US Travel Bans/Restrictions South Africa

[HuntingGold]

Emirates Airlines extends suspension of its South African flights

The UAE-based airline has extended the temporary suspension of its flights to South Africa by an extra week.

www.thesouthafrican.com

 

[Fastrig]

I am still hopeful for my May 28 departure.
Flying Qatar Houston -Doha - Joberg. Same route back. Hopefully all the barking by our government will slow down in the next month or so. Biden is just trying to show off in a lot of ours opinions that he can stop it. Give it a month and I bet it relaxes some.

IF, and that's a bit If, he can remember it when asked.....

 

[Dee S]

We'

I got tickets for my March hunt last week with Qatar. We will see what happens. I am trying to remain optimistic. I want to make the hunt happen and RSA needs hunters. There is alot up in the air, but I just try to think of the wonderful feeling on the first morning of the hunt with a rifle in my hand. I get my second dose of Moderna in three weeks, so hopefully the negative tests going and coming won't be a problem.

We are flying Qatar in May and June, anxious to hear about the flight portion upon your return.

 

[KMG Hunting Safaris]

Qatar Airways seems to be the way to go.

 

[Dee S]

@WAB have you heard of a testing facility in Botswana? Perhaps we will have to fly through Gabarone? Nothing in Maun I am told so far.

I talked to my PH in Botswana yesterday. We arrive in Gaborone but will drive north during our trip and depart from Kasane. He assures me, that for $75 US, we can get tested as we pass through Francistown, and there was one other town along our path also but I can't remember the name. They email the results to you in under 12 hours. Very hassle-free. He said it is quick and easy. He said you are in and out in minutes.

 

[Dee S]

I am still hopeful for my May 28 departure.
Flying Qatar Houston -Doha - Joberg. Same route back. Hopefully all the barking by our government will slow down in the next month or so. Biden is just trying to show off in a lot of ours opinions that he can stop it. Give it a month and I bet it relaxes some.

Same route for us on the way over as we depart Houston on May 6th, but then we will fly out of Cape Town, via Doha, Houston on May 16th. I'll post how it went for us. I know we opted to sit on the right side of the plane and if opt to sit on either the left or the right side, they keep the middle seat open. Plenty of wiggle room for us now with that empty seat. I believe they are filling all three seats on the center section as I recall.
I've talked to four PHs in the last day or so. One based in Namibia, one in RSA, one based in RSA but will be our PH for Botswana and just got off the phone with Strang up in Zambia. All assured me it was safe to travel there and getting the required test is not an issue. The governments realize they need the money from hunters/tourists so they are making it as 'user friendly' as possible to get tested and have the results in a timely manner.
My wife and I do not want the vaccine, so we are hoping that Qatar doesn't require that before boarding. Wearing the mask, or face shield, for 17 hours doesn't sound appealing, but I'll suffer through that if it means I can get back to Africa for a week or two.

 

[jeff]

Jeff, I don't think that your cancellation has much to do with the latest announcement. I've been trying to find flights on United from Newark for the past 3 weeks, and could not find any flights, even out to August 2021. All of my enquiries, they only gave options either through Europe or Addis Ababa. I was searching even before Biden took office.

I puchase tickets on Jan. 12th already cancelled.

 

[Zim Fan]

Jeff

If you go on the United site make sure you use the filters and go with Flight Duration. They start June 3 direct from Newark in the evening to JNB. If you had United for April or May as I did there is an option on Swiss or Lufthansa and if you return after June 4 then your return portion is not cancelled. I imagine you got the great rates they charged and don't want to lose that. I spent an hour and reconfigured my trip with them yesterday no extra cost.

 

[KMG Hunting Safaris]

I puchase tickets on Jan. 12th already cancelled.

I understand, but what I'm saing is that for the past 3 weeks I have not been able to get flights on United. That is way before the latest announcements or even before Biden took office.

 

[KMG Hunting Safaris]

Jeff

If you go on the United site make sure you use the filters and go with Flight Duration. They start June 3 direct from Newark in the evening to JNB. If you had United for April or May as I did there is an option on Swiss or Lufthansa and if you return after June 4 then your return portion is not cancelled. I imagine you got the great rates they charged and don't want to lose that. I spent an hour and reconfigured my trip with them yesterday no extra cost.

@Uintaelkhunter

 

[AZDAVE]

I have everything in place except gun paperowrk (Working on it) for april so have finger crossed that things in the world calm down a bit. the best we can do it get our fellow citizens to use some logic and get the infection rates down to level 1-2.

 

[mdwest]

Thankfully my 2021 Africa trip is planned for July.. so HOPEFULLY we will have the world back to normal by then and not have to deal with this BS anymore..

Im not nervous yet...

But I can understand why you April and May hunters are a bit apprehensive..

Our government and our airlines... well.. I honestly cant tell which one is worse managed or makes the least number of correct decisions in a given week.. they both suck...

 

[Hogpatrol]

It's nothing more than a backdoor attack on trophy hunting and gun owners. I was born at night but not last night.

 

[jeff]

I understand, but what I'm saing is that for the past 3 weeks I have not been able to get flights on United. That is way before the latest announcements or even before Biden took office.

I am saying I bought tickets just two weeks ago so I do not know why you couldn't get them 3 weeks ago?

 

[jeff]

Much of the cancellations have to do with not selling enough seats to make it financially feasible to fly.

 

[JPmbogo]

Zimbabwe is reporting the deaths of three top officials, including two cabinet members, from Covid, plus a general rise in Covid cases. Is it really worth the risk to yourselves and possible others to travel to Africa, or anywhere else at this time, for fun and games?

 

[spike.t]

My Qatar flights are still on for may 1

Qatar has increased their weekly flights to joburg and Cape town among other destinations

Qatar Airways Increases Flights to Africa - Focus on Travel News

Having become the largest international carrier during the early stages of the pandemic, Qatar Airways increases its frequencies to African destinations.

ftnnews.com

 

[KMG Hunting Safaris]

I am saying I bought tickets just two weeks ago so I do not know why you couldn't get them 3 weeks ago?

Ahh, I understand. My bad.

 

[fourfive8]

Zimbabwe is reporting the deaths of three top officials, including two cabinet members, from Covid, plus a general rise in Covid cases. Is it really worth the risk to yourselves and possible others to travel to Africa, or anywhere else at this time, for fun and games?

Well you can take the "Fouch's" advice and put on two masks or hell why not three layers to be safe, hide in your house and make it a full year+ of lock down then slowly die of complications of mental illness or asphyxiation or who knows what else having successfully hidden from a virus no one can hide from. Let's see... to name a few you can feel good about trying to hide from- malaria, dengue fever, tick fever, seasonal flu, bubonic plague, hantavirus (I lived in an epicenter outbreak of that and covid 19 is NOTHING compared to hantavirus!), HIV AIDS, swine flu, bird flu, spotted fever, SARS, and on and on. Yep might as well just stay home!! I don't have that many years left and who knows how many any of us have left no matter our age! But to sit, do nothing in a false safety of compliance, waiting for some "official God figure" to give the "all clear safe signal" to live again or regain some basic freedom- not me if I have any choice about it! I get my #1 covid vaccination today and #2 in a couple of weeks.

 

[Fastrig]

Well you can take the "Fouch's" advice and put on two masks or hell why not three layers to be safe, hide in your house and make it a full year+ of lock down then slowly die of complications of mental illness or asphyxiation or who knows what else having successfully hidden from a virus no one can hide from. I don't have that many years left and who knows how many any of us have left no matter our age! But to sit, do nothing in a false safety of compliance, waiting for some "official God figure" to give the "all clear and safe signal" to live again or have basic freedom- not me if I have any choice about it! I get my #1 covid vaccination today and #2 in a couple of weeks.

Well said.....be as safe as you can, but still live your life.....