International Riders and Visas

PASSPORTS ARE ESSENTIAL. The onus is on the participant to ensure that their passports and visas are valid for South Africa, Zimbabwe and Botswana. Over and above this, participants must also ensure that their passports are valid for a minimum of 6 months from the end date of the event and that they have two blank pages in their passport.

We will be crossing informal border posts and will require the following information by no later than 30 April 2022:

Your full passport information (i.e. name, surname, passport number, date of issue, date of expiry, and nationality). If you need to renew your passport please ensure that this is done in advance of this date as once the manifest has been submitted, i.e. after 1 May 2022, there cannot be any changes, substitutions or new entries.
A colour copy of your passport needs to be sent to us or uploaded on your registration profile.
The Event Organisers cannot be held liable for any visas not held by participants or the cost thereof.
If you are a foreign passport holder please check on the visa requirements for South Africa, Zimbabwe and Botswana. Some of these visas will need to be obtained in advance. As of this date, South African passport holders do not require visas for Botswana or Zimbabwe.

Visa Requirements:

This event takes place in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Botswana.

To check if you require a visa, please see the relevant links below. (These lists were correct at the time of publishing). It is your responsibility to check with the relevant consulates for updated visa information as the Event Organisers are not liable for any amendments.

Please note that some visas are issued at the port of entry.

The Border Process

On the Tour, we will be making use of informal border posts on the riding route, checking you in and out of each country, starting in South Africa, then Zimbabwe and finally, Botswana. For this reason, we submit passport manifests to the three governments in May of the event year.

We will need your passport information for these manifests. Without the correct information, you may be refused exit or entry and this is beyond the Event Organiser’s control.

International Passport Holders

Due to delays for the groups with processing visas, those who need visas to enter into Zimbabwe will be able to hand in their passports at the Hospitality Desk along with the completed immigration form the evening before we cross the informal borders.
The Event Organiser will assist with the form completion and safe-keeping of travel documents and information (including cash for visas).
The Event Organiser will then travel to the border crossing to process your visas prior to your arrival. You will then be handed back your passport and proceed with your group to have your passport stamped.
We ask that all international riders who need a visa to enter Zimbabwe hand in the following at the Hospitality Desk:
- Your passport
- Visa fees (to be covered by individuals), preferably in USD or ZAR
- Immigration form

Should you have any questions or queries with the above process, please contact the Event Organiser on info@childreninthewilderness.com.

Tips and Guidelines

Please ensure that you ride with your passport on your person at all times.
At each border crossing, please ensure that you have your passport stamped (remembering to get your passport stamped when we return to Mapungubwe Confluence Site on 23 July).
We ask that you do not jump ahead of the group in front of you.
If there are any support vehicles at the border, please let them pass through first as they are making their way to the next camp, e.g. luggage trucks transporting your bags.