IdaRam
AH legend
There's a lot to say before even getting to the hunting part of the trip, but I will cut to the chase and try to keep it brief, starting with something of a review. Hopefully there's some helpful info for people planning their future trips.
Starting with;
TRAVEL WITH GUNS
Steve and Fred were both very helpful and pleasant to deal with and on top of things leading up to the trip. There was a minor glitch along the way (below), but it got sorted out.
This trip had a lot of moving pieces. One person (my buddy Jim) was already on the ground in S.A. so only needing partial arrangements. His wife left 10 days ahead of Maddy (my GF) and I to hunt with her husband Jim in the Karoo. There were guest house accommodations, a rental vehicle for part of the trip, flights to and from Kasane, Botswana, flights home for the ladies, and a flight home for me.
The only hiccup to speak of was a last minute flight change for Peggy as she was in-transit on the way home which was going to leave her sitting in the airport with luggage and guns for 10 hours waiting to check in for her Alaska flight from Seattle to Boise. Not really a welcome surprise when you hit the ground after a LONG flight from Dubai to Seattle. Anyway, it caused a bit of a scramble, but Jim was able to get in touch with Steve and got her flight changed to avoid the long sit. We were never sure why she was bumped from her Alaska Air flight in the first place, there were seats available??? I did receive a message from Steve notifying me of the flight change, but I guess my only wish would have been that instead of just notifying us of a change they had looked into getting her back onto an earlier flight and saved us the headache. Otherwise I feel like their service and communication was great.
EMIRATES AIRLINES
Emirates overall was pretty good. The flights were on time, the planes were clean and new, the emirates people were all very courteous and respectful unlike many other airline personnel, the flight attendants did a really good job in addition to being young and attractive and there were no issues with hauling guns back and forth. Traveling with a pistol was no issue at all.
The food on the Emirates flights was actually pretty decent. Much better than anything I've eaten on Delta.
The only bad experience was the flight coming out of Dubai to Seattle on the return home. That flight was awful. In addition to being mind numbingly long it was packed with children, one of whom puked in the aisle 2 rows in front of me. Adults have a bad enough time being stuffed into an aluminum tube for 18 hours. Small children are borderline zoo animals at the end of a flight that long. Not an experience I am eager to repeat any time soon. Nothing against kids, I love 'em, but I was just surprised how many there were on the plane. Getting kicked in the back of the seat all the way over the ice cap also detracts from the experience.
Given a somewhat comparable fare I would probably choose to fly Delta through Atlanta based solely on total flight time. Emirates through Dubai is just a LONG damn trip. On the flip side, I believe Emirates is a better airline than Delta and the service and personell on Emirates were better than anything I have experienced with Delta, although I like Delta the best of any of domestic carriers.
AFRICAN SKY GUEST HOUSE
This was a bit of a mixed bag. The guest house itself was very nice and comfortable and the food was good. We stayed there just the one night and headed out to Kruger N.P. the next morning.
There were two people who really stood out as being exceptional. Gilbert, the young man who picked us up at the airport and Queen who continually went the extra mile to make sure we were taken care of in every way possible. She is a rock star and the kind of employee every business wishes they have. She is exceptional.
OK, now the not so good. African Sky was supposed to have arranged meet and greet, VIP service through passport control and transport to the guest house. I guess somebody dropped the ball on that one. I ended up having to call African Sky to get picked up. Negotiating passport control and luggage without meet and greet/VIP is no big deal unless the line is long to get your passport stamped. Then VIP service has tremendous value.
When Jim and Peggy arrived that evening to check in at African Sky they discovered that their reservation had been cancelled and the deposit refunded. Apparently someone made the assumption that Jim and Peggy weren't coming when only Maddy and I arrived early that morning. Our arrival times were known to be different, so not really sure why that caused confusion... Fortunately their room was still available and they were able to get checked in.
Overall my opinion is that African Sky was just OK. Next time around I will probably stay at City Lodge in the airport.
RIFLEPERMITS.COM
Not a lot to say, but all positive. Anne (?) was there on time waiting for us and SAPS was a non-event. 2 minutes in and out. Anne placed the call to African Sky for me to see where they were at and would they like to come pick us up.
DRIVING ON THE WRONG SIDE OF THE ROAD
Well, it takes a little getting used to and caution is the better part of valor, but pretty much a non-event. I would certainly rent a car and do it again, however Round-Abouts should be approached with the caution you might exercise when following up on something such as a leopard.
Also, GPS is definitely your friend.
We rented a Toyota Fortuner, which is basically a 2 wheel drive Forerunner and it was great. Comfortable for 4 people and we were able to squeeze all our bags in.
ALZU
Alzu is a food and fuel stop along the highway between JoBurg and Kruger. There are Rhino, Cape Buffalo and a bunch of different plains game animals in a large high fence area you can see from the restaurant and observation deck. It was Maddy's first chance to see some African animals and she enjoyed it. The food was good too.
Starting with;
TRAVEL WITH GUNS
Steve and Fred were both very helpful and pleasant to deal with and on top of things leading up to the trip. There was a minor glitch along the way (below), but it got sorted out.
This trip had a lot of moving pieces. One person (my buddy Jim) was already on the ground in S.A. so only needing partial arrangements. His wife left 10 days ahead of Maddy (my GF) and I to hunt with her husband Jim in the Karoo. There were guest house accommodations, a rental vehicle for part of the trip, flights to and from Kasane, Botswana, flights home for the ladies, and a flight home for me.
The only hiccup to speak of was a last minute flight change for Peggy as she was in-transit on the way home which was going to leave her sitting in the airport with luggage and guns for 10 hours waiting to check in for her Alaska flight from Seattle to Boise. Not really a welcome surprise when you hit the ground after a LONG flight from Dubai to Seattle. Anyway, it caused a bit of a scramble, but Jim was able to get in touch with Steve and got her flight changed to avoid the long sit. We were never sure why she was bumped from her Alaska Air flight in the first place, there were seats available??? I did receive a message from Steve notifying me of the flight change, but I guess my only wish would have been that instead of just notifying us of a change they had looked into getting her back onto an earlier flight and saved us the headache. Otherwise I feel like their service and communication was great.
EMIRATES AIRLINES
Emirates overall was pretty good. The flights were on time, the planes were clean and new, the emirates people were all very courteous and respectful unlike many other airline personnel, the flight attendants did a really good job in addition to being young and attractive and there were no issues with hauling guns back and forth. Traveling with a pistol was no issue at all.
The food on the Emirates flights was actually pretty decent. Much better than anything I've eaten on Delta.
The only bad experience was the flight coming out of Dubai to Seattle on the return home. That flight was awful. In addition to being mind numbingly long it was packed with children, one of whom puked in the aisle 2 rows in front of me. Adults have a bad enough time being stuffed into an aluminum tube for 18 hours. Small children are borderline zoo animals at the end of a flight that long. Not an experience I am eager to repeat any time soon. Nothing against kids, I love 'em, but I was just surprised how many there were on the plane. Getting kicked in the back of the seat all the way over the ice cap also detracts from the experience.
Given a somewhat comparable fare I would probably choose to fly Delta through Atlanta based solely on total flight time. Emirates through Dubai is just a LONG damn trip. On the flip side, I believe Emirates is a better airline than Delta and the service and personell on Emirates were better than anything I have experienced with Delta, although I like Delta the best of any of domestic carriers.
AFRICAN SKY GUEST HOUSE
This was a bit of a mixed bag. The guest house itself was very nice and comfortable and the food was good. We stayed there just the one night and headed out to Kruger N.P. the next morning.
There were two people who really stood out as being exceptional. Gilbert, the young man who picked us up at the airport and Queen who continually went the extra mile to make sure we were taken care of in every way possible. She is a rock star and the kind of employee every business wishes they have. She is exceptional.
OK, now the not so good. African Sky was supposed to have arranged meet and greet, VIP service through passport control and transport to the guest house. I guess somebody dropped the ball on that one. I ended up having to call African Sky to get picked up. Negotiating passport control and luggage without meet and greet/VIP is no big deal unless the line is long to get your passport stamped. Then VIP service has tremendous value.
When Jim and Peggy arrived that evening to check in at African Sky they discovered that their reservation had been cancelled and the deposit refunded. Apparently someone made the assumption that Jim and Peggy weren't coming when only Maddy and I arrived early that morning. Our arrival times were known to be different, so not really sure why that caused confusion... Fortunately their room was still available and they were able to get checked in.
Overall my opinion is that African Sky was just OK. Next time around I will probably stay at City Lodge in the airport.
RIFLEPERMITS.COM
Not a lot to say, but all positive. Anne (?) was there on time waiting for us and SAPS was a non-event. 2 minutes in and out. Anne placed the call to African Sky for me to see where they were at and would they like to come pick us up.
DRIVING ON THE WRONG SIDE OF THE ROAD
Well, it takes a little getting used to and caution is the better part of valor, but pretty much a non-event. I would certainly rent a car and do it again, however Round-Abouts should be approached with the caution you might exercise when following up on something such as a leopard.
Also, GPS is definitely your friend.
We rented a Toyota Fortuner, which is basically a 2 wheel drive Forerunner and it was great. Comfortable for 4 people and we were able to squeeze all our bags in.
ALZU
Alzu is a food and fuel stop along the highway between JoBurg and Kruger. There are Rhino, Cape Buffalo and a bunch of different plains game animals in a large high fence area you can see from the restaurant and observation deck. It was Maddy's first chance to see some African animals and she enjoyed it. The food was good too.
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