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Every February, thousands of swimmers make the journey to the KwaZulu Natal Midlands to take part in what is the world’s largest open water swimming race.  This is the Midmar Mile. Named for taking place in the Midmar Dam and being a mile long, the race is open to everyone from professional swimmers to those who swim just for fun. The annual event attracts many tourists either participating or just cheering on the swimmers taking on the gruelling swim.

Flights to the Midmar Mile

Anyone is eligible to enter into the Midmar Mile race, provided that they qualify. Participants come from far and wide for their shot at glory. International participants can fly into South Africa. Many international airlines have a host of scheduled flights into and out of the country. Guests can land at one of the international airports and take a local flight to the Pietermaritzburg Airport. Car rental is a good option to get around within Pietermaritzburg and to ensure that travellers have reliable transport to get to the race for their groups start (all participants do not start the race at once. There are simply too many contestants so they are instead sent out in groups in timed interval courses). Durban houses the nearest international airport to the race and if contestants are flying in here, they can also hire out a vehicle and travel to Pietermaritzburg. It is about an hour’s drive. If swimmers have the time then they can also spend some time in the Midlands region and take in some of the spectacular scenery and the cultural tourism route the area is famous for. If this is an option then it should be considered when booking Midmar Mile flights so ample time is allocated for a mini holiday.

Booking Midmar Mile Flights

First off, travellers to the race would have to find the perfect Midmar Mile flights to fit their itinerary. To do this and to get an idea of prices and dates from all of the airlines (from Kulula to Mango) which will offer Midmar Mile flights, it is best to visit an aggregator site. Here, you would just have to enter in the following details to find flights to the Midmar Mile

• Airport – this would be the airport you would be travelling from for Midmar Mile flights and the destination airport. The arrivals airport could be either King Shaka International Airport or the Pietermaritzburg Airport.
• Dates – the departure date should be chosen so that the participant has enough of time to relax or prepare for the race in Howick. Howick is the town in which the Midmar Mile race takes place.
• Ticket class – most local flights do not have this option as they are low cost airlines which have a standard economy class seating. However, carriers such as South African Airways will have this option available for customers.

Once you have found Midmar Mile flights that suits you perfectly, you may proceed to book that flight.

The general booking process is as follows

• Choosing the flight for departure and return – remember to factor in time if you want to spend some extra time in Howick.
• Adding any extra items – extra items to add to the flight would be extra luggage, insurance or to pre-select a seat. Most airlines give a fair amount of carry-on and check-in luggage but if additional check-in luggage is need for Midmar Mile flights, then this can be bought for an additional fee. Insurance is not necessary but if customers would like some sort of security in case of lost/damaged luggage or flight delays then this is an option to consider. Finally, there is the option to pre-select a seat on most airlines so that the customer can confirm a seat in a section of the plane that they are comfortable with and not have to gamble that they might get it during check-in.
• Making payment – payment for Midmar Mile flights can be made a number of ways and depending on the airline chosen it could be EFT, credit cards, online payment, and loyalty points among others.
• Receiving booking confirmation number – this is the unique number that will be used during check-in.

Booking can also be done by visiting an airlines ticket sales office or by calling them directly at their call centre. The online option is most preferred because of its convenience and that there are no closing times.

Midmar Mile Flight Specials

• For the cheapest way to fly to Durban, participants should be on the lookout for Midmar Mile flight specials. These are flights that cater for the time around the race. Midmar Mile flight specials could also consist of car rental and accommodation which would have all of the travel logistics of going to the race arranged in one go.
• The Midmar Mile flights start going on offer months in advance. To secure a seat on these flights to the Midmar Mile, early booking is quite essential. To be in the loop, airlines should be followed on social media or their newsletters subscribed to. This way once Midmar Mile flight specials are put out you would know immediately since this is where the information would be put out first. Even if you do follow their social media outlets, this is not a guarantee that you would see the posts immediately. This is why the newsletter is important as well.
• If there would be a group travelling that needs cheap Midmar Mile flights then it would be wise to contact an airline such as Kulula directly for the group booking rates.
• For the best Midmar Mile flight specials, be wary of when the booking is done for. Flights are most expensive on Fridays to Sundays and mornings and afternoon the rest of the week. These are their busiest times so naturally, prices are hiked up.
• Students or pensioners participating in the race can make use of their respective discounts for reasonably priced Midmar Mile flights from Kulula Airlines. Student cards for students and Identity Documents for pensioners will need to be provided as a form of proof.