LAST UPDATED: September 9, 2021
In light of the Tanzanian government’s decision to start reopening the country for tourism, Pamoja Safaris has been busy developing our Safe & Clean Commitment checklist. This set of guidelines will be used by our staff and partners in order to ensure the highest levels of safety in light of the current COVID-19/Coronavirus outbreak.
Although COVID-19 has largely spared Tanzania (and the majority of the sub-Saharan African continent), it is nonetheless extremely important to ensure the highest levels of safety, both for our guests as well as our team members and partner organization’s employees.
We believe that keeping you safe, while still providing an amazing experience, is totally doable. Read on to see exactly how we plan to do it.
Team Member Training & Vaccinations
All staff has been trained on the various hygiene and sanitation protocols, and ongoing training will be provided as the situation evolves. Our staff awareness is an aspect that is essential for the effective implementation of our protocols as it ensures that they are protected, as well as our guests.
There will be full disclosure and transparency at all times between staff and our guests by way of informing all parties as to the safety and hygiene protocols in place, as well as any incident reporting that may be necessary.
We’ve implemented an end-to-end health and safety plan that will see every staff member temperature tested and meticulously screened before they are deemed to be clear and ready to safely engage with our guests. Each guest will also be temperature screened in a non-invasive and safe manner to ensure the health and safety of all our people. These screening and monitoring protocols will be supported by the necessary contingency plans and isolation/quarantine facilities.
In addition to these measures, as of August 2021, all of our driver guides have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Guest Interaction
To alleviate the risk of transmission, continuous and stringent social distancing etiquette will be implemented between guests and staff to reduce person-to-person contact. Space design consultants have been instrumental in reconfiguring the placement of furniture and décor specific to each property to allow for recommended social distancing practices. Our staff have all been trained on best-practice hygiene and sanitization, and won’t be offering the outstretched handshake that you are accustomed to. Instead, a friendly smile will be waiting to greet you upon your arrival, and during the duration of your stay.
Where possible, virtual check-ins and check-outs will be encouraged. We understand in this adapted hospitality, sometimes, the best way to stay safe is to stay distant.
Transportation
As usual, we allocate one or more Land Cruisers to each group, depending on the number of travelers in each party. That vehicle is yours for the duration of the journey, and no one besides your driver/guide and yourselves will ever enter the vehicle from the time you are picked up at the airport to when you are dropped off at the end of your adventure.
Between parties, we leave each vehicle for a minimum of three days in order for any potential contaminants to naturally dissipate. In addition to this, we thoroughly clean both the inside and outside of the vehicle(s) with WHO-approved disinfectants.
Lodging
Working alongside our partner organizations we have reduced the capacity of the lodges, reserves, residences, and resorts that we use within government guidelines across our guest and staff complement. Accommodations at our respective lodges, reserves, and resorts are generously set apart and offer privacy and safety, rendering contact with staff and other guests to an absolute minimum and at some properties, limited social contact will see guests experience an almost contactless stay in accordance with stringent health and safety regulations.
Properties will be using accredited, hospital-grade disinfectants to sanitize surfaces in guest rooms and common areas. These disinfectants have been produced per WHO health regulations and are also eco-friendly.
Dining
Our food and beverage safety and hygiene strategy includes:
- Reconfigured Seating: we will create seating spacing times where guests get specific time frames seating for breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the hotels and lodges. For lodges and tented camps, outside seating, where applicable, will comprise of 6 ft/2 m wide seating configurations between parties.
- No-Touch Menus: chalkboards or other display mechanisms will be used to communicate menus in place of traditional menus.
- No Buffets: in place of buffets we will be offering meal boxes, where possible. At some properties, an adapted catering solution has been designed which will be customized in accordance with each layout. Specific consideration has been taken at lodges, reserves, and resorts to offer zero exposure dining options.
- Modified In-Room Dining Protocols: services are available at some of our partner properties to ensure an uncompromised dining service in your own room, with minimal contact and adherence to the safety and hygiene regulations.
Where possible, meals and snacks will be individually packaged and will continue to be prepared in highly controlled environments under even stricter hygiene standards.
Our Focus Is You
At Pamoja Safaris, we care about the health and safety of every guest and staff member who enters our doors. Your wellbeing has, and will always be our utmost priority, and we are fully committed to your protection without compromising the quality of experience when you are journeying with us.
Our values are at the heart of our business. These values guide us in our pursuit of delivering authentic and personalized guest-centric experiences. Now, as we face unprecedented challenges this will catalyze our innovative response to design world-class hygiene and sanitization solutions that ensure the safety of everyone.
We remain vigilant, agile to adapt to challenges and changes, and are closely monitoring the rapidly changing COVID-19 situation to ensure minimal risk for our guests and staff. We wish to reassure you that we are following the guidelines of our medical advisory team, in conjunction with global and local health authorities worldwide to respond to any circumstance that presents itself.
As the COVID-19 pandemic situation continues to unfold, it’s how we choose to face the challenges that will define our future. These actions, we believe, will reconfigure the legacy for our people and our planet. We’ve always been propelled by our passion for the protection of our planet and its wildlife. Our empathy and a shared sense of hope will continue to drive our efforts to ensure a safe environment for all who engage with us.
When the time is right for you, we’ll be waiting to welcome you to Tanzania for the adventure of a lifetime. Karibuni!
