What to know about travel during COVID-19

Gosh, have we been happy to have you back!

These past few months, we’ve been fortunate enough to welcome many of you back to our camps in Kenya and Tanzania and to our beautiful beach properties on Zanzibar Island. And while Asilia has kept properties open throughout the pandemic — to help protect the livelihoods of those we employ and ensure we are supporting local communities and conservation efforts — we’re thrilled to see more and more of you feeling comfortable with travelling again and exploring the beauty East Africa has to offer.

We’ve rounded up five things for you to consider as you start to look forward to a dream holiday with Asilia.

Safaris already involve a lot of social distancing…naturally!

We’ve written about this before, but the safaris are the perfect socially distant holiday, and quite naturally! Game drive vehicles are usually open-air and you’re spending most of your time in the great outdoors. And at camp, it’s easy to keep 1 metre or more from others, as you wish. Finally, as tourism has returned in limited numbers, our camps are not at fully occupancy (though we hope to get there again soon!), meaning you’ll be sharing your safari experience with fewer travellers beyond your travel companions.

Testing isn’t as difficult as you may think

Testing may feel like a bit of a headache right now, but it’s vital to help keep us safe. In Kenya and Tanzania, testing is readily available and Asilia helps you organise your COVID-19 tests as part of your itinerary. To facilitate a pre-departure PCR test so guests can return home, we have relationships with local testing sites in the bush or near airstrips. We recommend doing this 72 hours before departure to ensure your results are delivered on time. We recommend that no matter who you are travelling with, make sure to ask the company how they handle COVID testing.

The safety of our guests, staff and local community is more important than ever

Across the industry, safari camps and lodges have worked hard to put COVID health and safety protocols in place, and we’re proud to have helped set the standard for some of there. At Asilia camps, staff and guides are masked, we have increase hand sanitising stations and we’ve taken game drive capacities and dining capacities into great consideration.

Now, more than ever, your trip leaves a Positive Impact

All year round, tourism dollars provide vital support to many communities in East Africa. At Asilia, $5 per person, per night of your trip goes toward conservation and development initiatives as a conservation levy that supports a variety of projects and nonprofit partners that we work with in the region. These projects range from antipoaching efforts and wildlife collaring and research, to women’s empowerment and scholarship initiatives for local communities and students looking to pursue a career in hospitality or safari guiding. When you travel with Asilia, your dollars are creating a tangible impact on the lives of wildlife and people alike. And after nearly two years of the pandemic severely impacting the travel and safari industries, the need has never been greater.

Getting to East Africa isn’t always easy, but it’s always worth it

The English translation of the Swahili word “safari” is literally “journey.” And travel to Africa is just that. Travelling for a safari is a capital B-I-G trip. It's a long journey (usually with multiple flights — some on small aircraft), you need to pack a specific way, there are often visas and vaccinations involved, and it can be a big expense. That being said, the second you step out of the plane and into the bush, the sights, surroundings and people you meet make every single bit of this journey one worth taking.

We can’t wait to welcome you back.