Abuja to Bangkok Flights

  About Abuja

The city of Abuja, overlooked by the dominating Aso Rock, is the capital city of Nigeria. Located right in the middle of the country, Abuja is a planned city that was developed in the 1980s. It actually managed to replace Lagos to be the new capital of Nigeria.

Best time to visit Abuja

Due to its proximity to the equator, the city of Abuja is hot through most of the year. However, out of the heat that you do face, they are pleasant and mild in some months in Abuja. The city also witnesses some moderate rainfall which adds to the humidity you might face. You will have to prepare yourself mentally concerning the heat as you will face a lot of it. The months January through July though, are pleasant. In fact, January to March is recognised as the best time to visit Abuja. The temperature is at a friendly 26 degree Celsius, and the humidity in the air is quite mild. This helps the tourism industry to attract more crowds. You will actually see a slew of tourists during these months as the mild temperatures are easy on the senses. Due to the peak season though, there is a surge in the hotel prices. You will find cheap hotels also spike up their rates during the peak season. Hence, it would be ideal for making prior hotel bookings to Abuja to avoid the last-minute surge in prices. The good thing is, the flight tickets are quite decent, irrespective of the peak season.

From May through August, you will witness a rise in the humidity level in the air. Even though the temperature is slightly mild, the humidity will make things a little difficult. Travelling within the city or engaging in tourist activities might become tough. You will have to constantly carry bottles of water and ensure that you stay hydrated throughout the day. The humidity will sap out all your energy. Avoiding these months would be the best choice. Unless you're okay with the excess heat, you should at all cost, not plan a trip to Abuja during these months. Instead, you can opt for the months of September through November. These months also see a moderate temperature where the humidity is also not too much. It would be nice to carry equipment such as moisturisers and bottles of water to survive in Abuja. But these mild months would be refreshing and paint a new colour to the vibe of Abuja. You can make prior bookings of flight tickets and accommodations in Abuja to avoid any excess cost. You might even receive some online deals.

Places to visit in Abuja

As part of your Abuja rendezvous, you can start your exploring by checking out the famous Zuma Rock. The rock is composed of gabbro and granodiorite. In the past, the Gbagyi tribe people used the rock to defend themselves from invasions and attacks from neighbouring tribes. You can take up trekking and hiking as an activity to reach the peak of the rock. You should also visit the National Mosque of Abuja. The beautiful structure has a golden dome and boasts Islamic architecture. It is Nigeria's national mosque and holds tremendous religious significance. It was constructed back in 1984 and is open to non-Muslims as well. Aso Rock is another interesting natural granitic rock that is situated on the outskirts of the capital city. Important buildings such as the Supreme Court and the Nigerian National Assembly are both located close by. Another beautiful mosque that you can visit is the An Noor Mosque. The place is quaint and quiet.

Things to do in Abuja

One of the best ways for you to spend your time in Abuja would be to hang out at the Millennium Park. The park is in proximity with the former Presidential Palace. It is beautiful and has the Zuma Rock in the background too. You can actually take a picnic basket and spend your time in leisure at the park. You can also indulge in a boating rendezvous at the Jabi Lake. The scenic landscape is sure to marvel you. You should also visit the National Children's Park and Zoo Abuja. It has some basic animals, including turtles, jackals and more. The IBB International Golf & Country Club is definitely another place that you should visit. The vast expanse is certainly a spectacular sight, plus you can also explore the golf course. Pack yourselves a nice lunch basket and head to Usuma Lower Dam for a lovely afternoon. The place is gorgeous and soothing to the senses, especially since it is not surrounded by the city's noise and bustle. You can also indulge in some waterfalls excursions. The Gurara Falls is one such place that you simply cannot miss. You also should go exploring at the Pedam Lake.

Food and restaurants in Abuja

Abuja's food culture is heavily influenced by the tribal traditions of Nigeria. You would majorly find a lot of dishes that celebrate the Nigerian cuisine and style of cooking. It would actually be a good opportunity for you to try out some exquisite authentic Nigerian cuisine. Their tribal dishes are a rage in the city of Abuja. Over the years though, they have managed to infuse much of their traditional cuisines with European flavours to promote tourism. You will find some lovely African meals favouring European-style cooking. The food culture is a trip on its own and you can make the most of it in Nigeria's capital, Abuja. You can start your culinary excursion in Abuja from the Salamander Café. It is recognised for its cool vibe and manages to attract a slew of native crowds. The quaint cafe offers not just extraordinary coffee but also books to indulge in while you sip on the beverage. The menu is also curated to serve the natives as well as the international crowd. You will find Indian cuisine also in Abuja as the city has the famous Wakkis, a restaurant that boasts Indian cuisine.

From murgh malai to tandoori chicken, if you are in no mood to experiment with the traditional Nigerian cuisine, then you can simply make regular visits to Wakkis. The staff is friendly, and the cooking styles are very indigenous to the raw Indian culture. BluCabana is an interesting restaurant that doesn't just limit to African food but also expands to Middle Eastern cuisine. You will find some exquisite Lebanese food as well as global cuisine such as sandwiches, pastas, pizzas, salads and more. The fish suya is a big seller which basically consists of grilled skewered meat that has been perfectly coated with aromatic spices. At the Bukka at the Hilton, you will find traditional African spread. The dining hall is a vast and beautiful spot which leaves enough room for the fresh breeze to pass through. Not to mention how the classic dishes such as oha soup, pounded yam, jollof rice, egusi soup, to name a few, can be found here. Other restaurants that you can check out are The Charcoal, Vanilla, Jevinik, Dunes Continental and Chez Victor.

How to reach Abuja

As the capital of Nigeria, Abuja enjoys great flight connectivity with other international cities. Abuja does witness some flight action as it is an important city. Although there are no direct flights to Abuja from Indian cities, they do have international airlines that accommodate flights to Abuja. There are many international routes connected to Abuja, such as from Addis Ababa, Kigali, Dubai and Cairo. However, Addis Ababa and Dubai are recognised as the most popular routes to Abuja. Airlines such as RwandAir, Ethiopian Airlines, EgyptAir, Emirates, Turkish Airlines, Lufthansa, Etihad Airways, Air France and British Airways have flight services to Abuja. Most of these airlines have layovers in their domestic cities. You do not need a specific transit visa when travelling to Abuja. A transit visa is only required when you are travelling from European cities. If you do pick Air France as your airlines to travel to Abuja, then you will need a Schengen transit visa. Similarly, the only other route to Abuja where you would require a transit visa is if you travel by Emirates.

The flight duration of Abuja is quite decent. It takes about 12 hours to 15 hours to reach the city. Flying to Abuja is the only way to reach the Nigerian capital. The flight tickets are a little steep. In fact, they actually start from INR 35,000 and from here, the graph only goes up. Since the flight tickets to Abuja are so pricey, the best way to go about booking a ticket would be to search for online deals. It comes in handy to find great flight deals online to Abuja. You will be surprised by the drastic drop in the ticket prices to Abuja with the addition of discounts. This means you will actually have to invest a lot of time to ensure that you get some good flight deals. You can also use this time to make hotel reservations as that would further reduce the total cost of the trip. These can be found online as various platforms and airlines have sale and discounts. Another way to go about this would be to use up your miles if you are collecting them. You might be eligible for some more discounts depending on the program.

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  About Bangkok Airport

Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport is often referred to as Bangkok Airport. It is one of the two major international airports that serve Thailand. Although Don Mueang International Airport was also recognized for its international flight services. However, the same was halted in 2007. Now the airport serves as a hub to low-cost airlines that connect in Bangkok. Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport is sprawled across 8,000 acres of land and is one of the biggest international airports in the Southeast Asian region. It is also a hub for aviation in Bangkok.

Suvarnabhumi Airport was originally chartered with limited domestic flight services. However, it soon started expanding to add more domestic and international flights. Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport is currently the important hub for Thai Smile Airways, Thai Airways International and Bangkok Airways. The airport basically serves as a regional gateway to several foreign carriers too. It has been recorded to be the 17th busiest airport in the world and 11 busiest in Asia. The airport has the capacity to accommodate about 60 million passengers in a year. There are over 95 airlines that operate from Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport.

About Airport Terminals

Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport has three terminals in total. Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 are responsible for operations of international flights. Meanwhile, Terminal 3 is focussed on domestic flights to cater to connectivity in Thailand. The two terminals are located right next to each other while the domestic terminal or Terminal3 is 500 meters away from Terminal 2. The distance between the terminals is not massive. The proximity often makes it confusing. The departure and arrival zones in the international terminals have dedicated immigration counters as well as check-in and baggage to make it easy for the travellers. The terminal's roof has been designed aesthetically with the use of structural elements and bays that have been placed in cantilevered wavelike forms. The airport is capable of accommodating an Airbus A380. There are two parallel runways at the airport with a total of about 120 parking bays for flights. The passenger terminal is recorded to capacitate about 76 flight operations every hour. An underground rail link station has also been constructed to connect the terminal with the city centre. Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport's terminal passenger terminal is famed for being the fourth-biggest building in the world, following Hong Kong International Airport, Beijing Capital International Airport and Dubai International Airport.

About Airport Authority

Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport is funded and operated by the Airports of Thailand Public Company Ltd. (AOT). The airport's body is responsible for six international airport ventures in Thailand. Four more airports have been added recently under its wing. The statutory body received recognition as one of the most valuable airport operators across the globe. The organization was established in 2002 after a consortium between private firms and the state-owned Airports Authority of Thailand. The Thailand government holds a higher share in the consortium with about 70 per cent stock. The Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport is the most profitable venture for the airport's authority with passenger statistics of about 63,379,077, as recorded in the year 2018. Over the years, the airport management has done a phenomenal job of efficient connection of the international airport with the city centre. They have also worked towards fixing some of the pressing matters to bolster the functions and efficiency of the airport in terms of safety and connectivity.

Top airlines flying from Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport

The demand for Bangkok in India as a tourist destination is quite high. Hence, there are several Indian airlines that operate from the Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport as well. In fact, the first flight to fly to the Bangkok Airport was a Lufthansa Cargo which took off from Mumbai. Some of the Indian airlines that operate from the Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport include Air India, GoAir, IndiGo and Vistara. They have direct connectivity and fly on a regular basis. Airlines such as Thai Airways and Thai Smile, which predominantly operate from Suvarnabhumi Airport also have direct services to Indian cities such as Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi Ahmedabad, Chennai, to name a few.

As an international tourist destination, the Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport also sees much air traffic from international flights. Some of the prominent airlines that operate from the Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport include Air Astana, Air China, Air France, Air Macau, All Nippon Airways, Asiana Airlines, Austrian Airlines, Bangkok Airways, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Cambodia Airways, China Airlines, Druk Air, EgyptAir, Emirates, Ethiopian Airlines, Etihad Airways, Finnair, Garuda Indonesia, Gulf Air, Japan Airlines, Jetstar Asia Airways, Kenya Airways, KLM Royal Dutch Airways, Korean Air, Lufthansa, Malaysia Airlines, Nepal Airlines, Norwegian Air Shuttle, Oman Air, Qatar Airways, Shenzhen Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Srilankan Airlines, Swiss, Thai Airways, Turkish Airlines, Uzbekistan Airways, Vietnam Airlines and Ural Airlines. These airlines cater to various parts of the world and have impeccable connectivity. There are reservations for cargo flights to function from the Suvarnabhumi Airport. They are Lufthansa Cargo, Cathay Pacific Cargo, DHL Aviation and Singapore Airlines Cargo.

Facilities at the Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport

ATMs and currency exchange - There are foreign exchange booths and ATM kiosks available at the airport. You can withdraw money or exchange to local currency to make your trip convenient.

Baggage - Baggage services are available with plastic wrapping and porter services. You can also find trolleys at regular intervals.

Internet and communication kiosks - There are internet kiosks that have established at the airport. You can get your work done while you wait for boarding. There are telecom desks where you can purchase local mobile SIM numbers to avail WiFi. Postal services are also available.

Restaurants and cafes - There are many food establishments and restaurants at the airport's terminals. The departure zone has a slew of joints, including ones with liquor and coffee.

Medical care - Medical rooms and pharmacies have been installed at regular intervals. You can make last-minute purchases of prescribed medicine, or you can get necessary tablets or toiletries.

Prayer rooms - Devoted prayer rooms and multi-faith corners have been established at all terminals. There are monks' reception rooms also available at the Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport.

Transit hotels - To make the passenger's experience at the Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport good, they have also installed an in-transit hotel. You can check-in for the few hours you need to wait and even rest as much as you can.

Spa and massage - The airport is blessed with good serviced spas and massage parlours. For in-transit passengers who need to take a second flight or who need to wait due to layovers, can avail this service.

Smoking zones - There are dedicated smoking lounges in the Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport. These are available at all the terminals' departures and arrivals. You can even purchase boxes in case you need it for the time being.

Special assistance – The airport also has professionals who cater to the special needs of passengers who fall under the category of senior citizens, expecting mothers and physically disabled. The professionals have been trained to help out the individuals by enabling a smooth transition of their check-in and boarding processes.

How to reach Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport

By Bus and car rentals

The Airport Shuttle bus operating from the city is another efficient way to reach the Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport. These buses have a direct connection to the airport from within the city, making travel cheaper and easier. Along with the buses, you can always book a ride to the airport too. There are five routes from the airport that have a direct connection with the Bangkok Airport. These routes connect from Bangkok's downtown as well as Chonburi Province, connections from North Bangkok and Bang Na Bang Pakong which stands at the South. The main entrance to the Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport though is at the Samut Prakan Province. There are elevated highways and flyovers which need to be used to reach the Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport. You can find a car and rental booking booths at the airport's arrival segment. Even the entrance to the airport has a dedicated taxi counter where you can book your ride to the city.

By Airport Rail Link

One of the best ways to reach the Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport opened in 2010 after much delay but has since managed to receive good passenger traffic. Called the Airport Rail Link (ARL), the rail is operated by SRTET which is a subsidiary of the State Railway of Thailand. The long 28.6 km gauge line runs at an elevation for most of its length. The link directly connects to the passenger terminal building off the Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport. The rail services start at 6:00 in the morning till 24:00. There are two interchange stations called Phaya Thai and Makkasan which run on different lines, also available. The future plans to expand the airport is also in talks where the Airport Rail Link plans to merge and complement the SRT Red Line commuter service. This way, you wouldn't need to change the metro links to reach the Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport.