South Africa 2013 | Cost and Info

SOUTH AFRICA

“Apex Predators & Sardine Run”

06 - 20 July 2013

15 travel days - 13 tour days | 8 guests

Snorkel | Dive | Wildlife & Nature | Photography

MAIN TRIP | South Africa (Snorkelers and Scuba divers)

Double Occupancy: USD $11,500 per person

Single Supplement Surcharge: USD $3,940 per person

INCLUDED

Comfortable double room accommodations in lodges and private luxury homes, with hot water and en suite bath rooms; Exclusive private boat charters using the best local operators; Rental of large van; All group meals; Welcome and farewell cocktail reception; Soft drinks, drinking water, tea/ coffee during lunch/dinner at all hotels; All group transfers and baggage handling; All tours, scuba diving and snorkeling, safaris and excursions as outlined in the itinerary; 2 days Microlite air support during Sardine run; Exclusive services of local professional guides and naturalists; Services of 2 Wild Earth Expeditions Leaders, including a local shark expert; Photographic workshops in the field; Dive Tanks (air) and weights; All gratuities to porters, safari guides, drivers, resort-, dive boat- and wait staff; Government, Service and Room taxes; All permits, Entrance-, National park- and Marine park fees; Donations towards local Shark conservation project; Complimentary slideshow/video DVD

NOT INCLUDED

All international and domestic airfares; Any airport arrival and departure taxes; Passport and visa fees; Immunization costs; Individual airport transfers, additional hotel nights, meals and baggage handling outside the group travel itinerary; Travel insurance; Excess baggage charges; Personal items, such as laundry, any alcoholic beverages or bar charges (unless specified above), e-mail, telephone, fax calls; Tips for non-group services; Rental of scuba diving or snorkeling equipment and/or other equipment where needed; Nitrox air-fills; Optional tour options outlined in itinerary in Transkei and Margate.

Any sudden increase in price due to steep hike in fuel cost, a change in government tax policy, currency fluctuations, or for any reason beyond our control. Please note that all costs have been calculated in South African Rand (ZAR). In May 2012 1USD=7.8ZAR.

SINGLE OCCUPANCY

Single occupancy rates apply. If you are wanting to share accommodations, a room mate will be assigned to you and double occupancy rates apply. If we can not pair you with a room mate, the single supplement applies. Please contact us for details.

PLEASE NOTE

Please note that a more stringent deposit and cancelation policy are required because this expedition includes private boat charters and private lodging exclusively for your group and most operators require a 50% upfront, non refundable payment to confirm the booking. Please note that a minimum of 8 guests is required for our group to get exclusive private boat charters and private lodge hire at Esiweni Lodge and Diver Villa. If the guest number drops below 8, we will have to share lodges and boats with other guests and possibly run the expedition with just one Expedition Leader, instead of two. However, please remember that we will have the best operators and local guides with us at all trip locations.

WHAT TO EXPECT

For this very active and intense South Africa expedition all participants need to be in good general health and must have a good fitness level.

For Shark cage diving no scuba diving certification is required, as it is on the waters surface on surface air hoses (hooka), snorkel or simply holding the head under the water. You must be able to climb in/out of the cage. For all scuba diving, good diving skills are required (Advanced Certification highly recommended). Our reef dives at Protea Banks will be at an average depth of 29-35m and there are currents present. For extended bottom time a Nitrox Certification is highly recommended. The baited shark dives and Sardine run dives will be in blue water, drifting at an average depth of 7-15m. Please remember that most watersports activities can also be done snorkeling, or by viewing from the boat.

The Sardine run is not the pampered dive experience you get in tropical destinations and is very unpredictable. Depending on the action at hand, the activities can be relaxed to strenuous. Sometimes we'll drop in very close to the action, while other times we try and keep a short distance as to not affect the animal behavior. Be prepared to do some swimming and lots of climbing in/out of boats with no ladders (with help from crew). To get the most out of the Sardine run, we will spend full days out at sea (weather dependent). Our safari game-rides are in open 4x4 vehicles, using off-road tracks.

Accommodation is in comfortable hotels, private safari lodges and luxurious homes with spacious rooms, hot water and en suite bathroom facilities. All meals will either be where we overnight or at local restaurants.

Please remember that we will be in South Africa during the Southern Hemisphere’s winter where the weather and sea conditions can be unpredictable and the temperatures are cooler. The water temperature is around 18-22C with potentially colder thermoclines, so a thick wetsuit is recommended (7mm). All operators will have wetsuits available for rent or included in the trip cost.

Detailed pre-departure information will be sent to you 4 months prior to the expedition.

INSURANCE

An active travel insurance policy is required. It is a prerequisite that you make arrangements for comprehensive travel insurance that covers you for medical, accident (including SCUBA diving for divers) and medical evacuation. We strongly suggest that you purchase comprehensive insurance that also includes additional expenses, trip cancellation/ interruption, luggage and personal effects protection. This insurance will protect you from financial disappointment in the event unforeseen circumstances prevent you from participating in the trip, or for other reasons.

Although every possible care is taken to safeguard you and your property, Wild Earth Expeditions accept no liability for any accidents, injuries, illnesses or death incurred, or for any loss of, or damage to your property, or for any unforeseen changes or interruptions to the expedition. No credit on any unused portions will be given and the cancelation policy will apply.

For complete Travel protection, you can contact the Travel Insurance Center to help you select the appropriate travel insurance that suits your needs best at www.travelinsurancecenter.com or call them at +1 866 979 6753.

For US/Canada residents, you can compare travel insurance options at www.insuremytrip.com

For Australia/NZ resident we can recommend TID (underwritten by Allianz) at www.travelinsurancedirect.com.au

Check out your local travel insurance options with your travel agent.

DIVE INSURANCE

For scuba divers, we strongly recommend DAN (Divers Alert Network) for dive insurance, hyperbaric treatment and medical evacuation. Select “insurance” and choose your plan www.diversalertnetwork.com

FLIGHTS

Contact us for details and to find the best flight options from your own home. There are many airline choices that fly into Johannesburg and Capetown. South African Airways and Emirates offer the best luggage allowances (see below), however if you are flying from the US you will more than likely get a higher US international luggage allowance anyhow.

Check on www.cheapoair.com for the best flight prices, connections and airline comparisons. Click on multi stop itinerary to add your stops en route. You must arrive into Capetown no later than mid morning on July 07 (so you can join the afternoon Stellenbosch wine tour). We highly recommend that you arrive a day earlier not only to acclimatise, but also not to miss the tour. The expedition finishes in the late afternoon, so you can fly home that evening (no flights earlier than 19:00). We plan on arriving at the airport around 17:00. If you wish to overnight at an airport hotel, please let us know and we can organize that for you.

Domestic flights (JNB-Capetown and Capetown-East London) with domestic airline carriers cost approximately USD $120-150 per flight segment in economy class, including taxes and surcharges.

BAGGAGE ALLOWANCE

Most airlines only allow 23kg check in luggage, plus 8kg hand luggage. Excess baggage charges apply for anything over 23kgs. However, South African Airways offers a 20kg check in plus an additional 20kg dive gear allowance in Economy and Emirates offers a standard 30kg check in luggage allowance in economy on all international flights.

For our domestic flight (Capetown-East London), excess baggage charges apply for anything over 20kgs, as these are small aircraft.