Self-Guided Flying Safaris
Our self-guided tours offer you the freedom to enjoy a flying safari at your own pace and over dates of your choice, while we take the hassle out of the planning and preparation for such a tour. We offer you peace of mind with flight monitoring or the option of a safety pilot that flies with you on tour.
The challenges of flying in Africa can be quite intimidating. Not only is the flying itself quite challenging, requiring a self-sufficient and confident approach. It’s the planning and preparation required for such a trip which is most demanding and time-consuming. Where to go, what to see? Best time of year? What route to take considering border formalities and fuel availability? Will that fuel still be available in a week’s time when I get there? How do I go about getting my licence validated? Where do I find the aircraft to do it in? The list goes on and on…
Yet there’s no reason why you shouldn’t do it on your own. Don’t let the hurdles of doing such a trip stand in your way of having an amazing experience.
WANTING TO BRAVE AFRICA ON YOUR OWN?
We can help. We can pre-arrange everything required for your adventure, leaving you with the time to concentrate on the flying itself and the knowledge that there’s someone on the ground to monitor your progress and to help in case things go wrong. Choose one of the standard routes or let us design one based on your preferences, and we’ll take care of all or part of the following:
- Aircraft hire and fly
- Arranges for the licence validation (if required, please see Validation page)
- Arrangement of bush flying course (if required, please see Bush Flying Course)
- Accommodation bookings based on your budget and preference
- We’ll plan a route considering border formalities and refuelling stops
- We’ll arrange all relevant overflight and landing permits
- We’ll check fuel availability
- We’ll work out approximate landing, navigation and immigration fees
- We’ll work out approximate fuel costs
- We’ll supply you with a tour pack for the entire route consisting of all relevant aeronautical charts, an airfields directory and frequency charts.
- Our tour pack will also include a flight log for each leg of the intended route, as well as flight plans for each leg; you’ll only need to fill in the time to file it at the relevant briefing office
- The day before departure we’ll sit down with you for an extensive pre-departure briefing
- Flight monitoring and ground support, using our aircraft satellite tracking; we can see whether you reach your intended destination each day, and the satellite tracker also has an SOS button which would immediately alert us if activated. Should the situation call for it then we would initiate search and rescue (without the search as your location would be known), lowering the chances of you needing to spend the night in the bush if something went wrong. We’re also there for advice and logistical support if required, and will generally keep an eye on any weather fronts which could affect your trip.
TAKING A GUIDE / SAFETY PILOT ALONG
Many of our previous guests have opted for the services of a guide / safety pilot. Not only is such a safety pilot proficient at bushflying and able to “step in” should things get a bit hairy, his local knowledge will help with radio procedures to the unintelligible ATCs, placating irritable border guards and airfield officials, and using certain “back-doors” that only locals of the area know about. He knows the ways of the land and the air laws. In a nutshell, he is there to make sure that things run smoothly.
POSSIBLE ROUTES / OPTIONS / COSTS
All tours are customized based on individual preferences, however herewith some sample tours to give you an idea of the various options and possibilities. Please contact us for cost guidelines of these sample routes.
