Sub Saharan Africa

• Travel Summary
• Safety and security
• Local laws and customs
• Entry requirements

• Health
• General
 

Travel Summary

• There are confirmed human cases of A (H1N1) - Swine Flu in South Africa (source: World Health Organisation). The World Health Organisation (WHO) has raised its Pandemic Threat Alert Phase to Level 6.  The WHO website at: www.who.int has further details. You should monitor local media reports for any further developments and advice. There is a dedicated Swine Flu page on this website. Guidance on Pandemic Flu is available on the UK Department of Health website at: www.dh.gov.uk.
  
  
• There is a high level of crime, but most occurs in townships and isolated areas away from the normal tourist destinations.
  
  
• England have qualified for the FIFA World Cup in June 2010.  In addition to this Travel Advice, you may wish to visit World Cup 2010 for other useful information and links.
  
  
• The standard of driving is variable and there are many fatal accidents.
  
  
• More than 460,000 Britons visit South Africa every year (Source: Statistics South Africa).  Most visits are trouble- free. 139 British nationals required consular assistance in South Africa in the period 01 April 2008 – 31 March 2009 for the following types of incident; deaths (48 cases); hospitalisations (23 cases); and arrests, for a variety of offences (23 cases). During this period assistance was also requested with regard to lost or stolen passports (871 cases). You should keep photocopies of your passport with you in a separate place to your passport.
  
  
• There is an underlying threat from terrorism.  Attacks, although unlikely, could be indiscriminate, including in places frequented by expatriates and foreign travellers.
  
  
• We recommend that you obtain comprehensive travel and medical insurance before travelling.  You should check any exclusions, and that your policy covers you for the activities you want to undertake.  See the General (Insurance) section of this advice and Travel Insurance  for more details.
  
  
• South Africa authorities state that officially only one blank passport page is required for entry. However, recently several visitors have been refused entry and sent back to the UK as some officials are insisting on two blank pages. We advise that you have two blank pages in your passport on arrival.