Travelling With Pets Within South Africa

Domestic pet travel in South Africa is mostly straightforward, with a few specifics worth knowing before a long drive to the coast.

Before you go

Health check. For a long trip, a check-up beforehand is worth it, particularly for older animals or those with chronic conditions.

Vaccinations up to date, particularly rabies. Rabies vaccination is a legal requirement for dogs and cats in South Africa, and proof may be requested — especially if you're travelling into or through KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape or Mpumalanga, where rabies is more prevalent.

Carry the vaccination card. Physical copy in the car.

Microchip registered with current details. If your pet escapes at a fuel station three provinces from home, this is what gets them back. Check the registry has your current number.

A collar with a tag showing your mobile number — not your landline.

Parasite prevention up to date. Moving between regions exposes animals to different tick populations. Tick pressure in KZN and the Lowveld is significantly higher than on the Highveld.

Ask your vet about biliary risk if you're travelling to a high-risk area, and about anti-nausea or mild sedation for animals who travel badly. Anti-nausea medication in particular is safe, effective and transforms the journey for a dog who drools and vomits.

Crossing into neighbouring countries

If your route takes you into Lesotho, Eswatini, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe or Mozambique, requirements change substantially. You will generally need:

• A veterinary health certificate issued by a registered vet, usually within a specified number of days of travel
• Valid rabies vaccination, typically administered more than 30 days and less than a year before travel
• An import permit from the destination country
• Possibly an export permit from South Africa

These take time to arrange — start weeks in advance, not days. Requirements change, so confirm current rules with the destination country's veterinary authority and your own vet rather than relying on anything you read online, including this.

The car journey

Restraint is a safety issue. An unrestrained animal is a projectile in a crash and a hazard to the driver.

• Crate, secured, is the safest option
• A proper crash-tested harness attached to a seatbelt
• A boot barrier for larger dogs
• Cats should always be in a carrier, without exception. A loose cat in a car is genuinely dangerous.

Never let a dog ride on the back of a bakkie loose. It's dangerous, and in most municipalities it contravenes animal welfare provisions. If a dog must travel on a bakkie, it should be crated and secured.

Heat is the main risk. South African summer road trips are hot, and cars heat up alarmingly fast.

• Never leave an animal in a parked car. Not for five minutes, not with the windows cracked, not in the shade. Interior temperatures rise dangerously within minutes and this kills dogs every summer.
• Travel early morning or evening on very hot days
• Air conditioning on, and check it reaches the back
• Sunshades on the windows
• Water available at every stop

Stops. Every two to three hours for dogs — toilet, water, a short leg stretch on a lead. Cats generally do better left undisturbed in the carrier.

Feeding. Light meal three to four hours before departure. Don't feed a large meal immediately before travelling. Water at every stop.

Accommodation

Pet-friendly accommodation in South Africa is reasonably plentiful but requires checking.

Confirm directly rather than relying on a listing. Ask specifically:

• Is there a size or number limit?
• Is there a pet fee or deposit?
• Are pets allowed inside, or only in an outside area?
• Is the property enclosed, and how secure is the fencing?
• Can pets be left unattended in the room?
• Are there other animals on site?

National parks: most SANParks rest camps do not permit domestic pets, for good reasons relating to wildlife and disease. There are exceptions and some parks have specific arrangements, so check for the individual park. Don't assume.

Many private nature reserves and game farms also prohibit pets, particularly where there's wildlife.

At the destination

Secure the property before releasing them. Check fencing, gates and gaps. A high proportion of pets lost on holiday go missing in the first hour at unfamiliar accommodation.

Keep cats indoors for several days at minimum, and ideally for the whole trip. Cats relocated to unfamiliar places frequently bolt and become lost.

Watch for local hazards:

• Coastal: ticks, sand impaction from eating sand, sunburn on light-skinned dogs, strong currents, blue bottles
• Bushveld: snakes, ticks, scorpions, porcupine quills, dangerous wildlife
• Farmland: poisons, livestock, farm dogs, snares
• Anywhere: unfamiliar dogs, roads they don't know, swimming pools

Locate the nearest vet on arrival. Note the number and the address before you need it. This takes two minutes and is the single most useful thing you can do at a new destination.

If you're flying domestically

• Book well in advance; airlines limit the number of animals per flight
• Use an IATA-compliant crate, correctly sized
• Requirements vary by airline — confirm directly
• Snub-nosed breeds face restrictions or refusal with many carriers, because of well-documented breathing risks
• Consider whether flying is genuinely necessary for an anxious or elderly animal

The checklist

• Vaccination card and any permits
• Enough of their usual food for the trip plus a couple of days
• Bowls, and water for the journey
• Medication, with extra
• Lead, collar with tag, harness
• Carrier or crate
• Bedding that smells of home
• Poo bags, litter tray and litter
• Towel
• First aid kit
• A recent photograph, in case they're lost
• Your vet's number and the destination vet's number

The thing most often forgotten

The microchip registration. It's free to update, takes five minutes online, and it's the difference between a lost pet coming home and not.

Do it before you leave, not after.