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You are correct Bud and so is SAA. Delta and Continental have CNX's all flights to Jberg as of a few days ago too along with several other airlines that USED TO fly into Windhoek. I thought I was pretty clear that what I posted are routes and airlines I've personally flown in the PAST PRE RONA LOCKDOWNS.

Partly because as of NOW, I'm still hoping to get to Namibia in this Sep so, I haven't dug too deep into to what airlines are CURRENTLY offering service in to Windhoek other than Ethiopian Air, and I dug that up to help get the leopard hunter in just after the lockdown in Nam opened up. I don't know about British Airways and their subsidiary into Windhoek and not even sure London can or can not be transited anyway. I do know that you can take Qatar, Emirates, Lufthansa, Swiss, Turkish, Ethiopian and probably one or two others to get to Jberg and then SA Airlink from Jberg to Windhoek.

Again, do not know the details as far as days of the week, time tables and flt numbers because I haven't needed to dig into it...yet.

Edited to add: If some decides to book a trip with Jan this year, I'll be more that happy to help the sort out routes and airlines from wherever in the US to Windhoek and back and the gun permits and any lodging they might need along the way.

Bud, I know you've used BA via London a trip or two and familiar with the ropes there and having to change between Gatwick and Heathrow and what happens if you miss a connection. How about hopping on-line and searching out routes and flts on your frequent carrier and post up for folks.

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M3Taco: I’ve used British Airways my last three trips to Namibia. On the plus side, the fares can be dirt cheap when booked direct with BA. I paid $982 all in roundtrip from ORD to LHR to Joberg to WDH. I’ve never had to travel through Gatwick. On the negative side, there’s an 8 or 9 hour layover at LHR. I always take the tubes into Piccadilly Circus, sightsee and grab a good meal. Prior to boarding the Tubes, I stop at the Duty Free Shop for Cuban Montecristos. The BA subsidiary flight from Joberg to WDH does NOT carry firearms, so I use Jan’s camp rifles: a suppressed .308 and a 8mm X 68 for Eland and Waterbuck. I don’t check any luggage- I carry on a single Red Oxx bag with 3 pairs of pants, socks, 3 Cabellas Safari shirts, underwear, meds and binos. I never have to waste time at baggage claim coming or going, and don’t have to worry about baggage theft. I use my I Phone for trophy pictures, and as you know Jan is an expert at posing trophy pictures. Having filled our condo with trophies from five African trips, I email my JPEG images to Costco, where they enlarge them and mount them on lucite backing. I save thousands on taxidermy and shipping charges, and my trophy pictures are ready within a week after arriving back home.


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Bud - I did a little keyboard work and looks like your BA route is as you say "invalid" now too. Only way to get to Namibia from London is via some other carrier to Frankfurt, Zurich or the middle east, into Jberg and in on SA Airlink.

Bottom line is - yes, you can get to Namibia. Will CURRENTLY require going some route either thru Europe like Frankfurt/Zurich or the middle east, UAE, Qatar, or Turkey and into Jberg and SA Airlink to Windhoek. Only Ethiopian Air offers the direct flt from Addis to Windhoek but not daily. As I mentioned, Jan's Sept 2020 leopard hunter did the Ethiopian route and said it was just fine. The service on Emirates and Qatar Air is reportedly so good, lots of guys say it's the only way they go to Africa anymore. They can fly business or 1st for just a bit more than the upgraded economy comfort Delta used to offer. On a positive note, all the carries are firearm friendly and just have to give them a heads up a week or two in advance that you'll be traveling with firearms and maybe fill out a simple form and email in. Inconvenient but not rocket science.

Jan does have a number of clients who want to go over this year, but still nervous about the Rona situation. Fully understandable of the trepidation regarding the Rona uncertainties. For me, I'll do the PCR tests, I'll wear the face diaper etc, and still go. I've already got an RX for hydroxychloroquine and will start that the week before I depart on each trip, an RX for doxycycline just in case, and some ivermectin I'll take once a week while there. After 28 yrs in the military and should have been dead a couple of times, I refuse to live my life cowering in fear of something that is 99.67% curable/treatable. At this point, the only way I'll not go, is IF proof of having the Rona vaccination is required. I personally will not take either of the mRNA gene therapies offered by Pfizer and Moderna. I will CONCIDER the actual traditional vaccine Johnson & Johnson is finishing trials on - maybe. Again, fully understandable if other's have a different opinion. It's an assessment that everyone needs to make for themselves - no harm, no foul in my view no matter what choices each person makes.

Yep, agree, Jan has some good quality and very accurate rental rifles and he is pretty meticulous about doing the photo set-ups and photos.

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Thank you for your detailed response to my question as well as all of your posts, experiences and write ups about Africa. You’ve definitely given me a lot to think about and with every one of your write ups you stoke the fire inside of me. Keep up the good work Sir.

Thanks again. 👍


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No worries.

I repeatedly say, if anyone has a desire to go anywhere in Africa, go now or as soon as you can. The countries are changing SO FAST. In some ways for the better and in other ways not so much.

I my personal view/opinion the biggest influence effecting most countries on the continent is CHINA and their seemingly free money they offer up to the various govts under their "One belt, One Road" programs is incredibly destructive. The destruction is not just limited to the environments and ecosystems from their mining and timber operations but also culturally and economically.

While I would hope those interested would go and support my friends' operations in Namibia and Botswana, I would still encourage anyone with an interest in an African safari to "make a plan" and make it happen, no matter where you decide to go.

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China is absolutely the greatest threat to African wild places and wildlife. They are simply vampires sucking the life blood out of Africa. Of course, when I posted that sentiment on Facebook, I was banned for a week for being xenophobic, even though it’s true.

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In 2014 my wife and I did a self guided, self driven safari. We went camping. . I [picked up a English language newspaper, In it it had a article about the building of the capital buildings. A Chinese contactor got the contract and they were bringing their full crew over. I was a carpenter, so I have a fair bit of expertise in heavy construction. The way to do it would be bring in skilled trade men but put a couple of helpers with each tradesman. Then by end of the job you would have skilled construction crew. Instead the Chinese brought over a full crew. sad


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Since this thread is about Namibia, I'll keep the examples of China's infiltration to Africa, limited to Namibia but what they do under their "One Belt, One Road" initiative is the same wherever they go.

1. The first wave hit in 2009-10 or so. The Chinese offered to build a cement factory N. of Windhoek. They "loaned" the Namibian govt the money with the stipulation that the govt would hire a Chinese contractor to build it, AND they had to allow 25k Chinese workers in to build the plant and operate it. In exchange, the Chinese would "train" the locals how to build it, operate it, eventually manage it and the Chinese would leave. Prior to this, there was not a single Chinese shop, store, restaurant or even an Asian face to be found in Windhoek.

Plant gets built, but now some 10-years on, the Chinese still own the cement factory, they still do all the management and the vast majority of the workers are still from China. Can't swing a dead cat now in Windhoek or most any other city, without hitting a Chinese shop, restaurant, market etc. The Chinese population has grown to over 250k in a total population of only 2.5m

2. Next project was the Namibian govt decided to build a new National Museum in Windhoek. It's now on top of the hill near the first church in Namibia. They hired a North Korean company to build it despite UN restrictions on NORK's doing international business.

3. The city of Walvis Bay on the Coast is a major seaport for container shipping as well as seafood. Mid 2010's, the Chinese offered to "loan" big bucks, a few hundred million US, to the govt to expand, improve and modernize the port facilities. The catch was, they had to add a military wharf and docking facilities etc and now the Chinese keep a frigate and crew based there 24/7/365.

4. One of the oldest, longest running and largest uranium mines in the world,, Rossing Uranium. was purchased a couple of years ago by the Chinese. It's located just E, of Swakopmund and Walvis Bay.

5. The latest "project" the Chinese did was renovate the Namibian Presidential house and grounds in Windhoek and the vacation home and grounds in Swakopmund.

6, It's also an interesting situation in there seems to be a direct correlation between the increase in Chinese in a given country (especially African countries) and the increase in poaching with nearly all of the animal remains ending up in China. Wonder why that is?


I have a small bank account in Namibia, it's easier to just wire some money over to my account and draw it out as needed instead of carrying cash. One day I was in the branch in downtown Windhoek waiting for a teller and a couple of Chinese guy come in with a briefcase between them. They walk straight up to an empty teller window and set the briefcase up and a teller magically appears. She asked them "how much today". The open the briefcase and say 2.38 million. IT WAS US DOLLARS!! I [bleep] you not!! The teller starts running it thru the bill counter like it was just another day.

This same/similar scenario is being played out in virtually every country the Chinese are doing their "One Belt, One Road" infiltration initiative. In Kenya for example, they "loaned" big bucks to the Kenyan govt to expand, improve, modernize the port in Mombasa and the rail line from there to Nairobi. A few years later, they Kenyan govt couldn't make their first "payment" so the Chinese said no problem, just turn the port and rail line over to us, we'll run it and give you a token percentage of the profit.

The "One Belt, One Road" [bleep] is not just limited to the African continent. They've done the same thing all over the world One Belt, One Road and the results are always the same. My one hope is that these countries would make a stand and tell the Chinese that because of what they did with the Rona and the economic damage its done to their individual countries, they tell the Chinese they intend to "nationalize" those projects (something communists understand) as reoperations for the economic damage they caused, and kick they all out of their countries. Unfortunately, it's not likely to happen as the payoffs to the various political leaders will just increase and the status quo will remain and Africa will continue it slow spiral down the drain.

I'm sure everyone who's been there a few times, has friends their have similar stories, regarding mines/mining, logging etc. That's why I say, if you can go, go now or as soon as you can. There are still beautiful and "wild" places to see and explore and hunt but, make no misstate, they are disappearing so "make a plan".


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Was messaging with Jan earlier this morning. They've been out and around the properties the last few days and he was very optimistic. He said the game counts are increasing and the game (and few remaining cows) are fat and slick. Still a few weeks left of the normal "rainy season" and as always, even in a good year, could use more rain.

He stopped maintain leopard bait sights at the end of the formal hunting season but is seeing good big tracks. He's got a few people interested in going for PG this year but the unstable airline situation is holding them back. Said as soon as he got a commitment on a leopard hunter, he'd start baiting again.

As of now, it looks like you can still get there via Ethiopian Air and several carriers/routes into Jberg and then SA Airlink into Windhoek. Delta is supposed to reopen their daily fts between Atlanta and Jberg starting 1 Jun. The upside is, it arrives Jberg around 2:45pm and that now gives you time to maybe make more connections out the same day instead of having to overnight. Downside the return flt makes a 2hr food/fuel stop in Capetown and then to Atlanta but still arrives before 7am so still pretty easy to clear Immigration/Customs and get decent connections home.

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At the end of January, I posted a couple of pics taken from the balcony of Jan's house, of the rain in the valley.

It's amazing what some decent rains over a few weeks time can change things so much.

[Linked Image from i.postimg.cc]
Sebra Hunts 3/19/2021

Last edited by M3taco; 03/19/21.
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In another thread on this forum, I had posted some pics of two leopard Jan had routinely hitting on baits last year (2020). He did have a client that came in in Sept (2020) just after the travel restrictions were lifted. Client was a repeat client who'd hunted PG with Jan several year earlier. This trip, he booked the 21-day leopard hunt.

He actually got two separate shot opportunities. The first one is this cat below. Photo is zoomed in a bit. Estimated distance was 200-220yds.

[Linked Image from i.postimg.cc]

Just a few days into his hunt, they were out early checking baits and they saw this guy out in broad daylight, albeit early morning, up on a kopje. You can see the cat was actually pretty relaxed. They stopped and watched each other for over 10-min. Client was using a 300 Win Mag and had ample opportunity to take a shot but declined.

Second opportunity came a few days later in a blind. A different tom was on the bait and they watched him for several minutes but again, the client didn't feel confident in the shot (75yds) and declined the shot. No pic of this cat but Jan was confident it was one of the two he had pics of on the baits a few weeks earlier.

Still has the tag for this year available if anyone is interested.

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M3Taco: Love the picture of the greenery just downhill from Jan’s ranch house. A few years ago Jan and I were loading up in his Toyota to start he mornings hunt. Jan told me to grab my .300 WSM and hurry to the patio where we eat dinners. There was an ancient male baboon drinking at the waterhole 273 yards downhill. I clicked 2 MOA on my Leupold scope, plopped on my belly and dropped him in the center of his chest. He dropped right into the waterhole itself. Jan urged me to hop in the truck ASAP as he didn’t want the water tainted by too much baboon blood. The baboon was so old he had virtually no canine teeth left, just nubs. He became Hyena bait that weekend.


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I leave July 17th for my sixth hunt with Sebra. When exploring airfare options British Airlines had more than tripled their fares compared to 2019 when I paid $982 all in round trip. Instead, I booked flights with Ethiopian Airlines for $1800 all in. The flight goes non-stop from ORD to Addis Ababas and after a brief refueling goes directly to WDH. Instead of 32+ hours flying through LHR, it’s 20+ hours gate to gate. Since I use camp rifles I don’t have to worry about the circle jerk checking rifles through Addis and I carryon my clothes and meds. No lost luggage concerns and first in line to go through Immigration and Customs in WDH.


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Jan’s hunter bagged a BIG Tom Leopard today.


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