You will need two sets of tickets. Assuming you are arriving from the USA, the first set of tickets will be international flights to get you to Tanzania. You will have to acquire those yourself. International flights usually arrive into Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
From Dar to Kigoma you will need to have a domestic flight to bring you to Kigoma
The first tickets you will need are to get you to Dar es Salaam, which is the largest city in Tanzania. You will need to make the bookings and arrangements for this set of tickets yourself. However, we will provide information below to help you.
The second tickets you will need will be on Precision Air from Dar es Salaam to Kigoma (a distance of about 650 miles). Precision Air is a regional airlines and is well established with a good reputation. We can book and purchase these tickets on your behalf and have them waiting for you in Dar es Salaam. This ticket costs about US$300. for a round-trip ticket: Dar-Kigoma-Dar. These tickets are difficult to purchase overseas and are more expensive if you do so. You can put money on account with our USA office for us to handle this for you.
Getting to Dar es Salaam
Several major airline fly into the capital of Tanzania -- Dar es Salaam. These include British Air, KLM, and Swiss Air. Getting tickets at good prices is a major concern for most of our guests. If you deal directly with airlines you will probably be paying more than you should -- in some case MUCH more than you should.
Here are some hints to getting good prices:
1. Deal with a specialty agent who books mission trips. Some airlines offer their lowest rates exclusively for mission workers and volunteers. You will only get these rates from one of the travel agencies that have special arrangements with the airlines. As a Joy in the Harvest volunteer, you qualify for these rates.
2. Book early. An eleven month lead time is good. There are a very limited number of the cheapest seats on each flight. They go fast. Book very early and get one. You can hold the cheapest seats with a reservation without paying up front for it. Just get your seat reserved very early to save money.
Here is information on two good sources of cheaper tickets. We recommend you check with both of these sources to get the best price.
SIAMA
They are located in the Netherlands. Most of your communication with them will be via email. They are reliable but usually it takes several days for them to answer your first email. It seems that they do most of their bookings with British Airways, which many people enjoy. E-tickets (electronic tickets) are often provided which means you don't need "paper tickets" to fly. This save the cost of sending paper tickets via Fed-Ex to you.
Contact SIAMA
Email: Siama@Siama.antenna.NL
Website: http://www.siama.nl/address.htm
Telephone (from USA): 011-31-71-516-35-35 or 011-31-71-516-35-45
Fax (from USA): 011-31-71-516-35-37 or 011-31-71-516-35-47
INTERMISSION WORLD TRAVEL
Located in the USA. They sometimes recommend that you travel with a letter from us identifying you as a mssion volunteer. We are happy to provide this letter for you. None of our guests have ever been asked for it, however.
There contact information is:
InterMission World Travel
2752 Pleasant Road
Suite 102
Ft. Mills, SC 29708
Office Telephone: 803-802-7227
Toll Free: 800-262-5004
Fax: 803-802-7411
OTHERS
There are other sources of cheap tickets. The internet is sometime a good place to check. Raptum Travel and others are well known in this niche market. If you find a source that you feel is good, we will appreciate knowing about it to include it in this section of our website. We have had travel agents tell us that the above mentioned sources provided tickets cheaper than any deal they could find. If you find a better deal, let us know!