For “Best understanding and navigating the complicated world of travel restrictions,” the award goes to :: Anyone who prevails, especially internationally. I will gladly accept my blue ribbon (after untold hours spent).
Many of us might just cry “Uncle.” Our family trip to Italy has been rescheduled twice since 2020 and is now calendared for November. For me and the hubby, this year’s trip was always going to be Africa (Kenya and Tanzania), but what a ride it’s been. And we haven’t even left yet.
Industrial-strength desire and patience is a must in the planning stages. It might be tempting for some to think its just too much work to pull off a trip. And is anyone truly patient? I know I’m not. Just when one is certain the itinerary is settled, a new wrinkle appears. I could fill up a recycling bin with printed copies of reservations made and cancelled.
A LATE CHANGE
The biggest surprise, literally just contemplated and confirmed a few days ago, is Tanzania is out and Uganda is in. That means in addition to the traditional “Big 5” — lions/leopards/elephants/rhinos/buffalo — we are including gorillas and chimps, oh my! Until recently, I thought Rwanda was the only place to go for gorilla trekking. In reality, there are some 400 of these amazing creatures in Uganda’s Bwindi Forest where we’re headed.
The staff at Africa Travel Resource have been extraordinary throughout the process. Numerous itineraries were offered. They weighed in with pros and cons. They have continuously sent clients on safari in spite of the challenges from the pandemic and know the terrain extremely well.
THE JOURNEY THERE
The first hurdle? Getting to the African continent with travel rules that change daily. There are few routes (via American Airlines partners) where one is able to “transfer” through a destination. That means arriving somewhere but not entering the country (i.e., outside immigration). Instead, the onward travel to the next destination simply continues within the confines of the airport. This avoids any of the country’s quarantine requirements. Even an overnight at an airport hotel might require quarantine; thus avoid!
A case in point of how airport transfers can become a nightmare: We once had a plane change in Sri Lanka. Since we weren’t technically entering the country, I didn’t apply for Visas. Lo and behold, the Sri Lankans considered going to the baggage carousel to gather our bags for the next flight (on a different airline) to be “entering the country.” Long lines, language barriers, and a ticking clock to the next departure equaled major stress. Singapore Airlines more than earned their best airline status by helping us through the calamity.
By the way, if the Sri Lanka episode happens to you, be firm about not missing your next flight. We were told that there was no way we would make it. But because of polite persistence and some absolute insistence, we indeed made the flight. (More about that subject is covered in a previous post linked HERE).
Thus I feel positively victorious to be flying from Los Angeles to Nairobi on just two flights in a mere 22 hours. We have one plane change in Doha, Qatar, for two hours. I used 75,000 AA miles per person for the flights on Qatar Airlines. Even with the first leg at 15-1/2 hours, I’m looking forward to experiencing their Q-Suites.
We’re scheduled for the required COVID test just prior to leaving Los Angeles. Kenya requires proof of a negative test (not more than 96 hours old) for entry to the country. From there, no quarantine is required so off we go.
I will write more later about the rest of the journey. I’m just happy to be able to finally focus on all that needs to be done before we leave in a few short weeks. That is a great joy indeed.
