So far this week we’ve been to Mauritius for KES 48,000 and London for KES 45,000.
Both on cattle class.
Today we’re going to Brazil for $ 1,200 (KES 120,000) roundtrip on Business class.
DISCLAIMER: My travel hacks are not for the faint hearted or for Barbies looking for an easy way out, for cheap. It takes work and requires a hell-lotta patience, dedication and advance planning. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it. In my case for instance, it’s my second full time job (post for another day).
Okay, now that we have that out of the way…
Generally, if you buy a round trip ticket from Nairobi to Brazil say Rio de Janeiro or Sao Paulo for instance, you will part with not less than KES 180,000 for cattle class (that’s what I was getting at the time I was planning my trip).
I managed to do it with about KES 120,000 total from Nairobi round trip (with business class on the South Africa to Brazil sector).
That is, Nairobi to Cape Town, South Africa round trip on cattle class for $325 (KES 34,000) with Kenya Airways – (brief stop in Victoria Falls lakini hamna kushuka kwa ndege). Costs almost the same or slightly cheaper if you do Nairobi to Johannesburg non-stop.
Then Cape Town to Sao Paulo, Brazil roundtrip Business Class lie flat seats with LATAM Airlines non-stop for $825 round trip.
Total flight time for the South Africa to Brazil sector alone is about 17 hours so totally worth it if you can afford.
At the time of booking, there was also non-stop flights from Johannesburg, South Africa to Sao Paulo, Brazil for $545 (KES 54,500) roundtrip with LATAM Airlines but on cattle class.
Which brings total cost from Nairobi to Brazil to $870 (KES 87,000) if you do cattle class everything.
So chaguo ni lako.
Here are the steps:
Step 1: Get yourself a Brazilian visa waaaay in advance.
They will give 1 year visas which is perfect to give you ample opportunity to seize the deals.
If you have traveled outside of Kenya before, use your travel history to build a case for your Brazilian visa application.
This can be in the form of passport stamps and visas from countries in the Schengen area, US, UK, Canada etc.
If your stamps and visas are on an old passport, make sure to submit them along with your other requirements. Got my visa back about 5 days after submitting.
https://www.evamtalii.com/brazil-visa-requirements-for-kenyan-nationals-2020/
Step 2: Start following deals for the South Africa Brazil sector
Two ways to go about this is by:
1) Subscribe to Latam Airlines website for deal alerts and keep checking their website too.
https://www.latam.com/en_un/
2) Camp at the Secret Flying website
https://www.secretflying.com/africa-deals/
As soon as you find a good deal, book it. If available, book those that are the furthest out to give you ample time for step 3 below.
Step 3: Find your way to any of the major cities in South Africa (Johannesburg or Cape Town will do).
The key here is to book your tickets as early as possible. Fortunately, the options are endless. Check Kenya Airways, Rwandair or Ethiopian (nawachukia tu bure).
If you have never been to South Africa before, get yourself a visa and tour before leaving for Brazil.
If you’ve been before, no need to waste money on a South African visa. Just transit at the airport.
If you have a super long layover, there’s a hotel at the airport right behind the Johannesburg International Transfers desk.
Step 4: Enjoy Brazil !
P.S.
Xenophobia is real guys especially if you’re a beautiful female traveling solo.
The sons and daughters of Mzansi grilled me for nearly 1.5 hours till I nearly missed my flight to Brazil.
They couldn’t understand how and why a beautiful girl like myself was going to Brazil by herself yet the furthest they’ve gone is to Soweto.
So here are some tips for a smooth experience:
- Make sure to have a print out of your entire itinerary for the time you’ll be away. I was going to be in South America for 2.5 weeks.
- Carry a print out of your latest 3 months bank statement, credit card statements, + any cash you have on you.
Carry print outs of all your air tickets, travel insurance, any booked tours, accommodation, etc. - Even if you don’t get the deals, it’s still far much cheaper flying to any of the South American countries from South African than straight from Nairobi.
Ni hayo tu kwa leo.
Happy travels!!!
