Success Story: Using Miles & Points to Book a Dream Trip to Kenya & Uganda

After travelling extensively crossed Europe, I recovered myself wanting to sojourn lesser-visited parts of the world. At the aforesaid time, I wasn’t needfully prepared to task to immoderate of the destinations connected my own, and I began exploring the thought of radical travel.

Meanwhile, I’d been introduced to Miles & Points, and recovered myself successful pursuit of an elevated question experience.

In this article, I’d similar to stock my acquisition of however I’ve travel to usage Miles & Points to unlock immoderate unthinkable experiences, including a travel to Kenya and Uganda.

Putting the Pieces Together

It each started successful 2019. I’ve ever been passionate astir travelling, and visited astir countries successful Europe erstwhile I was successful my 20s.

As I began to research different destinations that I wanted to question to, it started to go logistically challenging arsenic a pistillate successful my aboriginal 30s.

I was initially precise reluctant to bash a tiny radical circuit with a clump of strangers, and was besides spooked by the thought of getting myself into a rowdy enactment travel situation. However, my sister assured maine that determination were companies retired determination that were a spot much laid back, and consisted of tiny groups of like-minded radical who travel unneurotic arsenic strangers to acquisition question together, alternatively than conscionable party.

In May 2019, my sister talked maine into doing a tiny radical circuit of Morocco for 15 days, and aft that, I was hooked.

Later connected that year, I coiled up taking 2 much tours with the aforesaid company: 1 for 12 days successful Egypt, and different for 9 days successful Jordan.

Immediately aft that, I enactment down a deposit for a travel to Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda, which had been primitively scheduled for September 2020. During the trip, determination were plans to task retired connected safaris, but the main extremity was to bash immoderate gorilla trekking successful Uganda.

Gorilla trekking has ever been specified an unthinkable thought to me. Years ago, I saw a documentary astir Koko, a gorilla that could pass successful motion language. She showed emotion, empathy, concern, and humour, and I recovered it to beryllium simply fascinating.

When I noticed that the aforesaid circuit institution that I’d present travelled with 3 times successful 1 twelvemonth had a gorilla trekking option, I knew that I conscionable had to bash it.

Of course, the pandemic derailed that plan, and the travel was yet cancelled.

As the satellite dilatory began to unfastened up, I went connected immoderate much tiny radical trips to Ecuador and Colombia successful 2022, arsenic good arsenic respective relaxing trips to Mexico. However, I wanted to clasp retired until restrictions were afloat lifted successful the 3 countries covered connected that circumstantial travel to Africa, and yet rebooked it for June 2023.

Getting Hooked connected Miles & Points

Meanwhile, I was introduced to the Prince of Travel community done a person backmost successful precocious 2021. He was regularly posting stories and pictures of himself and his woman connected Instagram flying successful concern people each implicit the world.

When I antecedently travelled, I’d ever gazed longingly astatine the concern people conception erstwhile I boarded the formation and thought, “This volition beryllium maine immoderate day.”

Curious, I asked my person however helium did it, and helium promptly sent maine a referral nexus for an American Express Cobalt Card. He past advised maine to sorb everything I could connected the Prince of Travel website and the corresponding Facebook group.

Little did helium cognize that helium was creating a monster.

I spent astir a afloat twelvemonth collecting points and learning arsenic overmuch arsenic I could from Prince of Travel and the community. After maximizing the invited bonus from the Cobalt card, I moved connected to the TD Aeroplan Visa Infinite Card.

Fast guardant to 1 twelvemonth later, and I’d accumulated capable points to publication a concern people formation to East Africa. At this point, it was going to beryllium a spot of a situation to get a bully redemption enactment with lone 7 months away.

I booked a Points Consulting league with T.J. to assistance maine with the redemption process, since I was truthful tense astir messing up my redemption and wasting my hard-earned points. T.J. taught maine precisely what to bash and what to look for, and gave maine immoderate pointers truthful that I’d beryllium comfy making aboriginal points redemptions myself.

At the time, the options were decidedly constricted to East Africa for my dates, and I ended up choosing EgyptAir concern class from Toronto to Nairobi with a layover successful Cairo for 90,000 Aeroplan points. T.J. cautioned maine that EgyptAir was surely not a top-notch aspirational experience, but I was truthful excited to alert successful concern people for the agelong formation that I didn’t adjacent attraction that the hose doesn’t person the champion reputation.

In retrospect, I present recognize wherefore the EgyptAir acquisition has the estimation that it does, but honestly, it wasn’t that bad. As a adust airline, I missed retired connected sipping Champagne, but it wasn’t that large of a deal.

The nutrient was alternatively mediocre, but I recovered the formation attendants to beryllium affable enough. The seats weren’t wholly lie-flat, but it was surely a amended enactment than sitting successful economy.

When I got to Cairo, I had a 13-hour layover, and alternatively of going into the city, I chose to publication a country astatine the Le Mériden Cairo Airport Hotel.

By this point, I’d acquired the Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card, and collected immoderate points connected the abbreviated stay. I besides scored a nicer country with my Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite status, which came arsenic a perk connected my Business Platinum Card by American Express.

After a relaxing time astatine the hotel, I walked backmost to the departures terminal, and took disconnected connected my overnight formation to Nairobi.

Safaris & Chimpanzee Trekking successful Kenya and Uganda

In Nairobi, I had a mates of days earlier I met with the remainder of the radical that I’d beryllium traveling with.

In the archetypal fewer days, I visited to the giraffe centre and fed giraffes astatine the celebrated Giraffe Manor hotel, and made a halt astatine the Elephant Orphanage, too.

I besides spent a time touring Downtown Nairobi with erstwhile thoroughfare children connected a storytelling tour, which was 1 of the astir insightful tours I’ve ever done.

After a memorable fewer days, I met my radical for meal connected the 3rd night. We were a full of 7 women from each implicit the satellite for the archetypal limb of the trip, and each but 2 were travelling solo.

In total, we spent 4 days successful Kenya doing safari drives successful Masai Mara National Reserve. After that, we flew unneurotic to Uganda connected Kenya Airways.

When we arrived successful Uganda, we picked up 5 much radical who joined the trip: 2 couples, and a person of 1 of the women successful the archetypal radical of seven.

From there, we travelled crossed Uganda together, doing safari drives, swamp walks, assemblage visits, and a chimpanzee trek.

Gorilla Trekking successful Bwindi Impenetrable Forest

While the experiences up to this constituent were surely incredible, the item was the gorilla trek successful Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.

Gorilla trekking tin beryllium done successful 3 antithetic countries: Rwanda, Uganda, and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Rwanda is precise costly to spell gorilla trekking, and DRC is mostly unsafe, but Uganda is some harmless and fractional the terms of Rwanda.

The full acquisition is tightly controlled by the respective governments. You person to person a trekking licence successful beforehand (which is usually arranged by the circuit company), and you lone person 1 hr to walk with the gorillas.

When you get astatine the parkland astatine the designated gathering time, you’re divided into groups of eight, and each radical whitethorn trek anyplace from 30 minutes to six hours to find a gorilla group.

Porters from the section communities are disposable to transportation your bags, and assistance you locomotion done the “impenetrable” forest, which is incredibly dense and steep.

My porter, Precious, not lone carried my backpack for me, but helped resistance maine up the broadside of the upland astatine 1 point. That said, my radical was incredibly lucky, arsenic we recovered our gorilla household wrong 15 minutes.

There were 13 members of the family, including the largest silverback successful the parkland and a retired silverback, arsenic good arsenic a parent and an infant. The hr spent with them flew by, and clip was up earlier I knew it.

We hiked backmost to the roadworthy to beryllium picked up, but overmuch to our delight, the gorilla household followed america to the roadworthy and crossed 1 by one, giving america bonus clip with them. The guides said it was incredibly uncommon to spot this, and reiterated however fortunate we were.

After the trek, we drove down to Kigali, Rwanda the adjacent day, and said goodbye to the group.

I made my mode backmost location from Kigali to Cairo (with a method halt successful Entebbe), successful EgyptAir’s concern people erstwhile again. This clip successful Cairo, I had 16 hours earlier my adjacent flight, and met with immoderate colleagues who took maine to the pyramids and a depository to spot immoderate mummies.

I had a country astatine Le Méridien Cairo Airport booked again, but this clip I lone spent astir 3 hours successful it due to the fact that I was truthful engaged sightseeing.

At the airport, I made bully usage of Star Alliance Gold Track for precedence information and immigration, which tin beryllium precise challenging and alternatively chaotic successful definite countries.

I besides had lounge access, which though it wasn’t the astir polished of lounges, it surely made the acquisition much comfortable.

In Toronto, my formation to Vancouver was delayed truthful I spent immoderate clip hanging retired astatine the Maple Leaf Lounge Toronto (Domestic).

Finally, I flew location from Toronto to Vancouver successful Air Canada concern class, and enjoyed my archetypal celebrated parsley omelette.

Plenty More to Come

Since booking this imagination travel with T.J., I’ve managed to publication 2 different trips connected my ain utilizing the tools and techniques that helium taught me.

In November 2023, I’ll beryllium traveling from Toronto to Buenos Aires with Air Canada, which I booked for 64,000 Aeroplan points. By utilizing the Latitude Attitude, my eUpgrades cleared instantly, which granted maine with the comfortableness of concern people connected the mode there.

On this trip, I’ll beryllium joining different tiny group, and we’ll hike successful Patagonia for 8 days earlier spending a fewer days successful Iguazu Falls.

For my instrumentality flight, I utilized 58,000 Aeroplan points and booked straight into concern people to instrumentality from São Paulo to Toronto.

To get home, I booked a currency fare from Toronto to Vancouver, to assistance with my Status Qualifying Miles and Status Qualifying Dollars for maintaining my Aeroplan Elite Status for adjacent year.

I’ve besides managed to subdivision retired from Air Canada, and booked my archetypal formation to Asia for February of adjacent year. I managed to people flights from Seattle to Hanoi via Taipei for 75,000 Aeroplan points successful EVA Air concern class. I’ll beryllium doing a tiny radical circuit of Vietnam and Cambodia, and volition upwind up successful Bangkok.

EVA Air concern class

To return, I’ll beryllium flying from Bangkok to Seattle via Taipei, besides successful EVA Air concern class, which I booked for for 87,500 Aeroplan points.

Conclusion

I’m incredibly grateful for the acquisition and enactment of T.J., Ricky, and the full Prince of Travel squad and assemblage for making aspirational question a world for me. I would person flown to these destinations anyway, but present I tin bash it for fundamentally escaped successful the comfortableness of concern people (or adjacent First Class!).

Now, I person spreadsheets with lists of different escapade trips that I privation to instrumentality implicit the adjacent respective years, with Miles & Points strategies outlined for each.

Now that I’ve started this, I’ll ne'er stop, and I can’t convey Prince of Travel enough.

The station Success Story: Using Miles & Points to Book a Dream Trip to Kenya & Uganda appeared archetypal connected Prince of Travel by T.J. Dunn.