Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa Flight/Layover ?

Looking at flights from Washington State to Namibia - one has a nearly 12 hour layover in Frankfurt, Germany. From about 8:30 in the morning to 8:00 in the evening.

I've never been to Germany, so that seems like an excellent opportunity to spend a day in Frankfurt!

But... What is done with the rifle during that time? Is it secure at the airport? May I leave it there all day, and expect it to be on my flight to Namibia?

No, I've never flown internationally with a firearm. Well, except for some USMC stuff long ago, and we all had firearms!

Thanks!

Guy

I had a layover of the same duration at Frankfurt before my flight to Windhoek. Don't know where my rifles were secured, but all arrived in one piece.

I might suggest planning on an organized tour beforehand. I didn't, decided to "wing it" and without knowing where to go, what to see, I returned to the airport after two hours. One of the longest days of my life.

I've done the 12 hour layover in Frankfurt- firearms were fine, and arrived at Joburg in good shape. Wife and I took the train from the airport into downtown Frankfurt, and toured around on our own. We met up with some local Germans, who showed us around- great fun. We had lunch at an outside cafe, with local beers. Frankfurt has an amazing train system, easy to figure out. Enjoy!

I've done the Frankfurt route/layover several times. Frankfurt is Germany's banking center so there isn't a lot of tourist things to do, although anything outside of an airplane or airport is an improvement at that point.

You used to be able to leave your rifles "in transit" just like your luggage and ignore it during your layover. Then the mayor of Frankfurt got the idea to add a fee/permit for firearms, even if only in transit and you had to claim the rifle case and check them in with the police and retrieve them when you got ready to leave. I have no idea what the current ritual is as the last several years I've taken other routes that were cheaper.

The best thing to do is to contact Steve Turner at travelwithguns.com and he can give you options and he'll know what the current firearm procedure is for whatever route you choose.

Good luck!

Ideally, ...You'll Sleep prior the Frankfort Arrival, and Same Windhoek.

Clueless as this Year's Rifle Gig, but YES Steve Turner, and done this to Preoccupy the Timeframe ( note obvious Link )



https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attract..._Foot_Walking_Tours-Frankfurt_Hesse.html

I'd get an airport hotel and sleep. Trying to cram sightseeing into a 12 hour layover between two long flights is an exercise in bleeding, it won't be fun.

If you do still want to go outside the airport I'd recommend going to Mainz instead of Frankfurt. Mainz dates back to Roman times and has a neat downtown area with a cathedral dating to the 900's. There are a bunch of good museums including the Gutenberg museum dedicated to the inventor of the printing press who was from Mainz. There are plenty of good restaurants in the old town area as well, I recommend the Eisgrub Bräu, order a schnitzel or schweinshaxe (pork knuckle). They're a restaurant and brewery with excellent beer. The Frankfurt airport has a train terminal and the ICE (bullet train) from the airport to Mainz takes about 15 minutes.

Baloney. I have flown through Heathrow 4 times to Joburg after an overnight flight in bound. Got some sleep on the plane, arrrived LHR about 8 AM, took the tube to downtown for 8-9 hours of sightseeing, then back to the airport. Same in Zurich to Joburg. Same via Paris to Joburg. As long as you get some sleep inbound overnight to Europe, the next day is is a freebie for sightseeing.

Guy, as someone mentioned get a hold of Steve Turner or Gracey Travel...either one will be able to answer all questions and iron out the bumps for you.I dont think either charges extra for all the service they offer, but if they do...its worth it! Namibia is a GREAT choice for your first safari! PM me if you have any questions!

I'm an airline pilot, I do this stuff for a living. I've been through Frankfurt more times than I can count which is why I know all the good places there. Trust me when I say flying will wear you out and the first priority should be sleep if you want to be functional when you get to your destination.

A good friend went to New Zealand on a stag hunt a few months ago. He asked me for advice about the flight, I gave it, and he promptly ignored it. When he got back the first thing he said was "I should have listened to you, the flight was miserable and I wouldn't do it that way ever again".

You can't get really good quality sleep on a plane. You can get light sleep but it's rare that you'll get into the REM sleep that the body needs to refresh itself. You can power through it but it'll eventually catch up to you a few days later which is likely going to be when he's in the middle of his hunt. The body's circadian rhythm will eventually win out.

If you ever wondered why all we international long haul pilots look like we're 20 years older than we are it's because of stuff like this.

I have not flown that route, but have flown to Frankfurt and have transfered there. Not my favorite airport to transfer, but it is the easiest Airport if headed by train to anywhere as in Europe. There are a ton of trains that pass thru and you can get a train to just about anywhere in Germany. Koln would be an easy trip as would Heidelberg. Leica Fan? head to Wetzler. I know Frankfurt gets overlook as its a "modern" city and not a old German town for the tourists, but you can find "old tourist town" its just tucked away, you can find it if you look.

Another option and perhaps easier would be Qatar Air.

Crow Hunter is spot on with his advice! It would be wise to heed it.
International pilots are tough guys. It does age you as recent scientific studies are now proving.

20 years ago my job involved 25 trips to Europe , Middle East and Africa over 3 years.
I did the layover sightseeing ONCE in London.
My ass was dragging when I got to JoBurg!

If your traveling Business class , you may still be able to get a "day room" from the airlines and get some rest for the next leg.
I used to do that with British Airways.
If not available, it's worth your money to get one yourself. Namibia is a long way, and I was traveling from DFW, not Washington!

If you can, find a doctor that treats pilots on International routes.
My doctor did, as well as had a house in Dublin , and made several trips a year, and studied the circadian rhythm phenomenon.

He gave me a cocktail of sedatives that allowed some sleep on the flight, at least a few hours.
Minimize the alcohol while flying, stay hydrated, and get on local time schedule when you arrive; it's tough the first couple days then will be easier.

For my upcoming trip in 2018 to RSA, ( my first Safari!), I plan to arrive 3 days early in country to give myself time to get over the jet lag before hunting.

Do the sightseeing on the return trip , I found that was better after my work was finished and I could catch up on rest when I got home.

I'm not a pilot but I do about 5 - 6 trips to New Zealand, Aus, Europe, etc. per year.

If you can book business class and get the lay flat bed you can get pretty good sleep. I'l fly to New Zealand and land at 6:00 AM and go right into meetings/work all day. Even in economy plus, if I have the long layover in Europe on the way to Africa, I just get a train ticket and go sightseeing in whatever city I'm in. I can always sleep on the next night's flight to Africa.