What should I take to Africa?

What cash to take on a trip to Africa?

• I'm travelling to Malawi soon on an expedition with World Challenge. - Firstly what type of currency should I take (US$ and travellers checks?) - What value notes should I take? (Apparently bigger notes have a better exchange rate over there; however someone told me that some places don't take larger notes) - How much should I take on a World Challenge Expedition? Any other advice is much appreciated. Thanks, Tom

• Answer:

  Traveler’s cheques should be taken instead of hard currency. But check with your travel agent if the area you are traveling has banks. If you take cash, make sure you carry it with you everywhere. Avoid using wallets and purses. Make sure you take the correct currency depending on the destination. Most African countries accept US dollar and Euros. You may need to use cash to pay for entrance tickets to wildlife parks and reserves. http://www.bizymoms.com/vacationsandtravel/africa-tour-guide.html US Dollars CASH is the most widely accepted currency in most parts of Africa. Please ensure that all notes are clean and printed AFTER 2001. Small denominations are best for changing into local currencies and tipping i.e. US$5, US$10 & US$20. Where visas are required (refer to our visa guide) you can pay with US$50 notes however keep in mind that it is ALWAYS best to have the correct denomination as you will find immigration officials rarely have change available. When changing money from USD to local currency be aware that you will NOT be able to change back to USD or into another currency, what money you don’t spend will be useless after you’ve left that country. It is also often a good idea to join forces with other travellers to do one large money change transaction, thus avoiding excess conversion fees. http://www.kumuka.com/Dossier.aspx?TourId=AF10&AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1 Another very helpful link: http://goafrica.about.com/od/africatraveltips/a/money.htm http://www.world-challenge.co.uk/expeditions/user_groups.asp