Epirus Photo Safari – Covid 19 Policy and Rules

Epirus Photo Safari is considered one of the best outdoor activities of amazing Epirus area, part of western Greece, recently nominated with TripAdvisor 2020 Traveler’s Choice Award. Since my starting point in 2017, it has been a real challenge for me to design tours that would be adventurous, informative, safe and at the same time, leave my customers 100% satisfied  and with precious memories that would accompany them throughout the years.

I am really happy and proud that I succeeded in this event, as more than 40 five-star reviews from happy customers on TripAdvisor, describe the real essence of my tours.

In 2020 another great challenge emerged for me with the outbreak of COVID19 pandemic. The uncertainty and criticality of the global pandemic left me with no other choice than to cancel all my tours, as safety for me and my fellow customers is always the number 1 priority.

2021 is characterized as a new start for me and many other professionals on the tourism field and I respond by introducing new health and safety procedures to protect my guests.

Top quality services always introduce top quality measures, so Epirus Photo Safari offers the following by also adhering to the local safety regulations:

  1. Limited number of guests on the Land cruiser. Up to five people (including me as the guide and driver). It is ideal for a family of 4 ( for example 2 adults + 2 children, 4 relatives) or 1 couple.
  2. Free of charge Antigen Tests (rapid test) are provided by me before the departure. Guests can use one of the rapid tests given or give proof of negative COVID 19 results (up to 48 hours of Antigen or up to 72 hours for molecular test – PCR ) or vaccination certification. Even if you have sufficient proof, you can still go if you want through the Rapid test given by me (with no further costs) on the day of the tour (including me of course) and make sure that we all have a negative result before boarding the Land Cruiser. Children below the age of 12 are not obliged to go through that procedure.
  3. Because it is not possible to maintain a 2 meter distance between guests in the Land cruiser , we are currently limiting tours to a single party (private tours only) and we recommend that all guests wear face masks whenever they are in the Land cruiser or whenever 2 meters of physical distance from others cannot be maintained. This rule is not so strict for a family of 4.  I, as guide and driver, will always have my mask on. Additionally, all windows will remain open throughout the tour for sufficient air except for small parts of the tour that we have to close the windows for protection (e.g. brunches hitting the car). Air conditioning will be active throughout these small parts or when there is a heat wave.
  1. There will be a hand sanitizer for everyone to freely use during the tour.
  2. I will screen all guests for symptoms of illness (including temperature checks) before boarding the Land Cruiser. Guests exhibiting signs of illness, who have recently traveled to known coronavirus “hot spots”, who have been recently ( less than 15 days) diagnosed with Covid-19, or who have had recent contact with someone with a known or suspected case of Covid-19 will not be allowed to take the tour. In the case a tour is cancelled due to Covid-19 health and safety concerns, a gift card for the deposit paid (less any non-refundable incidental expenses paid by Epirus Photo Safari on your behalf) will be issued or I will work with you to reschedule your tour to another day. If none of the above is possible then a 100% of your deposit will be returned to a given bank account by you.
  3. I thoroughly clean and disinfect the Land Cruiser (including all touching parts) after every tour. A special eco-friendly sanitizer in sprayed also on certain areas before you board the car.
  4. Lunch, drinks, and seats offered by me taking all precautions, so they are also safe to use and thoroughly cleaned. Homemade food and salads are carefully prepared and delivered in one- time use packs.
  5. I have been fully vaccined for COVID 19 and can provide the European Vaccination Certification if asked. Certification from you is not obligatory but will be warmly welcomed for the sake of my family.
  6. There are people that for health or other reasons could not go under the vaccination procedure at their country or cannot provide enough proof of a negative result. I provide free rapid tests on spot that you can go through and make sure you are ok for the tour.

I make great efforts to ensure the safety of all my customers. The small-group, open-air nature of my Tours makes them inherently less risky than large group tours or tours conducted in enclosed vehicles with multiple, unrelated parties.  My tours are re- designed so that we avoid people as much as possible. We come close to wild nature and appreciate local culture.  However, despite my best efforts, I cannot guarantee that you will not be exposed to someone with the coronavirus during the tour, especially if you do not follow my directions.  Thus, participation in an Epirus Photo Safari tour is at your own risk and all above measures 1-9 must be accepted by you.