Over the last year or two at Wild Eye, we have been in a position to more accurately track nationalities that travel with Wild Eye, the duration they tend to travel as well as the countries they favour for travel.
Our USA guests made up just under 50% of our total guests travelled for the year of 2023, followed by the United Kingdom, South Africa, Australia, Canada and Germany, respectively.
Needless to say, the most popular destinations fell within East Africa which would include; Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda & Uganda. Second to that were both Botswana and South Africa.
Each of these countries host flagship destinations or landmarks which usually form part of the itineraries that are planned. Our South African itineraries came out on top as far as general travel goes. General travel would mean itineraries that are customised according to the guests preferred duration, budget and locations they want to visit. South Africa continues to be an affordable option with a wide range of options ranging from high end luxury bush stays to cosy seaside cottages.
Planning a holiday is the fun part, the not so fun part can be the visa application process, depending on your nationality and destination you are visiting. Fortunately, most of the visa’s required for African countries are an easy and stress-free process.
KENYA
Kenya has recently updated their entry requirements, from a visa to an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA).
All visitors to Kenya are now required to follow the application process online, but only some nationalities will be charged for the application.
- All visitors are required to present an ETA for check in and boarding, and upon arrival in Kenya.
- The process has proven to be faster than the old Visa application process, and typically processes within 3 working days. However, only a certain number of applications are processed per day, so please be sure to apply within good time. We would recommend 10-14 days in advance.
- These CANNOT be issued upon arrival.
- Having a valid hotel confirmation and e-ticket will help streamline the application process.
For more information on the application process, FAQ’s, costs, as well as for anyone that may be exempt to this process, please refer to the official website below:
TANZANIA
Tanzania is another country that offers visa applications online. You may either apply for an ordinary visa (single entry), business visa (not applicable if you are visiting for tourism purposes) or a multiple entry.
USA citizens are required to apply for a multiple entry, regardless if they are only entering once. This is due to bilateral agreements between Tanzania and America.
For more information which also includes transit, student and gratis visas, as well as a list of nationalities that do and do not require visas and costs thereof, please visit the official immigration website below:
SOUTH AFRICA
South Africa, in my opinion, unfortunately does not offer a very user friendly online platform when applying for a visa. However, the good news is that very few nationalities that typically travel for tourism actually require a visa to visit South Africa for periods not exceeding 30 days.
For more information, please follow the link below:
https://www.dha.gov.za/index.php/immigration-services/exempt-countries
BOTSWANA
Botswana is one of the Southern African countries that is renowned for their beautiful wildlife and boasts the Okavango Delta, as well as many other areas that are rich in both fauna and flora. They rely heavily on tourism, and welcome visitors with warm and open arms.
Botswana offers a simple online process for countries that do require visas. However, once again, many nationalities do not require visa’s.
Please follow the link below to check if you require a visa to visit Botswana:
RWANDA
Rwanda is one of the few countries that still offers visa’s upon arrival to the port of entry, although an online process is also available. They also acknowledge last minute travel and have the option of normal (3-5 days), urgent (24-48 hours) and super urgent (24 hours or less) application process. Each of the urgent options obviously come with an additional fee.
As of November 2023, all African residents can now travel visa free to Rwanda.
For more information regarding the Rwanda Immigration services, please follow the link below:
UGANDA
Uganda, last but not least, also requires visitors to apply ahead of their visit to Uganda.
Most countries still require a visa to visit Uganda. The online platform is user friendly and easy to navigate, in fact, the process is broken up into steps and each of these guide you as to which information and documents are required. For a single entry tourist visa, these may include:
- Copy of the bio data page of your current passport
- Remember, you will need a passport with a validity of at least 6 months (safe zone) from date of return, but immigrations may accepts passports with a period of 1 month validity from date of return.
- A photocopy of a valid yellow fever certificate.
- Those that have been advised against the vaccination, may be required to upload a waiver letter.
- Head and shoulders photo, preferably against a white background.
- Hotel accommodation or itinerary details.
- Wild Eye can provide a travel itinerary which is also acceptable.
- Round trip flight reservations (e-ticket)
- You may also be required to complete other details such as the address of residence, next of kin, covid vaccination status and employment status.
- Lastly, you will be charged a fee of 50 USD for the application.
This usually takes 5-7 working days to process, once successful, you will receive a letter of approval. The letter of approval will be presented at boarding and check in, and then again at the port of entry to Uganda. Only at the port of entry, will you receive the visa in your current passport.
Please visit the official immigration website below for more information:
Over and above the basic visa guidelines provided for each of these countries, we highly recommend that you check the official websites a few weeks leading up to your travel window, as these are not always consistent and can change at short notice.
Our Wild Eye logistics team are up to date with visa requirements as well as country entry requirements, please do not hesitate to reach out and contact your dedicated consultant should you need assistance or guidance.
We look forward to changing the way you see the world, one visa application at a time!
Judy Van Zyl
Logistics Manager
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Wild Eye has been changing the way travellers see the world since 2011! With scheduled tours and safari to every corner of the globe, and especially Africa, you are bound to find the perfect tour for you.
