On Saturday, August 8th, I boarded my first long haul commercial flight of 2020. I had decided that the best way for me to be able to give our Piper & Heath Travel family the most up to date advice and information on travel to Africa right now would be to head out and experience it myself. I initially intended to visit Kenya, departing August 2nd, but before departure the Kenyan government declared that residents of California, Texas and Florida were not allowed to enter Kenya without a quarantine, so I pivoted to Tanzania.

I am not intending for this to be chronological, but rather my take and experiences with specific topics and addressing questions I have heard from travelers.

This review will not answer all your questions and should lead to some fresh ones: I encourage you to reach out without hesitation to discuss.

What was it like?

During my trip, I stayed at the following destinations, and in each case was impressed by how the service had evolved to compensate for new health and safety protocols. At each turn, including the Tanzanian National Parks, I was put at ease that traveler safety and peace of mind was a top priority.

• Legendary Lodge – Easily the top choice for an even slightly extended stay in Arusha, which we would recommend for now based on the reduced flight schedules. Consistently the finest dining option in Tanzania, by my own experience.

• Serian’s Serengeti Mobile – During my stay we were the only vehicle in the famed Lemai wedge, a beautiful stretch of the northern Serengeti, which at this time of year can normally get quite crowded. This area will be a key location for the next 2 months for The Great Migration.

• Entamanu Private – The brand new sister camp to Entamanu is in a secluded area on the rim of the Ngorongoro crater. With three hand washing stations between the car park and the main area, it was clear that the folks at Nomad Tanzania are focused on practicing the highest health & safety protocols.

• Kuro Tarangire – The Tarangire National Park is always a strong compliment to the open plains of the Serenget,i with huge elephant herds and terrain that is more in line with common expectations of what the land in this area might look like.

• Hamerkop House – This brand new little gem is very near to Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) making it perfect for a day room before departure (and the food is amazing). It is only a few minutes from the nearby Dolly airfield, meaning that if you wanted to bypass the hustle of bustle of Arusha city, you can be picked up here for your flight to and from your safari lodges.

Who should be traveling right now?

It is not my intention currently to “convince” anyone to travel. Yes, Africa needs tourism right now because tourism supports conservation and communities, and the lack thereof is going to become a real issue. Having said that, it is not “business as usual”, and near term travel will likely require some flexibility and an understanding that to some extent; we are blazing a few new trails.

If you are not comfortable traveling in the current climate, I wouldn't recommend that you book a trip right now. But, to those travelers who are chomping at the bit, I can say that travel is easily possible and very rewarding.

Airplanes and airports are what is putting me off right now, how is that working?

For many of our travelers I have heard that this is the part that is most concerning to them. I can say, in my experience, that airport and airline staff are all very well prepared and are delivering service that is appropriate and relatively seamless. I think of wearing a mask much like wearing a tie, its annoying for an hour or two but then you stop noticing it. This past trip had me on board for nearly 50 hours and I passed through international airports 7 times. Even with extra medical screening and new arrival requirements, it was still the easiest I have ever experienced (and the fastest) mainly because there are far fewer international travelers than normal.

Of course, some airlines are doing a better job than others. Three airlines have, in my opinion, distinguished themselves in terms of reliability of schedules, dealing with itinerary changes and on-board health & safety: Delta, Emirates and Qatar. Furthermore, I can say that it is clear from airline behavior that ultimately the system is designed specifically to incentivize working with airlines directly. This trend started 20 years ago but seems to have been ramped up over the last year as the airlines view the current crisis as an opportunity on this front at least. We are slowly beginning to believe that for most travelers, working with airlines directly may be the way to go in the future.

Are Americans welcomed?

In short, yes! I intentionally traveled with my US passport and I have to say that I received a hero’s welcome. US travelers represent prosperity and hope and our return to safari travel is an enormous relief and is viewed as the light at the end of the tunnel that is tourism lock down. I intentionally did not get an advance visa for Tanzania but rather opted to get a visa on arrival to test the system. The entire entry process, including health screening (with contact tracing) and visa took about 15 minutes, the fastest I have yet experienced arriving into Tanzania. When the plan was still to head to Kenya, I also applied for the online Kenya visa on their website and received confirmation in under 24hrs which was a new record for us. As of now, all three countries are fine for American citizens to get their visas on arrival, no advance visa required.

Will I have to wear a mask on a game drive?

Any travelers who are travelling with a group (friends or family) will ultimately be allowed to decide that themselves. Masks will likely be required where close contact with other travelers or staff cannot be avoided like on charter aircraft or in shared vehicles. My firsthand experience is that not all travelers are as committed to wearing masks as others and that 100% enforcement by camp staff and airline personnel cannot be relied upon in every instance. If you would only feel comfortable if you yourself and everyone in proximity to you were wearing a mask, then now may not be the time for travel and that would be true even for domestic travel here in the US. If on the other the hand wearing a mask is something you want to avoid, then travel now would be very difficult as the expectation on the international flights is that masks must be worn at all times other than while actively eating or drinking. There are ways to structure the trip at a privacy level where masks are never required on the safari nor travel in between safari camps.

On my trip I was religious about wearing my mask because I promised my family I would be. I did notice that my wearing a mask was often the message to others to do the same. Mask choice is personal as face shape plays a big role in what works best. The N95 is very popular, though note that masks are not allowed to have one way valves (vents) as that would cause a potentially infected person to exhale concentrated air and so potentially increase the risk to others. I brought several different masks and I would rate a comfortable cloth mask as the best and a buff (hoorag) as the least comfortable and apparently also least effective. Traditional surgical masks were great as a backup. Travelers should have a few options and travel with backups in case you lose one or two.

I would note that a great deal of your time on safari, including dining, can and does happen outdoors where the need for a mask is greatly reduced.

How does the testing work?

In total I had 4 tests before I departed, because the timing of my departure kept changing and I wanted to play it safe. I have also had a test upon my return. Needless to say, all were negative. Things are evolving and as I write this, SFO just announced they have on site rapid testing (20-minute result) for airport employees with future roll out to travelers.

Testing in Kenya with Amref was easy and reliable and testing in Rwanda is also reported to be working very well. I used the following services in the USA which were available to me and my thoughts on each.

Pixel by LabCorp – This is a mail in service. They send you a package with instructions, you swab yourself and then send the sample back for testing and results. It worked well and was easy to use.

Alcala Labs – This lab is based in San Diego and there was no wait for testing though the front office was a tad disorganized and I ended up having to be tested twice. I would not recommend this option.

Covid Clinic – The best option in my opinion if they have a station in your city. It is a drive through option.

NOTE: It seems that some countries are currently only accepting PCR (nasal swab) tests and the Pixel By LabCorp result statement does not identify it as a PCR test and we recommend travelers to countries who require a test ensure in advance that the lab statement indicates it is a PCR test. Through our professional network, we should be able to supply vetted options in all major US cities.

Chris, why are you saying that now is so a particularly rewarding time to travel?

For most of my life I have lived with stories of the Africa of old and I have always wished that I was born 50 years earlier so I could have experienced Africa at a quieter time. Even many of my clients have shared with me stories about early safaris and in particular, visiting places like the Masai Mara and Ngorongoro Crater with only a handful of other travelers around. Don’t get me wrong, I think our focus on the privacy of safari travel is what helps us execute the most meaningful options even to relatively congested areas at peak season but now… now an opportunity exists that I hope never exists again to visit these areas with historically low numbers of other travelers.

While on safari I met Gerard Ambrose who runs Serian Camps in Tanzania. Gerard has been working and living in Tanzanian Parks since 1975 and has been visiting the Serengeti regularly since 1991 and he claims he has not seen visitor numbers this low in all that time, while normal travel was possible. The sheer opportunity and luxury of being in these areas right now will be irresistible for many. During my stay we counted 15 other vehicles in the almost 11 hours we were in the Ngorongoro Crater, the number is usually closer to 300 or 400 per day!

In summary, anyone who wants to travel right now should know that it is possible, and we have no hesitation in sending you on safari. We have our ear close to the ground and belong to a number of professional networks working closely with government agencies and the private sector to keep up to speed on developments.

This article originally appeared on helloreco.com.