South Africa, Namibia and Botswana Updates
Looking for great news? Look no further…
First up we are happy to see some light at the end of the tunnel with Pfizer, BioNTech announcing that their Covid vaccine is more than 90% effective!
And now for some more wonderful news regarding South Africa, Botswana and Namibia…
SOUTH AFRICA IS OPEN TO ALL NATIONALITIES!!!
We are pleased to advise that President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced the lifting of the ‘red list’ of high-risk countries that are not allowed entry into South Africa. South Africa will therefore open international travel to all countries with immediate effect subject to the necessary health protocols and the presentation of a negative COVID-19 certificate not older than 72 hours from the time of departure. Please click here for the official documentation.
With Namibia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, now Botswana, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Uganda already open Africa is now your traveller’s oyster! And speaking of seafood so is the Maldives, Seychelles (with some restrictions), Zanzibar, Mozambique and Madagascar.
PHASED REOPENING OF BOTSWANA
Botswana has started a phased reopening to all nationalities as per below:
- As of 09 November 2020 air travel will resume again at Gaborone, Maun and Kasane airports
- As of 01 December 2020 most of the ground border posts will allow travellers in again
- All travellers arriving must present a negative COVID-19 PCR test certificate in English, obtained within 72 hours from the time of departure to Botswana. No electronic copies are accepted
- Travellers will be screened for COVID-19 on entry. Anyone showing symptoms must undertake mandatory testing and possible quarantine
- Travellers must remain in contact with the local health authority for 14 days while self-monitoring
- Travellers who do not meet requirements will not be allowed entry
- Departing passengers must comply with the regulations of their destination country
Click here for the official documentation
Airlink and Air Botswana will both be resuming their flight schedules as per below
AIRLINK FLIGHT SCHEDULE:
Gaborone to Johannesburg (from 16 November 2020)
Mornings:
| Flight 4Z 172 will depart Johannesburg at 06h20 on Mondays to Fridays, arriving in Gaborone at 07h15 | Flight 4Z 173 will depart Gaborone at 07h45 on Mondays to Fridays arriving in Johannesburg at 08h40 |
Afternoons:
| Flight 4Z 180 will depart Johannesburg at 13h50 daily arriving in Gaborone at 14h45 | Flight 4Z 181 will depart Gaborone daily at 15h15, arriving in Johannesburg at 16h10 |
Johannesburg to Maun (from 01 December 2020)
| Flight 4Z 300 will depart Johannesburg at 11h55 on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays arriving in Maun at 13h30 | Flight 4Z 301 will depart Maun at 14h00 on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at 07h45 arriving in Johannesburg at 15h35 |
Johannesburg to Kasane (from 16 December 2020)
| Flight 4Z 306, will depart Johannesburg at 11h40 on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays arriving in Kasane at 13h25 | Flight 4Z 307, will depart Kasane at 13h55 on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays arriving in Johannesburg at 15h45 |
AIR BOTSWANA FLIGHT SCHEDULE:
Air Botswana will initially offer four weekly flights between Gaborone and Johannesburg.
- On Sundays, flight BP201 departs Gaborone at 08h00 and arrives in Johannesburg at 09h10. Return flight BP204 departs Johannesburg at 12h15 and arrives at 13h25
- On Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, flight BP207 departs Gaborone at 14h30 and arrives in Johannesburg at 15h40. Flight BP208 departs Johannesburg at 18h40 and arrives in Gaborone at 19h50
Flights may be increased or reduced depending on the spread of COVID and/or travel demand.
NAMIBIA IS READY FOR YOU!
Namibia’s positive handling of the COVID-19 pandemic has been well-documented, and the country is now being recognised as a world leader when it comes to rational, systematic, risk-assessed and progressive re-opening. These efforts were rewarded when Namibia was removed from the RISK COUNTRY LIST by the prestigious Robert Koch Institute on 15 October 2020, which means that travellers from Germany, Switzerland and Austria can now visit Namibia and return home without the requirement of a COVID-19 PCR test or any form of quarantine. Namibia and Rwanda are the only two sub-Saharan countries to have been removed from this list so far.
More great news – As part of the rational, systematic, risk-assessed, re-opening of Namibia, further relaxation on travel restrictions for those coming to Namibia has been announced. As before, Namibia will welcome tourists of all nationalities, and they will now only require a negative COVID-19 PCR test result that is not older than 72 hours from the date of their test results being available. If that is provided on arrival, they will be allowed to enter Namibia and proceed with their travels with no further restrictions. The earlier requirement for a mandatory Day 5 retest has been WITHDRAWN! This amendment to the entry requirements makes Namibia totally and practically accessible to travellers, and it is probably more accessible than most others from both a requirement and a safety aspect!
Please remember that Namibia has a number of world-class private hospitals which can be used in the unlikely event that a tourist should fall seriously ill while in the country, and all of these are equipped to cater for COVID-19 patients. The quality of Namibia’s private health care infrastructure is well documented and, in recent times, it has become a preferred venue for medical care for many guests who have experienced medical emergencies when travelling in Botswana. In the past, South Africa was generally the only option considered for this.
The time to travel to Namibia is now! Click here to view the current flight schedule which is subject to change.
Summary Of Current Entry Protocols For International Tourists To Namibia:
- Travellers of all nationalities welcome.
- All travellers must have a negative PCR result not older than 72 hours.
- Travellers must complete a health questionnaire which will need to be submitted, together with a full travel itinerary, to Health Ministry staff when they first arrive at the airport. The health questionnaire forms can be obtained at www.namibiatourism.com.na
- Travellers must have travel insurance which covers medical expenses and unexpected hotel stays in case of falling ill while travelling.
- Upon arrival travellers may proceed with their travels provided they have the requisite negative COVID 19 PCR test results, and they are not exhibiting any symptoms of being unwell.
TRAVEL INSURANCE
Please ensure your clients take out comprehensive travel insurance covering them for personal effects, accident, medical and emergency evacuation travel expenses, cancellation and curtailment.
Keep in mind that we have more than four decades’ experience in making people’s travel dreams come true and tailor-make each of our Journeys.
And don’t forget…. We have lots of AMAZING DEALS in place for South Africa, Botswana and Namibia to take advantage of!
For close encounters of the herd kind while still keeping far from the madding crowd, talk to Journey Beyond about experiencing the best of Africa on journey@journeybeyond.travel
