Adventure greetings from Uganda and Rwanda!
We hope you are continuing to keep safe during this cloudy moment. As a travel family, the impact must be the same all trough, and our thoughts go out to you all!
The pandemic has created the loudest silence ever known to the tourism industry. All planned holidays not happening, tour consultants and experts working from home, the luxury safari vehicles parked in the basements and garages, Hotels and resorts world over only open for cleaning and ensuring the linen and beddings do not get stuffy. All this is happening because we value life and no question, with careful steps, we will soon get back to work, travel and enjoy the beautiful world!
Important for you to know is that all Wild secrets are kept intact simply waiting for that time to head back to the unfiltered wilderness and enjoy the Bushwalks, boat rides, Primate tracking, Game drives, Nature Photography and enjoy the unrivaled African hospitality!
Uganda and Rwanda Governments and World Health Organization have widely shared updates on the COVID-19 pandemic, but because we have you at heart, we have compiled 10 common Questions along with brief answers mainly focused on conservation, travel plans and rescheduling your trips.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).
As we wait for the storm to end, there seem to be a lot of unanswered questions from our clients and here we share with you a set of the first 10.
Question 1: Are flights in and out of Uganda/Rwanda operational:
A: No, most airlines worldwide suspended passenger flights as a way to curb the spread of the Corona pandemic. It’s therefore not just a decision by the governments of Uganda and Rwanda but rather an international move to deal with the world wide spread virus.
Question 2: Are hotels, lodges and resorts in Uganda and Rwanda open/operational?
A: Given that all forms of transport were suspended, the only option was to temporarily keep the hotels closed. All hotels have only kept the key staff members thus top managerial staff, sizeable housekeeping, maintenance staff and reservations to update the bookings.
Question 3: Can wild animals, primates in particular contract COVID-19?
A: While it is unknown if Wild animals can contract COVID-19, Mountain Gorillas and Chimpanzees are known to be susceptible to infection with human respiratory pathogens. In effect, all tourism and research activities in the primate parks and centers, were temporarily suspended as a measure to protect Gorillas and Chimpanzees from the deadly COVID.
Question 4: Does the COVID-19 pandemic affect conservation programs?
A: Yes, it does! Conservation work is manly facilitated by funds from gate collections, permit sales in addition to donations from partners. When everyone is not travelling, means less cash to fund conservation programs.
Interestingly, when we have safaris running in the National parks, the visitors, guides and rangers are indirectly carrying out monitoring work, so when there are no activities, means less supervision. Did you know that by visiting our National Parks, you are indirectly involved in Wildlife conservation monitoring exercise?
Question 5: What have the relevant authorities done to ensure Wildlife is kept safe during this period when the world is quiet and shut?
A: Wildlife Authority field staff (both in Uganda and Rwanda) never stopped working. The major units (monitoring and conservation) are 100% in full control/operational.
Question 6: What is Adventure Consults’ advice to clients who have been booked to travel but might be forced not to take the trips due to the uncertainty of the pandemic?
A: Adventure Consults recommends that you postpone travel plans and we (Adventure Consults) will do all it takes to ensure there are no extra costs due to these changes.
Question 7: What have the Authorities or Adventure Consults done to ensure that clients who had booked to travel do not lose their deposits/payments as a result of not taking the trips on the initial planned dates?
A:
- Uganda: All permits for confirmed trips can be rescheduled to a future date at no extra cost and the new dates MUST be within a period of one year from the date of initial booking of travel. Note that this is subject to availability and no more than 2 reschedules shall be allowed.
- Rwanda: All permits for postponed trips can be rescheduled to new dates, at no extra cost and the new dates MUST be within a period of two years from the date of initial booking of travel. Note that this is subject to availability and no more than 1 reschedule/change shall be allowed.
Question 8: When should one declare intensions to postpone the trip? Is there a deadline beyond which one might be denied an opportunity to do so?
A: Documentation/intension to postpone the trip MUST be communicated at least within a period of fifteen (15) working days prior to date of visit. This to enable Adventure Consults effectively make the necessary changes within the given timeframe by authorities.
Secondly, rescheduling the trip to new dates shall be determined by availability (permits and rooms, and domestic flight seats where applicable).
Question 9: How will trip postponement affect the final cost of the clients’ planned trip/holiday?
A: All bookings that have been confirmed with a deposit/full payment, shall be postponed at No additional cost. If, however, there are any substantial tariff changes due to factors like new Government taxes for the year 2021 or any other conditions that may affect the final cost of your safari and are beyond out control, such costs shall be passed on accordingly.
Question 10; Do the measures put in place as a result of COVID-19 affect the standard cancellation/booking terms and conditions?
A: No, all cancellation/booking terms and conditions remain unchanged. Adventure Consults however, is and will be very lenient and have opted for a case by case approach to minimize unavoidable costs (if any) on both sides (clients and compony) due cancellations that might come up. In effect therefore, we do not have a general document on the same, so please get in contact (sales@adventureconsults.com) for advice on each file/booking that has been confirmed with deposit/full payment.
Note that the above are temporary and exceptional terms and can change anytime depending on how the situation unfolds!
Once again, we promise to keep you updated. We encourage you to postpone, don’t cancel your trip!
Adventure Consults’ team.