Autumn trips 2020: where can we travel and what do we need?

Travel now or leave it for another time? There are different points of view, and each has some merit.

On behalf of Viajes Tuareg, as travel professionals, we simply do what we know: suggest itineraries where the authorities so authorize and adapt the type of trip to current health requirements.

Here are our proposals for the coming months of September and October.

Autumn 2020 trips

 

The information we provide is updated in early September 2020. It is essential to confirm this information when booking a trip.

An active cultural route suitable for all (difficulty level 1 out of 7)

The route
We combine walks with small towns, UNESCO World Heritage sites and archaeological remains. A short visit to Kosovo and Macedonia completes the trip.
Flights and connections
cia Alitalia flights via Rome. Currently this link is a 7 hour wait at the airport. With the obligatory PCR test to enter Italy, the getaway to the centre of Rome has become complicated.
These connections arrive in Tirana at midnight, so we depart 1 day before the published date, making a 13-day trip. The agency covers the extra hotel night and transfers.
COVID Formalities
Currently, Albania requires no certificates from visitors. Transit through Rome requires a personal declaration on both the outward and return journeys; we provide the forms with the travel documents.

The route
Basic hiking (difficulty 2 out of 7), with moderate distances and elevation changes. Walks alternate with small-town visits, hot springs and whale and dolphin excursions.

A comfortable itinerary based throughout at the same hotel in Ponta Delgada.

Flights and Connections
TAP currently offers few flights from Spain, with connections to Ponta Delgada leaving considerable room for improvement. We hope to offer better connections soon.

COVID requirements
Passengers arriving in Ponta Delgada with a negative COVID test certificate carried out in the 72 hours prior to arrival are required to make an online declaration within 48 hours prior to arrival and to physically deliver a personal statement.

Within 5–6 days of arrival, travellers take a second test paid for by the regional government. The group is tested together, usually taking just over half an hour. Travellers can then continue without waiting for results.

The route
A moderate hiking itinerary (3 out of 7), with some significant elevation changes. Many trails follow levadas, the island’s centuries-old irrigation channels.
The island’s rugged terrain leads us to stay in three locations – Funchal, Machico and Porto Moniz – avoiding tedious daily drives.

Flights and connections
TAP frequencies from Spain are currently few and links to Funchal involve waiting hours in Lisbon. We hope that regular services will soon be re-established.

COVID requirements
Travellers need a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours before arrival. A website allows advance completion of a personal declaration and upload of the test certificate, speeding arrival procedures in Funchal.

The route
Moderate to demanding hiking (4 out of 7). We explore eastern Sicily and the Aeolian Islands, climb volcanoes (Stromboli, with Etna optional) and visit Taormina and rural villages.

Autumn is a good time for the route as we avoid the high temperatures and find fewer visitors

Flights and connections
The arrival and departure flight must be to/from Catania, and there are few direct flights: From BCN Vueling offers 4 weekly frequencies and from MAD Ryanair offers 1 weekly frequency

COVID-19 requirements
Italy requires Spanish visitors to present a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours before arrival.

The route
A cultural and hiking trip introducing us to regions of northern Greece. Accessible walks for varied traveller profiles (level 1 of 7). We visit the Oracle of Delphi, Meteora’s monasteries and Vikos Gorge, continuing to Mount Olympus and ending in Thessaloniki.

Flights and connections
Available flights are limited. The route may use Alitalia via Rome or direct flights from Madrid with Vueling, Aegean, Iberia or Air Europa.

The journey includes a train journey between Thessaloniki and Athens with the hygiene and safety measures implemented by the railway operator

COVID requirements
For entry into Greece, travellers are asked for a negative PCR test certificate in English. An online registration provides a unique QR code necessary for entry into the country.

The route
Travel to Istanbul and Cappadocia. Hiking for all levels in Cappadocia (level 1 out of 7). Stay at the same hotel, with vehicle transfers to each walk’s starting point (4–5 hours daily).

Flights and connections
International and domestic flights with TK currently have limited frequency from Spain and less than ideal connections.

COVID requirements
Until further notice, Spanish citizens do not need a visa. Currently, travellers only have their temperature checked on arrival.

Few visitors currently make nature reserves feel almost private: a privilege!

The route
The trip explores protected natural areas with very limited social contact, and Costa Rica's government has introduced exemplary infection-prevention protocols.

COVID requirements
On arrival, travellers must present a negative Covid test taken within the previous 48 hours. Medical insurance must cover at least $50,000 in medical costs and $2,000 in accommodation costs in case of preventive isolation.

The routes
Visitor numbers in the parks are unusually low, greatly improving the experience. We travel in the dry season, with good wildlife-viewing conditions

COVID conditions
Negative certificate of PCR covid-19 test performed within 72 hours prior to arrival in the country.

Vaccines
None, unless arriving from a country where yellow fever is endemic. Malaria prevention is NOT compulsory, but is recommended in some cases; consult your doctor

Flights and connections
Departures currently use Qatar Airways flights via Doha. Their schedule allows mainland safaris and an optional extension to Zanzibar.