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Rental Guide Africa

Our rental guide may answer your possible questions for planning your holiday with a motorhome in Africa. In addition to many information about renting a motorhome, you can also find specific instructions, tips and legal regulations for an unforgettable motorhome holiday in Africa.

Use our convenient price comparison page to calculate a motorhome hire in Africa. For your further questions you are welcome to contact us personally.

Price

Our website is constantly updated and new Special Offers regularly available. However it may happen on rare occurrence that you cannot calculate your trip online. This is usually the case when you are planning your trip very far in advance. It may be the case that we have not yet received the new rates from the rental company. If you are unable to get a quote for your trip please call us to check and we will advise you when the new rates will be available online.

Vehicle Availability

Our website functions as a catalogue. It is not directly linked to the rental partners and therefore will only show the price and not the availability. We will check the availability for you on receipt of your booking request. This is then confirmed by the rental company and the vehicle is firmly booked for you and you will receive your booking confirmation. If the rental partner cannot confirm the desired vehicle, we will contact you and discuss any alternatives with you.

In general, the more short-term the booking is made the more difficult it is to find an available vehicle.

Multiple Hires

Should you want to rent more than one motorhome with the same rental partner you may be eligible for a discount. Each rental company offers their own individual discounts. We will be more than happy to inform you of any discounts you will receive. Discounts for rentals during the same travel period, for example groups or several families, are typically not available.

Long Term Rentals

It is not possible to get a quote for rentals longer than 99 days on our website. Should you wish to rent for more than 99 days please contact us and we will be more than happy to provide you with an individual quote.

One Way Rentals

One-way fees may be applicable should you plan to return the motorhome to another depot than that which you collected it from, for example collection in Johannesburg and return to Cape Town.

Collection and return rental stations need to be determined when submitting the booking request. A spontaneous change will require us to speak to the rental company again to see if this is possible and often results in larger fees.

Border crossing

If you plan to leave the country with your vehicle, it is imperative to inform the rental company in advance about your destinations. The rental company will then ensure that the relevant papers are ready for the vehicle when you collect it. The fees charged by the rental company for crossing boarders do not replace any fees that you must pay at the border.

Guaranteed Vehicle Model or Category

Even though all vehicles have similar equipment and layout, small differences in vehicle design may exist. All measurements and size indications are approximate values and are based on the information provided to us by the rental company.

The rental company will make every effort to ensure that the booked vehicle model is provided. However, it reserves the right, to provide either a vehicle of the same or a higher value without upgrade costs if the model booked is not available due to unforeseen circumstances.

Credit Card - Deposit - Credit Card Fee

When collecting the motorhome you are required to leave a security deposit. The level of deposit required varies between rental companies and will depend on the package booked. The deposit is required to be paid by credit card. Details of the deposit can be found in the rental agreement and with some rental companies a credit card fee may apply.

Local Taxes

All costs covered by the agreement with Motorhome Bookers include taxes. However fees paid directly to the depot on collection, for example should you choose to rent a GPS Navigation System, do not include sales tax and this is to be added on to the costs.

Additional Drivers

Additional drivers can be registered at pick-up time. Anyone wanting to drive the motorhome must have their details entered in the rental agreement and present a valid driving license and passport. With Britz and Maui the lead driver along with 1 additional driver are free of charge however further additional drivers will pay a fee to be added to the agreement. Please see the rental conditions for more details.

Transfers

Many of our rental partners offer transfers. Detailed information can be found in the rental information under the heading “Pick up / Drop off.” We are happy to help you with the choice of hotels. We advise you to call the rental station at the latest on the day of pick-up to confirm the transfer time.

Minimum/Maximum age of drivers

The minimum age for the renter and all registered drivers is 21 years. The only exception is for the Bobo Discoverer Fun X2 and Discoverer DC, where the minimum age is 23 years.

Britz and Maui allow drivers up to 85 years old. With Bobo the maximum driving age is 75 years old.

Driving License

In Southern Africa, a valid European or national driving license is required, as well as an international driving license. These must be presented together. Photocopies or translated licenses are not accepted.

Collection Duration

Please allow enough time for you to collect the motorhome. We suggest that you do not plan too much on the first day of your hire. By the time you pick-up the vehicle, make yourself at home in it and buy your groceries the afternoon will normally be well under way. For detailed information about pick-up and drop-off times please refer to the 'Important rental info' for the rental company in question.

A staff member will go through the motorhome with you and explain the functions. We recommend that you go through the vehicle from the outside as well as inside and inspect it for any possible damage before leaving the depot. If you do not use a transfer, we recommend you call the station on the morning of the collection and arrange a time for the pick-up.

Addresses and locations of the rental stations

The rental stations are generally far outside the inner cities and international airports. We recommend using the transportation provided by the rental companies to get to and from the depots. The location of each rental location and the distance to the airport can be viewed on our website by clicking on the preferred rental company then selecting the heading Rental Depots.

Luggage and Storage options

Storage can often be limited in motorhomes, we recommend taking hold all travel bags and backpacks rather than hard suitcases. Some rental stations are happy to provide space to store your luggage during the hire. We are happy to clarify this prior to your arrival. It is not possible to store luggage for a one-way rental.

Acquisition on day of arrival

It is possible to collect your motorhome on the same day as your arrival into the country. Please note the depot opening times and ensure that you have enough time, factoring in any potential delays, to get to the rental depot and have a full show through before they close.

If your return flight is before 12 noon we recommend returning the motorhome the day before as many depots only open after 9am and again may be quite a distance from the nearest airport.

Equipment

All of our Africa rental partners will provide the vehicle equipment such as bedding, towels, dishes, etc. Please note that the Unequipped 4WD vehicles do not come with any equipment. Details on what is included in the motorhome can be found in the Rental Information under the heading "Equipment and Extras". We advise you to check the equipment at time of pick up on their completeness.

Additional Extras

Depending on the rental company many additional extras are available for hire from the depots such as camping tables and chairs and GPS Navigation Systems and sun umbrellas etc. We recommend reserving these in advance to ensure that they are available in sufficient numbers for you. Payment is due at pick-up.

CD/MP3 Connections

All motorhomes are equipped with CD Player and Radio. Some vehicles already offer MP3 ports. However, since this varies depending on the rental partner and the vehicle model, it is unfortunately not possible to guarantee MP3 / AUX ports. However, we will happily pass your request to the rental company and where possible, they will adhere to meet your request.

Satellite Phones

Many of our African Motorhome companies cooperate with the company Sat4Rent. If you would like to rent a satellite phone, it is imperative to reserve this in advance. We are happy to offer assistance.

Smoking and Pets

Taking pets and smoking inside the rental vehicles is prohibited with all of our rental partners. Should you violate this rule you will be subject to a fine.

Wild Camping

For security purposes Wild Camping is strictly prohibited in Africa.

Campgrounds

In the most popular National Parks it is highly recommended that your reserve your camping places in advance especially during peak season. Information and online reservations are possible using the following links:

The Tourist Information offices are always happy to provide maps and local information.

Night driving

Please note that driving at dusk and during the night is prohibited for safety purposes. Further information about the dangers of night driving can be found here
https://www.arrivealive.co.za/Road-Safety-Advice-for-foreigners-driving-in-South-Africa

Road Conditions

The road network in South Africa is typically well built and developed. In Namibia only the major roads are sealed with Namibia's landscape predominantly consisting of dry desert areas and the majority of side roads are developed gravel roads or dirty tracks.

When planning to drive in Botswana please book a 4WD vehicle as many of the roads are dust and gravel with greatly varying conditions and with potholes.

It is advisable to inform yourself about the condition of the roads you intend to use in the next few days especially during the rainy season!

Left hand drive

South Africans drive on the left-hand side of the road, and our cars – rental cars included – are therefore right-hand drive vehicles, the gear shift being operated with the left hand.
All distances, speed limits (and speedometers) are marked in kilometres.
Read more: https://www.arrivealive.co.za/Road-Safety-Advice-for-foreigners-driving-in-South-Africa

Breakdowns and Accidents

If you have a breakdown, accident or a mechanical defect for example with the refrigerator, you must call the rental company on all occasions. For this purpose a contact number will be provided. Should you have an accident in the motorhome you must notify the police.

Fines

All rental companies reserve the right to charge you a service fee for parking tickets and fines, these often take a while to process and can be charged long after returning the motorhome. You will often see this called a handling fee, the actual ticket will be provided directly by the relevant authority charged.