On the previous post several folks suggested staying at a hotel IN the Joburg Airport. I've done this & enjoyed it, but I was not travelling with a gun...

Can you stay overnight there with your rifle(s) ??

Yes. I did it before.

joester,

No problem at all.

Mark

Thanks, guys... Regarding checking one's own guns in at Tambo, is it a major hassle ? Would you recommend using an agent solely for this process? Thanks!

Used Gracy's meet and greet service last trip. Worth every penny.

+1 on Gracy's 'meet and great'. An escort right to and from the hotel. I never said a word and was not bothered for a 'big tip' anywhere along the way. Am using them again this year. Well worth it to me also. Fine with the guns, they see lots of them.

+2 on Gracy


.

No problem taking your guns to the City Hotel inside the JNB airport.

No problems doing your own thing with clearing and rechecking the guns either. It's quite simple.

However, I do recommend using Gracy. It's not a pre-approval or even help with the rifles. Just a very nice fellow named Bruce, that will meet you in the JNB SAPS office, walk you over to the hotel, then meet you the next morning and walk with you back to the SAPS office. He does seem to be able to keep the tip "requests" from the JNB airline employees to a minimum.

I can very easily book my own airline tickets to and from Harare without the travel agent's help. However, if and when things go awry, it's nice to have an advocate on the ground, or even back in the home office to help you square away things. For example, if a bag or rifle gets delayed, Bruce will act as a liaison on your behalf, allowing you to continue on your way, confident that once the bag arrives, it will be placed on the next flight to catch up with you. In addition, one never knows what changes might need to be made to your schedule. Last year on my lion hunt, I had booked for 14 days. On day 12, with nothing feeding yet, a simple phone call to the CMS office, asking them to call Shawn at Gracy back in San Antonio and arrange to rebook me for a flight 4 days later, allowed me to make the hunt for 18 days and score on the cat in the evening of day 15! That would have been a nightmare trying to rebook with the airline from the one hill in the Dande Safari Area that provides somewhat limited cell phone service!! But that one quick request of the CMS office to contact Gracy and I knew I would have a ticket home at the end of the extended trip.

For me, that's what makes the travel agent's fee worthwhile!

Use Gracy travel
Bruce is Great !!

I think the question was do you need help to check IN with rifles. The answer is no. You just go to checkin, tell them you have a rifle and ammo, and they will send you to the security company office with a porter to complete the log book exercise.

The only time you conceivably need help is upon arrival to get your permits and even that is unnecessary if you can read instruction and fill in a form.

quote:

Originally posted by Russ Gould:
I think the question was do you need help to check IN with rifles. The answer is no. You just go to checkin, tell them you have a rifle and ammo, and they will send you to the security company office with a porter to complete the log book exercise.

The only time you conceivably need help is upon arrival to get your permits and even that is unnecessary if you can read instruction and fill in a form.

100%

i stay at the birchwood, they have a shuttle to and from the airport.