Understand Ebola free parks to be visited.
According to world health organization, park areas neighboring or close to democratic republic of Congo advised they should be avoided. Before your safari commences the tour, operator should clearly show all the routes and places to be visited to travelers before travel date so that the client.
Identify government registered ground tour operator in Uganda by Checking with Uganda tourism board website https://utb.go.ug/ to verify the list of genuine government registered tour operators with valid annual operator’s license. This will guarantee you that the tour operator your you have chosen is accountable for your life and respect government laws.
Check the review box of that the tour ground operator identified. The feedback left by past travelers to the identified tour operator will give you a proper decision whether to book with it or look for another with good past feedback. Good feedback guarantees you good service, accountability and value for your money.
Look for local or international associations the operator subscribes with because these association have strict terms and conditions that are renewed annually basing on the performance of each tour operators that subscribes with the above associations i.e. Association of Uganda tour operators (AUTO), United States tour Operators Association (USTOA), Rwanda tourism and travel Association (RTATA), Tanzania Tour Operators Association (TATO), Kenya tour operators’ association. Take a strong note of this consideration.
Ask for tour itinerary from the identified operator and observe whether the tour consultant engages you in planning to help you know the safe routes and destinations in plan basing on your own research made pre-safari.
Ensure the operator provides private 4×4 safari or airport pickup to avoid close contact with other unknown people in destinations assumed to have African Ebola infections.
Ensure your local tour driver guide has checked for Ebola one hour before safari start since he will be so close with you and your entire safari, this will create comfort to the tourists.
Ensure the safari vehicle and all your booked accommodations has sanitizers to help in frequent sanitizing especially the hands that touch different objects, as you know Ebola can infect a person through hand touch to some exposed body parts i.e. eyes, mouth, ears, nose, and private parts.
Avoid destinations neighboring Dr Congo boarder to avoid close interactions with people who may are in epi-center of ebola in Dr congo
Keep updated to local news regarding the status of the virus in the country to be visited.
Ensure the lodge or hotel identified offers clean twin rooms with private bathrooms, indoor restaurant willing to prepare custom cooked food, this is to avoid public food like buffet saved by many people.
Ensure during gorilla and chimpanzee briefing sessions, don’t get congested or share one seat with other visitors to avoid contact.
You can also buy and put on face masks during one the one hour or four hours gorilla or chimpanzee trekking to avoid spread of any foreign disease to animals and also from animals to humans this is especially for airborne diseases etc.
Avoid public stopover places where buses, taxis etc. stop, the guide can Identify private stopovers where there no much traffic for short/long calls and enroute lunch especially on the first day of the safari and last day of the safari.
Your safari will come to the end, you will go back home full of gratitude and heart filled with unforgettable authentic African natural wonders especially the endangered giant mountain gorilla of the famous Bwindi impenetrable and the chimpanzee primate’s capital of Kibale national park, this will spread the gospel of Uganda how its free from Ebola and disregard the Uganda to be among the red list countries with deadly Ebola pandemic.
