Safari Air flightI have to be honest -- I haven't ever faced flights this long. The severity of the flight pattern for this trip to Botswana is weighing on me. I have been a bit wedded to Latin America since first heading to Ecuador in 2002. Apart from a foray to Finland, I haven't taken a trans-Atlantic flight since 2000. Central and South America take much less in the way of long haul flights than Botswana. No leg is much longer than 9 hours -- a good solid night of sleep.
But I'm headed to Kasane for the Botswana Travel and Tourism Expo that occurs every November. To the front and back end of this, I've tacked on what most would consider a dream itinerary consisting of various locations in the Okavango Delta, Makgadikgadi Pans National Park and Chobe National Park.
This is my first trip away from my family since having my daughter almost two years ago and I've decided to make it a good one: a little over two weeks. On the other side of this flight itinerary is two weeks of rest and freedom. But to get there .....
1) Missoula to Denver (2 hours flying) with a 3 hour layover
2) Denver to New York (5 hours) with a 14 hour layover
3) New York to Johannesburg (14.5 hours) with a 4 hour layover
4) Johannesburg to Maun (2 hours)
Fortunately, I'm in luck. South African Airways from New York to Johannesburg is about half full and I get a whole row of seats to myself, allowing for lying-flat and getting a bit of rest.
I've also allowed myself a full day of recovery, which is crucial when planning a safari. What people don't always explain is that safari entails waking up every day at 5:00 AM, so build yourself a rest day upon arrival. You will thank yourself for doing so!
Excellent travel advice and service
This is my second experience working with Adventure Life. I’m sold. Jess Heuermann is an experienced traveler and provides a lot of useful information when planning a trip. These are the questions I like to ask at the outset - What’s it like to go here, there, what would you suggest, what do people report, can we add any additional side trips? Jess took the time to answer my questions and seek additional information to share with me. Petchie Colina is outstanding in helping with travel logistics and final preparations. Adventure Life has excellent guides and offers private guides and small group adventures. We enjoyed the opportunity to talk with the guides and drivers to learn more about their countries, cultures and histories. A highlight was having the guides pick local restaurants where we could share meals together. Highly recommend.
Claire Cordon
1 day ago
Our six-day tour in Iceland went smoothly with one exception. We had asked for two rooms each night. Somehow we were booked with one room with three beds. It could not be fixed at the first hotel in Reykjavik because the hotel was fully booked. Once informed of the problem, however, Adventure Life rebooked for two rooms for the remainder of the trip. As an 85-year-old traveler, I appreciated that one could participate at different physical levels at many of the stops. Iceland is a great place to visit but on the expensive side.
Mary Warren
2 days ago
Jess was very easy going and answered all our questions. It’s not easy dealing with 6 people at once but she did an outstanding job!
Diane Foster
4 days ago
Kassandra and the Adventure Life team have been incredible! Kassandra was very knowledgeable and attentive to our asks while making sure we kept within our budget. This was our first experience with a travel agent and we were blown away by the booking/initial exploration service. We will use Adventure Life again.