Blog Introduction 

Writing has never been one of my strongest virtues, honestly, instead of sitting in front of this blank computer screen contemplating on what and how to write, I prefer taking clients for gorilla trekking up in the Virunga Mountains of Uganda and Rwanda, trek for wildlife in the Okavango Delta, witness the wildebeest migration in the Masai Mara & Serengeti, sand boarding and sky diving in Namibia or shark diving in Cape Town.  Adventure, Safari travel and interacting with people from different backgrounds and cultures is where my passion lies and I'm really good at it.  

I've spent the last 12 years travelling extensively as an overland expedition safari tour guide in East and Southern Africa, a total of 10 countries namely Botswana, Kenya, Malawi, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

I guess I've been really fortunate and privileged to get to travel to all these countries for a job.  During my travels over the years I’ve had the opportunity to interact, socialize and make friends with people from different cultures and backgrounds, African, European, North and South America, Asian and Middle Eastern.  With the help from my African friends, I was able to learn quite a good number of African languages.

It's true, most people have a desire to travel to new places, to different parts of the world and learn about different cultures, cuisine or even search for the big five in the African jungles, however, somehow that desire is limited by financial constraints.  Still there are safe and affordable ways for everyone to satisfy that desire - it all comes down to how deep your pockets are, how long you are willing to save, how you would like to travel etc.  Some people prefer glamour travel and the comfort of expensive hotels and resorts, where as some don't mind roughing it, be it wild camping, back packing etc. The goal is usually the same.  When it comes to African safaris especially, the expectations on what to see aren’t that different.

My objective for this blog is to share with fellow safari travel lovers alike: travel ideas & tips, itineraries, travel news, the do’s & dont’s when travelling to places I've been, conservation and wildlife, destination updates, environmental reports, special offers and discount packages from JJ Africa Tours my safari travel business and most of all, tell stories from my travel experiences.  

Hopefully in the process I get to bring my own safari travel business into light, truth be told that's probably what's driving me to write this blog.

Like every human being, it's impossible for me to know everything, so I would really appreciate any input & questions you have or if you have any other travel ideas to share with me.  Constructive criticism and advice is most welcome.

In the jungle, wild animals, never plan their days, they don't wake up every morning thinking & worrying about what they will eat or when they have to take a bath.  They just live, it's survival of the fittest!  

I on the other hand, I only have one strategy for conducting this blog.  It's very simple: "There's no strategy".  I will be dropping my posts randomly as days go by and hope that somebody out there might bump into my articles, have an interest reading them and find the information helpful.

Here we go,

 My very first post on this blog, actually, I shouldn’t call this a post but news, good news for travellers to Southern Africa; As of the beginning of this year, Zambia and Zimbabwe made an agreement to issue a UniVisa to travellers from most countries,  one can acquire the UniVisa from any port of entry in either of the two countries.  Make sure you have the visa fee in real money as there are no credit facilities at border posts.  At a cost of US$50 by the time of writing, travellers are free to travel back and forth between the two countries for multiple times for a period of 30 days, you can also cross to Botswana for a day visit without having to pay for a new visa to re enter either of the countries.

Below is a list of Eligible countries whose nationals can acquire a UniVisa at the port of entry

Argentina Austria Australia Belgium Brazil Britain (UK) Brunei Burundi Canada Cook Islands Czech Republic Denmark Finland

France Germany Greece Hungary Iceland Israel Italy Japan Liechtenstein Luxembourg Monaco Netherlands New Zealand

Norway Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Russia Rwanda Slovakia Republic Slovenia Republic Spain Sweden Switzerland UAE Uruguay USA

     The UniVisa can be acquired only at the following Ports of Entry

Zimbabwe

Victoria Falls Airport

Victoria Falls Land Border to Livingstone, Zambia

Kazungula Land Border to Botswana

Harare Airport

Zambia

Harry Mwanga Airport, Livingstone

Victoria Falls Border to Zimbabwe

Kazungula Ferry Border from Botswana

Kenneth Kaunda Border, Lusaka  

 If you find this info helpful please share with friends.  If you would like to travel to Zimbabwe and/or Zambia but you don’t really know how to go about it, you can check my website, www.jjafricatours.com for a few itineraries that have Zimbabwe and Zambia included.  Feel free to download the trip notes at no cost and browse through the essential information provided on the trip notes for ideas.  If you have any concerns or questions I will appreciate your emails at operations@jjafricatours.com or on this blog.

Til my next post

Happy Travels

JJ

Explore, Experience & Treasure