Up north, we're hearing some exciting rumors about Uganda opening to full scale safari hunting as soon as next year. Yes, there has been a small, experimental hunting program here for years, in a relatively small concession along the south side of Mburo National Park. It's run by an outfitter named R Matama. The new development, if what we hear is correct, will be much larger, encompassing huge swaths of territory.
We just don't know any more than that right now, but we've been promised the chance to spread the good news first. So, stay tuned....
Finally, last month we suggested that Air Namibia might be a good airline to use to get to southern Africa now that South African Airways has converted its planes into excruciating cattle cars (Go to www. huntingreport.com and click on our web forum called "SAA On The Hot Seat" for more details). Not so fast, was the feedback from booking agent Tony da Costa of Safari Headquarters. Tony da Costa was an airline executive before he became a booking agent, so his observations are well worth noting.
He says he has found Air Namibia "in disarray" when he has called, plus he laments the fact that Air Namibia has virtually no add-on airfares - that is, special fares all the way from one's home town to his final destination. Furthermore, da Costa says Air Namibia is a small airline with a limited number of aircraft. This causes it to have to cancel or delay flights.
"In hunting, flight reliability is of utmost importance," da Costa points out, noting flight delays and cancellations that cause missed hunting days are very expensive. "Air Namibia could be an alternative to South African Airways, but at the moment, they operate on a shoe string, and do not have back-up aircraft in the........(continued)
