Best Flight Route US to Windhoek?

US to Windhoek Best Flight Route (1st Timers)


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mikecatt13

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For going to Windhoek- Any advice/preference on whether to take Delta out of Atlanta, connecting and overnight in Johannesburg then to Windhoek or Qatar out of Boston, Connecting in Doha with 8-9 hour layover then into Windhoek? Why do you prefer one over the other?

Looks like total travel time is only +/- a few hours. Joburg is probably $1200-1500 more expensive total for my wife and I, but it's our first trip and while im not into throwing money away I'm mostly looking to mitigate risk of stress/complications on getting us and our gear/guns there. If that means extra money, I'm ok with that.

Possible con to Qatar I see is gun complications in a middle east country.

Possible con to Joburg is if your bags dont make the atlanta flight, theres 1 flight a day and the bags are only checked through joburg, gotta recheck in with SAA to go to windhoek. What happens then?

I know these possible cons are not extremely likely, but stuff happens, gotta consider possible complications. Thanks in advance!
 
I flew Delta to Jo'burg and then SAA to Windhoek. Not a problem at all. Have heard Qatar flight via Doha is even better, and no problems w guns. I'm planning to fly Qatar next summer to Vic Falls and may overnight in Doha.
 
We flew Dfw to Doha to Windhoek. Saved a lot of money. No problems at all with guns!!! They are very professional with guns. At each stop they let know that my special luggage was on the plane. We got a 1st class lounge ticket , ate , showered, napped. We will be using Qatar again this year end of August to Johannesburg. Randy
 
Can't wait to tryqatar this may .have always used delta never again .
We flew Dfw to Doha to Windhoek. Saved a lot of money. No problems at all with guns!!! They are very professional with guns. At each stop they let know that my special luggage was on the plane. We got a 1st class lounge ticket , ate , showered, napped. We will be using Qatar again this year end of August to Johannesburg. Randy
 
Qatar Air. Newer planes, super attendants, great airport in Doha, lounge passes around 70.00 each. Attention from Qatar staff regarding baggage and firearms...otherwise Delta in Joberg... overnite lodging, fee for rifle permits and fee to SAA for rifle...60.00 each way, SAA airfare in addition to Delta, IF SAA is still flying tomWDH when you visit :::::So Qatar is much less $$$$ overall. Have flown Delta to JNB out of ATL 6 trips.. never again as long as Qatar is available
 
In June we took the late flight to WDH and did not have to overnight at JNB. The total travel time was far less than Qatar which we looked at extensively. I can not fathom two long flights instead of one unless you are in Business class then maybe. Next time I will make sure and Depart on Delta and not have the American hassle of worrying about changing airlines.
My advice is to look at total travel times for all options and then decide. Don’t forget there is a few days a week with a late flight to WDH that you can make.
 
Price alone was biggest factor and no over night at johanesburg not that it was bad the city lodge is great
Do you mind elaborating on why you wont go with delta again?
 
For going to Windhoek- Any advice/preference on whether to take Delta out of Atlanta, connecting and overnight in Johannesburg then to Windhoek or Qatar out of Boston, Connecting in Doha with 8-9 hour layover then into Windhoek? Why do you prefer one over the other?

Looks like total travel time is only +/- a few hours. Joburg is probably $1200-1500 more expensive total for my wife and I, but it's our first trip and while im not into throwing money away I'm mostly looking to mitigate risk of stress/complications on getting us and our gear/guns there. If that means extra money, I'm ok with that.

Possible con to Qatar I see is gun complications in a middle east country.

Possible con to Joburg is if your bags dont make the atlanta flight, theres 1 flight a day and the bags are only checked through joburg, gotta recheck in with SAA to go to windhoek. What happens then?

I know these possible cons are not extremely likely, but stuff happens, gotta consider possible complications. Thanks in advance!

Are you booking this trip yourself or using an agent?

Using an agent is going to cost a very, very minimal amount to your total trip costs, plus you get some very good professional advice.

The Qatar flight will most likely be cheaper. You can pay a minimal fee for the lounge in Doha and get the above mentioned luxuries, cheaper than overnighting in JNB. You will have to pay for firearm carriage with SAA. Flying directly into WDH avoids that fee. SAA is looking questionable right now, nothing specific with flights to Namibia, but is that assured?

If doing this yourself, allow at least 4 hours at each stop to get the baggage transferred and you shouldn't have any problem with your gear arriving with you at the final destination.

As for firearms, plenty of folks have flow Qatar before with good results. Just know their regulations, follow everything to the letter and you won't have any issues.

Best of luck on your planning and have a totally amazing trip! Enjoy the sunrise, savor the sunset and get ready to see African animals on the road within miles after leaving the airport.
 
Are you booking this trip yourself or using an agent?

Using an agent is going to cost a very, very minimal amount to your total trip costs, plus you get some very good professional advice.

The Qatar flight will most likely be cheaper. You can pay a minimal fee for the lounge in Doha and get the above mentioned luxuries, cheaper than overnighting in JNB. You will have to pay for firearm carriage with SAA. Flying directly into WDH avoids that fee. SAA is looking questionable right now, nothing specific with flights to Namibia, but is that assured?

If doing this yourself, allow at least 4 hours at each stop to get the baggage transferred and you shouldn't have any problem with your gear arriving with you at the final destination.

As for firearms, plenty of folks have flow Qatar before with good results. Just know their regulations, follow everything to the letter and you won't have any issues.

Best of luck on your planning and have a totally amazing trip! Enjoy the sunrise, savor the sunset and get ready to see African animals on the road within miles after leaving the airport.
Definitely using an agent, been talking with a couple of them. Some recommended Qatar, some recommended Delta/joburg lol. One concern someone brought up about Qatar was they dont have an office in the US, so any issues have to be resolved via phone which was concerning to that agent. The other agent highly recommended them saying it's easy and cheaper. Seems like a tough choice to me. Total travel times are very close (like 10%, which of 30+ hours isnt much. With the exception that doha on the way home has the potential to be much longer depending on connections)

On paper, it seems that the Joburg route could be easier to get acclimated to the time change and be ready to hunt. Flight leaves ATL 8pm, force yourself to sleep for the first 8 then wake up. Now you're rested and awake for 8 or so hours. get to Joburg 530ish local time, by the time you get guns and bags and settled in to overnight, its probably bed time local time and you've been awake long enough and exhausted from doing travel things to go back to sleep, and you're now on local time. All in theory of course, as I have no experience with it.

Vs Doha, where you leave for WDH at 2am local time (which is only an hour off from namibia/SA) so if you do get adjusted, you now have to wake up in the middle of the night local time and fly again
 
I’m hunting with Khomas Highland mid-March and TWG set me up with Lufthansa direct from DFW to Frankfurt with 11 hour layover then over nite to WDH..
 
Qatar gets my vote...Chicago to Doha to WDH or JNB. We choose the longest layover possible in Doha. As long as it is <24 hours your guns and bags go straight through. A Visa is free and you apply online via the QA website. We go to a hotel (K108) and get a good nights rest and a meal vs the lounge option and it is usually less w/transfers even. Our preferred method to break up the journey.
 
In 2017, I did Delta, Atlanta to Jo’burg, overnight at Africa Sky (great) and then SAA to Windhoek. Everything went great. No issues. However, everything I’ve heard about Qatar... price, service, facilities, makes me think they will be my choice if going back.
 
Ethiopian is another alternative. Shortest total duration I found. Connect in ADD.
 
What makes you like the Qatar option so much? Just curious from those of you with much more experience than i!

The price, service and overall quality just completely supersedes Delta. Granted, if you’re hunting in South Africa and needing to transit thru JoBurg, the Delta option (albeit significantly more expensive) may be the option for you- and if so, I highly recommend Afton Guest House for your overnight stay- it is much improved since the new owners took over (although I really enjoyed talking to Annaleise the previous owner- for those of you ole’ timers on here who knew her and are reading this). However the price of Qatar is much lower and experience impeccable. And as others have said- you don’t have to check thru JoBurg and clear your rifles thru SAPS and recheck your luggage. Another tip- definitely use Mr. X thru Afton if you need to go thru SAPS- he’ll make your life soooo much easier. Even if you’re not staying at Afton, he can still help you out (if you need his contact info via Facebook I can help you- send me a PM).
 
Good question and very informative answers!
 
I think it all comes down to how much time you want to spend traveling. The Delta flight is much quicker. (Just a long sit down) rather than the Doha flight that breaks down the long sit into multiple shorter sits.
both places you will be good with guns and wont have any hassles. My advice just get a good booming agent to help you sort out those guns at the airport. I know some even handle your paperwork. Personally i prefer the Delta flight. Just sit down once for 15hours and get it done.
Its all a matter of preference. But you will be good on either one
 
I have travelled a lot over the years (well over a million miles on United, not counting award travel). Over the years, I have concluded that for international flights I want to minimize connections and maximize the length of one flight. For example, when I fly to Africa, I use miles which means that I have to fly United or one of its partners. I choose to take a non-stop from Denver to Frankfurt and then a flight to my destination in Africa, with a possible connection in Joburg.

I will offer that if you can possibly find a way to swing it, fly business class. For me, cost is not a consideration since I'm using miles. However, if that isn't an option for you, there are services that specialize in finding deals on Business class seats. PM me if you want details.
 

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