THE MALDIVES. SENSIBLE SAFE AND STUNNING Tourism Never Sleeps

We have been busy over the past few months. The world went in phases of who is open and safe for tourism and who is closed.   Our clients come from all over the world, and so our life is constantly interesting. In fact our biggest business recently is the rebooking and rerouting of clients from one dive or safari destination to another. Its been fun seeing so many people carry on with their lives, dodging adversity. Recently some European and US clients insisted on travelling to the Maldives. This was an escorted tour and so we had to operate the tour ourselves.  You can imagine our consternation  at leaving the UK which was going into meltdown. But we filled out all the forms, had our PCR tests, carried proof of employment and headed out to Heathrow. The Turkish Airlines ground crew were very helpful, and booked our bags all the way through to Male. We boarded the A350 and took off. What struck us as soon as the plane left the UK was the change in atmosphere. The sun came out and the world looked so different .

ISTANBUL AIRPORT

Istanbul Airport, our old friend, was running at 30% capacity, but was busy compared to Heathrow, people were heading to planes, clutching PCR test reports and having them inspected. Istanbul, the busiest airport in Europe during the pandemic, is proof that people are moving around the world safely. We changed planes and had a hot dinner in a superb restaurant, washed down by a really good Turkish white. We then boarded  a comfortable B777-300er for the flight down to Male Atol.

NORTH MALE ATOL
At Male we stayed a night in a guest house and experienced the local culture. The next morning we were collected and joined Blue Force Fleet. Here David, one of the owners took charge of our group and guided us  for a week of stunning diving around the Northern Atolls.  The vessel Blue Force One was very comfortable and the service top notch. In fact I would say it was the best liveaboard we had been on to date.  Our last days on the Safari boat were incredible. We dived with scores of nurse sharks and rays. We had been lucky to share our experiences with some charming people.

The morning of departure dragged on.  Eventually, and after a slightly tedious check in experience, we boarded a battered 20 year-old Dash8-300. We took off and headed south to the southernmost atoll in the Maldives. We passed a British Airways jet that had just landed,  and then I nodded off. I woke, now and again to see the most stunning coral reefs. And then we landed at Gan Airfield. The long runway and most of the buildings were built by the RAF, who occupied the site until 1976. The Astra cinema still sits beside the road, and the tower was the low type favoured by militaries around the world

The streets of Addu were spotless. The people polite and kind. After a snack, we went for a walk, and found dreamy lagoons, tiny clean beaches and watched massive fishing boats go out through the breakwater. We stored our dive gear at the Equatorial dive lodge, and met Mr Rasheed, the owner. His family had been in Gan for generations and his father and grandfather worked on the airfield. He showed us some historic photos of a well-remembered visit by the Queen.

Addu Atoll was a different world. We felt as though we had stepped back in time, to an uncomplicated world, and perhaps a real view of the Maldives. Uncluttered with concrete and with a truly relaxed atmosphere, Addu was a combination between KhorFakan and the South Pacific. A series of islands to rival St Helena  or Pemba in terms of allure.

Most people do not come across new/unheard of and barely touched dive locations. If they are lucky enough to do, it may happen once in their lives, I was lucky enough to stumble across the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in 1995. (And foolishly started a dive centre). In 1998 I found Pemba (and foolishly started a dive centre and hotel). We had the excitement of finding and naming dive sites! I thought that everything had been discovered, found and packed with tourists. And then we found Addu Atoll and my whole take on diving changed.

ADDU ROCKS

Marc Kouwenberg the owner of Aquaventure was telling me that Addu was famous for sharks and Mantas. I have seen enough of both, so I was not bothered. What he did not tell me was that Addu, was one of the most special places on earth. This Atoll is one of the final frontiers of global scuba diving. It is host to the healthiest most vibrant coral reefs that I have seen si

nce the first days in Pemba. Every reef is packed with fish. Ripping currents drag us along the walls, which are like gorgonian fan farms. Sharks appear from nowhere and disappear. Manta Rays swim lazily in the passages. Down deeper 300lb tunas swim lazily by. On a safety stop today we had barracuda, turtles, eagle rays and jacks swim past us.  And this afternoon we dived on the SS British Loyalty.  Swimming into the cavernous engine room, the giant Sulzer engine was covered in yellow snapper. Everything here is pristine, untouched, unbroken and on every dive site, we have seen no other divers.

I am blown away to be able to say, that for the third time in my life, I have stumbled upon one of the worlds final frontiers of Scuba diving. And thankfully I am not too disturbed at telling people about it. The 40 seat aircraft that comes here, the tiny guest houses and few resorts will keep the reefs and walls safe for a few more years.

My return journey took me to India for business that could not be avoided, then through Dubai and Turkey where I worked for a month before returning tothe UK. The whole process took in 14 PCR tests, wearing masks and being careful. The end result was that none of our party, or staff or local sta ff were affected by covid-19. We all took the most sensible precautions and were never blasé.

But we are living proof that safe tourism is not only possible, but is continuing regardless of the world shutdown. So we can go, but go safely.

INFORMATION

Blue Force One Package from £1704

Including food accommodation on board , diving, all taxes, tips, local payments etc etc . Flights to Male from £750 Night in a guest house £50

Addu Atol Package  £1967

12 nights in Deluxe Addu Guesthouse B&B, 1 night Deluxe Hulhumale Guest house half board, Maldivian domestic flights ex Male, 20 dives , All airport transfers

Upgrade to Resort Accommodation at the Equator Village (with Bar)  £2553 full board basis including Alcoholic Drinks

Tanzania Safari 2020

Moving the office to Tanzania for a month….or so

Many of our friends and clients are working from home right now. Businesses have been disrupted, jobs have been threatened and  life is difficult. It was difficult for us as well, our travel business literally stopped overnight. We have great bookings for so many of you, but only in 2021/2022. As tine went on, we came to realise that more and more people  needed a break.  People were prepared to take responsibibty, get insurance and travel. As you can read below, we came to Tanzania to see if it was ok, to find out, and to break new ground. The safari has not been easy.  Breakdowns,  tiring long drives between locations, cooking in the rain, and dust. We are on a budget and cannot afford deluxe lodges, we camp and stay in cheap guest houses (like the one in Mpanda that I am writing this from). But we feel we are doing the right thing. Here is why: 

Francisca and I have been in Tanzania since the middle of October. Many of you have been following us on facebook or our blog: Karamanju.com .We have been on Safari in Tanzania our own landrover, driving thousands of kilometres from Dar es Salaam to Bagamoyo, Korogwe, Arusha, Lake Natron, the Serengeti, Mwanza, Kigoma, Gombe Stream, and now south to Mpanda and Katavi. You could be forgiven for thinking that we are on the trip of a lifetime. Far from it, we have simply moved the office from South Wales to the back of a 90 Landrover.

You see, we were getting news that Tanzania had been largely unafected by Covid-19.  This was not just our safari travel suppliers saying this,  but western medical professionals based in the country.  You, our friends and clients have always been a highly educated and adventurous group of people. That is why we are friends with so many of you. You will travel, if you know what the risks are, and you believe the risks are manageable.

We had to put our money where our mouth was.

Tanzania had a brief flirt with covid and then opened up to tourism. The nation was accepting flights and clients without covid testing. People  started to ask questions to which we had no clear answers. We therefore decided we had to put our money where our mouth was, get on an aircraft, and see what Tanzania was like. So much of our business is Tanzania. We had to know, was Tanzania safe, was Tanzania still worth visiting, and more importantly was it feasable. (had the safari operations all shut?).

I wont lie, we were slightly nervous when we got onto the Ethiopian Airlines aircraft, but after 5 hours we were in Addis Ababa, and soon after that we were in Kilimanjaro.  As soon as we landed we felt completely at home. After a couple of days liasing with our friends at the Matembezi company, we flew to Zanzibar for some admin, We then flew back to Dar es Salaam and  picked up our landrover. The ride was not easy, after years of sitting it needed a new cylinder head (in Dar es Salaam) and new bearings (in Arusha). We picked up our photographer friend Sara Jenner and set off north to Lake Natron. After two days in the barren but beautiful place we continued. You can read the whole story here.

As the journey progressed, we saw the migration, soon after that we visited Gombe stream and now we are destined for Katavi and Ruaha national park.

Fly to Tanzania for Unbeatable Value and Safety

As we write this, we have been in Tanzania for just over a month. We have been blown away by the changes since we were last here. The once impassable tracks, are now proper graded earth roads. There is now good tarmac on some of the more remote district roads, trains run on time and often, Air Tanzania, the national airline operates all over the country in brand new Dash 8-Q400’s. The national parks are extremely well run and efficient. Tanzania Safari lodges are open, and a small number of hardened western tourists are here, seeing the great migration from their own private safari car. No one wears a mask, no one seems to be sick. We are not scientists, but we know what we see. Tanzania is eminentyly safer than any country in Europe or the USA. If you want to come on safari, then now is the time, while the numbers are low, the infrastructure is new and the people are desperate for good tourism to restart. Good tourism means tourism that puts money back into society, not just in the hands of a capitaist few.

So now is the time, take responsiblity for your own actions, get on a plane and fly to Tanzania. The people are waiting to welcome you.

Contact info@orientafricatravel.com for your tailor made Tanzania Safari Booking.

Tanzania Post Covid Recce

We just landed in Arusha in Tanzania. We are here to make sure that lodges we deal with are all open and doing well. We need to make sure that the dive centres are maintaining international standards of safety and maintenance. We had been told that Tanzania was barely affected by Covid-19 and that the nation was open for business. What we did not expect was what we found.

Tourists are landing in Tanzania

Our Ethiopian Airlines Dreamliner was full. That means packed. There were a couple of middle seats free and that was it. The food was hot and good. We had a choice of wines and a choice of main course meal, in this covid-infested world. Sure all passengers and crew wore masks, but it was like a fully normal flight. The passengers were not traders going home, but tourists. We bumped into tourists from France, Britain and Austria. They were going scuba diving, and sea kayaking and snorkelling. The Aircraft landed in the island paradise of Zanzibar and around 120 tourists got off.

Tanzania Safari tours have re-started.

After a short break, the Boeing 787 took off again and overflew the Pemba Channel  towards Kilimanjaro. We passed over the dark brown earth of Africa and landed at the delightful small airport at Kilimanjaro. We were through immigration with tourist visas in the blink of an eye. The Tanzania immigration service were efficient, polite and very reasonable. (they even allowed some French lad out to get money to pay for his visa). We were some of the first through immigration, and yet our bags beat us. The handling team were super impressive.

But what blew us away were the 100 plus tourists who disembarked and got into a series of safari cars. There were not one big group for I saw cars from quite a few operators.  “how long have the planes been coming full” I asked our driver Hussein.

“For the last month. It was bad, but now the tourists are coming on every flight. We are still nowhere near full, but it is great to have these new numbers”.

A full dreamliner every two days does not mean a season, but it means that tourism in Tanzania has restarted with a vengeance. If you want to book your tailor made Tanzania Safari of a lifetime, then do it now before Tanzania becomes busy again. Beat the crowds, get the best price and book now.