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Who is going on the 9/30/17 trip? Arriving early? Zimbabwe? Vaccines.
My husband and I are going on the 9/30/17 Botswana, SA and Zambia trip. We'll be arriving at The Royal Livingstone a day early. Anyone else doing that?
Since we will be arriving a day early, we are wondering if we should get the Zambia/Zimbabwe visa (rather than just Zambia) so we can visit the Zimbabwe side of the falls.
We are confused about whether to get the Yellow Fever vaccine. Everything we read implies we do not need to get it, but I read something on this forum that passengers traveling a year or two ago were asked to show proof of Yellow Fever vaccine when crossing into Botswana from Zambia.
Thanks for your responses!
Since we will be arriving a day early, we are wondering if we should get the Zambia/Zimbabwe visa (rather than just Zambia) so we can visit the Zimbabwe side of the falls.
We are confused about whether to get the Yellow Fever vaccine. Everything we read implies we do not need to get it, but I read something on this forum that passengers traveling a year or two ago were asked to show proof of Yellow Fever vaccine when crossing into Botswana from Zambia.
Thanks for your responses!
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You only need a Univisa if you plan to cross over to Zimbabwe (for view of falls or side trip) and don't want to get one at the bridge. You'll get various opinions and depending on time of year which side has the best view.
Yellow fever vaccine, just get it and get it out of the way. Ours was the tour where we were asked to present our Yellow fever certificates at the river crossing from Zambia into Botswana, but we all had them, so I don't know what would have happened if we had not. The reports you read about complications from this vaccine have been highly over reported. Read the scientific literature very carefully and you can see this. Botswana, when I last looked, is one of the few countries that still requires a second Yellow fever vaccine after ten years. I hope that has changed because by the time I go the next time it will be over ten years since I had mine.
Did you have any reactions to the YF shots? Our travel doc is adamant that we don't need it for our itinerary, but I am still on the fence.
We haven't decided on the multi-use visa. My guess is that as long as we land as scheduled and actually have the extra day, we will. We are flying from the SF Bay Area.
Ask your doc if he'll pay if you are stopped at the border and prevented from entering or ask him if he'll guarantee the safety of the needle if you must get a shot at the border. He is probably basing his medical "opinion" on (a) the country you are arriving from doesn't have YF, and/or (b) the threat of YF in the countries/areas to be visited do not currently have a YF threat, both of which would normally mean you don't need the shot. The problem with that is you are in a foreign/third world country and you don't know what their policy will be tomorrow or two days later, and you don't know how and if they will react if suddenly they require YF shots and your don't have them.
Get the shot and be done with it! Someday you'll probably take a trip where you absolutely need the YF shots.