Rietvlei Nature Reserve Safari

Covid Safety

All office and field staff working for Vaya Africa Travels have received extensive training on how to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 virus. Training on how to meet the Covid-19 regulatory requirements is ongoing, and new regulations will be timeously adopted as and when is required.

Display posters issued by the Department of Health on hand washing, use of sanitizer and wearing masks are prominently displayed at our offices and in our tour vehicles.

As per the Covid-19 regulations stipulated for the transport industry, Vaya Africa Travels adheres to the following capacity restrictions:

– Tour buses at 70% capacity

– Shuttle bus at 50% capacity

As per regulatory requirement, temperatures of staff, guides and clients are taken at appropriate times

– For clients, this is before they get on the tour vehicle

– For staff and guides, this is at the start of the day before they come into contact with clients

Staff, guides and clients with a temperature of 37.3°C or more will be asked to immediately leave the premises or will not be permitted to join the tour. They will be advised to self-isolate or seek medical attention.

Any staff member who has symptoms associated with the Covid-19 virus will be required to stay at home and self-isolate. This includes a cough, runny nose or flu-like fever symptoms. Any client with the same symptoms will not be allowed to join a tour and will be advised to self-isolate.

Guides and clients are required to wear appropriate masks for the duration of the tour.

No mask/no travel rule is strictly applied.

Each guide has been issued with 3 masks which are to be alternated between ‘wear and wash’ throughout the week.

Regulatory-approved sanitizer is provided on all tour and safari vehicles and must be applied throughout the tour by guides and clients.

Hand-rub sanitizer dispensers are available in prominent places in our offices and where our guides and clients convene before and after tours.

Our guides have received extensive training on how to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 virus. This involves regularly washing their hands and general good hygiene care. A good supply of soap and sanitizer is supplied to our office staff and guides.

Our staff and guides are provided with a good supply of work shirts. As a rule, our team is required to wear newly-washed and ironed work clothes every day. Vaya Africa Travels has adopted a laundry protocol as per the Covid-19 regulations. This is strictly monitored by our management team.

Our vehicles are washed down inside and out at the end of each day and sprayed with a regulatory surface sanitizer. A good supply of cleaning products is provided and replenished regularly.

We have put in place an isolation plan as per the recommendations of the Department of Health. This includes a room or area where someone who is not feeling well or has symptoms of the Covid-19 virus can be safely isolated before being transferred to a medical facility for testing.

Office staff and guides have been thoroughly briefed on the screening and isolation protocol for Vaya Africa Travels. Regular updates on latest health warnings and Covid-19 regulations are communicated to all staff members at the office and remote locations.

Vaya Africa Travels keeps a meticulous record of all participants on every tour. These will be made available to the health authorities to help with contact tracing in the event that one of our staff members, guides or clients contract the Covid-19 virus.

Vaya Africa Travels adopted a ‘work from home’ policy for the duration of the Covid-19 Lockdown in South Africa. Where possible, our staff will continue to work from home and only essential staff required to ‘Meet and Greet’ clients will be working from our office.

Our main priority is safeguarding our guests and ensuring that nothing takes away from their experience of celebrating, exploring, inspiring and connecting. If you have any questions or concerns that relate to our Covid-19 compliance, please Contact Us:

Office :   +27 (0)87 510 7484

Stephen Matome :   +27 (0)78 281 1788

Stephen Matome :   +27 (0)79 068 4111

Sheron Maphuti : +27 (0)67 800 4407

Sheron Maphuti : +27 (0)63 341 3659

Age and co-morbidity history may affect whether you can travel to South Africa and join a tour in the country. Vaya Africa Travels is required to request your age and medical history at the time of making a tour booking.

– High-risk people and those with co-morbidity may not be allowed to travel to South Africa.

– 65 years and Older: not allowed under current Covid-19 restrictions

– 60 to 65 Year olds allowed under certain conditions

Vaya Africa Travels is by law required to reduce or stop the use of public transport by our staff by either:

– letting staff live-in on the company property

– using company cars to transfer staff to and from their homes

Vaya Africa Travels requires all guests to present proof of their accommodation bookings for overnight stays. Documents need to be presented at the time guests are collected by our driver.

Vaya Africa Travels will travel with booking documents for day tours.

Tracing people that may have come into contact with a staff member or client who has tested positive for Covid-19 is managed through our staff roster and client booking documents.

Guests will be asked to provide a copy of their travel itinerary to facilitate the tracking process. This includes details of places they are visiting and hotels or lodges where they are staying.

All staff and clients will be required to complete a Medical and Travel Declaration Form provided by the Department of Health. It will be completed prior to departing for a tour.

The declaration form covers:

– general health

– chronic and other conditions, including medication

– physical impairments

– symptoms 30-days prior to departure

– smoker status and fitness level

– Covid-19 history

– Covid-19 status disclosure sign-off

– comprehensive holiday itinerary for tracing

– recent travel history conducted one month prior to arriving in South Africa

– contact details for next of kin or contact person not travelling with the client

– ID or passport number

– proof of travel and medical insurance for international clients

Vaya Africa Travels is by law required to take the temperature of guides and clients prior to departure for a tour. The Department of Health specifies that a temperature higher than 37.5° is a warning sign of a possible Covid-19 case. Any guide or client with a high temperature or presenting typical Covid-19 symptoms will not be allowed to depart with the rest of the tour group.

Daily sanitisation of tour vehicles using a regulation fumigator, including:

– vehicle keys

– steering wheels & gear knobs

– dashboard & controls

– armrests & backs of seats/chairs

– seatbelts & seatbelt buckles

– window controls and windowsills

– air-conditioning controls & vents

– storage boot and trailer

– glove compartment

– door compartments

– all handles, including folded handles

– spare wheel compartment and spare wheel tools

– oil and water dipsticks

– petrol cap

Other Covid-19 protection protocols include:

– regulation hand sanitiser provided on mounted units in the vehicle for both clients and guides, 

– sanitisation of luggage and sanitisation of luggage handler’s hands

– compulsory wearing of mask, except when eating and drinking

– 3 masks provided per staff member to accommodate washing requirements

– guests required to use the same seat for the duration of the tour

Buses & Coaches

Vaya Africa Travels is by law required to abide by the regulation of 70% capacity in our cars, buses and coaches.

Clients are required to have an empty seat between them to accommodate social distancing rules.

We will adopt international guidelines for tour buses and coaches as advised.

Where possible, a perspex shield is installed between the driver and clients in our vehicles

Transfers & Shuttles

Clients are required to sit on the back passenger seat.

No client may sit in the front seat next to the driver.

Maximum of two people in a private car with a social distancing space between them.

Same sanitisation and capacity requirements will be applied. This includes:

– wipe down roll bars and handles with regulation disinfectant after each stop

– binoculars cannot be shared and need to be wiped frequently by guests with sanitiser wipes provided

– portable food and drink containers cleaned with surface disinfectant after each use and thoroughly cleaned at the end of each safari tour

– guides and clients provided with their own rain poncho for each safari tour; regularly wiped down and industrial cleaned at the end of the safari tour

– apply standard food service regulations (Section 12) for the disposal of utensils and crockery throughout the safari tour and deep sanitize non-disposable items at the end of the tour.