Visas and Entry Requirements for Safari Countries
This is general information gathered from official government sources and is not immigration advice. Visa rules, fees and eligibility lists change frequently and often without notice, and they differ by nationality. The destination's own immigration portal is the only authoritative source. Always confirm your requirements on the official portal linked below, or with the country's embassy, before booking non-refundable travel. Information below was verified against official portals in September 2026.
Which safari countries need a visa arranged before I travel?
The nine main safari countries now run four different models, and the trend since 2024 has been away from turning up and paying at the desk. As of September 2026:
| Country | System | Before travel or on arrival? | Official portal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya | eTA (replaced visas January 2024) | Before travel — required of all visitors including children, unless exempt | etakenya.go.ke |
| Tanzania | eVisa, or visa on arrival at main entry points | Either; eVisa recommended, up to 10 days to process | visa.immigration.go.tz |
| Uganda | e-Visa | Before travel — no visa on arrival | visas.immigration.go.ug |
| Rwanda | Visa on arrival for all nationalities, or apply online | Either | migration.gov.rw / irembo.gov.rw |
| Zambia | Visa-free for 167 nationalities; e-Visa otherwise | Either | zambiaimmigration.gov.zm |
| Zimbabwe | Three categories: visa-free, visa on arrival or online, or online only | Depends on nationality | evisa.gov.zw |
| Botswana | Visa-free 90 days for most Western and Commonwealth nationals; e-Visa otherwise | Before travel if a visa is needed (7–14 working days) | evisa.gov.bw |
| Namibia | e-Visa or visa on arrival — visa-free entry ended 1 April 2025 for 33 nationalities | Strongly recommended before travel — see warning below | eservices.mhaiss.gov.na |
| South Africa | Visa-free 90 days for many nationalities; ETA launched 12 August 2026 | ETA currently optional for visa-exempt travellers, becoming compulsory in phases | eta.dha.gov.za |
What changed in Namibia, and why does it catch people out?
Namibia ended visa-free entry for 33 nationalities — including the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and most of Europe — on 1 April 2025. The Ministry of Home Affairs, Immigration, Safety and Security states in its official fact sheet that nationals of "countries that have not reciprocated Namibia's gesture of visa exemption are required to apply for a visa in order to gain entry into Namibia," with an implementation date of 1 April 2025.
The trap is not the visa itself but the approval letter. The same fact sheet is emphatic: "Approved Visas and Permits Must Be Issued or Endorsed Before Entry into Namibia", and "an approval letter for a visa or permit, with or without proof of payment, is not a permit to enter Namibia." Travellers who arrive holding only an approval letter and who are eligible for visa on arrival must first buy a short entry visa at the port and then have the approved visa endorsed. Travellers not eligible for visa on arrival, holding only an approval letter, are refused entry.
One further practical warning. Namibia's official portal at eservices.mhaiss.gov.na currently serves an incomplete certificate chain, so browsers may show a security warning on the genuine government site — while lookalike commercial sites display clean certificates. Do not let a warning push you onto a site that is not on the mhaiss.gov.na domain.
Is South Africa's ETA compulsory yet?
Not for most safari travellers, but it is live. South Africa's Electronic Travel Authorisation was officially launched on 12 August 2026. In his launch address, the Minister of Home Affairs stated the ETA "will progressively become compulsory for short stay visits from countries that require port-of-entry visas to South Africa," while being made "accessible on a voluntary basis to visa exempt travellers who want to use the faster ETA queue upon arrival, or who want to easily extend their stay by up to 90 days," adding that embassies would be "systematically added to the ETA" over subsequent weeks.
So as of September 2026: if your nationality is visa-exempt for South Africa — which includes the UK, USA, Canada, Australia and much of the EU under the Department of Home Affairs exemption list issued 9 December 2025 — visa-free entry for up to 90 days is unchanged and the ETA is optional. Because the rollout is country-by-country and ongoing, check eta.dha.gov.za close to departure rather than relying on this page. It is initially available at OR Tambo, Cape Town, King Shaka and Lanseria airports.
What is the KAZA UniVisa and can I still get one?
Yes — it is active, and confirmed by both participating governments as of September 2026. The KAZA UniVisa costs USD 50 and allows multiple entries between Zambia and Zimbabwe for up to 30 days, provided you remain within those two countries. It also covers day trips into Botswana via Kazungula. It is available on arrival at eligible ports — including Lusaka, Livingstone, Harare and Victoria Falls airports and the Victoria Falls and Kazungula land borders — or online via Zambia's e-Visa for Zambian arrival points.
Two caveats. It remains a two-country scheme despite KAZA spanning five countries; Zambia's official page describes the intention to include the other partners but gives no date. And eligibility is a closed list of roughly 60 nationalities, published on Zambia's official KAZA page — it is not open to everyone, so check before planning around it.
What about combining Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda?
The East Africa Tourist Visa costs USD 100, is valid 90 days with multiple entries across the bloc, and is not extendable. The country that issues it must be your first point of entry, and leaving the three-country area ends it. It can be applied for through Uganda and through Rwanda's Irembo portal as visa class V11.
One honest gap: Kenya's own immigration authority publishes nothing about the East Africa Tourist Visa in the eTA era, and the eTA portal offers no such product. Uganda and Rwanda both still sell it and it is still officially described as covering Kenya. For a Kenya-first itinerary, confirm directly with Kenyan immigration before relying on it.
What else should I check before booking?
- Zanzibar requires its own travel insurance. All non-resident visitors must hold mandatory inbound travel insurance from the Zanzibar Insurance Corporation for the duration of their stay, up to 92 days. Other international policies are not accepted and travellers may be refused entry without it. Buy it only through the official channel at visitzanzibar.go.tz. A single Tanzanian visa covers both the mainland and Zanzibar.
- US passport holders visiting Tanzania must apply for a multiple-entry visa even for a single visit, per Tanzania's official guidelines — currently USD 100 rather than the USD 50 ordinary visa.
- Uganda requires a yellow fever certificate from all arrivals. See our vaccinations page.
- Use only the official domains listed above. Tanzania, Kenya and Rwanda all publish explicit scam warnings; Rwanda's states that "there is no single affiliated Agent that is authorised to apply for visa on your behalf," and that such agents may charge more than the required fee. Commercial lookalike sites routinely charge several times the government fee.
- Check passport validity and blank pages, and South Africa's additional documentation rules for travellers aged 17 and under, on the Department of Home Affairs site.
Fees and eligibility lists above are those published by the governments concerned in September 2026, and they change often. Treat the official portal as authoritative.
