This is Part 1 of a several part series documenting our trip to Tanzania for another ‘once in a lifetime’ Safari which includes destinations like Qatar, Arusha, and a hot air balloon ride over the Serengeti.
Our trip started out with us in the British Airways Lounge which is included in the Business Class ticket for Qatar Airways.
This was our first time flying with Qatar and we were very excited based on the reviews we have seen. We picked window seats, as I was hoping to see Doha on arrival. On the return home, we changed to the QSuite in the center. For a couple traveling together, this is by far the best choice. We regretted not choosing this for the first flight.
All of our flights departed on time and the food and service was amazing! By far, this was the best airline experience we have had. We were hoping it would continue on our future flights.
We landed in Doha at the Hamad International Airport (DOH) in the late afternoon and would be spending the night in the Sharq Village and Spa Hotel. We made our way through the airport to meet our driver and were shocked at the heat and humidity outside. All of the parking spaces had awnings covering them, I assume due to the scorching sunlight.
I walked less than 100 yards to the car and was sweating. We can’t recall ever being in this type of climate. Once in the comfy air conditioned Audi, we were on our way. The hotel is only 15-20 minutes from the airport.
Upon arrival, we were shown to our room. It was very clean and nicely decorated. It was a partial ocean view room on the 2nd floor. I was excited to get some pictures of the property, but the second I took my camera outside then lens fogged up immediately. I didn’t want to damage it with moisture issues, so i put it back in the bag and used my iPhone. Even it fogged up! I took as many pictures as I could before the humidity won. We went back to the room and changed for dinner.
The next morning, we woke up eager to continue our trip. It was time to go to Tanzania. I took a look out the bedroom window and it appeared very hazy. I grabbed a quick picture and packed up. We then ate breakfast, checked out, and took our cool air conditioned ride back to the airport. We arrived at the Qatar Premium check-in lounge. This lounge was dedicated to first class and business class travelers. There was no line, so we made our way directly to the counter and checked in for the flight.
We headed to the gate and eventually the time arrived to board. 7 hours later and we were landing at the Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) in Tanzania.
Qatar Airways aircraft have some awesome cameras to watch in flight. Its really neat to watch the take-offs and landings. Here is a video I made of both.
Take a look below for our next post on our trip to Tanzania.