Popular Airport | Melchior Ndadaye Intl. Airport |
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Popular Airlines | |
Approximate Flight Duration | 6 hour 20 min |
Approximate Travel Distance | 5138 Km |
You can reach Quaid–E–Azam International Airport from Karachi city center by using a bus or minibus. However, using a means of public transportation can make you lose time even though it is the most affordable transportation alternative. If you decide to use a faster transportation vehicle, you can get on a taxi. Renting a car is another option.
There are many car rental companies offering service in the city center. Most of them are local companies. In Pakistan, traffic is generally heavy and complicated. For this reason, tourists are advised to rent a car with a driver by contacting a reliable company. You can get help from your hotel about this issue before your travel. You should drive on the highway N5 and take the Jinnah Terminal Road in order to reach the airport. You can get to Quaid–E–Azam International Airport in about half an hour under normal traffic conditions by following the airport directions.
It is possible to reach the airport in approximately one hour by getting on an airport bus in the city center. One-way ticket price of these buses is 50 Pakistani Rupee per passenger. There are also minibuses carrying passengers to the airport from the city center. These vehicles are cheaper but tourists may be charged higher amounts. In addition, minibuses are very crowded. For these reasons, buses are more preferred by foreign visitors.
Travelling to the airport from the city center lasts about half an hour. You should bargain over the fare before getting on any taxi. The cost of travelling to the airport from the city center is about 300 – 500 Pakistani Rupee.
Quaid–E–Azam International Airport, which is known as Jinnah International Airport shortly, is located 14 km east of the city center. There are foreign exchange office, ATMs and baggage rooms at the airport. In addition, there are restaurants and cafes where you can try local tastes as well as the delicacies from the world cuisine. You can do shopping at the stores where you can find various products specific to Pakistan like carpet and rugs. There is also a duty-free shop at the airport. There is a mosque near the airport parking area. Although there is not any hotel within the building, you can stay at Ramada Plaza Hotel located 1 km of the airport.
Bujumbura International Airport, located in Bujumbura, the capital of Burundi, is also the only international airport in the country. Local language and French are often spoken in the city. The number of English speakers is very low. For this reason, if you plan to stay in the city for a long time, you are recommended to learn some words in French or in local language that would help you in the daily life. After landing to Bujumbura International Airport, you can travel to the center by taking one of the taxis located just outside the terminal. Taxis are usually easily found in front of the terminal. If there are no taxis, you can ask for support from the information desk at the airport, rent a car from the terminal, or use a shuttle to get to the center.
It is generally not difficult to find a taxi in Bujumbura International Airport. After landing to the airport, you can get out of the terminal and take one of the Bujumbura taxis waiting in front of the terminal. Traveling to the center by taxi takes only a few minutes and the amount you need to pay would be equal to around 20 American dollars in local currency. If you need to travel to farther destinations within and around the city, the fare would be more than this based on the distance. If you are going to a destination far away from the airport and want to know in advance how much you would pay, you can talk to the taxi driver and try to negotiate at a certain price.
There are also alternatives in and around Bujumbura International Airport for those passengers who would like to rent a car. The complicated traffic in the city is a fact that you need to consider if you opt for renting a car. Driving in the city is usually very difficult and complicated as people usually do not follow the traffic rules. However, if you still go for renting a car, you can increase your chance to find a car as soon as you land at the airport by booking online in advance. You can follow the signs showing the Bujumbura city center after exiting the airport and be in the city center just in a few minutes. The difficulty of finding a car park in the city center is also another negative side of renting a car. You need to make sure to find a safe place to park your car in the crowded and complex environment of the city.
Small vehicles that have space only for the driver and one or two passengers are known as tuk-tuk and are frequently used in the city. You can find a tuk-tuk near the airport and come to the city center with these means of transportation. Tuk-tuk fares may be a bit more affordable compared to the taxis, but they do not offer a wide space or baggage to carry your suitcases. Tuk-tuk stands out as an alternative which you can use especially when you need to get to a place in the city from another quickly.
Another fast and practical means of transportation to get to the center from Bujumbura international airport is the private shuttles which are usually used by foreign tourists visiting the city. While you can find offices of private shuttle companies at the airport, it is also possible to book online in advance. With the private shuttles you can reach wherever you want in the city after leaving the airport. The fares of the private shuttles that carry passengers to the center from the airport vary according to factors like the season of the journey, number of the passengers and the distance travelled.