OK guys, looks like I might have decided on a place and a time. Namibia, June 2008.

So, questions: (I'm sure there will be more!)

Looks like I will fly from Tampa to Frankfurt and then straight to Windhoek.

If so, how do I fly with my rifle and ammo?

1 - Does the rifle have to be totally separate from the ammo - meaning the ammo can't be in the case with the rifle?

If so, where do I store the ammo - in my checked luggage? Does it need to be in a special case? Does it require some sort of special "check in" procedure when I get to Namibia?

2 - Is it common for the rifle to NOT arrive with me and my other luggage? Why would this happen and what recourse do I have if it never arrives (i.e. gets lost/stolen?)

3 - When I land, do I have to go to a counter/station in the airport to claim my rifle and/or ammo?

4 - If I arrive a week before my hunting and wish to tour the country some, can I leave the rifle and/or ammo at the airport station? Would I need to inform the police there and do they allow this for a week?

5 - When leaving Namibia, any special procedures, paperwork, etc. I need to have/fill out when leaving?



NOTE - anything special if I connect in RSA in Johanesburg? I may end up flying into Johanesburg and then connecting on Air Namibia to Windhoek. Anything special to do regarding the rifle and/or ammo or does that just get shifted over like me other luggage on to the new plane going to Windhoek?

Anything I'm leaving out regarding the firearms issue?

Thanks!

John:

Depending on what airline you will be flying with will determine whether you will pack your ammo with your rifle or in a separate container in your check in luggage. I assume that you will fly Air Namibia from FRA to WDH. If so, then you will keep your ammo in with your check in luggage and not with your rifle. Get a lockable ammo box and put a TSA lock on it.

Your rifle should arrive with you if you check it straight through from your point of origin to WDH. If you overnight in Frankfurt or go through customs there you might get separated from your rifle. Always insure your rifle, your luggage, and your trip.

When you land in WDH you will be directed to the police gun check counter and you will be opening your gun case and they will check serial numbers and maybe ammunition. Then you will go claim your check in luggage. You will then go through customs and be asked if you have anything to declare. The answer should be "NO". After you pass through customs you will be met by your PH.

Once you pass through customs you can pretty much travel anywhere within Namibia with your rifle, even if you are not yet ready to hunt. Your PH can keep your rifle for you for safekeeping while you play tourist. Even better, do your tourist thing after the hunt. You will have your invitation to hunt from the PH but the police don't pay attention to the dates. Just pass through and don't say anything you unless you are asked.

You will be given papers to fill out at the check-in counter when you are ready to leave Namibia.

Your PH can answer any questions you have about entering and exiting Namibia with firearms.

If you can avoid going through South Africa on your way to Namibia, do so.

Namibiahunter
Etemba Hunt and Safaris

Thanks, Namibiahunter - so I take it I shouldn't leave the rifle with the police when I arrive if I want to travel for a few days before my hunt begins?

The problem is I don't know logistically how to arrange for a car or tour company to go from the hunting area. Doing the tourist thing right from the start out of Windhoek seems easiest. Though I suppose for a little extra $$ I could have the PH drop me off in Windhoek after the hunting and either keep the rifle and then deliver it to me the last day of my stay after I've done the tourist thing, or perhaps there is a place I could store it for a fee while I tool around Namibia?

John
I am in Tallahassee, and made the trip you are talking about last year. Regarding carrying guns, ammo and baggage, generally you can carry two pieces of checked luggage on an international flight. You must carry firearms in a separate case.

There are two cases recommended on this forum generally: the Heavy Duty Cabela aluminum case and the TuffPack case which looks like a golf bag case. You can only carry two rifles ( or a rifle and a shotgun) and no handguns into Namibia. With the Cabela's case, you can put your knife, you cleaning gear and such stuff into the case with your rifles. The way the TuffPack works, you can put your guns in soft cases, surround them with jackets etc, and put them into the case. According to those who use them, put the soft cases in with the zippered ends "up" so you can easily retrieve the rifle for inspection in Namibia.

Regarding ammo, the US authorities require ammo and rifles be separated. Therefore, they must go into you clothes bag because you cannot take guns, ammo, knives, gun parts (and some include scopes as gun parts) and cleaning stuff in your carry-on baggage. If you pack your clothes in a soft bag, the ammo you pack with them must be in a separate, hard lockable container. The easiest thing to do is get a fifty round cartridge box, put a hasp on it, and lock it with a TSA lock.

You must get your guns (and ideally camera gear, binoculars, etc.) on a Form 4457 from Customs. They have an office in Tampa, so you are in luck. Call them and tell them what you are doing, and ask them what to do, and they will give you the entire plan. Down load the forms from the web and fill them out before you get there and it will be a breeze.

Apply early for your passport!

You want to fly Lufthansa from Tampa to Frankfurt and AirNimbia to Windhoek. They have a cooperative agreement and you may check your bags including your rifles straight through. You do not have to claim anything in Frankfurt. I suggest getting a room for the day at the Holiday Inn Express in Frankfurt (about $60/day including breakfast which you will be able to eat on arrival!), sleep, bathe, eat well and get back to the airport about 5:00pm. Call the Holiday Inn Express long distance in Frankfurt not the international reservation number.

Your ph or his representative will meet you at the airport. If you are touring, it is easy for the ph to hang on to your rifles and ammo while you are touring. I did this and it worked well. If for any reason that this cannot be worked out, don't worry. Most hotels will lock them up for you if you must keep them.

You can rent a car in Windhoek and drive, but be warned-you will be driving on the "wrong" side of the road. It requires thought, but it is easy. Because of where you will be driving, you must take care not to drive fast in the wind blown sand are you will be responsible for "sanding" the windshield or car. The car isn't too expensive, but the insurance is very expensive. Make your arrangements early, because in the summer all the Germans go to Namibia and you cannot find a truck, station wagon, or utility vehicle.

I went to Swakomund on the coast and toured and fished for a couple of days and it was great. Very nice hotel. (Look for my hunt report in African Hunting Reports and you can find all the names. The hotel also made my fishing and touring reservations and were generally helpful. Namibians are great people.) Again reserve early because of the tourists.

Avoid charters! They are expensive and dangerous. If you hunt in the north, take your tour going north and avoid flying. It is a dull trip, with nice hard surfaced roads all the way to Angola. (We paid for it as part of the war on Communism in Angola fought by the South Africans.)

When you arrive in Namibia, you will have to clear customs and passport control. Namibia has one of the most professional groups of people doing this in Africa. You present your passport, your declaration of stuff you are bringing in (nothing), and then go to the area just a few steps away from where your passport was checked and claim your rifle.

They will want to see your paper work for importing the rifle which your ph sent you and you filled out, your 4457, and your passport and inspect the rifle and its serial number. They may asked to see the ammo, but they may not. Keep that paper work they give you with your passport you will need it when you leave the country.

After you claim the rifle, you enter the airport proper. I suggest that you get matched locks for your gun case and keep one key on a string around your neck with the key to the ammo box. I tie mine on the neck string of my travel wallet.

Inside the terminal, your ph or his representative will greet you and help you get Namibian money and your car. You can also get a cell phone you "charge" with a card which is a good thing if you are traveling about. You ph can also help you with this. (Probably his secretary or assistant-be nice to these ladies because they can really help you out.)

When you leave, you check you with gun control at the airport, then check your rifle, and board the plane. You will not see it again until you get back to Tampa and clear US Customs. Coming back, I want to say there is no layover in Frankfurt, so you don't have to worry about that.

W I haven't cleared in Tampa, but I would imagine that they will first check you passport, then you claim you bags and guns, then clear customs and agriculture. They will take all veggies, fruits and uncooked meat away from you. They will spray your boots. Then they will let you go into the terminal; however, they may search you again if its like Atlanta.

It sounds more difficult than it is. Remember, everyone wants to make this happen for you because you are paying the bills! Start early and beat the rush. By the way, 2008 is almost here. If you want some suggestions for places to hunt in Namibia, PM me. Kudude

quote:

There are two cases recommended on this forum generally: the Heavy Duty Cabela aluminum case and the TuffPack case which looks like a golf bag case.

John, research this fully

quote:

Originally posted by JBoutfishn:

quote:

There are two cases recommended on this forum generally: the Heavy Duty Cabela aluminum case and the TuffPack case which looks like a golf bag case.

John, research this fully

Yah, I was sort of leaning towards the Pelican case myself.

I took a Pelican case last time I went to Namibia. It survived just fine. My hunting friend took the aluminum case mentioned and it held up but looked like hell when we returned.

We've been flying a couple of the SKB cases all over the world and they're holding up fine.

The 4-gun SKB case, with the middle divider taken out, will take two scoped rifles in their soft cases (which you will need), a spare scope, a few gun tools, knives, and binoculars, and weigh EXACTLY 48 pounds. Every time.

John,

Some random points to ease your mind and keep you pointed in the right direction. First, Namibia is a friendly place and that includes the airport staff. You'll come out of passport check/visa issuing and go the right. The Firearms window is just to the left before you go through the large doorway into baggage claim a few steps from passport check. If nobody is there, just identify some ground staff and ask for the police officer who does firearms. He'll turn up.(NOTE: there may be a firearms desk just inside the baggage claim area to the immediate right). You will first fill out an application and it's a good idea to find it on the net, maybe at the Namibia Professional Hunters Assn website and download it. That way you are ahead of the usually small queue if other hunters are aboard your flight.

If the rifle did not make the connection don't panic. Just go to the baggage desk on the far side of baggage claim and they will arrange to deliver it to where you want to receive it, including upcountry. Your PH should send you full details OR you can actually go outside the customs area, get him/her and bring them back in to fill out the forms. As noted, that's why you want to do tourism first. Plus you have time to recover from jet lag before hunting. Just remember when driving to KEEP LEFT.

The firearms officer may solicit a donation from you for a soccer team. Up to you. I usually give $NA 10-20 (=$US 1.50 to 3.00) because I know him. He'll take the application, check your passport, rifle serial numbers (rarely will he check the ammo)and get your on the way. Nobody from customs has ever asked to look at my bags. Did once check my wife's bags cause she preceded me to chat with our outfitter while I was doing the permits.

Take large and a small round three-pin adaptors and the two-pin one as well cause some Namibian/South African plugs fit into the receptacle and give you a center three pin and two side two-pin female receptacles.

Regards, Tim

Thanks for the info so far, guys.

Does anyone know how long you can leave the firearms with the police/at the airport before you have to pick them up? If I wanted to do touring first and then hunting, could I let the police checker know and have them just hold the rifle until I returned ready for my hunt?

John, you don't want to leave your firearms with the police. Have your ph arrange to have a local dealer store your guns for you. Delta also has a baggage transfer agreement with Air Namibia. I did not use a special ammo case. I used factory cardboard ammo boxes and secured them with tie wraps.

Collect your guns and take them with you as you enter the country. Your outfitter can/will be happy to keep them for you...very simple, safe and easy.

This is buried in my War and Peace discourse above, but you can take your rifle with you and the hotels will store them for you or your ph will do it in Namibia. Don't worry about it.

And in Frankfurt, your rifles are checked straight thru. Kudude

All the places I have flown, through South Africa to Zim [3 times], Alaska [3 times], California [several times], Flordia, etc. I have ALWAYS had ammo in the same case as my guns. Always.

Print out the airlines rules, and the TSA rules.

highlight the part about the guns and ammo.

Many ticket agents do not know thier won airline rules. Many times I have had to politely explain them to them.
Usually a supervisor will know the rules.

And yet it seems like a lot of people here are telling me it CANNOT go in the same case as the rifle. Why is that?

quote:

Originally posted by N E 450 No2:
All the places I have flown, through South Africa to Zim [3 times], Alaska [3 times], California [several times], Flordia, etc. I have ALWAYS had ammo in the same case as my guns. Always.

Print out the airlines rules, and the TSA rules.

highlight the part about the guns and ammo.

Many ticket agents do not know thier won airline rules. Many times I have had to politely explain them to them.
Usually a supervisor will know the rules.

Several people also told me I could not take a revolver through South Africa into Zimbabwe.

I have done it three times.

If you are flying SAA at all (and unless you have a reason to go to Frankfurt, you will find the SAA route a little faster and usually a little cheaper), you will have to pack your ammo separately. That's a new regulation just intro'd. US airlines are governed by their own policies as well as the TSA policies. TSA says you can put the ammo in your gun case. Some airlines are OK with that, and apparently some aren't. That's the source of the confusion. The safe thing is to pack the ammo separately. Be sure to pack it in factory boxes, or plastic MTM type boxes. It's supposed to be in a locked container as well (people use camera cases or cash boxes, I use a stanardard Mil ammo can and put my bolt, knife etc. in there as well) but the TSA may bust the locks if they are not the TSA type so that makes a TON of sense.

And to prove that none of these bureaucrats that make the rules actually ever travel with firearms and ammo themselves, the rub is that EACH of your two bags cannot weigh more than 50lb. So if you have to put your ammo in your regular bag, separate from your guns, you will be lopsided. That's why some guys recommend the Tuffpak..you can cram your boots and all kinds of gear in there to even things out.

DON'T get a Boyt or Cabela's "two tier" bag...if you put your gun in the bottom you will go over 50 lb for sure and you will also run foul of the new SAA rules that say your gun has to be in a case that is obviously a gun case.

100 lbs is plenty, even if you have 2 guns, but 50+50 is not so easy if you have to follow all the different rules.

I have left handguns with the police in Namibia on more than one occasion, for up to ten days, no problem. Yes you can travel all over the place with your rifle but no, you can't take it into a National Park. Plus rifles attract attention and you don't need that. So either leave it with your PH (assuming he's willing to make two trips to the airport), leave it with the cops, or leave it at your lodge where you are staying while you do the Park thing.

I think we need a FAQ section on this site. Anyone know how to do that?

Thanks, Russ (and everyone else). Am I correct in assuming that, say, after my hunting but before my departure, I can go BACK to the police station/checkpoing in the airport, and leave the rifle with the police for 5 days and then pick them up as I am leaving Namibia? That would be great - this way I wouldn't have to swing back by the farm where I did my hunting, nor have to take the rifle with me when I'm doing the tourist thing.

quote:

Originally posted by Russ Gould:
If you are flying SAA at all (and unless you have a reason to go to Frankfurt, you will find the SAA route a little faster and usually a little cheaper), you will have to pack your ammo separately. That's a new regulation just intro'd. US airlines are governed by their own policies as well as the TSA policies. TSA says you can put the ammo in your gun case. Some airlines are OK with that, and apparently some aren't. That's the source of the confusion. The safe thing is to pack the ammo separately. Be sure to pack it in factory boxes, or plastic MTM type boxes. It's supposed to be in a locked container as well (people use camera cases or cash boxes, I use a stanardard Mil ammo can and put my bolt, knife etc. in there as well) but the TSA may bust the locks if they are not the TSA type so that makes a TON of sense.

And to prove that none of these bureaucrats that make the rules actually ever travel with firearms and ammo themselves, the rub is that EACH of your two bags cannot weigh more than 50lb. So if you have to put your ammo in your regular bag, separate from your guns, you will be lopsided. That's why some guys recommend the Tuffpak..you can cram your boots and all kinds of gear in there to even things out.

DON'T get a Boyt or Cabela's "two tier" bag...if you put your gun in the bottom you will go over 50 lb for sure and you will also run foul of the new SAA rules that say your gun has to be in a case that is obviously a gun case.

100 lbs is plenty, even if you have 2 guns, but 50+50 is not so easy if you have to follow all the different rules.

I have left handguns with the police in Namibia on more than one occasion, for up to ten days, no problem. Yes you can travel all over the place with your rifle but no, you can't take it into a National Park. Plus rifles attract attention and you don't need that. So either leave it with your PH (assuming he's willing to make two trips to the airport), leave it with the cops, or leave it at your lodge where you are staying while you do the Park thing.

I think we need a FAQ section on this site. Anyone know how to do that?

You may have a sit around in Frankfurt of several hours. You might consider an overnight at one of the guest houses in the area and We have found it helps to be somewhat acclimated to the time change when arriving in africa whether hunting or driving. Also Jan @ Mt. Etjo Safaris was at least part of the inspiration for the movie Hatari and was advisor and stunt double for John Wayne and a really interesting guy. If you are undecided give them a look. Adrian