AlanS: I think you may be thinking we have the legendary ‘S’ on this trip, but we have the legendary ‘B’. The legendary Susan also sent us emails before our B,Z, and SA trip, and she made a DVD of the trip and gave everyone a copy. We have communicated with Rob via email, but I don’t think we heard from him before either of our trips with him. I think it is interesting that we have had multiple trips with the same TDs on opposite sides of the planet.
Sealord did your TD by any chance say if buffs could be used in the safari vehicles instead of masks? I am taking my grandsons and son on the Tanzania Zanzibar trip in July and was wondering if I could reduce the number of masks I need to bring by each of ushaving a couple of different buffs plus some masks?
Buffs don’t get a good Write up from the likes of the CDC. They are very thin though tight. There are many places they are not considered adequate, our local hospitals and planes when they were compulsory. I always take buffs to Africa, but when I go next time, a mask will do the original job of keeping dust out of your nose and mouth but better. That tour is a great tour, we especially loved the western Serengeti
We go in August, and I will be bringing plenty of masks. I have one buff, and I think it will be useful for covering my DSLR camera (rather than taking it in and out of its case) while we are traveling on the dusty roads.
Thank you British I know when masks were mandatory on planes the buff was not allowed . We are hoping for a great trip. Jan that is a good idea for a camera cover. Thank you for your replies. I’m not sure my son and grandsons will like the news but I must say I. am glad for the mask rule as I have RA and lupus and take immune suppressing meds.
Our TD … Bill … talks about bringing plenty of ‘masks’ as some of the hotels require them. He mentions that ‘masks’ will help with the dust in the vehicles. He makes no mention of buffs. I will bring buffs also, but plenty of masks. He also mentions bringing an old set of ski goggles if you have them. I’ve done the trip twice before with buffs, no masks, and no goggles,, but the dust can be pretty intense this time of year. I normally change into tomorrow’s safari gear before dinner. Going to dinner wearing what you wore on a game drive would be a bit ‘sporty’. He also mentioned bringing an airline type inflatable neck pillow … to sit on semi-inflated. We are on KLM and I’ve read that they no longer require masks, but the airports probably do. The seating in the safari vehicles is relatively roomy, but I expect they may require masks, at least if the top is not up and the windows open which is the normal configuration on a game drive. Closing the windows with the top open makes the dust worse.
The dust is not as bad if you are in the lead vehicle!
There is a lot of talk about ‘covid’ insurance on the threads. On our recent Antarctica trip Argentina required proof of covid insurance to cover quarantine and meals for two people for I think two weeks. Tauck provided me with a letter that guaranteed the Tauck insurance covered that. I’m going to call to see if I can determine if that was a ‘special’ case, or is that always covered/
I sent an inquiry to a previous contact in guest relations. I did not hear back today, so I will try calling tomorrow. I know there are differences in the insurance for ‘cruise’ voyages, and ‘land’ tours, including price. The cruise insurance is more expensive. I also found the letter of confirmation of our insurance for Argentina to be a little bit on the obtuse side. It is a little bit grey, rather than ‘black and white’. But, we will see what I can get the ‘office’ to commit to tomorrow … hopefully.
“Provide evidence of medical travel insurance that includes hospitalization, quarantine, and transportation coverage for COVID-19;”
The above is the requirement that the ‘letter’ said was covered by Tauck cruise insurance in Argentina. But, not in so many words.
I heard back from guest relations today. Basically, there are two incurance plans … old and new. If you have the old plan the trip delay coverage is $1,000 ppn the new plan is $2,000 ppn. If you want to buy the new plan for those who have the old plan, it is $49 ppn.
“Tauck guests who wish to have additional coverage beyond the regular protection plans that Tauck offers, may purchase the Aon Travel Pro Plus Plan if they want. Here is the link for this plan https://affinitytravelcert.com/document/pdfs/TravelPro_LandingPage.html. Tauck is not permitted to sell the Travel Pro Plus Plan directly to guests. You may also call Aon directly, 1-800-382-6841.
Aon’s Travel Pro Plus plan provides $2,000 pp in Trip Delay benefits, $50,000 pp in Accident Medical Expense coverage, and $50,000 pp in Sickness Medical Expense coverage.
Both the Tauck plan (GPP or CPP) and the Travel Pro Plus plan are classified as Excess coverage, meaning they are secondary to other coverage a person may have, including one’s personal medical insurance. When an insured individual has two different travel insurance policies, Aon coordinate benefits between the two policies, meaning Aon “splits the bill” between the plans depending on how much coverage each plan provides for a given benefit.”
I’m thinking about it. I also asked how many people are on our trip, and the answer was twenty. That probably means four safari vehicles.
Two. more days until we disappear into the “Out of Africa”. We will be doing “Africa” and “Antarctica” back to back, so it will be an interesting comparison. I know they are both ‘nines’, so it will be interesting.
Three times to the Galapagos was probably two times more than necessary for my wife, but I like it a lot. We are doing Rhine Enchantment in August, and that will finish off the year. I normally limit Tauck trips to one per year for ‘fiscal’ reasons, but we will be doing four in twelve months … pandemic makeup. This will be our fourth trip to Africa in eight years. East Africa is by far our favorite place. We are just hoping that our flights work out OK.
Pam will probably resurface after we depart. We should get to Arusha about the time she departs from Nairobi. Enjoying the last night at home with our puppy … five year old puppy. We are looking forward to joining up with Bill again in Arusha. For those who have not done this trip, watch John Wayne’s “Hatari” and then “Out of Africa”. Actually, Eloise does not like Hatari because they capture wild animals. I’ve never been to a zoo since my first trip to Africa. I cannot stand to see the animals in a cage.
Zoos are certainly not ideal SeaLord, but they are very important. Conditions are much improved from their original conception and in many cases enclosures are large. I also think certain animals definitely have an easier time than in the wild, one example being lions who must have a much easier time compared to the stressful hard life they have in the wild just to find enough to eat. I’m not saying animals like Elephants are better off in a zoo.
You are one of a small percentage of people who can afford to visit Africa, but does that mean that others will never have the opportunity to see a live lion, cheetah, giraffe? We took our children and now grandchildren to the zoo, we explain to them about how the animals live in the wild, how important it is to preserve areas for animals big and small.
At the local zoo, they can hand feed the giraffes, no need to take them to Giraffe Manor in Nairobi! One grandson particularly likes to go on nature walks right on our doorstep when he visits. He is as enthralled crouching down to watch an ant as he is to see a lion at the zoo. Our own enthusiasm for nature started when we were young kids watching David Attenborough on black and white TV shows. He started out capturing specimens for zoos by the way.
.
When we go to the Philadelphia zoo and a local one, I’m amazed how knowledgeable we have become, enhanced by our Africa trips. I can’t tell you how many times we see people looking at the big cats like cheetah and leopards and get them mixed up. If we think it is appropriate, we might explain the difference, pointing out the face markings on a cheetah for instance. Many zoos have animals which are extinct in the wild. Selected breeding, expanding the gene pool is now the norm.
Recently, my sons family visited Disney animal kingdom, I haven’t been there for years. Apparently they have wild dogs there and my son thought they were cute! He asked a keeper about them, totally unaware what a fierce and deadly hunter they are. I felt quite guilty that that was an animal we had never talked about but was able to tell him we had seen them in Africa. We plan on taking the entire family on the Bridges tour in 2024.
SeaLord, have a fantastic time. Please let me know all about the new hotel in Arusha and if the Four Seasons pool is now heated…they told me in 2019 they were hoping to get it heated, if they have, then I’ll change my opinions about that place a bit….and can you find out why that hotel is not being used next year?
I wonder if the family of six baby cheetahs that we saw in 2019 are all alive, they would be in their prime now. Looking forward to your report.
British: I think you are looking at the ‘bridges’ tour for next year. They don’t stay at the Four Seasons. The K&T for 2023 is still at the Four Seasons.
They did stay at the Four Seasons in the past. This year they are not going there which I am hoping is permanent. I was just wondering if it is for one year that they have made the change. We were supposed to be staying at a Four Seasons on the Bridges tour Red Rocks and Painted Canyons at the beginning of the tour next year,, but they emailed us to say it had been changed to a Westin. Maybe Tauck aren’t getting a good deal any more.
British - I think I mentioned that the Four Seasons management said they were working on heating the pool, maybe Sealord can confirm. The new hotel in Arusha is very nice with beautiful grounds and pool, they also have a coffee plantation which can be visited.
I’m guessing that the problem at the Serengeti Four Seasons is power. They make there own electricity, which is probably why the restaurants are pretty dark at night. Heating fifty or sixty thousand gallons of water takes a lot of power. Our pool is solar heated, but running a two horsepower pump ten hours a day costs a fair amount of money.
We are doing the K&T safari in September. Flying Qatar Air, our seats are great and only cost a total of $1800. Anyone ever pay to use the Qatar business class lounge in Doha? We've had the yellow fever/diptheria vaccination, got malaria pills. I saw someone mentioned a second booster. I wondered abt that. it's been months since our first booster. Are we required to have a second? Speaking of footwear- I have good Asics I wear all the time. Do you recommend better shoes? We are arriving one extra day early- tour starts 9/21, but we will arrive 9/19. I have all of that on our Tauck profile. What else do I need to do to make sure they know to pick us up at the airport?
Comments
We were contacted before K&T in 2015 by the same TD as Sealord. He is one of the few who does that. The legendary . . . . ?
AlanS: I think you may be thinking we have the legendary ‘S’ on this trip, but we have the legendary ‘B’. The legendary Susan also sent us emails before our B,Z, and SA trip, and she made a DVD of the trip and gave everyone a copy. We have communicated with Rob via email, but I don’t think we heard from him before either of our trips with him. I think it is interesting that we have had multiple trips with the same TDs on opposite sides of the planet.
Sealord did your TD by any chance say if buffs could be used in the safari vehicles instead of masks? I am taking my grandsons and son on the Tanzania Zanzibar trip in July and was wondering if I could reduce the number of masks I need to bring by each of ushaving a couple of different buffs plus some masks?
Buffs don’t get a good Write up from the likes of the CDC. They are very thin though tight. There are many places they are not considered adequate, our local hospitals and planes when they were compulsory. I always take buffs to Africa, but when I go next time, a mask will do the original job of keeping dust out of your nose and mouth but better. That tour is a great tour, we especially loved the western Serengeti
We go in August, and I will be bringing plenty of masks. I have one buff, and I think it will be useful for covering my DSLR camera (rather than taking it in and out of its case) while we are traveling on the dusty roads.
Thank you British I know when masks were mandatory on planes the buff was not allowed . We are hoping for a great trip. Jan that is a good idea for a camera cover. Thank you for your replies. I’m not sure my son and grandsons will like the news but I must say I. am glad for the mask rule as I have RA and lupus and take immune suppressing meds.
Our TD … Bill … talks about bringing plenty of ‘masks’ as some of the hotels require them. He mentions that ‘masks’ will help with the dust in the vehicles. He makes no mention of buffs. I will bring buffs also, but plenty of masks. He also mentions bringing an old set of ski goggles if you have them. I’ve done the trip twice before with buffs, no masks, and no goggles,, but the dust can be pretty intense this time of year. I normally change into tomorrow’s safari gear before dinner. Going to dinner wearing what you wore on a game drive would be a bit ‘sporty’. He also mentioned bringing an airline type inflatable neck pillow … to sit on semi-inflated. We are on KLM and I’ve read that they no longer require masks, but the airports probably do. The seating in the safari vehicles is relatively roomy, but I expect they may require masks, at least if the top is not up and the windows open which is the normal configuration on a game drive. Closing the windows with the top open makes the dust worse.
The dust is not as bad if you are in the lead vehicle!
There is a lot of talk about ‘covid’ insurance on the threads. On our recent Antarctica trip Argentina required proof of covid insurance to cover quarantine and meals for two people for I think two weeks. Tauck provided me with a letter that guaranteed the Tauck insurance covered that. I’m going to call to see if I can determine if that was a ‘special’ case, or is that always covered/
Thanks SeaLord, your info will be very useful for us all
Thank you Sealord
Thank you, Sealord, for doing some research for us who are playing COVID roulette as we travel these days.
Thank you Sealord for all your help and kind replies., and time spent investigating. I’ll be interested to hear Tauck’s reply on the CoVid insurance.
I sent an inquiry to a previous contact in guest relations. I did not hear back today, so I will try calling tomorrow. I know there are differences in the insurance for ‘cruise’ voyages, and ‘land’ tours, including price. The cruise insurance is more expensive. I also found the letter of confirmation of our insurance for Argentina to be a little bit on the obtuse side. It is a little bit grey, rather than ‘black and white’. But, we will see what I can get the ‘office’ to commit to tomorrow … hopefully.
“Provide evidence of medical travel insurance that includes hospitalization, quarantine, and transportation coverage for COVID-19;”
The above is the requirement that the ‘letter’ said was covered by Tauck cruise insurance in Argentina. But, not in so many words.
I heard back from guest relations today. Basically, there are two incurance plans … old and new. If you have the old plan the trip delay coverage is $1,000 ppn the new plan is $2,000 ppn. If you want to buy the new plan for those who have the old plan, it is $49 ppn.
“Tauck guests who wish to have additional coverage beyond the regular protection plans that Tauck offers, may purchase the Aon Travel Pro Plus Plan if they want. Here is the link for this plan https://affinitytravelcert.com/document/pdfs/TravelPro_LandingPage.html. Tauck is not permitted to sell the Travel Pro Plus Plan directly to guests. You may also call Aon directly, 1-800-382-6841.
Aon’s Travel Pro Plus plan provides $2,000 pp in Trip Delay benefits, $50,000 pp in Accident Medical Expense coverage, and $50,000 pp in Sickness Medical Expense coverage.
Both the Tauck plan (GPP or CPP) and the Travel Pro Plus plan are classified as Excess coverage, meaning they are secondary to other coverage a person may have, including one’s personal medical insurance. When an insured individual has two different travel insurance policies, Aon coordinate benefits between the two policies, meaning Aon “splits the bill” between the plans depending on how much coverage each plan provides for a given benefit.”
I’m thinking about it. I also asked how many people are on our trip, and the answer was twenty. That probably means four safari vehicles.
Excellent detective work! Thank you❤️
Two. more days until we disappear into the “Out of Africa”. We will be doing “Africa” and “Antarctica” back to back, so it will be an interesting comparison. I know they are both ‘nines’, so it will be interesting.
Sealord - There is still time in the year to add the Gallapagos tour to have the Triple Crown of tours all in the same year.
I'm sure you'll have a great time in Africa, being the African veteran that you are.
We have actually been to the Galapagos three times.
Sealord - You've been everywhere, most places multiple times.
I was rooting you on for the Triple Crown in a single year. Find a fourth for this year and make it the Grand Slam!
Three times to the Galapagos was probably two times more than necessary for my wife, but I like it a lot. We are doing Rhine Enchantment in August, and that will finish off the year. I normally limit Tauck trips to one per year for ‘fiscal’ reasons, but we will be doing four in twelve months … pandemic makeup. This will be our fourth trip to Africa in eight years. East Africa is by far our favorite place. We are just hoping that our flights work out OK.
I would go back to the Galápagos in a heartbeat, we have been twice. But next time may not be with Tauck, I want to take the two week option.
Pam will probably resurface after we depart. We should get to Arusha about the time she departs from Nairobi. Enjoying the last night at home with our puppy … five year old puppy. We are looking forward to joining up with Bill again in Arusha. For those who have not done this trip, watch John Wayne’s “Hatari” and then “Out of Africa”. Actually, Eloise does not like Hatari because they capture wild animals. I’ve never been to a zoo since my first trip to Africa. I cannot stand to see the animals in a cage.
Zoos are certainly not ideal SeaLord, but they are very important. Conditions are much improved from their original conception and in many cases enclosures are large. I also think certain animals definitely have an easier time than in the wild, one example being lions who must have a much easier time compared to the stressful hard life they have in the wild just to find enough to eat. I’m not saying animals like Elephants are better off in a zoo.
You are one of a small percentage of people who can afford to visit Africa, but does that mean that others will never have the opportunity to see a live lion, cheetah, giraffe? We took our children and now grandchildren to the zoo, we explain to them about how the animals live in the wild, how important it is to preserve areas for animals big and small.
At the local zoo, they can hand feed the giraffes, no need to take them to Giraffe Manor in Nairobi! One grandson particularly likes to go on nature walks right on our doorstep when he visits. He is as enthralled crouching down to watch an ant as he is to see a lion at the zoo. Our own enthusiasm for nature started when we were young kids watching David Attenborough on black and white TV shows. He started out capturing specimens for zoos by the way.
.
When we go to the Philadelphia zoo and a local one, I’m amazed how knowledgeable we have become, enhanced by our Africa trips. I can’t tell you how many times we see people looking at the big cats like cheetah and leopards and get them mixed up. If we think it is appropriate, we might explain the difference, pointing out the face markings on a cheetah for instance. Many zoos have animals which are extinct in the wild. Selected breeding, expanding the gene pool is now the norm.
Recently, my sons family visited Disney animal kingdom, I haven’t been there for years. Apparently they have wild dogs there and my son thought they were cute! He asked a keeper about them, totally unaware what a fierce and deadly hunter they are. I felt quite guilty that that was an animal we had never talked about but was able to tell him we had seen them in Africa. We plan on taking the entire family on the Bridges tour in 2024.
SeaLord, have a fantastic time. Please let me know all about the new hotel in Arusha and if the Four Seasons pool is now heated…they told me in 2019 they were hoping to get it heated, if they have, then I’ll change my opinions about that place a bit….and can you find out why that hotel is not being used next year?
I wonder if the family of six baby cheetahs that we saw in 2019 are all alive, they would be in their prime now. Looking forward to your report.
British: I think you are looking at the ‘bridges’ tour for next year. They don’t stay at the Four Seasons. The K&T for 2023 is still at the Four Seasons.
They did stay at the Four Seasons in the past. This year they are not going there which I am hoping is permanent. I was just wondering if it is for one year that they have made the change. We were supposed to be staying at a Four Seasons on the Bridges tour Red Rocks and Painted Canyons at the beginning of the tour next year,, but they emailed us to say it had been changed to a Westin. Maybe Tauck aren’t getting a good deal any more.
In 2014 the ‘Bridges’ was at the Four Seasons, but in 2018 they were not.
British - I think I mentioned that the Four Seasons management said they were working on heating the pool, maybe Sealord can confirm. The new hotel in Arusha is very nice with beautiful grounds and pool, they also have a coffee plantation which can be visited.
I’m guessing that the problem at the Serengeti Four Seasons is power. They make there own electricity, which is probably why the restaurants are pretty dark at night. Heating fifty or sixty thousand gallons of water takes a lot of power. Our pool is solar heated, but running a two horsepower pump ten hours a day costs a fair amount of money.
We are doing the K&T safari in September. Flying Qatar Air, our seats are great and only cost a total of $1800. Anyone ever pay to use the Qatar business class lounge in Doha? We've had the yellow fever/diptheria vaccination, got malaria pills. I saw someone mentioned a second booster. I wondered abt that. it's been months since our first booster. Are we required to have a second? Speaking of footwear- I have good Asics I wear all the time. Do you recommend better shoes? We are arriving one extra day early- tour starts 9/21, but we will arrive 9/19. I have all of that on our Tauck profile. What else do I need to do to make sure they know to pick us up at the airport?
CaraBethP - Those must be economy seat tickets. If those are business class seats then you have gotten the bargain of the century.
Where are you flying from and what is the routing?