04 July 2021

"Can't sleep, on wrong clock. Just heard the moaning roar of a lion in the distance, the funny whistling whinny of a zebra, and something is in the water below my tent - maybe an Ele.  Nope, definitely a hippo heading out for a munch. Closer to me lions are roaring in reply to the other now. I feel giddy."

On Safari During Covid: There’s No Better Place to be than the African Bush

As I write this, I’m being stared down from across the Boteti River in the Makgadikgadi of Botswana by several members of the annual zebra migration. The sun is casting its low glow and the dust they’ve kicked-up is red-orange around them. With an abundance of water coming off the rainy season, wildlife on full display, and an extremely low number of travelers, being in the African bush feels more extraordinary than ever.

I am not the reckless type. I’ve been masked-up and heavily sanitized within a small social bubble since the start of 2020. Since my Lupus diagnosis, which coincided with the pandemic, I was not planning to fly within or beyond the US anytime soon. I had already planned to drive to New York and back from Seattle to see my family this summer to avoid flying (well, also because I just love a road trip and it’s the best way to see America).

So, when my good friend Dave emailed to ask if I’d be willing to come to Botswana to surprise his wife Jennifer, my best friend of 30-years, in the bush for her 50th birthday - I first thought, nah, not likely until a bit later in the year. I knew it would feel safe and comfortable once in the bush, it was the transit there and back that concerned me; and the desire to protect others not fully vaccinated.

Then I thought, why can’t I go now, I’ve cleared both Moderna doses and know that regular testing is widely available with protocol in place. The US has never fully locked-down since Covid arrived, so I tend to assume most variants abroad find their way here. Is travel within the States any safer than traveling in Africa, particularly within the sheltered safari circuit?

By traveling afar, I also could provide you with a first-hand account of what it’s like to go on safari in Africa during a global pandemic. It seems only appropriate that I lead the way for my travelers and potential travelers. It was also just what I needed, personally. You know what those quiet soul stirring moments in life can do for you. You know how important it is to have as many of those moments as possible. They make you feel grateful you are here to experience them. It is why you travel. The African bush is full of those moments.

At the following camps I visited on my brief trip, my favorite moments occurred at night. Solar jars hanging from sticks posted upright in the soft white Kalahari sand illuminated the faces of those present as they spoke of how nice it would be if others they care about were experiencing what we were - the transporting smell of wild sage mixed with leadwood campfires burning under the starry sky amid sounds of the bush.

I hope that my recent on-the-ground experience in southern Africa will prove useful to you as you strive to balance news reports, data, and risks with the many rewards of travel. I currently have happy travelers in southern and East Africa. I'd love to send you where there are low numbers of people and high numbers of animals in vast, stunning places too. There is no better time to be in the wild.

sala sentle (stay well), Erica

Getting to Africa
Most countries you are traveling to in Africa require 72 hours (three days) for a valid negative PCR Covid test result (from the time of swab to entry at your destination country). As soon as I booked myself on United’s new-ish Dreamliner direct flight from Newark to Johannesburg, the question of where to get tested before departing the States was answered for me via United’s online travel center. It provided me with testing options, requirements and restrictions for my destination countries. A link to do-it-yourself Covid rapid test kits was also provided. Rapid tests are all that the US currently requires of international travelers entering our borders from most parts of the world. You will still need a PCR test if you are transiting through countries requiring it.

Newark felt like a different airport than the last time I had ventured through. Everything was automated. I felt like an idiot without my 12-year-old daughter with me to help order food and pay for mints without a cashier. The airport was clean with protocol in place, i.e., sanitizer everywhere, masks required, extra space between waiting area seats, etc. I sprang for the Express PCR test available in a tented area of the airport departures terminal at a cost of $250. This allowed me to arrive only a few hours before my departure.

I thought wearing a mask for 15 hours on a plane plus airport time would be hideous. Especially for me, as I can never sleep on long-haul flights. It was reassuring to know that everyone was masked up and I took my favorite Outdoor Research (OR) masks. We were allowed to drop the masks to eat/drink, so it really wasn't so bad. I paid an extra $300 for United’s “Premier Plus” seating as there was a notable reduction in the number of seats compared to the economy sections. The flight was maybe two-thirds full.

There were no long lines at Johannesburg’s OR Tambo Int’l Airport. We moved swiftly through immigration, handing our arrival forms to one guy while another checked our test results and temperatures. Like here, masks are required on large and small planes, in airports, on shared transportation, and in public.

Off to Botswana
My hour and a half flight from Johannesburg to Botswana was maybe half full. On arrival in Maun things were very organized. One at a time we were called into a tent outside the airport and administered a free-of-charge rapid Covid test (nose swab).The whole entry process took around 15 minutes.

From there, other travelers met their masked pilots and were escorted to private bush planes for their flights out to camps where masked staff would be happily waiting for their arrival. A colleague met me in his vehicle and the two of us set out on a two-hour drive to Meno a Kwena Camp to surprise my friend.

Meno a Kwena Camp (“Teeth of the Crocodile”)
It’s as if safari camps were designed with the pandemic in mind. Their open architecture and remote locations lend themselves well to social distancing. Camp main areas often include covered dining, lounge, library, and sitting areas that are wide open. Individual tented units with their airy canvas, thatch and screens are spaced a good shouting distance apart from one another.

Game drive vehicles, canoes, boats, sleep-outs and other activities are open to the environment and even more limited in terms of the number of guests per vehicle. Guests now have their own guide/vehicle if not an entire camp all to themselves. It's their reward for making the effort during confusing times.

Meno a Kwena Camp is a good example, with its outdoor dining and cooking areas, multiple cozy sitting nooks, water-level photo hide, and pool overlooking the river below. Tents are large with stone-floor indoor showers and sculpture-like, white-washed outdoor showers.

I spend most of my time in the vestibule area in front of my tent on a vintage daybed surrounded by other nostalgic safari style furnishings while watching zebra in the river. It is the start of July, the dry winter season, and their presence near the river is constant. They are taking turns at the water’s edge with those on the ends of the herd looking outward for any signs of danger. When they get spooked, you hear a rush of water and see dust in the air as they head back up the cliff.

That evening at the river hide, I watch two crocodiles glide silently along the water's surface in tandem toward the zebra. The zebra are startled to safety, however, later that night one was not so lucky. I heard the raucous from my mosquito net shrouded bed next to the hot water bottle someone had put there for me the way they do on safari during winter months. I went to sleep smiling because of where I was, listening to the call of the wild.

Tuludi Camp
A short bush flight from Maun took me to Tuludi Camp in the eastern stretches of the Okavango Delta known as Khwai. The tents are super spacious, each with its own plunge pool, outdoor deck and clawfoot tub. The main area has a surprising way to get from the upper library level down to the first floor and the artwork around the bar is colorful and unique. Vaccinated guests in camps are going maskless in open air areas and on activities. All guides and staff are wearing masks whether they themselves have been vaccinated or not. I believe Botswana requires people working directly with the public to be masked regardless, the way that it is in many states.

Sky Suite
The other guests at Tuludi Camp (Americans) during my stay were out enjoying an exclusive experience at Sky Suite, a game drive away from camp. The raised open suite accommodating two people has everything you need while on your own in the bush, including comfortable netted bed, deck with firepit, seating, an attractive open bathroom, and guide stationed in his own mobile tent a short drive and radio call away if needed.

Little Sable Camp
Formerly known as Jackal & Hyde Camp, Little Sable is at the opposite end of the spectrum from Tuludi in that it costs less and is one of the more casual camps in Khwai. Great for those of you wanting a warm, low-key atmosphere without the frill.