Getting the Cheapest Air Fares to Africa

There are around 50 countries in the African continent covering almost the entire English alphabet from Algeria to Zimbabwe. Africa has two geo-political zones – resort-filled North Africa that includes exotic Mediterranean costal destinations and Sub-Saharan Africa that make up the Savanna rich wilds and gaming preserves. While it may be relatively easy to find flights to Mediterranean countries, it’s not so easy with sub-Saharan countries. Except South Africa, this is perhaps the most cosmopolitan destination in the region. But with the right travel agent, one can still get to any part of the continent as a tourist wanting to get his money’s travel worth.

The Right Travel Agent

Unless you are a seasoned world traveler with some internet online booking experience, a good trustworthy travel agent can provide the right advice on how to get to any part of the African continent. Browse through print travel ads for the bargain deals and compare, the net is also full of them. Going on a Safari to some sub-Saharan destination or cavorting with the rich and famous to a Mediterranean resort while quite rewarding, can be a back-breaking expensive effort. And once you get a heavily discounted tour package, bear in mind that most of them are not refundable should you back out. Read the travel conditions, but good travel agents should be able to tell you that a heavily discounted ticket is non-refundable.

Get To a Regional Gateway Port

Competition among carriers out of the US is not particularly that strong for a number of African destinations. From continental USA, there are just a few flights serving the African continent directly. Expect your air fares to go past $1200 round trip. Your best bet really is to first get a flight to Europe, preferably to a gateway city like Zurich, Frankfurt or Amsterdam. It used to be cheap out of London, but with recent hikes in airport taxes, any savings could be wiped out. But do look in newspaper travel ads for some great travel packages in the off season months from April to October. Despite its relatively high airport taxes, London does have the most direct flights to most African countries.

Another option is to get to a gateway hub in the Middle East, like Dubai. Emirates do have an extensive network to African countries. And with plenty of competition from Gulf Air, Saudi Airlines, Qatar and Etihad, the budget traveler can expect cut throat fares.

Going to South Africa should be a breeze though. Everyone knows this is a former British colony. South African Airways have direct flights out of New York. You may want to stay away from peak winter months when most Europeans find sunny South Africa a real bargain getaway from the late December to February snows.

South Africa is one great regional hub as a jumping point to any place in the African continent. In fact this could be your ticket to a really great bargain. Apart from their national flag carrier, South Africa has many budget airliners operating to such countries like Botswana, Kenya, Madagascar and Zambia. It now becomes your quest to find the cheapest discounted fare to South Africa. Going to New York’s La Guardia International is a good place to start.

Group and Charter Flights

Check about group travel on lean months. This can be the least costly way to any destination anywhere. Travel agents often have special arrangements with airlines to block a certain number of seats that are sold to them as fire sale – really cheap at bulk rates. The travel agent needs only to get together a quota of travelers to fill those seats. And these seats are so heavily discounted, they are not even refundable. So plan your travel well, bearing in mind that some of the cheapest fares lose their refundability should you decide at the last minute to back out.

Charter flights are another option that can really be cheap. There aren’t much of them operating out of the US. But once you get to Europe, the Middle East or a regional hub in Africa, charter flights becomes a wise option to take.

The bottomline is to find a country where competition to your desired destination thrives. Nothing drives fares down faster than competition. You may not find that in continental US. But on off season months, travel agents just might surprise you. The tour packages definitely will include a direct flight to a regional gateway port nearby, often to Europe or the Middle East, or South Africa. Once there, it becomes a breeze going to any point in this paradise continent.