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code YY-SA1: Intensive self-pilot safari in Souh Africa |
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Mountains, desert and coastal flying 2004.
Highlights
Validate your licence, fly yourself in your own rental airplane, visit the Drakenberg mountains, the coastal plains, deserts, land on bush airstrips in game reserves, grass airstrips, stay in lodges, hotels, guesthouses, on farms, daily leg briefings, escort-aircraft and aircrew.
| Number of nights on tour: |
| validating pilots |
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minimum 11 nights |
| non-validating passengers |
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minimum 9 nights |
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| approximate total leg distance |
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1.700 Nm |
| approximate flying time |
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18 - 20 hours |
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| | Saturday
- Arrive Johannesburg International Airport |
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| | Meet
and greet and transfer to your country lodge on the outskirts of Johannesburg,
your home for the next three days.
Close to the Monte Casino complex and
shopping centres, convenient also from which to do short day tours. A good place
to relax and focus on the safari ahead.
16h30: group meeting, introduction and orientation with
African Aero Safaris who will be hosting your program
and tour over the next weeks. Schedule will be handed
out with details on license validation procedure that
will be staggered over the following days. Airlaw test
paper, discussion and reference material handed out.
17h00: briefing on African Flying conditions checkride
procedures, flight planning, met, reporting procedures.
Hotel Bed and Breakfast (BB) | |  | |
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| | Sunday |
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After breakfast, transfer to
Lanseria Airport.
09h00: Visit to ATC and briefing by chief ATC.
11h00: validation check ride concluded as required. Completion
of airlaw.
Deductible insurance and documentation arranged for rental airplane. Transfer
back to hotel. Dinner hosted by African Aero Safaris.
Hotel Bed and
Breakfast (BB) | |  | |
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| | Monday
- Buffer day | |
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Buffer day for completion
of any overflow validation procedures and processing by
Yyello Air of the validation documentation at the SA CAA.
Day
at leisure doing optional tours (Optional half and full-day tours, which might
include early morning hot air ballooning, horseback riding, a guided visit to
the huge black township "Soweto" to see how urban black people live
today in South Africa; tour a restored gold mine; visit Lesedi Cultural village,
or Museum Africa, or other offerings in the city).
Focus and planning
for the trip ahead.
Hotel Bed and Breakfast (BB) | |  | |
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| | Tuesday
- Wakkerstroom, Drakenburg mountains | |
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night, dinner and breakfast, transfers
leg distance: 150 nm
airstrip: dirt
It's an exciting day. This is what it's all about
~ an aircraft and the freedom of flying in Africa! We transfer to Lanseria, take
in some last minute "Pilot shop" purchases and load up our airplanes.
After a last minute briefing to discuss the routing, we takeoff from Lanseria
and head for overhead the Johannesburg CBD. We ensure we are in clear airspace
as we transition the TMA to the south, soon heading out over open country, undulating
fields below.
Now we are flying open airspace, no ATC transmissions required
as we marvel in the joy of flying far from home.
Some time later we see
low hills ahead. This is the famous Drakensberg Mountain escarpment, rising out
of the coastal plain and forming the highveld dropoff. From the north the hills
are benign. Not so from the south, where they are rising ground that needs close
attention!
Soon we are flying the valleys and viewing the open grassland
and forests below. We spot the tiny village of Wakkerstroom and look for the airstrip.
An improbable dirt strip across the top of a field, we position and land uphill.
This is what its about - unpaved strips, no radio aids, no markers.
We
transfer to the cosy Weavers Nest lodge nearby. Wakkerstroom is known for its
birdlife, historic battles that were fought between boer and Englishmand and the
Zulus themselves. Also trout fishing, hiking and horseriding.
Lodge
Dinner, Bed and Breakfast (DBB)
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| | Wednesday
- Wild Coast, Transke | |
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1 night, breakfast and dinner, transfers
leg distance: 300 nm
airstrip: dirt / grass
After a hearty breakfast, we transfer back for the airstrip.
We take off downhill and head out over the mountainous drop off toward the distant
coastal plains. En route we fly past spectacular forested mountain peaks giving
way to farmlands.
The Indian ocean soon comes to view and pretty soon
we're flying down the white sandy beaches of the Natal South Coast holiday resort
area. Landing at Margate for fuel, we stretch our legs and then off again for
the wild coast - so named for the difficulty in getting to many of the secluded
beaches in this lowpopulated area.
Here the land drops steeply into the
sea. We pass tiny airfields perched on top of the cliffs and we see the locals
collecting fresh oysters and other sealife along the rocky coastline.
Now
we land at Coffee Bay airstrip, unique to this resort only. We are met by friendly
black faces who handle our luggage to our bungalow, right on the crashing breakers
of the ocean. Tonight we feast on fresh seafood in the fresh sea air.
Hotel
Dinner, Bed and Breakfast (DBB)
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| | Thursday
- Amakulu & Shamwari Game Reserve, Eastern Cape |
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| | 1 night,
breakfast and dinner, activities, transfers
leg distance: 195 nm
airstrip: dirt / grass
Airborne again, we fly low level along the
coastline, viewing remote seaside resorts from the air, rolling hills and cattle
grazing to the interior. There are myriad un-named great rivers discharging into
the sea - in this area the Wild Coast also refers to the vicious storms offshore
- a watery graveyard for many ships…….
We pass by East London,
home to the British pioneer forefathers of South Africa - the 1820 settlers. Now
we descend and position to land at 43 Airschool, so named after the WW2 airforce
training base stationed there, where many British, Dutch and French pilots came
to train in those war years so long ago. Now home to a propering airshool for
all levels from ab initio to ALTP, we land on immaculate grass runway.
After
fuelling and looking around this historic place, we take off again for the last
short hop to our first real African Bush experience, landing at Shamwari (Zulu
for "my trusted friend"). Here we are collected by jeep for a ride to
Amakulu, a private 12 000 acre reserve which has all the endemic antelope species
as well as giraffe and zebra as well as the enormous rhino and elephant.
Time
to unwind and reflect on the exciting days past and ahead. Activites include game
drives, a river cruise, walks, canoeing or bass fishing.
Lodge Dinner,
Bed and Breakfast (DBB) | | 
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| | Friday
- Beaufort West, Great Karroo | |
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1 night, dinner and breakfast, transfers
leg distance: 200 nm
Airstrip: dirt / grass
Today we move inland and shortly after take-off we climb again
to clear the coastal mountain ranges for the dry, arid inland plateau known as
the Great Karroo. We route over Graaf Reniet, an historic place, continuing over
the Valley of Desolation for Beaufort West in the middle of the country. Here
the airfield is run by two brothers, who must be the most hospitable airport operators
in the world. Our overnight is in a quaint guesthouse.
Dinner, Bed
and Breakfast (DBB)
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| | Saturday
- Augrabies Falls, Orange River | |
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1 night, transfers
leg distance: 250 nm
airstrip: dirt / grass
Today
we continue over haunting arid hills with virtually no habitation to see. This
is the land of the hardy springbok antelope, numerous snake species and spectacular
sunsets.
The farms here are huge - up to 100 000 acres and need to be
- the land is dry and carries little sustenance for the hardy sheep livestock,
the only local farming to speak of.
We head for Pofadder, aptly named
after this notorious but beautifully marked snake. Now we turn to the north for
the green oasis belt of the Orange river, one of the great rivers in South Africa
and border between South Africa and Namibia.
The scenery is incredible
as we turn east with the sun behind us, lighting up the red cliffs falling into
the gorge of the rushing waters. Shortly after this we land at a private airstrip
on the edge of the Augrabies National Park, home to the famous Augrabies Falls.
We transfer with the local farmers to our bungalows in the park. Close
observation of the great falls and a night game drive, rafting and canoeing the
river is the action here. There is a central catering facility where we take dinner
and breakfast at our leisure.
Meals own account
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| | Sunday
- Kimberley, Nothern Cape | |
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1 night, dinner and breakfast, activities, transfers
leg distance: 235 nm
airstrip: tar
After getting airborne it is a short hop
to Upington, capital of this region. We land on a monster runway - …………long
for it gets up to 50 degrees C here and the runway was designed to get fully laden
Boeings airborne! We refuel and continue eastwards for the confluence of the Orange
and the Vaal rivers at Douglas.
We continue up the Vaal river for Kimberley
famous for a variety of reasons.
Home to the Big Hole, hand dug by the
diamond prospectors of the 19th century; birthplace of military flying in South
Africa and its airforce (second oldest after the RAF), site of famous and bloody
battles between boers and British, historic buildings and streets, beautifully
restored.
We overnight at a local guesthouse Dinner, Bed and Breakfast
(DBB) | | 
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| | Monday,
Tuesday - Madikwe National Park, Limpopo Province |
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| | 2 nights,
all meals, safari activities, transfers
leg distance: 250 nm
airstrip: dirt / grass
Now we depart for our Big 5 wild game location - the
100 000 acre Madikwe National Park. Home to Lion, Leopard, Cheetah, Rhino, Elephant,
Buffalo, all the antelope including Springbok and Impala, Hippo, Giraffe……you
name it.
We land on the strip and head off in open 4x4 vehicles for our
lodge, nestling in the dense bush. Care should be taken here if walking around
the camp at night - you may bump into a lion or elephant!
We go on a night
drive with our rangers and spotlight searching for the nocturnal game - eyes in
the dark, many night sounds we are not familiar with.
Finally a great
dinner in an open boma (reed encliosure with an enormous fire in the middle),
and sweet dreams to the haunting cries of jackal and hyeana.
"……..next
morning we are up early to see the spoils of the night. As dawn breaks, we follow
the spoor of the big cats, observe vultures circling and find the lion pride on
the kill of the hapless wildebeest - now only a mass of bones, meat, skin and
horns!
We watch in awe as these powerful animals make short work of the
carcass. Behind them lurk the hyeanas, the jackal and smaller carrion feeders
- everyone has their eating order…….."!
We return midmorning
to a hearty breakfast-lunch (brunch) and take it easy during the heat of the day.
After tea, we again head out on an evening game drive, stopping for sundowners
at a good vantage viewpoint.
Lodge Lunch, Dinner, Bed and Breakfast
(LDBB)
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| | Wednesday
- Homeward bound | |
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leg distance: 106 nm
airstrip: tar
Today we are a little
sad, our adventure is coming to an end. We take off and head for Rustenburg nearby
for fuel.
Then we press onward for homebase Lanseria where you complete
the airplane paperwork required, finally heading for your next journey - homebound
or possibly Cape Town - a worthwhile addition to complete your South African safari
tour. | | 
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Copyright © ., AMSTERDAM /
2010
2010
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