What is the best way to get to Vic Falls from the US??

If flying SAA, should I collect my bags in Joberg, or check them all the way through to Vic Falls?

Does it usually require an overnight stay in Joberg, or can you fly to Vic Falls later on the same day??


Over the past 3 years, I have taken 3 groups on hunts in Namibia. Each time we flew via Frankfurt on Lufthansa. Then Frankfurt-Windhoek on Air Namibia. Every piece of luggage arrived with us,...nothing lost or delayed. Is it possible to fly to Vic Falls from Windhoek on Air Namibia? Would there be any issues transiting through Namibia with guns??

Thanks!!!

fly - driving is not advised

A lot depends on from whence you cometh. If JFK is the airport through which you fly, there is over three hours layover in JNB before the flight up to Vic Falls and no overnight is needed. I've never had a problem checking my bags through in 6 or 7 flights with SAA. Some folks recommend a baggage/greeting service to make sure your bags get on the flight up to Vic Falls, but I've never used one on this route. Probably better safe than sorry, though.

Here's the schedule:

South African Airways
Flights 204 / 40
1 Stop
Depart: 11:15 AM
New York, NY (JFK)
Arrive: 12:30 PM
Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe (VFA)
Connect in: Johannesburg
Flight 1
South African Airways
South African Airways, Flight 204
Depart: 11:15 AM
New York, NY (JFK)
Arrive: 7:45 AM
Johannesburg, South Africa (JNB)
Airbus A340-600
Connection Time: 3 hrs 5 mins in Johannesburg, S
Flight 2
South African Airways
South African Airways, Flight 40
Depart: 10:50 AM
Johannesburg, South Africa (JNB)
Arrive: 12:30 PM
Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe (VFA)
Total Travel Time: 19 hrs 15 mins

If you fly through Atlanta (Delta), you'd probably do better to plan an R.O.N. somewhere like Afton House in Johannesburg. Delta 200 (ATL-JNB)arrives after the last flight to VFA has departed. The stay in JNB is a good time to regroup a bit from jet lag, anyway.

In any event, I've found it advantageous to stay a night or two in Vic Falls to enjoy the place a bit and to have time for any missing bags to catch up with me. There just was a thread on "The First Day" where folks discussed the fatigue factors from all the travel. A couple of good nights rest in a nice lodge or hotel in paradise isn't a bad way to combat that "worn out" feeling from all stresses of "getting there".

Returning from VFA to the U.S. doesn't require an R.O.N. in Johannesburg on either SAA or Delta since there are flights out in plenty of time to catch Delta 201 back to ATL or the evening SAA flights, too.

Plus 1!!! Butchloc beat me to it.

Larry Sellers
SCI Life Member

quote:

Originally posted by butchloc:
fly - driving is not advised

TBD,

If you fly to JNB and have a minimum of 3 hours between flights you have time to receive your luggage and see it rechecked onto the the Vic Falls flight. This is what I do and what has worked well for my clients. If you don't have 3 hours I'd recommend a overnight at O.R.Tembo.

Mark

I chose to fly Delta to JNB. The flight lands late in the afternoon. I stayed a night at Afton House taking my rifles and luggage with me for safe keeping and caught a morning flight to Vic Falls on South African Air. On the way back from Vic Falls I asked SAA to have the checked bag and rifle case checked right through to Atlanta. I had about 3 hours to kill in OR Tembo Airport before the flight left for Atlanta so my friend and I went to the upstairs lounge and relived our hunt over a couple of cold ones to pass the tiem.

The PH picked us up at Vic Falls on the way in and dropped us off back at Vic Falls on the way out. We spent a couple of extra days enjoying The Falls, tiger fishing the upper Zambezi from power boats, drove down to Chobe Part in Botswana, and wound up back in Vic Falls at the Boma our last night there. I would do it that way again.

Thanks for some of the side trip ideas Mark.

Everything went smooth all the way and all luggage arrived with the flight I was on.

Sorry about my spelling. I meant to say Chobe Park in Botswana. If you do that be sure to purchase the "double entry" stamp on your passport. That way you will not have to buy the Zim visa permit twice.