The Journey - tests, forms, flights and tests and forms

 

**Warning** this won’t be the most exciting blog post I’ve ever written but it’s an essential one especially with the current uncertainty and hesitation around travel, protocols, testing requirements and the whole crazy shebang of how international travel has morphed into a seeming mine-field of roadblocks.

The good news is that, for this trip, the reality turned out to be way more gentle and friendly than the prospect seemed. I would liken it to preparing for an exam – make sure you have studied all the material and you will make an A (which I’m pretty sure is the grade that the Qatar check-in gentleman mentally awarded me for my pristine paperwork and personal organization.)

The Curve Ball

I was feeling pretty pleased with myself at 10am Monday morning as I self-swabbed at the CVS Covid-test drive-thru – I was being a responsible human being – even though Tanzania did not require a Covid test for entry and Qatar airways assured me that I did not need one to travel with them I had decided to go ahead and get one anyway 1) because even though I’m vaccinated myself I wanted to make sure I was not being part of the problem and trailing Rona through airports and in to Tanzania and 2) just in case I was asked for it.

As I pulled away from the drive-thru test complete (result came back in under 48 hrs and I would thoroughly recommend) my phone started dinging and beeping like a demented bee. Seemingly literally at the moment I was swabbing my nostrils the Tanzania Government were busy announcing new entry requirements including a RT PCR negative test within 72 hours of ARRIVAL. Note the word arrival here not departure thus rendering my CVS test obsolete and useless. The new guidelines also included a disturbing vagueness around additional rapid testing upon arrival and mandatory 14 day quarantine wrapped in general terms of ‘countries with a high incidence’ and ‘countries with new variants’. All very confusing and verging on cryptic!

Fortunately TATO and other representatives of the tourism industry immediately appealed to the powers that be for clarity and specifics and by early Wednesday (day of departure – 9:45pm) the waters had cleared and a new announcement was released which still included PCR test within 72 hours of arrival but also identified India as the only country of elevated concern. Big sigh of relief and a resumption of packing.

I found a Covid-testing facility, Med+ Clinic, close to my home just outside of Dallas that promised RT PCR test results in 30 minutes (cost $275) and they delivered as promised mid-morning Wednesday.

Curve Ball navigated!

Final touches to packing – note my love of packing cubes! (I have plans for a packing-for-safari video so will add a link here later)

 

Check-in Wednesday at 7:15pm DFW airport with Qatar Airways.

Check-in was pretty straight-forward if a little more prolonged than usual – documentation was checked as follows:

• ·        Proof of RT (PCR ) negative result  (within 72 hours of arrival)
• ·        Evisa for Tanzania (I applied online and received approval in 24 hours) https://eservices.immigration.go.tz/visa/
• ·      Travel Form for Qatar Airways – this is like a declaration with covid test info – it was specific for Qatar but likely all airlines have a similar form.

 

Office in the Sky

This was my first time flying on Qatar (I’m usually a KLM or BA girl) and I have to say I was pretty impressed. The staff were absolutely charming, food very nice, comfy seats, big recline. I may have got lucky because the flight was only at about a third capacity (if that) so most passengers seemed to have a whole row to themselves. I had a power source and decent internet ($10) so after completing the online health form for arrival to TZ I settled into my sky-office and knocked out several hours of work. Yes its a long flight (14 hrs) but it really didn't drag at all. 

Transfer in Doha was straight-forward and the 4 hours between flights was quite a welcome break to walk and window shop. Then back on a Qatar flight 6 hrs to Kilimanjaro. This flight was about half full and I managed to snag a row of 3 and had a fully horizontal sleep for a couple of hours.

 

Arrival Kilimanjaro Airport 7:40am

We touched down in light drizzle and the cabin doors opened to the smell of woodsmoke and rain – Aaahhh Tanzania 

I’m not going to lie – I almost cried. 

And I probably would have done but I was too busy hot-footing it across the tarmac to get a good position in line for the first step in a multi-step dance of desks and forms and rubber stamps.

Aaahh Tanzania!

Step 1 – queue outside the building to be checked in for Rapid Test*

Step 2 – Enter small room for Rapid Test – the swab was up each nostril for less than 2 seconds.

Step 3 – Enter the main arrival hall – Desk 1 – passport number used to check that online health form had been completed.**

Step 4 – Desk 2 -name and passport number again to receive ticket to pay for Rapid Test

Step 5 – Payment Window – pay $25 for test – get your ticket stamped and return it to Desk 2

Step 6 – Visa Window for those without evisa (Evisa gang get to skip it and zoom ahead)

Step 7 – Immigration desk with evisa/visa – note that even with evisa you still are required to complete the arrival form

Step 8 – run with giddy abandon to your waiting luggage

Notes:

*Yup every passenger on flight was rapid tested – however I did talk with an airport official I happen to know who said that it is already being talked about dropping the rapid test for vaccinated visitors and ‘some others’.

** Those who had not completed the online health form were directed to do it over at the naughty desk on their phones. Paper copies were not accepted.

PCR test documents were never asked for or checked – I guess they are relying on the airlines to have screened these…..

 The whole 8-step process took just under an hour for me and I would say I started at about the 20th person in line. In all honesty though if you show up with a pocket full of patience, all your forms in order and a big smile the experience is reasonably simple.

Now just to wait 3 hours for Coastal flight to Serengeti...... to be

continued