gnggng

I am a total newby on international flights and don't even know where to start.
Am I even asking in the right forum?

Our entire family is planning a safari trip to Tanzania and I need some direction on where to start the search for our flights. At this point we are shooting for July 2016 and will be starting from BNA. We are limited by our grandchild's school schedule and the best weather to do this, but otherwise flexible. The safari company does not include flights, so we will need to do those on our own.

I just need some assistance knowing where to start first.

guv1976

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry: BlackBerry8530/5.0.0.1030 Profile/MIDP-2.1 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/417)

You can get an idea of flights/costs at an online travel agency, like orbitz.com. If you need some hand-holding, try a brick-and-mortar travel agency in your area.

erik123

You can fly straight to Kili (JRO) or via Dar es Salaam (DAR) or fly to Nairobi (NBO) which is about 5-6 hours from Kili.

Dar is nice if you want to visit the beaches.

JY1024

FlyerTalk has sub-fora for destinations, where members can ask and discuss travel logistics, sights to see, etc. Thus, we'll move this over to the Africa forum. Thanks. /JY1024, TravelBuzz co-moderator

dvs7310

Ehhhh... not so sure about beaches near DAR. ZNZ, yes and I think Precision Air has direct flights to either Kilimanjaro or Arusha from there (at least used to) but Dar Es Salaam itself, for someone not experienced in Africa, I'm not so sure and beaches right around the city may be fine for lazing but water quality is poor.

Having said that, usually flights to DAR or ZNZ are similarly priced depending on the airline, but certainly on both ET and TK, assume KQ as well. One could easily do an open jaw using ZNZ and JRO with any of the above mentioned airline if wanting both beach and safari.

erik123

Mbudya Island is very nice for a day trip with frequent trips heading out from Slipway in DAR. There are some beautiful beaches north of the city - but nothing as nice as ZNZ (which has world class beaches and should be visited if possible).

Only reason I mention it is because DAR might be a stopover point - ZNZ will most certainly be not.

mglvrug

KLM, a Delta partner, flies non-stop from Amsterdam to Kilimanjaro, a nice flight and a time-saving way to get to your safari jumping off point.

If you are looking for a safari guide/tour operator, I'd point you to the one recommended in this thread:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/afric...n-mnyenye.html

Hope you have a great trip.

gnggng

Thanks everyone.

I may just have to go the travel agent route for this one. We have a guide, but they don't do the airfare. There seem to be so many different routes and prices that I am having a hard time sifting through them. I am usually very good at sorting out and booking trips on my own, but for some reason this one is just overwhelming me.

I was a little shell shocked at the $2200-2800 price tag, but anything less seems to be multiple layovers, including an overnight.

I do have AA miles, but it doesn't look like that is an option for this trip.

dvs7310

That's where a good travel agent may be able to help you. Flying to/from Africa can be expensive and depending on the season that price is possible but I'd suspect that some creative thinking could bring it down a fair amount.

Correct, AA miles are all but useless internally in Africa except for South Africa. Having said that, you could use them from another point, like Doha for example (I know QR flies to JRO), if Doha happened to be significantly cheaper to justify the cash + miles route.

Something else I'd check is getting yourself to an ET (Ethiopian) gateway and price it as a separate ticket from there. In North America currently they fly to IAD, YYZ, and LAX. They are usually the most competitive from Asia, but I have a lot more gateways here to chose from than you would in North America, they pretty much hit most of the major East Asian cities now.

Sabasi

Beware of the Zanzibar Archipelago until the election chaos is resolved definitively.

Refer to: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/25465390-post7.html

June through August is very high season for international travelers to JRO. Cheap flights even on ET will be scarce. NBO is invariably cheaper.

Sabasi

AA miles can be used all the way from North America to JRO on QR or to NBO on BA. They are not "useless."

ET fares can be competitive from some originating airports in North America (not just those airports that ET serves).

Dar es Salaam has some great beaches in the north of the city, not coincidentally where most of the expensive hotels are located.

Precision Air is incurring ever-increasing losses. How long it can continue operations is an open question. Be aware of that if thinking about booking this airline, especially months in advance.

Mike Jacoubowsky

The time of year could be the big issue; last November, ET was offering $1100 r/t from SFO. It could be that fares are so high that it might make sense to buy miles and redeem than as award tickets, if saver awards are available.

As Sabasi pointed out, fares are lower to NBO, and connecting flights will run from $300 to $500 r/t (the higher end from airports like JNB). You might be able to string together flights from non-aligned carriers and save $$$ but if you do, keep in mind luggage likely won't be checked through and misconnects will be your own responsibility.

And of course "positioning flights" within the US might give you access to much-lower fares as well.

Sabasi

ET has been offering as low as US $992 roundtrip from LAX depending on the season, with similar fares from IAD.

Taking a shuttle bus from NBO to Arusha is cheap and not at all unpleasant by African standards. But that would require the extra expense of a Kenyan visa.

gnggng

I am assuming from the comments, that ET is an airline that I should consider? I have been advised to avoid TK. The comment was that they are notorious for stranding people.

Thanks again for the help.

Mike Jacoubowsky

ET and TK are not my favorite ways to get to/from Africa. However, the only other airline I've tried is LH, which cancelled due to strikes on my return.

TK didn't strand me, but they have lost my luggage. First time I've had a luggage situation in 15 years. ET provided me with the most-miserable flight of my life, a 16 hour ordeal from ADD-IAD that included an unpublicized lengthy stop in the middle of the night for fuel in Rome (and they wouldn't let us out of our seats while refueling???!!!). Definitely cruel and unusual punishment. But a smart person can plan around that, choosing a different itinerary.

Also, ET is really weird for purchasing tickets. You need to fax CC info (pictures of the front and back of your CC) to them. It doesn't feel very secure.

The reality is that getting to Africa from the US isn't so bad; the time change doesn't seem to mess with you so badly going west to east. But coming back is exhausting, and you may already be running on fumes towards the end of your trip. Consider having a one or two-day stopover on the return.