Discounted Flights to Africa
Use my tips on finding a good airfare to Africa and you should get a deal every time. There's no such thing as a last minute fare to Africa from the US because there is simply not enough competition among airlines that fly there, and flights fill up at least a month in advance.Online, two websites that I believe offer the best deals on airfares to Africa from the US are:
If you live in the UK you have much better options for shopping around for a good airfare to Africa. Flightcenter has good airfares and cheap package tours to Africa, and most of the daily newspapers list travel deals.
If you're flying to a country that isn't a major African hub, check some of the regional African airlines for reasonable deals. South African airlines in particular are starting to offer some discounted flights.
Discounted Safaris and Tours to Africa
While you can get some good last-minute deals on safaris and tours, the difficulty is getting a last minute flight to Africa. But if you can get to Africa for a reasonable rate, or you're there already, the following sites offer good deals and discounts on tours and safaris:Note: Cheap flights from the US to the UK are easy to find online so don't be shy of looking at UK offers to Africa, they are much more competitive than deals from the US.
- Africa Guide's last-minute deals and specials: One of the best African tour agents, Africa Guide offers deals on budget and luxury safari tours, adventure tours, diving tours, beach holidays and more.
- Go2Africa.com: A very reputable South African based tour operator offering some excellent deals on tours and safaris in Southern Africa.
- TourVacationsToGo.com: Offer special rates to Morocco, Egypt, Zanzibar, South Africa, Kenya and many more. You have to sign in to become a member in order to see the special fares, but it's worth it.
- E-Gnu.com: Offers good discounts and deals on safaris and wildlife park lodging in East and Southern Africa.
- Palace Travel: A US based travel agency offering "hot deals" on packages and tours to Africa including airfare. The prices are very reasonable and include a good selection of trips to West Africa.
- Virtual Tourist deals found by members: Virtual Tourist is a travel site that relies on its users to provide travel reviews. They've recently added this section, where people write in to tell others about travel deals they've found to Africa.
- AfricaSafari.com: Offers deals and regular discounts on safaris from high-end luxury fly-in safaris to budget participatory camping safaris.
- Instant Holidays: A budget tour operator in the UK offering good deals on packages to Gambia, Hurghada (Egypt), Luxor (Egypt), Seychelles, Mauritius, Mombasa (Kenya) Sharm el Sheik (Egypt) and Tunisia.
- Flight Centre SA: Offers excellent value holidays from South Africa to African destinations. If you can find your way to South Africa, it's worth booking a trip to Botswana or Mauritius from there.
- Safarinow.com: Last minute deals on safari lodges and guesthouses in South Africa.
Pesonally, I consider joining an Overland tour as a wonderful option to see Africa; they are always cheaper than other packages, but perhaps not as luxurious.
If you have a good experience getting discount travel to Africa from a particular web site or travel agency, please let me know.
