Mike Jacoubowsky

For those visiting Africa for the first time, and landing in something other than a major airport... once you're on the tarmac (off the plane), get to the terminal as fast as your feet can carry you. Smaller airports have very understaffed (and sometimes inefficient) passport/visa/immigration operations, and the difference between being one of the first vs one of the last off a normal plane (100-150 passengers) can be two hours. It's also quite possible that some of that wait will be outside in the hot sun.

Most people will very leisurely make their way from plane to terminal, so even just a brisk walk will avoid a lot of wasted time.

Specific airports this has been the case for me are VFA (Victoria Falls) and JRO (Kilimanjaro, which actually isn't that small an airport). Larger airports have enough frequency of incoming flights that they're better-prepared for it. At VFA, a second flight landed after ours, and there were likely people waiting even longer than two hours.

If you're being met by someone, and you've got international data available on your phone,. I highly recommend using Skype's text option. Most everyone in Africa seems to use Skype, and texting takes very little data., you should have WhatsApp with Skype as a backup. As painstakingly pointed out by others, WhatsApp uses very little data for messaging and so have become very popular (Skype is now yesterday's news). It's good to have a way to let those meeting you know of any delays you're having (although it won't be a surprise to them; mainly it just let's you feel a bit calmer).

Sabasi

In JRO, it's more about whether you already have a visa or can write fast on the visa application. Also whether you have your yellow fever card handy or have to search for it.

But regardless, don't sweat the delays too much. This is Africa, not Germany. Relax and go with the flow.

benberg2013

Thanks for this excellent advice! Is this also applicable in LVI? And I'm arriving with Comair in business class. Will I get a private business class bus to the terminal, or at least be let off first?

Mike Jacoubowsky

But it takes a while for us westerners to relax and go with the flow. As someone in Tanzania told me, the westerner has the watch, the African has the time. Could not agree more!

You tangentially bring up another point. Never, ever, travel anywhere without a pen handy. And a backup. And if you want to make new friends, carry some spares!

Regarding standing in line for lengthy periods of time, unless you're from the UK, where standing in line is an art form, most of us don't like being stuffed into a crowded room on a hot day with nothing to do except note the smells coming from the loo. We worry about making a connection, any connection, it's all about connections. We can't (yet) relate to a place where connections are casual in terms of "when". Eventually, yes, the phrase "This is Africa" becomes calming and welcoming instead of an excuse.

VFA was probably the worst example I've seen; Kilimanjaro stood out for exactly the reasons you pointed out. Their intense obsession with the yellow fever cards and having to quickly fill out the Visa form but really it's all about not knowing what you're supposed to be doing and feeling pressured to do it fast.

We haven't even touched border crossings! Fortunately, you're in a van or small bus most of the time so you don't see 100 people descending all at once on some small outpost. However, traveling from the Zimbabwe side of Victoria Falls to Botswana is an interesting process that seems to take a lot longer than it really does. Especially if you have to go out to that island and trek through the muck up the hill in Botswana. That was truly strange.
Don't know about LVI, but I doubt it's much different. Business class will most likely get you off first, unless it's one of those weird situations where they unload from the back. Sometimes they do both. I doubt there will be a bus to the terminal; these local airports are quite small, so you're usually parked on the tarmac a couple hundred meters from the terminal. No need for a bus (unlike Istanbul; where we took a bus to the plane maybe 3 kilometers from the airport, similar to flying domestically out of Cairo).

thesaints

please delete

Sabasi

There are no "smells from the loo" at JRO at immigration (either departing or arriving). It's very civilized, actually.

Hardly anyone connects at JRO to a final destination. If JRO is one's final destination, relax. Your bags will still be there when you clear immigration even if you're last to be cleared. And your ride is not going anywhere without you. So much self-imposed stress for no good reason.

B747-437B

That line has just left me speechless.

Myyra

Careful what you wish for with making new friends. I was flying to Entebbe, sitting next to 2 Chinese men. Cabin crew handed out landing forms, I filled out mine, the guys just sat there staring at theirs - they didn't know English or Luganda / Swahili. I speak Chinese so I helped them fill out the form. Then a few more of their co-travelers came, asking for the same.

Once we got off the plane, I tried to dash to immigration to beat the line, but by now I was known as the translator and there was a dozen other Chinese travelers waiting for me to help them with their forms. At this point I lost all my new friends since I didn't like the idea of staying there for 2 hours extra, filling out forms and waiting at the back of the line.

stimpy

Yeah, me too. The vast majority of people in Africa do not have mobile data. You've a much better chance with SMS. Probably a hundred million adults don't even have a mobile phone. Most of Africa does not have 3G coverage and forget about 4G.

That said, a professional tour operator who is picking up people at the airport might have Skype or these days more likely Whatsapp and a good many airports have 3G coverage. But still SMS is the go-to communication tool.

And as for the small airport advice, it's not just an African thing. There are many other places in the world where you'll find only one or two immigration agents to stamp passports and you can find much longer waits at major airports in the US and Europe at times.

scottishpoet

Its not just African airports ... last time I landed at Houston I was in the immigration Q for 2 hours

MikeNJ1109

If only Global Entry was a universally accepted option.

Mike Jacoubowsky

Sure, but in general larger airports do actually try to plan arrivals to match up with peak staffing times (or vice versa more likely). And at a large hub like IAH, ORD & IAD, you can be talking about more than 1000 hitting at once. It makes sense. When you're on vacation in the middle of nowhere and it's just your single plane... well, long lines and huge crowds are one of those things you were hoping to escape, right?

Calchas

This reminds me of arriving in SFO in Y on my first trip to the USA: nearly a three hour wait

Mike Jacoubowsky

You bring up an excellent point- what we're used to in our "home" country isn't the experience others will have in the same place. SFO for locals is awesome; we typically zip through customs/immigration in minutes. But you're not from 'round these parts.

Calchas

To be fair the experience at US airports is substantially improved in the recent year with those fancy APC machines and it's now unusual to be waiting more than fifteen minutes. (Also I now only travel in J )

I am aware that the UK is also a bad place for visitors.

Unfortunately Africa does not have a monopoly on long waiting times.