Travel Information

South Africa does not change its clocks during the year, and there are no regional variations within the country. South African Standard Time is (+2) Greenwich Mean (or Universal Standard) Time, (+1) Central European Winter Time, and (+7) USA’s Eastern Standard Winter Time.

The banks are open from 9am to 3.30pm (Monday – Friday), and 8.30am to 11am on Saturdays. All major credit cards can be used in South Africa, with American Express and Diners Club enjoying less universal acceptance. In some small towns, you may find you’ll need to use cash. You can’t purchase fuel with a credit card. You can pay road tolls with MasterCard or Visa.

Tipping is common practice in South Africa for a range of services. In restaurants the accepted standard is around 10% of the bill, although sometimes a gratuity will be included (often in the case of a large party). It is also appropriate to tip taxi drivers, tour guides and even hairdressers. If you park a car in a populated area such as near a shopping centre, street security guards will usually ask whether they can watch over your car and in return should be paid a small fee – anything from two rands upwards.

Value-added-tax (VAT) is charged on most items. Foreign visitors to South Africa can have their 14% VAT refunded (value of purchases exceed R250.00). VAT is refunded at the point of departure provided receipts are produced.

There are 11 officially recognised languages, most of which are indigenous to South Africa. English is spoken everywhere you go. English is the language of the cities, of commerce and banking, of government and official documents. All our road signs and official forms are in English and service staff will speak English.

South Africa enjoys a temperate and pleasant climate, with warm sunny days most of the year. The seasons of the southern hemisphere are opposite to those in the northern hemisphere so our Summer runs from November to February, when most of the country is characterised by warm to hot weather.

We have a warm sunny climate and you should wear sunscreen and a hat whenever you are out of doors during the day, particularly between 10am and 2pm, regardless of whether there is cloud cover or not.

South Africa has one of the highest rates of HIV in the world so please take precautions if you are planning to have sex. Condoms are readily available and many establishments provide these free of charge.

Medical facilities in cities and larger towns are world-class, but you will find that in rural areas the clinics and hospitals deal with primary health needs, and therefore do not offer the range of medical care that the large metropolitan hospitals do. Trained medical caregivers are deployed round the country, so help is never far away.

Most water is safe to drink from the tap in South Africa. However, the tap water at Chrislin African Lodge is not safe to drink as it straight from our farm dam and is not treated. We provide a jug of drinking water in each fridge for guests. Bottled water can be purchased from our restaurant.

The Eastern Cape is a malaria free region.

If a public holiday falls on a Sunday, the Monday following becomes a public holiday.

All visitors to South Africa must be in possession of a valid passport in order to enter the country and in some cases, a visa.

The South African government also requirement all children under the age of 18 to produce an unabridged birth certificate when entering and departing South Africa.

Children travelling without both parents will also need an affidavit.

Please check with your airlines for further information.

We are very excited to have you staying with us and in order for you to have an enjoyable and safe experience, we at Chrislin African Lodge, in accordance with TBCSA regulations, are operating with the following health and safety procedures in place:

• No entry allowed without a mask
• Intercom system sanitized regularly
• All staff screened on arrival and wearing the necessary PPE
• Surfaces sanitized regularly
• Sanitizing stations available for all guests and staff
• Signs to indicate social distancing in public areas
• Luggage sanitized and guests screened on arrival
• Décor minimized in rooms and public areas
• No turn around service will be provided, only on check out
• Breakfast will be served within protocol
• Dinner will be served within protocol
• Delivery personnel will be screened and received outside and goods will be disinfected before being taken inside
• Laundry is done at high temperatures
• Swimming pool may be used if protocol is followed.

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you require any further information.