Zimbabwe hunting - How traveling to Harare Zimbabwe is?

[Philip Glass]

That wasn’t his question. He didn’t ask about connecting, he asked about laying over.

That goes into the “f around and find out” scenarios.

I was thinking he meant an airport layover not an overnight. You are right on your second comment!

 

[Philip Glass]

Actually I wanted all the info layover . Connections etc .

You will have to be more specific. Do you want to tour Doha for a day or two or do you just need to know what the layovers are on the normal connections?

 

[Philip Glass]

I have about a 4 hour layover in Doha on my DFW-DOH-HRE flight in August. Just enough time to check out the lounge and hit the duty free for some beverages.

 

[Sivie]

You will have to be more specific. Do you want to tour Doha for a day or two or do you just need to know what the layovers are on the normal connections?

Just a normal connection I have no plans to leave the boarding area .

 

[Sivie]

I have about a 4 hour layover in Doha on my DFW-DOH-HRE flight in August. Just enough time to check out the lounge and hit the duty free for some beverages.

That is exactly what we are looking at in august also .

 

[Philip Glass]

That is exactly what we are looking at in august also .

The for sure you are best to go with Qatar. They are the best and most reliable. They have a short 4 hour layover going over. I am glad to know you are planning to stay in the airport! It was a little confusing.

 

[Doug3006]

What is graces and or two . I had some look for me but it was like 1200 more than what I was seeing myself .

Gracy Travel and TWG are travel agencies, both based out of San Antonio I believe. I’ve used both of them to book airline tickets and care for the gun paperwork. In both cases I found their tickets to be in line price wise with what I could buy directly and the extra cost was around $300. On a trip to Zambia, I had a duffel bag go missing enroute. One call to Gracie and they took care of tracing it and had it delivered to the airport in Lukasa before my flight left the next day. On another trip, this time to Namibia, we had to return home early due to a family emergency. One call to TWG both return flights were changed so we could leave the next day. Worth every penny.

 

[C.W. Richter]

In your honor, the members of AHF have all pitched in, and upon arrival in Harare you will behold most of the Big 5 on display, right before your eyes. The plaque featuring your name and the AHF logo is currently on backorder due to covid supply chain delays (as might be diesel or cash) so you may or many not see it. lol Enjoy your Safari! Where to and with whom? (i didn't read that part)

 

[Philip Glass]

Yep. I just called them for a quote the other day, remaining skeptical of travel agent fees. It was for a Qatari flight that was $4616 on qatariairlines website. Gracy and the other sponsor here both quoted me but their prices were around $5300. The travel agents just can’t get the discounts that the carriers are offering direct to consumer. Then add in the travel agent service fees and it is a fairly large uplift. Rough math suggests $700-$1100 more for the use of a travel agent in the cases I’ve looked into related to Emirates and Qatari.

I’m not slamming anyone that wants the travel agent convenience and services, just assigning the correct price tag to the transaction.

No gun permit is easier to do yourself than Emirates. It appears Qatari is only slightly more difficult because it requires you to print and email a form rather than do an online web submission.

I am not sure what exactly you are reading or how it is you are not comparing apples to apples somehow. You need to ask them. It may be a fare class difference. For instance there can be one price that does not include lounge access or seat selection or a second bag. They are not going to buy you that bottom fare unless you ask for it.
I can guarantee you that I never pay more than what is on the website direct.

 

[rookhawk]

I am not sure what exactly you are reading or how it is you are not comparing apples to apples somehow. You need to ask them. It may be a fare class difference. For instance there can be one price that does not include lounge access or seat selection or a second bag. They are not going to buy you that bottom fare unless you ask for it.
I can guarantee you that I never pay more than what is on the website direct.

@Philip Glass I don’t mean to sound argumentative, but absolutely not the case. When you log into emirates or Qatari airlines with a FF number at the lowest tier, they will offer you a rate that a travel agent cannot touch. In the most recent example, the fare on Qatari for their mid-tier business that included lounge access and more FF miles awarded was cheaper than the Qatari entry-level biz fare. (I can’t explain why airlines do this)

But definitely, you can beat a travel agent price even before you tack on the agency fee. I just did this very exercise with the two site sponsors in the past week and they were $700 higher before their fees were added in.

 

[Philip Glass]

@Philip Glass I don’t mean to sound argumentative, but absolutely not the case. When you log into emirates or Qatari airlines with a FF number at the lowest tier, they will offer you a rate that a travel agent cannot touch. In the most recent example, the fare on Qatari for their mid-tier business that included lounge access and more FF miles awarded was cheaper than the Qatari entry-level biz fare. (I can’t explain why airlines do this)

But definitely, you can beat a travel agent price even before you tack on the agency fee. I just did this very exercise with the two site sponsors in the past week and they were $700 higher before their fees were added in.

Maybe Jennifer @TRAVEL EXPRESS can comment here.

 

[C.W. Richter]

rookhawk where are you flying out of, when, for how many days, and how many people? Many have said in recent times it's become cheaper directly w/ the airlines as you say. There are so many different services. Did you try Cheapoair.com?

 

[C.W. Richter]

Quick scan of prices from NYC to Harare (more than 1 flight). 1 person. 10 days. July '22. I've always paid $1k-$2K pp and the $2K was booked last minute.
$1,124.97 ~
Ethiopian
---
$1,356.99 ~
Ethiopian(with others)
---
$1,551.99 ~
Rwandair Express(with others)
---
$1,558.99
Lufthansa(with others)
---
$1,558.99
Airlink(with others)
$2,090.99 ~
$1,558.99

 

[C.W. Richter]

I'll gladly book those flights for you for a $2,500 commission (and then my Son and I will fly over to hunt!) LOL I know there are carriers that are not gun-friendly, etc. These are just the first prices/options that popped up. Safe travels. If someone just managed their own travel details, for the extra pricing you mention, one could buy an entire safari outfit (gun, ammo, etc.) or add more game to the bag and better support Africa!

 

[Tanks]

Well, one can always get a cheap flight if one does not care about the safety in regards to the airline (Rwanda, really?), number of stops and where those stops are.

If transiting with firearms I'd also avoid changing airlines or stops where one has to go through a firearms inspection and/or extra permitting requirements.

Travel expenses are a very small part of a hunt and trying to save a few dollars brings to mind the old saying "penny wise and pound foolish".

 

[rookhawk]

You guys kill me with your mixed metaphors.

Biz class on Qatari, ORD to HRE. On Q’s website, $4616 outbound. Using the two quotes I got from sponsoring agents, that flight was $5100-$5300.

Add to that, it wasn’t the base tier biz class on Q, it was the middle, which for whatever reason when you log in was less expensive than the discount biz class.

on Emirates this was ALWAYS the case. On my first attempt to check into Qatari, it was also the case.

So I refer to my original point. If you want a travel agent and their gun permit services, you’re paying a grand to $1200 more than DIY on same itinerary in biz.

 

[C.W. Richter]

Let's say you're going on a $10K or $20K safari. If the "flight" is $5K on top of it (25%-50%,) I'd not agree it's a "small part of a hunt." Even the past SAA flights into JHB typically involved another airline to get to the next destination (Namib Air, etc.) Never an issue other than the "hold your ammo and/or luggage" scam at the airport, so that the baggage and delivery people collect a few more bucks (which happens after the flight.) Use reputable airlines, try to minimize diff carriers, but don't spend money on flights you could be hunting with! I see business class-yes, you're getting soaked for those warm towelettes! lol

 

[Scott CWO]

Wondering how traveling to Harare Zimbabwe is . I found one ticket stopping in Doha . Is this a good place for a layover of 4 hours . Not planning on leaving the airport .

I just booked 3 business class tickets on QA through Doha to Lusaka a few days ago and last June, I flew QA through Doha to JNB on my way to Botswana. The Doha airport is fabulous and signing/directions are easy to follow. The lounge has private showers so I take a shower and shave. Very refreshing after a 15 hour flight from Dallas plus an earlier flight and layovers from Denver! Free food and drinks as well. Cleaning up makes my next 7 hour flight better and I feel great when I reach my final destination and head right to camp.

I start in Denver with a connection at DFW to get aboard QA there. If you have a similar connection, I recommend at least a 3 hour layover at DFW to recheck your rifle with QA. It takes a while.

I research flight costs on my own and then tell Gracy Travel about the cheapest business class flights I have found on my own. Shawn at Gracy then gets me those same flights and fees or less. Gracy charges $300 additional but also helps with the QA gun process and I can call Shawn from anywhere in the world and she will handle any problems I run into and keep me abreast of issues and changes. As others have said, a good agent can also track your bags if lost. I hunt wilderness areas and sometimes even from fly (spike) camps where sitting on hold on a phone with an airline agent is impossible. One call to Shawn from my sat phone and she takes it from there. That’s worth $300 to me on an expensive trip.

As for getting “soaked” on business class, I really only spend money on hunting. On long flights at 6’1” when barefoot with 36” pant length, I like to lay completely down horizontal to sleep, the food is awesome, service is top notch, masks not enforced, free lounge and showers, etc… so it’s worth it to me once a year. To each his own.

 

[Tanks]

...Use reputable airlines, try to minimize diff carriers, but don't spend money on flights you could be hunting with! I see business class-yes, you're getting soaked for those warm towelettes! lol

A business class seat is a lot more than "warm towelettes". On a 15-16 hour flight it makes a lot more of a difference as well. Plus C-130 seating of yesteryear was more comfortable than economy class of most airlines today.

 

[rookhawk]

A business class seat is a lot more than "warm towelettes". On a 15-16 hour flight it makes a lot more of a difference as well. Plus C-130 seating of yesteryear was more comfortable than economy class of most airlines today.

There are other undocumented benefits. Lack of harassment is a big one, @Tanks. Of the four flights in-out of Africa, the worst is the outbound Chicago-Dubai. It’s long, then a 14 hour layover. It’s also the first leg so they scrutinize everything for overweight rules. My collapsible duffel I carry on, and my son’s back pack, are allowed by rule if they are 8lbs. No exaggeration, we’ve carried them on when they weighed 60-80lbs. Fly biz, at least for the first leg, they don’t harass you for weight and measure stuff. They also don’t ball-bust me when all my checked bags are 50-ish pounds rather than less than 50lbs.

If you’re flying cheap cattle class, the occasional cash upgrade to business can be handy, so too can be the points upgrades using an Amex for another leg. A little bit of business breaks up the pain of two full days of travel in coach.