Flight/hotel planning

I’m headed to the dark continent for the first time in May. Trying to iron out flights with us having moved to Dallas. Looking to hunt May 4 -10. Best flight I can find is delta through Atlanta but gets us into Johannesburg at 5:45p and then I need to jump on a plane to East London. Best I can find is 1 hour after landing which is too close for me. Thoughts on staying at onsite hotel at airport? Read on here some issues in town before so dosnt give me warm and fuzzies.

Have other options with Qatar or British airways but trying to have beat experience we can from start to finish for the wife and I.

Love any opinions or suggestions
Dale

You have many choices flying from DFW. BA, Air France, Lufthansa, Emirates, Qatar. Emirates and Qatar currently do not have an outrageous gun handling fee and they arrive in the morning giving you all day to get to East London.

You have three hotels at the airport. Protea Transit Hotel (you have to be in-transit to stay there). Your choices are City Lodge and Intercontinental . I have stayed at intercontinental, very nice.

You'll get twenty different opinions but the Atlanta-Joburg is probably the simplest for a first timer. They get in too late to make a shuttle to most other cities in RSA. I've done the B&Bs and they aren't my cup of tea. One of the more popular B&Bs had criminal activity on the premises while hunters were staying there. I prefer CitiLodge. It's across the street, a five minute walk from the airport. Every PH I've hunted with told me stay out of Joburg. They know the country and I listen to them.

I won’t be flying any rifles FYI. Any reason to be concerned walking to city lodge? We will be carrying luggage so we will definitely be easy targets as tourist.

British is only 7 hour layover in London which isn’t enough to sleep but long enough to make the trip aweful

I walk along to City Lodge and have never had an issue. It's part of the airport really.

Jump on the Heathrow express and drop in to London for a look around and start to get yourself on to the right time zone by staying awake.
Sleep on the plane in to JNB and you are ready to go in the morning.

Breaking up the flights can help. It's an option.

I walk along to City Lodge and have never had an issue.

I do the meet & greet provided by Gracy Travel in Boerne, TX. They make the reservations and all one needs to do is follow one of their guys as they wheel your baggage to Citi Lodge. Next morning, they'll be waiting for you and escort you back to the airport and get you checked in and up to the security checkpoint. Piece of cake.

I alway use a meet and greet service that is associated with my travel agent- helps with planning flights, sorting out issues, guiding once on the ground in JNB, gathering things and getting to the SAPs office and easing the process there and then helps onto City Lodge plus helps getting to check-in the next morning. The idea for using travel agent and meet and greet is to prevent issues and reduce stress!!

I have two legs getting to JNB with the first one not too long a flight, about 3 hrs to ATL, but I start out tired from long drive previous day to get to the first airport. Then I always plan at least a 2-3 hour layover in ATL to make sure everything gets there including me. After that and a 16 hr flight... being capable of sound judgment is always questionable. I would NOT try a 1 hour layover/transfer in JNB! The meet and greet and the overnight at City Lodge is perfect for getting a good nights sleep before the final leg where ever that may be- either RSA or another adjoining country. If your flight isn't too early the next morning to East London, the continental breakfast at City Lodge is excellent and included in the room cost.

I’ve stayed at City Lodge. You have no worries walking there. If you choose City Lodge, walk over to the intercontinental and eat at Quill’s, it’s excellent.

However, if you want a taste of Africa in Jo’Burg, stay at Africa Sky. They offer VIP met and greet, the guest house is a ten minute drive that Gilbert or Willard will handle without issue. The staff is outstanding, the food is 5 star, and the experience is African. You won’t regret it. My wife would rebel if I ever tried to stay anywhere else!

Talking with the wife we may be leaning more towards flying American through London. Wife dosnt do well with flights so 16 hours is rough if she handles it poorly. May be hard for me too lol.

Have to make a decision tomorrow to hold my hunt dates. Citilodge seems like great choice I’d do delta route but some quick tourism in London is nice reminder of our London honeymoon 2 years ago..

Let me make another suggestion, fly BA and not AA/BA. AA flys into T3 and BA flys for the super majority of their flights from T5 with a few from T3. T5 is super efficient and you don’t have to worry about transferring between terminals. Personally, I would fly the cheapest airline for the class of service you are going to fly.

City Lodge is a non issue. It is part of the airport complex. I have stayed there several times to include in the middle of an ANC Youth Convention. Never a problem. Kids were very polite, black berets and all.

I personally HATE transiting Heathrow (did it last month for I swear the last time - makes O'Hare seem a model of organizational efficiency). That said, if taking a meaningful break, there are worse places than London.

The only reason I'd pick City Lodge over Africa Sky is convenience. Africa Sky puts it to shame in the food, areas to take a leisurely stroll, free brews categories.

On both of my safaris, I’ve used Travel With Guns to arrange my flights and I stayed at Africa Sky in Joburg.
AS gives great meet and greet service. Helps get my guns thru SAPS. Rooms are nice. Food is great. People are great.

wesheltonj said:

You have many choices flying from DFW. BA, Air France, Lufthansa, Emirates, Qatar. Emirates and Qatar currently do not have an outrageous gun handling fee and they arrive in the morning giving you all day to get to East London.

You have three hotels at the airport. Protea Transit Hotel (you have to be in-transit to stay there). Your choices are City Lodge and Intercontinental . I have stayed at intercontinental, very nice.

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I stayed at the Protea once and it is in the International terminal of JNB. You have to be in-transit for an international flight to use this (I was going to Bulawayo, Zim). Since the OP is flying to East London, a domestic flight, I don't think the Protea will be a viable option. The City Lodge is his best bet. I've stayed there many times and never had any issues.

dailordasailor said:

I’m headed to the dark continent for the first time in May. Trying to iron out flights with us having moved to Dallas. Looking to hunt May 4 -10. Best flight I can find is delta through Atlanta but gets us into Johannesburg at 5:45p and then I need to jump on a plane to East London. Best I can find is 1 hour after landing which is too close for me. Thoughts on staying at onsite hotel at airport? Read on here some issues in town before so dosnt give me warm and fuzzies.

Have other options with Qatar or British airways but trying to have beat experience we can from start to finish for the wife and I.

Love any opinions or suggestions
Dale

Click to expand...

I stayed at City Lodge for the first time my last trip (March/April this year). No issues at all, easy walk, just load up airport carts and take everything with you. In fact I used Henry's service and the nice older lady (forget her name) who meets you and walks you through the rifle permits, anyway she walked us all the way up to the desk. You push the cart to the elevator, get everything loaded in with you and push the button for the lobby and unload the elevator right near the desk. Get a bellboy the next morning to bring you down and try as he might, he could not find us a cart so he used his cart and took our luggage, guns and all... All the way to check in for our flight to PE. I tipped him well
However I have another suggestion. Has your wife been to Versailles France? Is she into such things? It will cost extra and depends upon how tough the both of you are when it comes to sleeping on planes and staying awake and staying happy when tired.... But fly Air France to Paris, you arrive in the morning. go online and book a private guide with a van to pick you up, along with your carry ons, you will have checked everything else through to Joburg. Work with Lori @Travel Express if you want help. Be sure to check reviews on the tour company/driver. Book a full day and have him take you to Versailles, he will serve as a private tour guide and can keep your carry on stuff locked in the van. You can stop when and where you want to eat. He'll have you back to the airport about 7 PM and your flight to Joburg will depart about 10 or 11 PM. You board the cross Atlantic flight, they feed you dinner and dim the lights, have a couple drinks or take some mild sleeping pills, I just use Advil Nightime. But set you schedule on when you are arriving and try to get 4 to 6 hours sleep or napping in. Stay awake all day in France, (same story if you go to London or any other European city), board your flight to Joburg, I think they feed you again but not sure, they will tun down the lights and you should be able to sleep until they wake you for breakfast and to land early morning and you should easily make your flight into East London (I don't know those schedules, again lori can help).

Three huge benefits of this; 1.You skip the expense, hassle, and concerns about staying overnight in Joburg. 2. You get big brownie points for taking you wife on an extra European day vacation. 3. You are on schedule with your sleeping. Believe me this can be huge! That long flight from Atlanta can be managed but it can also really screw you up for several days. Being on a sleep schedule to wake up just before daybreak and be ready to go really makes the hunt so much more enjoyable! To me it was worth the 2 nights on a plane.

A side benefit of this is you arrive early enough to get settled in at camp, sight in your rifles. And probably talk your PH into taking you on an afternoon hunt... And if you booked with a traditional outfit, this is still your arrival day and does not count as a hunting day so get that for free.

Somewhat OT and not for everyone, especially the working stiffs (I'm retired), a couple weeks before wheels up for Africa, I go to bed a little earlier every night until I'm and hour or so off of Africa time. First day, boots on the ground, zero jet lag and ready to rock and roll.

Hogpatrol said:

Somewhat OT and not for everyone, especially the working stiffs (I'm retired), a couple weeks before wheels up for Africa, I go to bed a little earlier every night until I'm and hour or so off of Africa time. First day, boots on the ground, zero jet lag and ready to rock and roll.

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What time do you end up going to bed eventually in the USA before flying? .......

spike.t said:

What time do you end up going to bed eventually in the USA before flying? .......

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Around 5:30-6:00.

dailordasailor said:

I’m headed to the dark continent for the first time in May. Trying to iron out flights with us having moved to Dallas. Looking to hunt May 4 -10. Best flight I can find is delta through Atlanta but gets us into Johannesburg at 5:45p and then I need to jump on a plane to East London. Best I can find is 1 hour after landing which is too close for me. Thoughts on staying at onsite hotel at airport? Read on here some issues in town before so dosnt give me warm and fuzzies.

Have other options with Qatar or British airways but trying to have beat experience we can from start to finish for the wife and I.

Love any opinions or suggestions
Dale

Click to expand...

I’d overnight at City Lodge. It is attached to the airport and is a neat hotel with good food. For a more upscale hotel the Intercontinental is just across the street from JNB. The Delta flight is the fastest way to Africa for most of us. Make sure and use a travel agent.
Sounds like a fun trip!
Philip