Review - African Big Five and Ocean Safari 2004

(Article by Karl Jenssen - From African Pilot June 2004)

Springbok flying safaris invited me to fly with Flippie Vermeulen in their classic round-engine DC 3 ZS-GPL on an amazing seventeen day exclusive flying safari at the beginning of March 2004.

Our cabin attendant was Estelle Raath who comes from a true aviation family. She served as a senior cabin attendant at SAA, is a Springbok Classic Air’s Chief Cabin Attendant, and adds a touch of real class to any flight. Married to Lorrie, an A340 Training Captain at SAA and a highly experienced DC 3/4/6 pilot. Their daughter too, is an Air Hostess at Emirates. The passengers were a group of American aviation enthusiasts and their wives who, between them, own a lot of airplanes, including no less than five Grumman Mallards, seven Grumman Albatross’, many Stearmans, two Super Stearman Speedmails, a Beech Bonanza, a Piper Pawnee (for glider towing only!), a Beech T-34, a Beech 18, several T-6s, a Ted Smith Aerostar, Cessna 182s, several gliders, four Citations, a Lockheed DGA, a Ryan PT-22 and an Excel. The owners of this formidable fleet of airplanes are a wonderful bunch of unassuming folk who are obviously big time achievers and thoroughly enjoy classic airplanes.  The flight planning for the safari was a daunting task with five countries to be over flown commercially. The fuel requirements had to be carefully planned as the Dakota was at most times operating at near maximum weight and fuel had to be positioned in some remote places.

The safari was the second time 6 of the group of eighteen had come to South Africa to gain a deeper insight into Southern Africa.  The first day was spent meeting our passengers at Johannesburg International after arrival from New York and Atlanta.  They were whisked off to the Michelangelo Hotel in Sandton for freshening up and then enjoyed an afternoon excursion to Pretoria.  The next morning our passengers were checked in at Lanseria and then treated to a champagne toast to the adventure. They were then introduced to all the folk who had prepared the airplane, from the cleaners to owners. Flip Vermeulen and his wife, Maryna, and Dr Loel Fenwick who is an ex-South African now living in Seattle, had done the serious spade work to ensure that the complex arrangements for the trip went flawlessly. We departed at 08h30 in the DC 3 for an uneventful and smooth three-hour flight to Kasane in northern Botswana.  We flew at relatively low level for the last fifty or so miles and had our first sighting of vast herds of buffalo and also saw many elephant before landing at Kasane.  Botswana had experienced a severe drought, but the rains eventually arrived 3 weeks prior to our flight and the country was looking lush.  After checking in at the stunningly luxurious Chobe Chilwero Lodge, our guests were taken on a river cruise on the Chobe River followed by a game drive the next morning.  Pity we couldn’t stay longer at Chilwero Lodge to enjoy the tasteful opulence.

We departed at 10h00 from Kasane for the 40 nm flight to Livingstone to see the Victoria Falls.  We crossed the Zambian border at Kazangula where the five countries of Botswana, Namibia, Angola, Zimbabwe and Zambia meet.  The officials at Livingstone Airport are charming, as we found most folk in that beautiful country.  Their awareness of the importance of tourism is to be admired. The Zambezi was in full spate and the Falls were looking their best.  This sight must surely be one of the most stunning spectacles on earth.  The power and volume of the water cascading into the gorge is one of my most memorable sights in nature.  After a light lunch at the beautiful Royal Livingstone Sun, we departed to fly along the northern shore of Kariba as far as the dam wall and then turned north to Mfuwe in northeast Zambia.  The flight along the northern edge of the Zambezi took us over such extremely remote areas where one can only marvel at the local inhabitants who somehow eke out an existence.  Eventually flying over Kariba, we encountered headwinds of 35-40 knots that forced us to climb into the heavily overcast and rainy weather and we headed directly for Mfuwe, about 300 nm away.

Mfuwe lies in the Luangwa Valley where much of the area has never been charted and no human is known to have crossed the area on land.  I suggest that it is foolhardy to fly over the uncharted area in a single engine airplane – probably as clever as it is to cross an ocean in a similar machine.  If one has to ditch into the sea, you stand a chance of survival if you have the right gear, but in the valley you are almost certain to become prey to wild animals.  We landed uneventfully at Mfuwe, which has a fine airport that is served by Air Zambia, with a seriously intense shower approaching from about 2 miles away and the light fading fast.  The brief dry respite allowed us to unload the Dak and refuel her for the next sector.  As we closed the fuel cap covers, the heavens opened and within minutes darkness was upon us.  Our passengers were to be transported to the lovely Mfuwe Lodge in open game drive Land Rovers.  The drivers of the Land-rovers had just arrived from the lodge and had driven for 45 minutes through the horrendous storm and wisely suggested that we tarry a while until the shower passed. Fortunately the vehicles were loaded with sundowner materials and a good debrief took place that lasted for more than two hours before we were able to move on. 

On the way to the lodge, we saw a lot of elephant, hyenas and antelope, both inside and outside Luangwa National Park while travelling along a narrow tarred road that was flanked by 3 – 4 meter high elephant grass.  We all got truly drenched and eventually reached the lodge safely to be greeted by singers and yet more welcoming libations.  Mfuwe Lodge is built on an oxbow that is populated by all kinds of aquatic and other animals.  Most of the luxury chalets are built on stilts and overlook the water.  Whilst checking in to the lodge, a hippo was grunting nearby.  One of our guests asked if they were dangerous and was answered by one of the other guests who stated: “Sure they’re dangerous. Hippos are known to have their attitude spring-loaded to the ********* position!”  Mfuwe is remote enough from South Africa so that variations on local species exist such as the zebra that have stripes encircling their bodies and without the brown shadow stripes that our zebras in South Africa have.  The rains had caused the park to be flooded in many areas with the bush being lush with plenty of game.  We were treated to a slap-up breakfast laid out with fine china and crystal glassware in a remote area of the park surrounded by many species of animals.  At sunset we were all driven to the banks of a river where sundowners were served against the backdrop of a strange, enormous cloud with a lenticular cap that shone like an opalescent light.  All the while we were surrounded by the cacophony of many crested cranes and other bird life, with hippos grunting in the river.  To cap the evening, on the way back to the lodge we encountered a pride of lions on the hunt.  Next morning we had a 90-minute flight to Club Makakola on Lake Malawi, over flying Lilongwe Airport in partly cloudy but smooth conditions.  ATC expressed ‘consternation’ at the fact that we were not landing at a designated airport of entry, but special arrangements, at vast cost, to be cleared into the country were made at Club Makakola.  Club Makakola has its own fenced-off grass airstrip with a full terminal building, including fire-fighting services, and is adjacent to the resort.  Whilst our passengers toured the area, we cleaned and re-fuelled the Dak with the willing help of the local folk so that when we departed two days later, the airplane was fresh and shiny.  Club Makakola is very similar to Mauritius and is run by people who are friendly and obliging in the extreme.

The next sector to Vilancoulos in Mocambique, to clear into the country, took three and a half hours.  From Beira, we descended to fly along that stunningly beautiful coastline at low level.  After clearances and a lot of money changing hands for landing fees, navigation fees, customs fees, immigration fees etc, we flew to Indigo Bay - a fabulous resort on the island of Bazaruto.  The tarred airstrip is presently being extended to 1400 m to accommodate bigger aircraft up to DC 4 size.  It was interesting to see the heavy construction machinery that is brought to the island from the mainland by a 28-ton barge that is beached at high tide.  When the tide ebbs, the barge is left high and dry and the equipment is simply driven off.   The opulence of this resort is amazing, with the food leaving nothing to the imagination.  The area and islands off Vilancoulos are in the process of massive development after a hiatus since the departure of the Portuguese Government in 1976 and the following years of a debilitating civil war.  Purely due to the current stability in Mocambique, foreign capital is pouring in, facilitating extensive growth.  A few days later, we left Indigo Bay for Vilancoulos and Kruger, Mpumalanga (KMI) where we carried out a full let down through the heavy overcast.  Our American guests were very impressed by the beautiful airport terminal that is increasingly utilised.  After re-victualing our Dak, we departed to fly via the Swaziland Lowveld and Pongola to Ithala Game Reserve under a heavy, overcast sky with widespread rain.  Approaching Pongola, we were nearly forced to divert to Mkuze as Ithala airstrip is at 2800 ft and the cloud base was a mere 2300 ft.  From Pongola, the cloud base followed the rising terrain and we reached Ithala without further hassle.  The Ithala strip is 1200 m long and is tarred.  As the strip is unfenced, one has to be cautious of game on the runway. 

We circled the area for fifteen minutes while the rangers chased animals from the runway, much to the amusement of our passengers.  Ithala Game Reserve is a mere 180 nm from Johannesburg and is run by Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife (used to be called Natal Parks Board) and is one of the finest national game reserve camps I’ve encountered.  The main camp is situated on the side of a beautifully wooded mountain, a few kilometres from Louwsburg.  Accommodation ranges from camping to self-catering and to ultra- luxury.  There is a well-run restaurant, licensed bar with shops etc.  Should you go there in a group, they will give you the use of a private boma equipped with fridges, chairs, tables etc where you won’t disturb other guests.  Ithala is an ideal fly-in destination as the camp personnel will collect you at the airstrip and also provide game drives at a very reasonable rate.  Ithala Game Reserve had a problem with poaching and the local inhabitants disregarding the reserve’s boundaries.  This problem was intelligently sorted out by charging all guests a small levy, which is included in the very reasonable daily tariff.  This levy is then made available to the area inhabitants who can provide proper motivation. 

Recently a local fellow used this levy to start a game drive company. Also, a local school was given three classrooms.  With capital being made available for entrepreneurship, the local folk have reason to protect the reserve.  Our passengers were taken into Louwsburg to see how the local people live at the most basic level and have undertaken to communicate with, and support, the local community generously. While our guests were being toured, two technicians from Springbok Flying Safaris arrived and gave ZS-GPL a thorough check and rectified some minor defects.

The next sector was flown in clear and smooth conditions to the TugelaRiver mouth and then coastwise past Durban to Margate for re-fuelling and tea and scones.  Prior to each day’s flying, Flippie Vermeulen and I would give an in depth briefing about the sights on the route, including history of the area.  Between Flippie and myself, we are reasonably well read and have more than 42,000 flying hours and a sincere love for our country, which we tried to project. After tea, we flew low level coastwise along the Wild Coast to show off the unspoilt grandeur of this coastline. Unfortunately, due to deteriorating visibility, we climbed to FL105 and landed at Port Alfred to have lunch at 43 Air School. 

We were toured around the impressive and burgeoning flying school by ex colleagues from SAA, Ross Alan and George Stewart.  When lunch had settled, we departed and flew to the padrao (cross) at Cape Cross where Bartholomew Diaz turned back after thwarting a mutiny after he had rounded the Cape of Good Hope from Portugal.  We flew past Bird Island and then directly with a special VFR clearance past Cape Recife lighthouse near Port Elizabeth and on to Plettenberg Bay where the weather was marginal to say the least. At Plett, we were accommodated at Hunter’s Lodge which is as tastefully opulent as five stars will permit.  Various tours in the area were arranged.  Six of our passengers joined us in the crew kombi for an outing to Knysna where we had lunch and allowed our guests to inject a fair amount of capital into art works and souvenirs, followed by a seafood lunch at the ‘Boardwalk’.  The ‘Knysna Heads’ caused fair mirth to our visitors as they felt naming such a place of beauty after a ship’s toilet was hardly appropriate.  After two nights in Plett, we flew to Oudtshoorn where our guests visited an ostrich farm.  The Royal Air Force was using Oudtshoorn airport for parachute training, flying a C-130.  Prior to departure, the friendly RAF crew treated our folk to a mass parachute drop and a low fly-past. 

We took off and flew directly to Mossel Bay and then coastwise to Cape Point, circlingCape Agulhas Lighthouse, the most southerly tip of the African continent.  At Bredasdorp we were cleared for a fly-by of the Air Force Station.  Crossing False Bay from Hangklip, a roaring south easter started blowing.  Flying conditions were smooth rounding Cape Point at 1500’ a.g.l.,and we maintained this altitude until passing Hout Bay where climbed to 2500’ to circle Robben Island. Visibility on this sector was excellent and needless to say, many pictures were taken.  After we landed at Ysterplaat in a 32-knot wind, the Air Force towed our Dakota into 35 Squadron’s hangar to spend three nights with four immaculate SAAF TP Daks. Cape Town saw our guests staying at The Steenberg Hotel near Tokai – what a fantastic establishment!  In my 42 years of flying around the world, this hotel rates amongst the finest among hundreds of hotels that I’ve been privileged to stay in.  Needless to say, our passengers were toured to some of the most appealing spots around Cape Town and the Wine Route and they were, of course, suitably impressed.  We then flew to Petrusville in the Northern Cape.  After we landed on the freshly graded airfield, we were surrounded by hundreds of school children that sang to our arriving passengers, causing many a misty eye.  Our guests were taken to a site where there are some of the most stunning rock carvings that date back thousands of years.  The townsfolk then gave them a luncheon at the local hotel with delicacies from the area, followed by some heartfelt speeches welcoming the foreigners.  Most folk in Petrusville are desperately poor and, despite the poverty, they opened their hearts to some emotional tourists who were thrilled with the visit.  By sunset, we had landed at Kimberley to have dinner at the opulent and historic Kimberley Club.  The next afternoon we took off and flew to Johannesburg International where we bade fond farewells to our passengers and ferried our Dakota back to its base at Rand.

The flying time totalled 33 hours and ZS-GPL performed flawlessly.  I have about 400 hours on DC 3s and learnt a lot from Flippie Vermeulen who treats his airplane so gently.  We flew leg for leg and were able to give our friends on board a bit of stick time too!  It is physically hard, but most enjoyable work flying a DC3 sans autopilot.  My happy and fulfilling career in SAA ended last May when I reached the compulsory retirement age of 60 while I was a Captain on B747-400s.  Our DC 3 flying safari was a wonderful, challenging experience that required all my mental resources and acquired flying skill, which I hope I will be able to repeat in the future.  The flying safari once again reinforced how proud we, as South Africans, should be of our breathtakingly beautiful country.