Visas
UK citizens can enter Lesotho without a visa for stays of up to ninety days, American citizens for stays of up to 180 days, and Australian and Canadian citizens for stays of up to 14 days.
UK, Americans, Canadians and Australians can enter Eswatini without a visa for stays of up to 30 days.
UK, US and most EU citizens do not need a visa for Mozambique. However, you will need to obtain a travel permit on arrival for around 650 meticais (approx.10 EUR). We will provide hotel confirmations which you will need to present to the authorities along with your return / onward flight ticket.
You should ensure that your passport has at least six months’ validity after the end date of your trip. We also strongly recommend that your passport has a minimum of two blank pages next to each other (per country visited) – on rare occasion it may lead to problems with visas and immigration authorities if it does not.
Health and vaccinations
We are not medically qualified and so we recommend that you speak to your doctor or nearest health professional for advice concerning recommended vaccinations. However, there are no compulsory vaccinations needed to enter either country. For more advice on vaccinations you can also visit https://travelhealthpro.org.uk/countries.
Insurance
It is a condition of joining our tours that you have suitable travel insurance in place, and we cannot accept travellers without insurance. All policies differ in terms of what they will cover, but as a minimum you need medical and health cover which will cover you for the whole time that you are away. Most policies will also include cancellation cover, which will cover you if an unforeseen circumstance obliges you to cancel your trip. We recommend that you obtain your insurance as soon as you book your trip.
Please note that government travel warnings often affect the validity of your travel insurance, and you should check this with your insurance company.
Money
In Eswatini the currency is the lilangeni / emalangeni, which is tied to the South African rand. The rand is legal tender in Eswatini, but note that emalangeni are not convertible outside Eswatini. Most ATMs in Eswatini accept international cards.
Lesotho’s currency is the maloti, also tied to the South African rand. Credit cards are of limited use and outside of the capital it is difficult to exchange money, so it is best to bring enough cash with you.
The currency in Mozambique is the metical (meticais for plural). The ATM network in Mozambique is good and you can find several in the capital as well as most small towns. Please note however that most ATMs accept Visa cards only and have a daily withdrawal limit of Mt3,000 (about US$60). Credit cards are increasingly accepted in the larger cities, although you should tell your bank before using one in Mozambique. US Dollars and South African Rand are the main exchange currencies. If bringing USD, larger bills are preferred – smaller denominations (10 and 20 USD bills) won’t always be accepted at currency exchange facilities.
When to go
All of these countries have a warm tropical climate and are considered year-round destinations. Between the months of November-March it is hot and wet, but this time of year offers lush scenery and an abundance of wildlife, as well as avoiding the very cold winter months in Lesotho.
Culture
Sesotho is the official language of Lesotho and one of the first African languages to be written, although English is common and widely spoken. Most of the inhabitants of Lesotho are Basotho, and their attachment to their local villages and traditions, such as the Ndlamo dance, are still strong.
In Eswatini, the language spoken is siSwati which is almost identical to Zulu, but for historical reasons has developed its own identity. Despite the growing number of western influences, Swazi culture remains intact – many men still carry traditional battle axes and women sport traditional beehive hairstyles.
Over 99% of the population in Mozambique are African, and the remainder of the population is made up of Europeans, Indians and east Asians. The official language here is Portuguese, but is only spoken by around 45% of the population, who have been to school. All of Mozambique’s indigenous languages, of which there are around 40, belong to the root Bantu family. Around half of the population here are Christian, with Catholicism being followed by 28% of the population. The remainder belong to Protestant and Muslim faiths.
Eating and drinking
In Eswatini, traditional dishes made with porridge or corn are mostly found in rural homes or at a celebration, but the towns have numerous street cafes which serve up a variety of meals, such as the popular ‘bunny chow’ – a hollow half loaf filled with hot stew. The restaurants here are also known for their excellent seafood.
The cuisine in Lesotho is influenced by a variety of countries, so has a bit more to offer and you will come across fish dishes, stews, kebabs and curries as well as Braai (Southern African barbecue).
In the bigger towns of Mozambique, menus tend to consist of chips or rice with a side salad and fish, chicken or beef. In rural areas, food is often limited to ncima (a type of porridge), beans and meat (usually goat). Fish and seafood is abundant in Mozambique’s south, with it being famed for its shellfish, particularly prawns.
Fruit juices, soft drinks and local alcohol are widely available.
You should advise us when you book if you have any special dietary requirements. We will try to accommodate you as much as possible, but we cannot always guarantee this.
Luggage and packing
The first rule of packing is not to bring too much. There will be plenty of occasions where you’ll need to carry your luggage yourself and so you should be able to do this without help. Most people are surprised at how little they actually need to bring, and it’s normally possible to get laundry done along the way. It doesn’t matter whether you bring a suitcase, rucksack or holdall, but please don’t bring more than 20kg of luggage as this may be difficult to accommodate in the vehicles we use. You’ll also need a day pack.
Electrical outlets
For up to date information on the sockets types and power plug adaptors required on this trip please visit https://www.power-plugs-sockets.com
Fitness
You don’t need to be especially fit to join this tour, but there will be stairs to climb, hills to walk and sites to explore, so you’ll enjoy it more if you have a reasonable level of fitness.
We want everyone to fully enjoy group activities, so it’s important to be fit enough to keep up with the group. If an activity feels too challenging then in most cases it would be possible to miss it out and rejoin the group later. If you have any concerns please contact us before the tour departs.
Responsible tourism
In this region, like many of the destinations we offer, environmental thinking is not at the forefront of everyday life and you will see a lot of litter in places. However, we ask that you don’t contribute to this and to please take all litter back to the hotel where it can be disposed of properly, including cigarette butts –especially along South Africa’s Garden Route, which is prone to veld fires.
When visiting Tsehlanyane National Park, we encourage sustainable travel practices, such as respecting the land, avoiding littering, and supporting local businesses. As a conservation area, the park is dedicated to protecting unique montane ecosystems and biodiversity.
At Mkhaya Game Reserve, we ask travellers not to feed small animals like monkeys and birds, as this can make them tame and put them at risk or even pose a danger to tourists.
You may well come across beggars. There’s no hard and fast answer on this and everyone has a different view – some feel that giving simply encourages begging while others see it as helping someone in need. Some guidebooks will tell you that you should only give if you see a local person also giving, to determine whether the beggar is genuine. The issue is particularly difficult when it comes to children, but we’d ask that you don’t give to children as in poor communities this can often act as a discouragement to going to school.
If you feel that you’d like to contribute then speak with your guide who will be able to make appropriate suggestions.
Most people like to take photos, and it’s sometimes easy to forget that the photogenic person in front of you may not want their picture taken. Always ask if it’s okay, and respect their wishes if they say no. You’ll often find that in remote villages or among more traditional communities the older generation, and women in particular, are not comfortable with having their picture taken.
On the subject of photography, it’s often forbidden to take photos of ‘sensitive’ areas such as military buildings or border posts, and doing so can land you in trouble with the authorities. If you’re not sure, ask your guide.
Local conditions
When travelling to some of the destinations we offer you need to bear in mind that things won’t always work here as we’re used to them working at home. Travelling in underdeveloped and untouristed destinations requires both patience and a sense of humour. There may be problems with infrastructure, attitudes may be different, and maintenance may not be as high a standard as we would always like, but this is very much part and parcel of travelling in such a place. We aim to resolve any issues as quickly as possible, and thank you for your patience.
Travel advice
We keep a very close eye on the travel advice issued by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office so that we can keep you up to date with any warnings. At the time of writing the FCO does not advise against travel to Lesotho or Eswatini.
The FCO does advise against travel to parts of Mozambique, but these are not areas we visit on this tour and are much further north than where our travellers stay and we are confident that we can run trips here smoothly and safely.
This relates to advice from the British government – other nationalities need to check the stance of their own governments.
Please note that the information contained above is highly susceptible to change, and while we endeavour to keep up to date, we recommend that you use this as a guide only. Should you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
