Getting to Tanzania
Flying Qatar Airlines from SFO was mostly a good experience (the in-flight food was pretty good!) but be aware: If you have a domestic connecting flight service by a partner airline (Alaska Airlines for us), that means you indeed go and check-in (luggage and all) via the domestic partner terminal. For SFO that means even though we were ultimately flying internationally, we had to start our journey at the domestic terminal.
From SFO we were off to LAX for a short layover and plane switch to a Qatar plane. From LAX we headed on our 16 hour flight to DOH (Doha, Qatar). The DOH airport was quite accommodating, but de-planing involved exiting via stair ramps and getting onto shuttle buses to head to the main terminal. Even at night, it was a muggy 90+ degrees F outside! Using Priority Pass (Credit card perk for Chase Sapphire) access to the Al Maha lounge was an important part of our trip, as we had a 6 hour layover on the way there, and a 9 hour layover on the way back. The Al Maha lounge is well equipped with some light snacks, drinks, plenty of seating, limited sleep areas, family areas, bathroom and shower facilities. We planned to use the shower facilities and this was definitely the right choice, especially on the way back. I was also able to pickup an extra memory card (which I did use!) at the plentiful (and 24 hour) shops in the airport. Eventually we jumped on our plane that would take us to Kilimanjaro (JRO) via Dar Es Salam (DAR).
JRO is a relatively no-frills airport, de-planing involved stair ramps again as we were ushered to immigration to fill out paperwork and show our visas (previously obtained via their online service). One thing to note, as you fly into and out of JRO, checking in early or even paying extra to pick your seat will allow you to potentially find a seat on the side of the plane that has impressive views of Kilimanjaro as you fly over it!
After making it through immigration and successfully gathering our checked bags, we met our Guide from Easy Travel, Claus, and we were off to Arusha! (1+ Hour drive) Before heading to our lodging in Arusha (Kibo Palace Hotel), we stopped by Easy Travel headquarters to meet our trip organizer, Lizbeth for an orientation. Arusha is a bustling city and if we had more time, I would have loved to spend some time in the city to engage and learn more about the culture and life in the regional capital. But as it worked out for us, it was limited to a calm evening before we began our Safari journey the next day.
