Flights to Africa are expensive. Tips on saving money?
Thanks to some inspiration from Talamasca , we are seriously considering booking a safari for next year. We are looking at late August, into early/mid September 2018. We are looking at a safari that starts in Maun, Botswana and ends in Livingstone, Zambia. We'd also like to visit Cape Town.
I can't search for flight prices for our proposed travel dates yet, because it's too far out. The best I can do is compare dates for August/September 2017, but since those dates are about a month away, I'm sure that affects flights prices. In playing around with various dates and cities, I can see that flights between Toronto and Cape Town or Jo'burg aren't TOO pricey, but if I use Maun or Livingstone as a destination, the price goes up a lot (less demand, fewer flights I guess).
I'm thinking that we will have to take at least one regional flight ie Livingstone to Cape Town. So we could fly YYZ to Maun, then regional flight Livistone to Cape Town, and then Cape Town to YYZ. But with Maun, the flights are so expensive (ie $2500 pp). Any advice on how far out to book to get a decent price? I think I've read 3-6 months out is best (so I'll have to wait until next year to book, which is fine, but I want to make sure this trip will be within budget before we commit to a safari).
Has anyone flown from YYZ to Maun and gotten a flight for less than $2K? Any other advice on booking affordable flights to Southern Africa?
Thanks.
I can't search for flight prices for our proposed travel dates yet, because it's too far out. The best I can do is compare dates for August/September 2017, but since those dates are about a month away, I'm sure that affects flights prices. In playing around with various dates and cities, I can see that flights between Toronto and Cape Town or Jo'burg aren't TOO pricey, but if I use Maun or Livingstone as a destination, the price goes up a lot (less demand, fewer flights I guess).
I'm thinking that we will have to take at least one regional flight ie Livingstone to Cape Town. So we could fly YYZ to Maun, then regional flight Livistone to Cape Town, and then Cape Town to YYZ. But with Maun, the flights are so expensive (ie $2500 pp). Any advice on how far out to book to get a decent price? I think I've read 3-6 months out is best (so I'll have to wait until next year to book, which is fine, but I want to make sure this trip will be within budget before we commit to a safari).
Has anyone flown from YYZ to Maun and gotten a flight for less than $2K? Any other advice on booking affordable flights to Southern Africa?
Thanks.