George Mhaule Primary School. Here, our This adventure includes of small group will enjoy a special opportunity a small, rural settlement nestled in the to meet and connect with some of the school’s Ezulwini Valley. We’ll visit the home of the InDuna students, who range in age from five to six, as , the village’s leader, and have the well as their teachers. opportunity to share a conversation with him or his wife about their integral role in the CONTROVERSIAL TOPICS community and life as a subsistence farmer. Every culture has its joys and achievements, Then, we’ll be welcomed into two homesteads and we celebrate them all. But every place where