In June 2017, we flew to South Africa. In Johannesburg, I converted my FAA license to South African PPL license, we rented a great Cessna 182 to fly around in a group of 8 airplanes. The map to the right shows our itinerary - the magenta lines and airports symbols show segments and airports of our self-fly Safari.

After passing the practical test and getting a bit familiar with local flying, we flew first to a private lodge in the Kruger National Park, landing at a dirt strip near the lodge. After few days of safari, we continued to Kruger International and than to Zimbabwe, spending time at Lake Kariba and Victoria Falls. Our next destination was Okawango Delta in Botswana, before returning to Lanseria airport in South Africa.

After spending few days in Cape Town, we flew to Windhoek, Namibia, rented a car and drove to see the famous dunes in Sossusvlei. Although I managed to catch a scenic flight there, I most certainly want to return to Africa and fly all of the Namimbia coast myself, as well as see Mozambique from the air.

If you are interested in reading more about our trip, please check out my blog

Our second trip to Africa in 2019 was even more spectacular. Starting again in Johannesburg, we followed Mozambique coast stopping at Bazaruto Island and at Ilha de Mocambique, before continuing to Zanzibar, Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania, and Serengeti. We saw mountain gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable Park in Uganda and chimpanzees in Mahale Park in Tanzania, and finished in Mombasa, Kenya.

We were in a group of four aircrafts and had some interesting adventures, including mechanical troubles with starters and magnetos, loosing a fuel cap, engine failure over middle and Tanzania and escaping from Arusha, near Kilimanjaro. Please visit my blog to read about our adventures.

Our third trip to Africa in 2023 brought us back to Namibia, which is visited by car in 2017, this time by airplane though. Starting again in Johannesburg, we flew to Botswana and stayed in Euphoria Lodge in Mashatu, continued to Okawango Delta and Shinde Lodge. We entered Namibia in Rundu and stayed in the Etosha National Park, in Onguma the Fort.

The main goal for the flight was Namib desert and we started exploring it by flying North, to a secluded Serra Cafema lodge located at the Kunene river, at the border with Angola. From that point on, we followed Atlantic ocean coast southbound, stopped first at the Hoanib Skeleton Coast Camp, and finally the main destination, Sossusvlei and the gigantic Namib dunes. It hard to imagine that scenery, you have to see it with your own eyes and keep telling yourself you are sill on the planet Earth. Please watch this short video below to get a glimpse of it and visit my blog to read about our adventures.