South Africa Travel

My buddy Peter, he’s a wildlife photographer, and so he’s a real big travel enthusiast. He’s been all over the world for his job and he loves visiting new places. Sometimes, he drags me along for short, local trips to help with the equipment and logistics, so I wasn’t surprised last week when he asked me if I was up for some work. When I told him I was, he warned me that it was something a little further afield than I’d done for him before - he wanted me to go with him on a shoot to South Africa with him later this year! I balked at first, because I was worried about how complicated travel will be, or how dangerous it might be. He assured me traveling to South Africa is neither, mostly because he’s using a reputable travel agency, a company called Nyati Safari.

I’m always a little skeptical when someone tells me how easy it is to make international travel plans. There are so many things you have to worry about - travel visas, passports, vaccination updates, arranging the travel between regions. He told me not to worry about it, because Nyati made the process so easy. He sent me to their page, and man, was I impressed. They have thought of everything you might need for planning safe travel through South Africa, no matter your destination within the region.

First, he pointed me at the website’s “Travel Resources” tab. So much information in one place, and all of it useful. I was able to determine which visas I would need and which vaccinations I would have to get updated. Nyati’s website even includes information on currency exchange rates, if I would need cash in certain situations, and the proper etiquette concerning tipping. But the information goes beyond cultural advice and the technical elements of arranging travel. Nyati’s website also gives travelers fact sheets for the countries in the region, and if you’re arranging travel for any one of their packages, the company includes information on border crossing and fees that might be involved.

When I found out from Peter that it wasn’t going to all be work, that’d we would have some downtime to see the area, I immediately called one of Nyati’s travel specialists to see what fit into the budget I’ve laid out for personal sightseeing in South Africa. I was pleasantly surprised at just how affordable some of their packages and additional trips turned out to be. Since I started helping Peter with his assignments, I’ve held a secret desire to see elusive and exotic big game, especially South Africa’s “Big Five” - lions, buffalo, elephants, leopards, and rhinos, and with the 4- or 7-day packages offered by Nyati, it seems I’ll get my wish! They even include excursions as part of these packages to travel destinations across South Africa such as Victoria Falls, Cape Town, South African wine country, even the beautiful Victoria Falls. Stay tuned to this space for more information on traveling to South Africa using Nyati as my guide and see what Peter and I come up with!