Like any world traveler, going on an African Safari was always at the top of my Bucket List. Seeing Africa’s amazing landscapes and nature in its wildest, most raw form- everything about it just seemed incredible. In the beginning of 2013, I stumbled across a company that offered self-flying safaris through Southern Africa, and the idea immediately grabbed my attention. What could be better than combining two of my favorite things in life (flying and traveling) during one amazing journey? Over the next couple months I stewed over the idea, looked into the requirements and logistics… and finally decided to make it happen. The road leading up to the excursion wasn't an easy one, but I was, after all, checking off a major item on my Bucket List!
Before I could even think about taking off on my self-flying safari, I needed to validate my US Pilot’s License in South Africa. This meant traveling from Singapore to Johannesburg (via an extremely long layover in Mumbai), studying, learning a new aircraft, meeting the examiners and testing both on land and in the air. The tour company (Hanks Aero Adventures) sorted out all the travel logistics, finding the planes, booking the lodges, etc. There would have been no way I could have organized it any better myself!
There was a lot going through my mind at this point (now that things were finally coming together), and I started thinking about all the “firsts” that this trip included.
There was a lot going through my mind at this point (now that things were finally coming together), and I started thinking about all the “firsts” that this trip included.
-First time in Africa (OK, no big deal)
-First time going on a Safari (more exciting than anything else)
-First time flying in the bush and being totally, entirely disconnected from the outside world(YIKES!)
I’ve been flying planes for many years now, so I can confidently say that I know what I’m doing in the air. During this trip however, the flying was going to be entirely different. I was landing on dirt runways in the African wilderness where there is no cell coverage, no radar, no ATC and completely isolated from the outside world for about 2 weeks. Luckily, I was teaming up with a crew of 7 other pilots, some great guides and an extremely detailed itinerary with lots of contingencies. Finally my self-flying African safari began!!
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| Our Route |
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| Our Crew |
Comfort in the Kalahari Desert:
From Gaborone we headed straight for the heart of the Kalahari Desert… and what a desert it was! With no towns, roads, bodies of water or even a Starbucks anywhere in sight., the isolation had certainly begun!! We headed for our first “lodge” of the tour, which I imagined to be a half step above camping. When I landed the plane on Haina Kalahari Lodge’s dirt runway and we were picked up in a personal Land Cruiser, my expectations were immediately exceeded. The “tent” that we camped in (right in the middle of the game reserve) was the most luxurious "tent" I had ever seen, with running water, electricity, comfortable furniture and even clean, proper bed linens. There was even a satellite dish that allowed for access to the Internet! So much for isolation!
From Gaborone we headed straight for the heart of the Kalahari Desert… and what a desert it was! With no towns, roads, bodies of water or even a Starbucks anywhere in sight., the isolation had certainly begun!! We headed for our first “lodge” of the tour, which I imagined to be a half step above camping. When I landed the plane on Haina Kalahari Lodge’s dirt runway and we were picked up in a personal Land Cruiser, my expectations were immediately exceeded. The “tent” that we camped in (right in the middle of the game reserve) was the most luxurious "tent" I had ever seen, with running water, electricity, comfortable furniture and even clean, proper bed linens. There was even a satellite dish that allowed for access to the Internet! So much for isolation!
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| Not Too Shabby!! |
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| Home Sweet Home |
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| You Lookin At Me? |
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| A Typical "Sundowner" |
Amazing Wildlife in the Okavango Delta
We we landed in Botswana’s Okavango Delta at the Shinde Lodge, where again, I was completely blown away by the living quarters. Luxury tents, electricity/water and private viewing decks- the place was amazing!! What was even more astonishing was the wildlife that inhabited the area. During our game drives in the Okavango, we spotted every single animal that I was hoping to see. From lions and leopards to elephants and giraffes- Africa’s finest were all here! Thanks to my new Nikon camera (and my long Mumbai layover where I read up on how to use it), I got some amazing pictures from this leg of the journey. Looking back, I guess this was the real kick-starter for my newest hobby: photography. I not only had the opportunity to get some amazing shots, but many of the guides were also professional photographers- so they gave me some priceless tips as well.
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| There is no question of "Who is the king of the jungle" |
Zimbabwe, Zambia and Victoria Falls
We were warned ahead of time before arriving at Victoria Falls that we should stay away from Zambia’s border. If we happened to land in a country that has Yellow Fever, we would have to go through days of Yellow Fever health checks before being able to leave again. With a tight itinerary that didn’t include days in quarantine, we happily complied and landed on the Zimbabwe side of the border!
Soaring over Victoria Falls (doing aerial laps in our four plane convoy), we got the most amazing views imaginable. Paul and I took turns flying during this leg so that we would each have the opportunity to take pix and soak up the scenery.
After landing on the Zimbabwe side of the falls (in an actual airport!), we settled into the town of Victoria Falls and enjoyed the “city-like” change of pace. We visited the falls from the ground this time and fought the urge to walk across the footbridge that led into Zambia. Even from our stay at the Victoria Falls Hotel we had amazing views of the gorge and waterfalls, so I guess we didn’t need to sneak across the border ;-)
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| Aerial View of the Falls |
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| A Shot From the Plane |
Nature at its Wildest in the Limpopo Valley
After leaving Victoria Falls we headed for the Limpopo Valley. It seemed that every subsequent destination on the journey got better and better (lodging and safaris), and Limpopo certainly stuck to this trend. We shared the area with some incredible wildlife, including the largest concentration of elephants that I had ever seen. Living and moving in massive herds, we got some amazing up-close experiences (and photos!) of these colossal animals.
The Circle of Life
The most interesting, exciting and revealing part of our journey were the lions at the famous Mala Mala lodge. I imagine everyone who has gone on a safari hopes to see a lion, but our experiences completely blew me away. We not only spotted lions, but also had the opportunity to watch them hunt.
Every animal we saw during our trip was incredible. They’d wander, graze, drink from the watering holes and intermingle with the packs- but they were always on the lookout. You could visibly see the instinctive fear in every animal’s mannerisms, constantly watching and waiting to escape an attack. The lion was the only animal we encountered that completely lacked this primal fear; it is the top of the food chain.
Multiple times we saw a pride of lions stalk and attack a herd of water buffalo, and the experience was like something out of a movie. The leader would locate the prey, silently survey the pack and single out its weakest link (often the youngest or oldest). After pursuing and striking, it wouldn’t kill the animal, but injure it enough to disable escape. The pack leader then brought in the youngest of the pride to “finish it off”- both feeding and teaching them crucial hunting/survival skills at the same time. Not only did the lions single out and eliminate the weakest links, but perfectly trained their youngest while doing so; an amazing display of survival of the fittest.
In removing this ‘weakest link’, the lions kept the Circle of Life turning and wasted absolutely nothing along the way. After consuming as much meat as possible (their stomachs were literally dragging on the ground), they left the remainders for the next rank of animals. The hyenas would come in and tear the remaining carcass to bits, followed by the smaller animals, and finally the bone-picking vultures swooped in to clean up the scene. We saw one attack in the late afternoon and by the time we returned in the morning, the buffalo had been reduced to skull and horns.
One perfectly executed kill had removed a weak link, trained future killers and fed an entire chain of animals along the way- truly incredible!
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| All that remained from the weakest link |
Going Out in Style
Aside from the lions, the Mala Mala Lodge was spectacular for many reasons. It is in South Africa’s Kruger National Park and is often cited in travel magazines as one of the 10 best wildlife safari lodges. This was the ultimate finale for the trip, combining amazing wildlife with ultra-luxurious living quarters. The lodge was located in its own personal game reserve, built alongside a main watering hole, giving us front row views of incredible wildlife from right outside our bedroom windows- so cool! After our incredible stay and the final game drives, we headed back to Johannesburg to wrap up the journey.
From the flying and wildlife to photography and surprisingly luxurious living quarters, the trip was absolutely unforgettable. It not only checked off one of my life long dreams, but also confirmed that combining two passions into one trip is a great way to travel (something I aim to do with many of my future trips). I gained a new hobby (photography), reached new levels with my flight skills and saw some of the most beautiful/amazing animals, events, natural wonders and destinations in the entire world.
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| My Co-Pilot Paul and I |
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| The Big Five Club! |
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| A Swarm of Hippos |
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| The Convoy |
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| My First Dirt Landing Strip |
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| Signing Out From Africa!! |
