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Into Africa A two-country trek renews a travel advisor’s love of exploration.
VIRTUOSO TRAVEL ADVISOR BRIANNA Glenn of San Diego recently traveled to Rwanda and Kenya (adding countries number 42 and 43 to her list) on a trip organized by on-site tour connection Giltedge Africa. Here, she shares insight and thrills from her two-week journey.
PANDEMIC REAL TALK I realize that journeying across the world during a global pandemic is an extremely personal choice. For those comfortable with traveling right now, Africa makes the ideal destination for many reasons. It’s the small lodges, open spaces, outdoor activities, wildlife encounters, and communing with nature that create the very best option for travel given what the world is currently going through.
ABOUT THOSE PROTOCOLS Many parts of Africa
MAIN ATTRACTION Gorilla trekking in Rwanda did not disappoint. The most thrilling moment was after a challenging hike through the forest – we turned the corner and they were just sitting right in front of us, mere feet away. It simply takes your breath away, figuratively and literally, because you realize there’s nothing between you and a 500-pound gorilla! The family we visited included an 8-day-old baby. We watched the mama hold and breastfeed it – it was all so natural and beautiful.
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have dealt with Covid in a responsible manner from the beginning and have some of the world’s lowest infection rates. Masks are part of people’s daily wardrobe, sanitization happens constantly, and temperature checks occur anytime you enter an establishment. During my two-week stay in Rwanda and Kenya, I took a total of five Covid tests – I never went more than three days without one. While, yes, this can be an inconvenience, it also allowed me to have one of the coolest travel experiences of my life.
