Hi all. Because there has been some discussion of the passport pages and Visa requirements on this forum, I thought I would post what I received "straight from the horses mouth". We received our "Tauck Personal Travel Documents" for Wildlife Odyssey (Zimbabwe, Botswana and South Africa), so I wanted to post this. Note - I recently renewed my passport - expedited- and received a new, shiny , 50 page passport within 12 days of the day I express mailed my renewal application in. Note the information on the purchase of the "double entry visa" for Zimbabwe. This was news to me. The charge for this Visa is NOT covered by Tauck . Because we enter Zimbabwe twice ( once upon arrival, and once during travel on the tour) we need a "double entry" visa:
per Tauck documents:
**Travel Documents Required****
All U.S. citizens require a a valid passport to enter the countries on this itinerary, and that passport
must be valid for at least six months beyond the completion of travel. (Please note that although
adult passports are valid for a full ten years, children's passports require renewal every five years.)
The countries of South Africa and Botswana do not require visas for U.S. citizens, however you will
receive tourist visas, which are stamps in your passport.
An unabridged birth certificate is needed for guests under 18 years old to cross into Botswana.
In additional to a valid passport, U. S. citizens are also required to have a visa to enter Zimbabwe.
Because your tour begins in Zimbabwe, you must obtain your double-entry Zimbabwe visa upon
arrival at Victoria Falls International Airport on Day 1 of your journey, before exiting Immigration
and Customs to rendezvous with the Tauck representative (who will assist you with your
transportation to our first night's hotel). We will return to Zimbabwe on Day 6 to fly to South Africa.
You will be required to show your passport in order to obtain your Zimbabwe visa. Purchase a
DOUBLE ENTRY VISA for $45 USD.
New rules at South Africa's airports require travelers to have four consecutive blank visa pages in
their passport which lie side-by-side when the passport is open (i.e., a left and a right-hand page).
These must be pages marked "visa" at the top. Guests will need a third blank visa page in their
passport for Zimbabwe. (This third blank page need not be consecutive with the blank two-page
spread noted above that is required for entry into South Africa.) Additionally, it's worth noting that
stamp collectors should consider allocating space for Botswana stamps, as a dedicated page for
these stamps is often sought after due to their unique designs and limited availability.
Passengers traveling to South Africa with passports that do not comply with these requirements
will either be prevented from boarding their flight to South Africa or risk deportation upon arrival.
** Non-U.S. citizens should contact the embassies or consulates of South Africa, Zimbabwe and
Botswana to determine if a visa is required.
It is a good idea to carry a photocopy of the photo page of your passport in a place other than
with the original, and to leave a copy of all your travel documents with a friend or relative at home.
If you are a United States citizen and do not have a valid passport, please contact the closest U.S.
passport agency or consult the U.S. State Department website for detailed information on how to
obtain or renew your passport at: www.travel.state.gov.
I will let you all know how this process goes.
