Sample route for a Self-Fly Safari® – 2008

16-days

 

A  rewarding Self-Fly Safari® for pilots flying in Africa for the first time.  The essence of Africa in 11 exciting bush-flying days.

 

The route gives you a variety of environments and game viewing experiences. First is the Big 5 area of the Kruger National Park in South Africa; next the Tuli Block, a dry area known for its leopard and elephant;  then Victoria Falls seen from the Livingstone, Zambia side, followed by the game rich  Okavango Delta of Botswana and ending with another game experience in the Linyanti Plains. If you can afford the time, we recommend that you make a three-night stop at one of the destinations on your itinerary. Clients who have done so comment that the extra night at camp allowed them a respite from flying considerations, which otherwise can seem relentless. Every day, they’ve commented, you are either flying or planning for a flight the following day. Clients who have done more than one Self-Fly Safari® have invariably scheduled at least one three-night stop along their itinerary. In this itinerary we give you a 4 day stay in Johannesburg so the you can have one day to rest from the long haul flight, perhaps to recover from jet lag. There are many things to do in the Johannesburg area from visiting the Cradle of Humankind to learn about our earliest ancestors to touring SOWETO to hear about South Africa’s struggle through apartheid. All worthwhile tours.

This Self-Fly Safari® has been priced for the accommodations marked with a large asterisk *. Price for this  Self-Fly Safari®   is approx. $9,200 per person.  Exact quote will be given when booking is placed with us subject to Rand/Dollar exchange rate and lodges chosen. Price includes all accommodations; all meals, except only Bed and Breakfast where noted; all road transfers from airports or airstrips; National Park entrance fees, where applicable; and a rental car while you are at Lanseria.  It includes rental of a Cessna 182 dry for 22 hours (2 hrs per day for 11 days); Excess insurance (hull deductible); landing, parking, enroute, and approach fees, license validation fees, and dual flight instruction by the flight school supplying the aircraft for 1 pilot; an ATC briefing by a working controller on local airspace; Hanks Aero briefing, courier services, flight following by Hanks Aero and Cockpit Trip Kit and Advance Preparations Kit including charts, and airfields directory.

The Cockpit Trip Kit™ is an extensive and detailed flight planning aid. Use it also in the cockpit, enroute. It contains information on the airports or strips including photographs, suggested routes to your destinations, nav logs tailored to your itinerary, alerts on significant airspace, communication and nav aid frequencies enroute, reporting points, and other notes which are useful aids for pilots who've never flown in southern Africa. Further, it details procedures for operating in Johannesburg's own airspace. We go over the entire Kit with you in our own briefings prior to your departure on safari.

The Pilot’s Advance Preparation Kit includes a CD with ATC, tower and pilot transmissions to familiarize you with accents and phrases used. This is transcribed. Also in the Kit is an Airlaw book, an Airfields Guide and other preparatory material for your validation.

Not included: fuel for aircraft, which is approximately $3.50 per gallon, airfare to South Africa and return, curios, tips and drinks, items of a personal nature, and conservation or tourist levy fees charged at some of the lodges (about $1-$5 per person).

Day 1   - Arrive Johannesburg International Airport.  Met by Chris and Nick Hanks. You are transferred to the Toadbury Hall www.toadburyhall.co.za or * Hertford Hotel www.hertford.co.za  , Lanseria, on the outskirts of Johannesburg for 4 nights while completing pilot validations.  You'll get an introductory briefing along with your Cockpit Trip Kit™. You’ll have the rest of the day to look over the material.  (Bed & breakfast, transfer)

Day 2 – ATC briefing and tower visit; Instructor’s briefing; review cross country flight planning and airlaw written exercise; handling check ride.  You’ll get a chance to focus on some of the differences between flying in the USA and Africa.  Professionals do all the briefings. You’ll get the lay of the land and a taste of how ATC works (and sounds) in Africa’s busiest airspace.  Normally you’ll use the same aircraft you’ll take on safari and get a chance to see how it handles before your cross country. Optional tours for non pilots can be arranged with Chris to do various activities such as visit the Lesedi Cultural Village, Museum Africa, Origins Center or Apartheid Museum, Soweto, Sterkfontein Caves, Cradle of Human Kind,  Lion Park and Botanical Garden. Toadbury Hall (Bed & breakfast, rental car)

Day 3 -- Cross country and handling check ride.  We’ll try to schedule it for the morning.   Optional tours for non pilots.  Toadbury Hall (Bed & breakfast, rental car)

 

Day 4 – Paperwork to CAA. Briefings. Lunch with us followed by an extensive afternoon briefing.  . Optional tours for non pilots.  Toadbury Hall (Bed & breakfast, rental car)

Day 5. – Fly the African Bush – We'll meet you early at the airport to assist in your Self-Fly Safari departure. You'll sign out the aircraft, load it, check the fuel, top off the tanks, and take care of all the last-minute details.   Soon, you're away!

Day 5 & 6

* CHAPUNGU,  CHITWA CHITWA, SABI SABI, LONDOLOZI, SINGITA, KIRKMAN’S CAMP or UMLANI,  SOUTH AFRICA (north and east – 216 nm)

Private  airstrip, 2 nights - all meals, transfers, activities.

South Africa's game-rich Mpumalanga Province. You’ll fly over the Drakensburg Mountains and descend the Escarpment into the famous Kruger National Park area. The region’s rolling woodland bush and  grassland savanna. The variety of game is extraordinary.  They're all here: leopard, cheetah, lion, rhino, hippo, elephant, wildebeest, buffalo, giraffe, zebra, warthog, spotted hyena, impala, and more. Any of the below camps is excellent. All have good game rangers and service. Your day begins at dawn with an early morning game drive in an open landrover. Midday is spent on bush walks or lazing by the pool. After tea, an evening game drive. Londolozi and Singita are the most expensive lodges, while the rest are more moderately priced.

 

*CHAPUNGU CAMP –Thornybush ReserveChapungu is one of a number of lodges located in the Reserve. It accommodates 16 guests in 8 ensuite tents with thatched roofs. Each tent  is decorated in a colonial style with its own veranda. Tents are air-conditioned. Meals are taken in a group at the main lounge area. The elevated viewing deck at the water hole is a major feature of the lodge. www.thornybush.co.za

 

CHITWA CHITWA – Sabi Sands Reserve

Chitwa Game Lodge , located in the northern section of the Sabi Sands reserve,  is situated by one of the reserves largest lakes, allowing game viewing from the comfort of a lounge chair in front of their pool. Rooms are large thatched chalets with an African theme each with a lounge and deck. Chitwa Safari Lodge is smaller and caters for a maximum of 10 guests.  Its thatched chalets are smaller than at Game Lodge. Either place, the food is excellent and offers African and Mediterranean style dishes as well as more familiar fare. www.chitwa.co.za

 

SABI SABI BUSH CAMP – Sabi Sands Reserve

Bush Lodge is located overlooking a river plain and waterhole.  The rooms are large chalets with ensuite bathrooms, an indoor and outdoor shower and a patio. Each room has a view to the river plain. Great to relax mid afternoon because you might see an animal walk buy your room. Excellent food, great game drives. They also have 2 other lodges on the property which are equally nice. www.sabisabi.com

 

LONDOLOZI - Sabi Sands Game Reserve
Londolozi Lodge is world renowned for the "Big Five" and luxury living in the bush. For us, it set the standard: gourmet dining, excellent wines, service and comfort, and close-quarter game viewing. Set along the lush banks of the Sand River, Londolozi is comprised of three exclusive camps where the splendor of the bush melds with luxury living. Your accommodation is an air-conditioned chalet, with a private deck and a plunge pool, as well as indoor and outdoor showers. Each lodge has a lounge and dinning area, leisure deck, bar, swimming pool and boma for outdoor meals. www.ccafrica.com

SINGITA – Sabi Sands Game Reserve
 Singita’s game viewing vehicles traverse the same territory as Londolozi and the two lodges work together to provide guests with unparalleled luxury and game viewing opportunities. While Londolozi set the standard for comfort and luxury in the bush, Singita  raised the standard. Intimacy is the hallmark of Singita's style - exquisitely appointed double suites, separated into exclusive camps set in shady woodland above the Sand River. Each expansive suite ensures absolute privacy and features its own en-suite bathroom, open-air shower, double-sided fireplace, air-conditioning, private leisure deck, and living area, with views across the river to the plains beyond. Excellent cuisine and wine cellar. We have found nothing finer in southern Africa. www.singita.co.za

KIRKMAN’S KAMP  – Sabi Sands Game Reserve
Comfort, convenience, gourmet food, and unparalleled service are the hallmarks of KIRKMAN’S KAMP, – an original homestead built 80 years ago. The central lodge is decorated with paintings, old maps, farm implements, hunting trophies, and overhead fans reminiscent of an earlier time. Guests (20 maximum) stay in rectangular rooms with a telephone, air-conditioning, individual verandah, and private bathroom. Kirkman’s Kamp makes you feel part of a "Big Game" hunting safari, but this time you shoot with a camera. Excellent leopard viewing. Very nice. www.malamala.com

Day 7 & 8

* MASHATU GAME RESERVE  - TULI BLOCK, BOTSWANA (228 nm north & west with 1 fuel & customs stop) 

Limpopo Valley airstrip, 2 nights, all meals,  activities, transfers.

From Chitwa Chitwa, fly to the Tuli Block  -- an 18,000-acre private game reserve. Desolate to the casual glance, the burned sand and scrub is the domain of elephant, lion, leopard, hyena, eland, and other antelope.

 

*Mashatu Tented Camp or Mashatu Lodge: "Amongst the Giants - the elephant and baobab tree". Both camps are a 40-minute drive in an open land rover north from the airfield.  Along the way you’ll spot antelope, cross streams, and gaze out to the distant horizon. During your visit an experienced guide and tracker team will seek out elephants, lions, and the elusive leopard!  Walk the lush green banks of the Shashe River or arrange for a bicycle (with an escort guide to track other animals).  In camp, relax at a busy water hole.  Dine at set tables around a warm fire in the boma. As the night progresses – you may be treated to singing and dancing by the staff.  Retire to your twin-bedded tent or thatched chalet for a comfortable night's sleep..  Additional activities which do cost extra are horse riding or cycling  (fantastic experience) or special program on elephants, lion or cultural tour presented by specialist guides. www.mashatu.com

http://www9.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/wildcamafrica/
Go to this website to see live feed from a Mashatu waterhole.

Tuli Safari Lodge.  It’s just a short drive from the airfield where you’ll discover a lush, serene garden setting on the north bank of the Limpopo River.  An evening drive in a landrover reveals the contrasts between thick riverine growth along the river and stark rocky cliffs that give this area a hard-bitten feel.  Included here is a visit to a village.  An excellent tour given by the staff of Tuli who actually live here. They have a wonderful choir that sings for guests. Also excellent game drives and walks.   www.tulilodge.com

 

Day 9 & 10

VICTORIA FALLS, LIVINGSTONE, ZAMBIA -  (330 nm north & west to Livingstone plus 1 customs & fuel stop)

Livingstone Airport,

The world-renowned landmark of Victoria Falls offers a wide variety of activities from white water rafting, to shopping, to abseiling in from the cliffs above the Zambezi. Overfly these glorious Falls before landing at Livingstone.  On a one-night stopover you will just have time to visit the Falls before returning to the airport and flying to your next destination.  Two nights offers many more options, and is recommended. White water rafting generally takes a whole day. (Bungi Jumping, also an option here, takes seconds!) To view the falls you can walk though the National Park or cross the footbridge to the Zimbabwean side for another perspective. There are many craft shops to visit. Or, bargain directly with artisans on the street.  You can canoe on the Zambezi or take a river cruise and have drinks as the sun goes down. Other activities include elephant safari ride, horse riding in the nature reserve, tiger moth flight, fishing, or game drives. These are often booked separately once you get to Livingstone.

 

*ZAMBEZI SUN HOTELS

2 nights, Bed & Breakfast, transfers
For accommodations right at the Falls select the Three-Star Zambezi Sun or the Five-Star *Royal Livingston Sun. At either one you are just minutes walk from the thundering cascade known locally as Musi-o-Tunya (Smoke that Thunders).

 

SONGWE VILLAGE Lodge

2 nights, all meals, some activities, transfers

 Perched 120 meters or 400 feet above the Zambezi gorge just a few miles downriver from Victoria Falls is Songwe Village. Your accommodations are traditional styled huts, but designed with comfortable beds and modern amenities. A visit to Songwe Village focuses on experiencing the Falls and learning something about the communities in the area. Nearby is Mukuni village, where David Livingston met the present chief’s ancestors 150 years ago. A tour introduces you to the community. An oxcart trip will take you to the Songwe Museum to learn about evidence of early man in the region. If you prefer white water rafting, a day or half-day trip will be arranged. Great experience.  Wonderful staff.  www.kwando.co.za

 

RIVER CLUB, Zambezi River
2 nights, all meals, some activities, transfers.

The River Club is built in a colonial, Victorian-era style with individual split level chalets built on high stilts overlooking the wide, slow flowing Zambezi.  You’ll be met at the Livingstone airport and drive through town before turning west to follow the Zambezi River upstream 15 miles.  There’s plenty to do but it may be best as a tranquil setting and an ideal place to relax and watch the hippos and birds that live by the river.  A trip to the Falls can be arranged. Boat to islands in midstream, take a picnic, and have cocktails as the sun sets.  Horseback riding. Visit the neighboring African village. Go fishing with River Club’s expert guides. The “Club House”, where meals are served on the verandah, has a lounge, pub, and library.  A rewarding stop. www.wilderness-safaris.com

 

Day 11 & 12

*SHINDE, KWARA, CAMP KANANA, VUMBURA CAMP,  NXABEGA or STANLEY’S CAMP- OKAVANGO DELTA, BOTSWANA (175 nm plus 1 fuel stop south & west  into the delta)

Private airstrip, 2 nights, all meals, activities, transfers.

Next, a flight to the heart of Okavango Delta to one of the Delta’s exclusive camps. The Delta is created by a fast flowing river that gets much of its water from the rains in Angola. The river branches, slows down, and spreads over tens-of-thousands of square miles bringing life to the desert. Then it evaporates. It’s a river with no mouth. Your choice of camps.   Some camps have both a water and a land experience. Others have water only when the floods come to the delta usually by May. And still others have only a land experience. Game drives in open land rovers ensure the safe sighting of predators at a discrete distance, while a game walk with a Ranger makes one feel close to the African bush. Unique to a Delta experience is being polled slowly through reeds so close as to scrape the sides of a mokoro (dug out canoe), following a path made by a grazing hippo. The water isn't deep but it's alive with creatures of all sizes. Some benign, some not.  Another push of the pole and you glide into an open pool -- floating on a carpet of pastel lilies, bathed in sunshine, and silent, except for the ensemble of birds. The water is pure enough to drink. Lodge will be determined by availability and by your request. Please look at the below web sites to determine which camp looks best to you.  KWARA www.kwando.com , VUMBURA PLUS AMANY OTHERS  www.wilderness-safaris.com NXABEGA & SANDIBI www.ccafrica.com  or SHINDE & KANANA www.kerdowney.com   STANLEY’S, CHIEF’S & BAINS www.sanctuarylodges.com .

 

Mombo is the premier game viewing lodge in all of southern Africa. It is the most expensive, but it is well worth it. We do not usually book this lodges unless you request it.

MOMBO CAMP – Chief’s Island
Located just off the north-western tip of Chiefs Island, Mombo is the premier game viewing camp in all of southern Africa. There are large concentrations of game in that area and it is not unusual to see over 10 game species from the verandah of the camp.  It is well-known for its predators including cheetah and wild dog, besides elephant and the balance of the Big Five.  Game viewing is done either in a land rover or on foot as well as from the comfort of your room. Accommodations are in large tented rooms raised off the ground on decks with ensuite bathroom and indoor and outdoor showers. Excellent views over the plains from each room. 

Day 13 & 14
There are a variety of options at this point. You can extend your trip to visit more than just one of the below.  Each is in a different area and will give a different experience. You could stay at Lagoon Camp in the Linyanti Plains and then head south to Jacks Camp in the Makgadikgadi Pans. You would then return on Day 17. We have planned this sample to bring you back to Lanseria on Day 15. 

*Fly west to the Linyanti Plains of Botswana: (135 nm north) Private airstrip, 2 nights, all meals, activities, transfers.

SAVUTI LODGE – Savuti Channel, just North of Okavango Delta, Botswana
 Savuti Camp is a lovely tented camp in a rich game area.  Accommodation is in seven large walk-in tents with ensuite bathrooms. Each room is raised off the ground on wooden decks. The camp has a thatched dining area, pub and plunge pool, all on raised wooden decks. There is a waterhole close to camp and this attracts large numbers of animals that guests can view from the camp. Activities include game drives in open 4x4 Land Rovers, hides, night drives and walks with an armed guard. Game in the area includes all of Botswana's big game, and is one of the best areas in the country to see predators. www.wilderness-safaris.com

*KWANDO LAGOON or LEBALA CAMP,  Kwando River, just North of Okavango Delta, Botswana
Lagoon Camp lies on the shady banks of the Kwando River shaded by tall Ebony and Marula trees. Accommodation is in 6 Safari tents with ensuite facilities. Day and night game drives . A double deck  boat is also used for game viewing. Excellent area to catch tiger fish. Lebala Camp located a few kilometers away  is surrounded by the Linyanti marshes.  Accommodation is in 8 Safari tents with ensuite facilities. The area surrounding Lagoon and Lebala is home to large herds of elephant and buffalo as well as many antelope species. Predators such as lions, leopard cheetah and wild dog are in this area.   www.kwando.co.za

Or

SELINDA, LINYANTI PLAINS, just north of delta
A gem in the wilderness . A wonderful tented camp set over looking a flood plain. Excellent animal viewing for buffalo, cheetah and elephant.   Here you are  rewarded with one of the most serene settings imaginable – and game of all sorts that moved across your view. Small, intimate, and rewarding.  www.linyanti.com

OR/AND

Fly west into the Caprivi Strip of Namibia (Very close to Kasane Airport):

IMPALILA ISLAND LODGE  – CAPRIVI, NAMIBIA (40 nm west) Private airstrip, 2 nights, all meals, activities, transfers.
Nestled at the junction of four countries, - Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Zambia - and surrounded by the Zambezi and Chobe Rivers, is the Impalila Island Lodge. This is an ideal location for viewing animal and birds by boat or mokoro (dug out canoe) while cruising on the Zambezi or Chobe Rivers. In September, elephant herds cross these rivers and it is quite a sight to see. For the fisherman it is a wonderful place to fishing for the feisty Tiger fish.  Not far from the lodge is a traditional fishing village that can be visited to learn about the local people.  An open-air central lodge complements six en suite chalets with private verandahs and unique raised swimming pool with views of the flood plain. www.islandsinafrica.co.za

OR/AND

Fly South to 

JACK’S CAMP -- MAKGADIKGADI PANS, BOTSWANA (162 nm with 1 fuel and customs stop) Private airstrip, 2  nights, all meals, activities, transfers
The Makgadikgadi Pans Game Reserve – once a super lake -- represents something unlike anything you will see elsewhere (except at Namibia’s famous Etosha Pan). The Reserve is made up of two vast salt flats and surrounding grass and woodland savanna. It is not a regarded as a big game area. The area does support a large wildlife population but animal migration makes game viewing unreliable. A decision to visit the Pans should be prompted by a desire for a complete desert experience – including geology, archeology, and anthropology of the area. It is yet another face of African wilderness.

A complete desert experience and unique offering: explore the Kalahari. It’s geology and archeology, contemporary inhabitants and their dwellings, its wildlife, by day and night. By landrover and on foot. Old-school Africa tented luxury at the oasis. www.wilderness-safaris.com

HAINA SAFARI LODGE, CENTRAL KALAHARI, BOTSWANA  (105 nm south with 1 fuel stop)

Private  airstrip, 2 nights - all meals, transfers, activities.

The Kalahari Game Reserve is the second largest protected area in the world. It is a wide open, flat area with 4 major fossil river systems running through it and numerous lightly grassed pans.  It is here that Mark and Delia Owens lived when they  did their research on brown hyena and wrote the book Cry of the Kalahari.  Accommodation is in a lovely tented lodge just outside the reserve.  Your host is also a pilot and he is looking forward to welcoming you. Some of the activities will include a short presentation by the San people (bushman) on how they have survived  in this harsh climate as well as walks and  rides to see what the desert will show you. This is not a major animal viewing stop, but we have been told that lion are regular visitors to camp and herds of buffalo, zebra and other antelope can be seen. www.hainasafarilodge.com

 

EDO’S CAMP – KALAHARI, BOTSWANA (180nm south with 1 fuel stop)

Private airstrip, 2  nights, all meals, activities, transfers

Edo’s Camp is located in a 120,000 hectare game conservancy, in the western Kalahari Desert. This private sanctuary is home to six of Botswana’s endangered white rhino population, as well as numerous species of plants, birds and mammals, many unique to the region. Also resident are the true indigenous people of Southern Africa, the San, who provide a fascinating cultural perspective of traditional life. This remote camp overlooks a waterhole and accommodates guests in four two-bedded luxury tents set on decks and under thatch. Each tent is en-suite with shower, flush toilet and bath.

Daily game drives, together with a personal guide in specially designed vehicles, provide guests the chance of viewing many species of mammal only found in this desert environment. Other fascinating activities include walks with San bushman trackers or tracking white rhino on foot. www.kerdowney.com

Day 15
Return from Edo’s to Lanseria (429 nm south with 1 customs stop) 
1 night, Bed & Breakfast, transfer.          
We will meet you at Lanseria Airport, debrief you at dinner and return you for a good nights sleep at *Hyatt Hotel  www.or Grace Hotel www.thegrace.co.za  , Rosebank, Johannesburg suburb. Call home and tell them you are back in civilization!

Day 16

A chance to do last minute shopping at a nearby African market and repack your bags. Afternoon transfer to Johannesburg International airport for an evening flight home. Let the stories be told!