Travel to South Africa and Mozambique: Preparation and useful tips

The entire route of the trip to South Africa and Mozambique, as well as useful tips, costs and conclusions, you can read Here.

THE OFFER

At the end of December 2023, an offer for tickets with Kenya Airways came out at unrealistically low prices from various European airports. Most tickets were open-jaw ie. Departure destination is different from the return destination. At normal prices of 500-600 euros, with this offer the prices were exactly half - in the order of 500-600 BGN for a round trip and there were tickets to Nairobi, Zanzibar, Seychelles, etc. different parts of Africa. Among the cheapest tickets were those to Johannesburg (South Africa) and Addis Ababa (Ethiopia). South Africa sounded like a suitable destination to me like a woman traveling alone in sub-Saharan Africa. So, after such a unique offer, I finally got tickets: Paris-Johannesburg-London from 25.04 to 6.06 for only BGN 550! Promo prices were published on the airline's official website, but I bought them at jetcost.com, where they were even a little lower.

After a month or two, I also bought the connecting flights - from Sofia to Paris Bouvet with Ryan Air and London Luton to Sofia with Wizz Air.

Preparation

So, I had exactly 4 months to plan the trip. From the very first days of January, I started online conversational English lessons to practice listening and speaking mostly. For this purpose, I used the platform on the preply.com site, where you can connect with people from all over the world and talk to each other for a minimum fee of 3-4 dollars for a 50-minute session.

Over time, I assembled the program, booked hotels, transfers, domestic flights, organized tours. I contacted the missionary organization and in the course of my communication with them, they sent me a list of things to donate of my choice and desire. I bought 250 toothbrushes, toothpastes, children's clothes (mostly boys' - that's what it said in the list), things for art activities (colored sand paintings, beads with boots for string), sweets, etc. I actually filled an entire medium and half small suitcase with just things to donate to the base. I even left the middle suitcase there. I started packing the luggage about a month before the trip like whatever I thought I would need, I set it aside so that it wasn't all at the last minute.

Separately, when assembling the program, I made sure that the hotels are in safe locations, in tourist areas, so that I can also get around on foot. I did not plan to use local transport (train, bus), but only a taxi and its cheaper alternative - Uber.

Visa to the Republic of South Africa

Unlike traveling around Europe, not a small part of my expenses went to obtaining visas and permits to enter the territory of a given country.

First I started with the visa to South Africa. The term for issuing the visa is about 2 weeks, and the validity of the tourist visa is for 3 months, i.e. Care must be taken not to go too early. I, for example, for a trip at the end of April, I applied at the end of February and got my visa in mid-March. It is important to mention that you want a multiple-entry visa - at the same price, and opens up many opportunities.

Visa documents can only be submitted on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10:00 to 12:00 at the Embassy of the Republic of South Africa in Sofia. The address of the embassy is Sofia, 7 Shipka Street; Telephone - headquarters: + 359 2 939 50 15; 359 2 981 4880 – Consular services. Receiving ready-made visas takes place after 2 weeks and only on Wednesdays or Fridays between 10.00 and 12.00. The emails for contacting the embassy are: pillayd@dirco.gov.za; sofia.political@dirco.gov.za; sofia.admin@dirco.gov.za

Necessary documents when applying for a tourist visa for South Africa:
- 2 passport photos 3x3
- passport valid for not less than 30 days after the date of return with 2 blank pages - the passport remains with them until they leave the Visa
– hotel reservations for the entire stay in South Africa. If it's like in my case - there is a exit from the country and then re-entry, then I show all reservations for everywhere
- Flight confirmations - for entry and exit from South Africa + Domestic flights + connecting flights, generally all flights related to Travel
- confirmation from an employer with details of the salary I receive, the position held and approval for leave - translated into English. It doesn't need to be legalized.
– bank statement for the last 3 months in English. There is no need to be legalized.
- fee paid - BGN 65 - paid on the day of submission to a bank branch, near the embassy
- application form - filled in with a black pen. You can download it from here and take it filled there.

It is important to know the locations of Bulgarian embassies in Africa itself, especially if you lose your documents or find yourself involved in a legal or criminal matter. In this case, there is a Bulgarian embassy in Pretoria, one of the three capitals of South Africa. This embassy is responsible for South Africa, Mozambique, and a number of other African countries.
Address: 1071 Stanza Bopape St. (formerly “Church Street”), 0083 Hatfield, Pretoria, Republic of South Africa
Tel.: +27 12 342 37 20 / After-hours hotline: +27 79 893 7336
Consular office hours: Mon–Fri, 9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m., by appointment only.
E-mail: Embassy.Pretoria@mfa.bg, Consular.Pretoria@mfa.bg

There is no embassy of Bulgaria in Kenya. The closest is in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Address: Bole KK, Kebele 04/06/07, Addis Ababa, The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
Phone/Fax: +25116610032
Working hours: 08:00 – 18:00
E-mail: embassy.addisababa@mfa.bg

Visa to Kenya and Mozambique

The visas for Kenya have been dropped, but now the requirement is to fill in an online form that generates a QR code, which we can then present at the airport upon entering the country. This ETA form costs $35 and is for a single entry and exit only. More information here. No documents are required when filling out and it is done very quickly, and the QR code itself is sent in a day or two by email. Since I had an overnight stay both on the way out and on the way back, I had to fill in two such forms ie. Anything double.

The Mozambique visa was the most difficult of the three. First, because there is no embassy of Mozambique in Bulgaria and the official one is located in Moscow. Well, yes, but Russia is at war now... Second, on some sites it was written that Bulgarian citizens can submit online, I tried repeatedly on the site designated for the purpose, but the system simply did not allow me to move forward. The option for Visa on Arrival remained - visa on arrival, as everywhere on the Internet there was talk of a fee of $50. So far so good. Yes, but no! At the airport in Mozambique, I had to fill out documents and write the same things several times, and finally - the funniest part - they asked me not 50, but 150$! They can be paid with a bank card or with dollars, not older than 7 years. There is no movement - either you pay or you leave on the first flight. Mozambique's website does not include prices anywhere.

I was also speechless when one of the girls from the missionary organisation, who was from Canada, told me that for her long-term stay (up to 1 year) in Mozambique, they asked her $900 for the visa!!! There was some hidden increase in fees, which, however, is not officially reflected anywhere.

local currency

South Africa: South African Rand
100 ZAR = 10 BGN
300 ZAR = 30 BGN
1000 ZAR = 100 BGN

Kenya: Kenyan Shilling
150 KES = 2 BGN
500 KES = 7 BGN
700 KES = 10 BGN

Mozambique: Mozambican metical
100 MZM = 2.90 BGN
600 MZM = 17 BGN
1,200 MZM = 34 BGN

What things did I put in my luggage? Useful tips for traveling to Africa:

• I have distributed copies of the passport, visas and all important reservations in various bags and suitcases in case of theft or loss
• I had all the reservations, photos of the parking and visas on the phone - online and offline. Good I got a second backup phone.
• I found information about relevant embassies, their addresses and opening hours
• I have previously downloaded up-to-date Google Maps maps, translator languages, and other useful apps
• I bought a small hidden bag that is under clothes and is not noticeable where I can keep my passport or a copy of it, some money, bank cards
• Purchased a small cross-type crossing bag for easy access to important documents
• I called the banks where I have cards in advance and warned them where I plan to go, the specific dates and keep it in mind so they don't block my cards due to dubious transactions
• I checked the necessary vaccines. In the case of my trip, it was necessary to have a yellow fever vaccine because of the longer stay in Kenya.
• I secured an external battery for charging devices due to a possible power outage, and not only
• I got my anti-malaria medicine in my baggage - only malaron (I didn't take it), but it can also be chlornithromycin, chloramphenicol and quinine tablets
• I have prepared all kinds of medicines for diarrhea, vomiting, viruses, fever
• Sprays, bracelets and preparations against mosquitoes and other bugs
• Preparations to protect against viruses during flights: for nose - Nasaleze Cold & Flu Blocker and Humer Stop Virus; For Throat - Medistus Antivirus Tablets - Create a protective layer
• Personal care products - soaps, shampoos, shower gels, conditioners, antibacterial wipes and disinfectants - don't rely on hotels for these things
• As a person wearing glasses constantly, I have prepared a spare pair of glasses, lenses, solution, case
• I checked what adapters for the contacts are needed. In South Africa, for example, in nice hotels there is no problem with European plugs, but if you sleep somewhere else, you may need to get an adapter that is sold only there - it is very different from all the other adapters
• Clothes suitable for windy and rainy weather. In Cape Town and the area, it blows almost all year round.
• Drink only bottled water and make sure the caps are factory sealed because they really cheat with this thing
• From the street only fruit with wraps like bananas for example
• For South Africa, I installed the Eskom app, which shows when and in which areas there will be a power outage and for what period of time

Whatever depended on me, during these 4 months I tried to do it and prepare properly for an independent trip through Negro Africa. I even wrapped stretch film around the suitcases so they wouldn't get dirty and break. But what happened in the last 24 hours before the start of the trip - read in the next travelogue.

To the next travelogue –> shock changes