Background:
Continuing toward my goal of visiting every country, this trip came about because I had an inbound portion of a PEK-BOS-PEK ticket to use. I'd previously attempted (and failed) to visit Mongolia in May 2018, so this ticket to PEK was the perfect opportunity to get that done. Excluding Mongolia, I'd already finished up the majority of Asia east of India, with Russia, Bhutan and N Korea the only remaining countries. Since I'd already made so much progress in Asia, I needed to start working on Africa. I'd been putting off going to Africa, so I figured it was time to dive in.
Mongolia has very limited air connectivity and high airfares, so I didn't want to fly west to FRA. Instead, I flew to ICN and onward to Africa from there. Since I'd previously only transited Seoul airside, this would give me an opportunity to get out and see the city. Luckily, there was good J award inventory from ICN to ADD, so I booked that leg next. From ADD, I headed to Kenya, Zanzibar, Rwanda, Uganda and finally to South Africa. JNB was the final stop before heading back home. Incidentally, this trip was my second RTW of 2019 in which I visited both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, though that wasn't my primary intention.
Trip Highlights:- Ulan Bator and surrounds
- Seoul markets
- Addis Ababa market and sights
- Nairboi National Park
- Stone Town, Zanzibar
- Gorilla Trekking in Uganda
- Horseback Safari in SA
Overall Routing:
Africa Routing:
BOS-HKG-PEK (CX J ticket)
PEK-ULN (UA J award)
ULN-ICN (OM J ticket)
ICN-ADD-NBO (SQ J award)
WIL-ZNZ (F2 Y ticket)
ZNZ-JRO-KGL // KGL-LUN-JNB (WB J ticket)
JNB-LHR-BOS (BA J ticket)
Stats:- Countries Visited: 12
- Miles Flown: 29,000
- Classes of Service: Economy and Business
- New Airlines Flown: 6
- New Countries Visited: 8
- Updated Country Count: 68
In this report:
Cathay Pacific Business Class: Boston - Hong Kong
Cathay Dragon Business Class: Hong Kong - Beijing
Air China Business Class: Beijing - Ulan Bator
Kempinski Hotel Khan Palace
Ulan Bator, Mongolia
MIAT Mongolian Airlines Business Class: Ulan Bator - Seoul
Grand Hyatt Incheon
Seoul, Korea
Ethiopian Airlines Business Class: Seoul - Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Ethiopian Airlines Economy Class: Addis Ababa - Nairobi
Four Points by Sheraton Nairobi Airport
Nairobi, Kenya
Safarilink Economy Class: Nairobi - Zanzibar
Park Hyatt Zanzibar
Stone Town, Zanzibar, Tanzania
Coastal Aviation Economy Class: Zanzibar - Dar Es Salaam
RwandAir Business Class: Dar Es Salaam - Kigali
Kigali Marriott Hotel
Kigali, Rwanda to Kisoro, Uganda
Mgahinga Gorilla National Park
Kisoro to Kigali
Kigali Marriott Hotel (Part Two)
RwandAir Business Class: Kigali - Johannesburg
Hyatt Regency Johannesburg
Johannesburg, South Africa
British Airways Business Class: Johannesburg - London
British Airways Business Class: London - Boston
Previous Trip Reports:
10 Countries in 9 Days (CX, KE, QR, TG, KL, BI)
Former SSRs: the Baltics, Belarus and Back
Bangladesh, Burma and Beijing the Long Way (with stops in Laos, Singapore and Tokyo)
A Passage to India with stops in Qatar, Sri Lanka and Scandinavia (AA, QR, UL in J)
An Engagement to Remember: BOS to ZQN (with a few stops along the way)
RTW in J: Cairo, Papua New Guinea, East Timor, Bali and Nepal
Touring the Five Stans
A Quick Trip to Brussels and Montreal