Africa Trip - Business Rewards

[acrox]

Hi AFF Family,
I'm planning a solo trip to Africa in August 2025, and trying to figure out what my options are for Business reward flights.
I'm looking to join a 3-week group safari that starts in Kampala (Uganda) and finishes up in Zanzibar.
I've been searching for different dates in August 2024 to get an idea, but seeing very limited results.
It's possible reward seats for 2024 are already sold out, also aware Australia-Africa is a highly in-demand route.

These are the key details for my trip:
Travel time - August 2025
Travel class - Business rewards
Frequent flyer program - Qantas or Velocity (I have points with both)
Outbound Journey - Melbourne to Kampala*
Inbound journey - Zanzibar* to Melbourne
* Preferred destinations, but flexible to fly into alternative African ports depending on reward flight availability.

Would love to hear your thoughts and suggestions. I'm planning to finalise my booking late (Aug-Sept) this year.

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

What's your QFF status?
Might have to go via LHR and then down with BA.
Or to SIN with QF CR/BR, then SQ via VFF from there to JNB.
Then rev fare with SAA to meet to your tour start location.

 

[Brissy1]

Following, also making plans, thought probably will just be doing a single Safari/national Park tour.
I'm hoping QF will have an A380 to JNB soon, and therefore some J award seats

 

[drron]

Best would be QR as only 1 stop both ways.
Emirates uses FlyDubai to those locations but only 1 stop.
For 2 stops you could use SQ plus ethiopian,

PS these flights are into Kampala and out of Zanzibar.

 

[acrox]

What's your QFF status?
Might have to go via LHR and then down with BA.
Or to SIN with QF CR/BR, then SQ via VFF from there to JNB.
Then rev fare with SAA to meet to your tour start location.

I’m a lowly bronze QFF, so finding any Qantas business rewards is highly unlikely.
Will look into the LHR/SIN options

Post automatically merged: May 4, 2024

Following, also making plans, thought probably will just be doing a single Safari/national Park tour.
I'm hoping QF will have an A380 to JNB soon, and therefore some J award seats

Ah a fellow traveller! When are you looking to fly out?

 

[SYD]

VA to PER and SA to JNB and onward could work? No idea what award availability is on SA however. Depending on flight timings, you could save a shed load of points just doing PER-JNB in Biz (but if you can score J all the way, then all good).

QF SYD-JNB (like a lot of routes now) is quite fickle for awards now….

 

[Mwenenzi]

I'm planning a solo trip to Africa in August 2025, and trying to figure out what my options are for Business reward flights.
I'm looking to join a 3-week group safari that starts in Kampala (Uganda) and finishes up in Zanzibar.
I've been searching for different dates in August 2024 to get an idea, but seeing very limited results.
It's possible reward seats for 2024 are already sold out, also aware Australia-Africa is a highly in-demand route.

These are the key details for my trip:
Travel time - August 2025
Travel class - Business rewards
Frequent flyer program - Qantas or Velocity (I have points with both)
Outbound Journey - Melbourne to Kampala*
Inbound journey - Zanzibar* to Melbourne
* Preferred destinations, but flexible to fly into alternative African ports depending on reward flight availability.

Would love to hear your thoughts and suggestions. I'm planning to finalise my booking late (Aug-Sept) this year.

A map from the Great Circle Mapper

A map from the Great Circle Mapper

www.gcmap.com

Zanzibar is a secondary airport with EU (holiday) flights. But not far from DAR by ferry or air.
Or to/from NBO Nairobi, with many airlines with separate flights to/from Kampala ~ Zanzibar

Qatar QR offer few awards to Qantas QF. but may offer more to Virgin VA.

Getting flights that go Africa to AU and not north to EU may be an issue. Likely you will end via the Middle East.
Look at where EK & QR & EY fly to. Then separate flights as needed.
Allow plenty of time before and after your group safari. More than 1 day.

Entebbe International Airport - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Abeid Amani Karume International Airport - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Julius Nyerere International Airport - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Jomo Kenyatta International Airport - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[zahra01]

Hi AFF Family,
I'm planning a solo trip to Africa in August 2025, and trying to figure out what my options are for Business reward flights.
I'm looking to join a 3-week group safari that starts in Kampala (Uganda) and finishes up in Zanzibar.
I've been searching for different dates in August 2024 to get an idea, but seeing very limited results.
It's possible reward seats for 2024 are already sold out, also aware Australia-Africa is a highly in-demand route.

These are the key details for my trip:
Travel time - August 2025
Travel class - Business rewards
Frequent flyer program - Qantas or Velocity (I have points with both)
Outbound Journey - Melbourne to Kampala*
Inbound journey - Zanzibar* to Melbourne
* Preferred destinations, but flexible to fly into alternative African ports depending on reward flight availability.

Would love to hear your thoughts and suggestions. I'm planning to finalise my booking late (Aug-Sept) this year.

Hello, we did Zambia (South Luangwa National park, and a trip to Vic falls)... I wanted to do it all in Biz on points....had QF & VA points...I struggled to get it all on points and to line up..
So we did a bit of combo:
We flew as follows, and you could slightly modify to suit your African countries.
Mel-Sing ( Scoot Plus)- not great but bearable $500...spent a few nights in Singapore.
Sin-Johannesburg ( on SQ) in J using Velocity points...great flight
Johannesburg-Victoria falls ( South African airways) - paid J ticket about $500
Internal flights on domestic carrier.
Lusaka- Dubai ( on EK) in First Class using Qantas points.
Taxi Dubai to Abu Dhabi
Abu dhabi to Muscat on Oman Air in J ( using Velocity points)
Muscat to Denpassar ( via KL ) on Oman air in J paid ticket approx $2300 each.
DPS- Melb on Jetstar paid ticket in Biz.
A lot of stopovers ( deliberate)... however to streamline, next time i think i;ll just in/out J'burg & Singapore as SQ very comfortable...and taxes not too much.

 

[kpc]

This may give you some ideas

We did ferry from Zanzibar to Dar, overnighted near ferry terminal, then flew QR J Dar-Doh-Adl using Velocity points...high surcharges but at least it was Q suites from Doh to Adl!

Help with Award Flights to / from Kigali (Kgl) / Dar es Salaam (Dar) ex Sydney

Back in Nov 2020, I had a safari booked starting in Rwanda to see the mountain goriilas followed by a safari in the Serengetti :) You know what happened next... :( I had award flights booked Syd-Jnb (Qf with Qf pts), Cpt-Add-Kgl (on Ethiopian with Lifemiles), then Dar es Salem to Jnb (South...

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au