Country reopenings continue and Wild Images tours resume

23rd October 2020

As time passes since the pandemic started, and a chunk of our lives go with it, it has become obvious that quite a number of you are getting pretty desperate to get out into the world again and start taking photographs. Probably plenty of you felt like we did – like trapped Tigers patrolling their compound. Thankfully, we have now started to travel again, mainly in Africa and Latin America. It is like seeing the sunrise after a long, dark night.

Progress with border opening was glacial until June, but since then things have greatly changed. Borders have reopened throughout much of Europe and a considerable number of other countries have already reopened. Senegal, Ghana, Sao Tomé & Príncipe, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Namibia, South Africa, Turkey, Cyprus, Cambodia, Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Jamaica, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, the Bahamas and the islands of the Lesser Antilles are examples of places that have already reopened. The summer saw our first Wild Images clients go on tour since March, which was quite a milestone. More countries will reopen over time.

It is important to bear in mind the progress that has been made in many countries when we are constantly bombarded with media stories from a minority of countries that are, sadly, still experiencing major problems with the virus.

We fully understand that there are Wild Imagers who need to shelter from the virus, particularly owing to age or health conditions or both, and we entirely understand your situation and appreciate the need for special caution. You are doing the right thing.

However, there are also Wild Imagers, many of whom are less at risk, who feel more confident about travelling when travel restrictions come down, certainly to countries with lower numbers of Covid-19 cases. Indeed, there are lots of countries that have had far lower numbers of cases per million than in some European countries and in the United States. In many countries there is simply no comparison and, statistically speaking, you are much less at risk there than at home.

If you fall into the latter category, it is time to start making travel plans again.

Mark Beaman and Inger Vandyke