Songdoc

I just read this:

The State Department already listed 34 out of about 200 countries as "Level 4: Do Not Travel," including places like Chad, Kosovo, Kenya, Brazil, Argentina, Haiti, Mozambique, Russia and Tanzania.

DH and I are vaccinated and are scheduled to leave for safari in Kenya August 30th.

Whaddya think???

amyb

Things could certainly change in 4 months. However, whether you're vaccinated or not or test positive or not is not going to help you in the current situation. Due to a surge in cases, right now a large part of the country is locked down and isolated from the rest and will be well into May. Tourists who go to Kenya now are finding that bush flights (like SafariLink) are not running and they cannot even drive to many safari destinations from Nairobi. Essentially you are only allowed to go to a very small number of destinations from Nairobi, Amboseli being one. The Mara is not one.

There is talk of a pass to allow vaccinated or negative-tested foreigners to carry on but nothing legal exists now. There seem to be plenty of illegal "passes" being acquired but I've been told that they are not above board.

I'd watch this closely and follow the latest updates from locals on Trip Advisor's Kenya forum where people are scrambling like mad right now to make changes yet again to their itineraries. Tanzania is getting a lot of rebookings of travelers who had planned to go to Kenya because its government has claimed next to no cases or deaths from COVID, which everyone knows is false, but ignorance is bliss.

Songdoc

amyb: WOW! Thank you SO much for that info. I am now officially shifting from "cautiously optimistic" to "I'm hopeful, but not counting on it."

Of course, cancelling or postponing my vacation is hardly a crisis compared to the horror so many people are dealing with.

amyb

All may not be lost by then. 4 months is a long time during this pandemic, as you know. In the good news department, I saw that all of the guides and staff at my favorite camp in the Mara were vaccinated yesterday, which bodes well for the safety of them and their visitors going forward. I imagine other camps and lodges will be doing the same. I wouldn't make a decision yet, especially if you haven't paid in full (and if you haven't paid in full yet, I'd try to put that off as long as possible!)

Songdoc

It's awesome that guides and staff are being vaccinated. I think bodes well.

When this was originally scheduled last year, I paid a $3,000 deposit. The reminder (more than $14,000) will be due in 5 weeks. I would hope that Gamewatchers would defer that payment if bush flights and travel between camps can't be promised. I will give it a few weeks to see if any dust settles before reaching out to them.

The situation gets a bit complicated because I have house & cat-sitters scheduled to come from the mainland. (I live on Kauai.) They need to book flights and time off from work. But these are extraordinary times that require lots of flexibility and understanding.

I sure hope things turn around in Africa (and India, the everywhere else!) soon. Who would have ever imagined ...?