The group left Cape Town for one of the oldest, driest and most pristine places on earth – Sossusvlei, Namibia.

Sossuslvlei’s massive red sand dunes are considered to be some of the highest in the world! Set within the far northern portion of the NamibRand Nature Reserve, the largest conversation area in Africa, we were excited to experience the vast open spaces and jagged mountain heights this unique landscape had to offer.

After landing in Namibia, we boarded 2 Cessna 206s that would take us closer to our lodge – the Sossusvlei Desert Lodge. On the agenda, fascinating nature drives, dune walks, and quad biking! The guys jumped at the quad biking opportunity.

The landscape was incredible and the unspoiled desert seemed endless. These dunes were unique in color – displaying orange, creams, pumpkin and sienna colors; a photographers dream.

Our next stop is one night in Odangwa before heading to Sao Tome and Principe…

After being surrounded by wild animals and living the “bush life” for the past couple of weeks, the idea of civilization and tall buildings had escaped our minds – that is until we flew over to Cape Town, South Africa!

There was not a cloud in the sky with perfect visibility of Cape Town and Table Bay. The beautiful mountains outlined by the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, tall buildings filling the sky – a spectacular view! We landed at Cape Town International Airport and proceeded to Signature FBO – our first FBO since we entered Africa – it was like we were back in the States!

We transferred to the One&Only Cape Town, our luxury hotel for the next 4 nights. This exquisite hotel is located within walking distance of the Victoria & Arnold Waterfront bustling with people and entertainment. Since we had the afternoon free, a few of us headed over to explore on our own.

The following day we slept in and enjoyed a leisurely morning catching up on our emails and touching base back home before heading out on our afternoon tour to Table Mountain. Yet again, there was not a cloud in the sky, it was beautiful and the perfect day to see the view from the top of the Mountain. Warned that there might be huge lines for the gondola ride up, we took our chances and, with our luck, there was no line at all!

We boarded the gondola, when all of a sudden a voice came over the speaker saying to hold on because the floor will start moving – excuse me? it ended up being very neat – the gondola floor rotated 360 degrees so that everyone was able to see the full view on the way up and down, plus it had opened windows! Once on the top of the mountain, the views were incredible! You could see Cape Town below with, on one side, the Atlantic Ocean crashing on its shore and, on the other, the Indian Ocean. We could see for miles. We made our way along the different paths seeing all the different views. We even spotted the airport and good news..the planes were still there!

We headed back down the Mountain, by gondola of course, in hopes of making it to the District Six Museum before closing. This museum was resurrected with the memories of the former District Six, people’s experiences and with the history of forced removal in general. In 1901, Cape Town officials started to force over 60,000 people to move to barren outlying areas, flattened their homes by bulldozers, and declared the area a “white area.” It had originally been a mixed community of freed slaves, merchants, artisans, laborers and immigrants, District Six was a vibrant centre. By the beginning of the twentieth century, however, the process of removals and marginalisation had begun and everything changed.

Today we flew south from Zambia to South Africa. We first landed in Lanseria to pass customs and then continued on to a small airport in Rustenburg before transferring to Pilanesburg National Park.

We were staying at the Tshukudu Lodge, located within the gates of Pilanesburg National Park. Known as the “Place of the Rhino,” the lodge sits 132 steps above ground level (which we enjoyed climbing up and down numerous times a day – only reminding us of the effects of all the fabulous meals we had consumed since the beginning of the Journey)overlooking a watering hole and an open plain shuffling with zebras, jekylls, wildebeests, dassies (closest relative to the elephant), baboons and more.

Just as we arrived, a male lion and two females were spotted on the side of the road! We quickly changed our route for the sighting. Different from previous game drives, Pilanesburg National Park is open to the public so safari land cruisers are accompanied by everyday cars, making for a crowded game drive. Yet, that was the only time we felt the crowds. Our other game drives were off the beaten path and not surrounded by a ton of cars, or any for that matter.

We arrived at Tshukudu Lodge just as the sun was setting. This luxury lodge hosts small cabin-like rooms, on stilts, with comfy fireplaces and a nice balcony. We were greeted by our bush guide, Zander, who offered unbelievable knowledge on the wildlife we would encounter…information we hadn’t heard yet. The lodge is small and only offers a total of 6 rooms. We filled the majority of the lodge up but met a mother and daughter from Germany; coincidently they were members of earthrounders and had done significant flying in their Seneca. Here we are in the middle of the bush amongst fellow general aviation pilots; the aviation stories never stopped.

The following day, we woke up early for a 5:30am game drive; yes, 5:30. Still dark out, we headed out into the bush as the sun was rising. Within minutes we had spotted 2 white rhinos grazing, giraffes, zebras and several antelopes. We watched the sun rise over the hills and open grasslands of the park. One thing was certain, it was freezing!

We returned to the lodge for a gourmet brunch and had the afternoon free until we headed back out on a game drive at 4pm. As we headed out, we came across a small herd of elephants playing in the mud. As we got closer we realized the number…at least 25 elephants! not a small herd after all. The sun began to set, casting this amazing yellowish light, with the blue water of the watering hole, and this herd of elephants (who really knew how to work the camera) made for an amazing photo opportunity..it was spectacular!

We continued our game drive knowing that nothing would top what we had just experienced with the elephants, but proceeded to see more and more beautiful animals before heading back to the lodge for dinner.

We enjoyed all our meals at a large dining table with all hotel guests and our game driver. One of our favorite parts was hearing Chef Nicholas describe the menu for the night. With his theatrical voice, he listed off the ingredients…he could have made anything sound good! We had our taste of local delicacies; Kudu and Ostrich – both delicious! and what better way to enjoy it than accompanied by fellow aviators and aviation stories.

Tomorrow we are off to civilization…Cape Town, South Africa!

Our flight today took us to Livingstone, Zambia. It is safe to say that Livingstone airport was one of the more efficient airports we have landed thus far. The fuel trucks were right there waiting for us and in no time we were in the car for our transfer to Royal Chendu Zambezi Lodge.

Located right on the Zambezi River, separating Zambia and Zimbabwe, the Royal Chendu Zambezi Lodge offers superb accommodations with all villas overlooking the river below. The whole lodge gives you the impression of being in a tree house, a luxurious one nonetheless, with hippos and crocodiles nestling below.

The lodge has a lot to offer in terms of activities. We all opted to take the “canoe trip to the Maluka Village” – we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into! We headed out on the river with our “canoe” guides for what started off to be a very peaceful stroll down the river…until we hit the rapids! This was no canoe trip but rather a rafting trip…we were soaked! Our canoes were filled with water and us sitting in them drenched. We were laughing the whole way and had a blast! It was so unexpected but a fabulous time nonetheless. We then beached the canoes on the riverbank for a surprise lunch, where we enjoyed our first cheese burger of the trip! Then it was back in the canoe until we docked back at the lodge. It was fabulous outing.

That evening we were heading back out on the river for a sunset cruise and to try our luck at tiger fishing. With our cocktails in one hand and a fishing rod in the other, we made our day down the river, by the hippos and crocodiles, taking in the beauty of the sunset casting its light on Zimbabwe’s riverbank. The tiger fish weren’t biting, even though they have those massive teeth, until we headed back towards the lodge, where, finally, a tiger fish took the bait. After a couple photo ops, we released the fish back into the river.

The following day, we had a lot on the schedule. We were headed to Chobe, Botswana, for a water safari. Livingstone is located very near to the border of 4 countries; Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia, allowing easy access to all of them. As we approached the ferry, we passed an astonishing number of trucks waiting to board the pontoon boat over to the other side; there were at least 50! We quickly passed through Zambia customs and boarded our short ferry (about 5 minutes) before we were in Botswana. We had already done numerous game drives but it is safe to say that every drive is different. You never know what you are going to see. We saw a bunch of hippos, elephants, water buffalos, crocodiles, and so much more.

Then it was back to the border to pass customs and head back to Zambia, where we were headed straight to Victoria Falls; the famous waterfall at the end of the Zambezi River. It is currently the dry season in Zambia, so water levels were low, but it was still impressive to see this magnitude of water crashing into the gorge below. As we arrived it was pouring rain but luckily it cleared up and made for a nice walk through the lush rain forest with occasional openings to see the falls.

That evening we were treated to a typical celebration from the Tonga tribe, the most popular tribe in Zambia. Shining light on a small portion of their lives, we were impressed by the fun beats, chanting, dancing and intricate costumes.

The following day was another flight day. We were off to our first stop in South Africa – Sun City – but not before some of us tried our luck at tiger fishing again (with no success) and a pilot briefing.

As we departed out of Livingstone Airport, we said goodbye to Zambia in the best way possible, with an overflight of Victoria Falls – an even more spectacular site from the air!

After all our safaris we were ready for some relaxation by the beach….and we were in store for just that! The group was heading to Zanzibar, Tanzania…the Spice Island.

Located off the mainland of Tanzania, Zanzibar is considered the middle man connecting Africa with the Middle East. The island has been greatly influenced by the Middle East, even being the capital of Oman at one point, where the streets are lined with men in their “kuma” hats and women completely covered from head to toe in their burqas. It was definitely a change from our previous stops in Africa.

We landed at Zanzibar airport, the PC-12 first followed by the TBM850- N850SJ was the first TBM to ever land in Zanzibar! We were headed to the Baraza Hotel located in the Michamvi Peninsula for the next 3 nights. This beautiful hotel has influences of Middle Eastern architecture mixed with the decorative doors for which Zanzibar is famous.

Our stop in Zanzibar was meant for relaxation, so not much was planned. A couple of us opted to walk out to the reef and explore. The beach, on which the hotel is located, has large tides, allowing guests to walk their way, with the proper shoes, through the coral and sea urchins to the reef, which lies about 600 meters from shore. It took forever, but we finally reached the reef, where locals were spear fishing for octopus and snapper.

The following day, the group took a half day city tour of the Stone City section of Zanzibar. This area is famous for its maze of small walkways lined with ornate doors. By foot, we made our way through the city, interacting with the locals and exploring their everyday lives. We could not leave the city without visiting Zanzibar’s historical background in regards to the slave trade. It was quite a shock for us to see but it played such a integral part in the city that it was a must.

The rest of the day we just relaxed at the pool before heading to the pilot’s briefing for tomorrow’s flight – we’re off to Zambia!

Today was going to be a long travel day. We departed Masai Mara by way of commuter flight, making 3 stops along the way, before finally arriving at Wilson Airport in Nairobi to pick up the planes. The group then flew to Kilamanjero International Airport in Tanzania where we took another commuter flight, only 20 minutes, to Lake Manyara.

Yet again our fellow passengers questioned our pilot uniforms but after a good laugh we were on our way. We were greeted in Lake Manyara by Vicki, our game driver, for our transfer to Ngorongoro Crater Lodge, our home for the next 2 nights. Driving up the side of the crater was exciting, with slight fog, it was hard to tell which side of the car would reveal the crater. Then suddenly, there it was, our first glimpse of the crater, below the clouds, lit by spots of sunlight.

We continued on our drive towards the rim of the crater, where our hotel, the Ngorongoro Crater Lodge, sat perched overlooking the crater below. The hotel is beautiful, with individual bungalows lining the tree tops decorated with asian/indian inspired decor. The camp is not fenced off, so the animals are free to roam around as they please. A couple of times, the entrance to our rooms were blocked by a herd of zebras grazing. It was quite interesting.

That afternoon, we headed down to the Crater floor for our first game drive of Ngorongoro Crater. From our view above we had noticed that there was a severe drought in the crater. The lake, usually filled to its depths with water and sprawling with flamingos was now resembling a large puddle. As we drove through the land, we saw lions, rhinos, flamingos, wildebeest in migration, baboons, ostriches, and so much more. Each game drive is different, you never know what you will encounter. We spotted hyeenas plotting their attack on a herd of zebras and wildebeest but to no success. The crater is bustling with hyenas, 550 of them, compared to only 60 lions! As we were exiting the crater, we came across a large elephant with massive tusks working its way through the trees…an incredible spotting!

The following day, we woke up early for a visit to the Oldupai Gorge and the Shifting Sands Dune. It was still before sunrise and fog had engulfed the caldera making it impossible to see the road! Not sure what to expect, we made our way through the twists and turns and bumps!, cautiously, before sunlight gave us visibility. We spottied giraffes and Kortis Bustards, the heaviest flying bird, along the way.

Shifting Sands is a small dune made from magnetic sand, that gained its magnetism from an erupting volcano hundreds of years ago. Every year this sand dune moves 17 meters, pushed by the winds but sticking together due to its magnetism. After our visit we enjoyed a delicious breakfast overlooking the gorge and the many different layers of the archeological site. In 1978, Mary Leakey found hominid footsteps of a family (mother, father and child) along a track of roughly 25 meters – this represented some of the earliest information on the human species.

We returned to camp by late morning and took the rest of the afternoon to relax. We were heading back out this evening in hopes of snapping some great sunset pictures overlooking the crater. Just below camp, on the slanted side of the caldera, blankets, pillows, fire pits, and most importantly cocktails were waiting for us. Unfortunately, clouds and light fog moved in so our sunset pictures were nonexistent, however the views were amazing! As we were admiring the crater below, we heard chants coming up from behind us, as we turned around we saw torches peering above the bushes before the members of the Masai Tribe became visible. We were treated to the traditional chants and ceremonial celebrations of the Masai people.

As the sun came down, it was time to head back to camp. There are no gates protecting the grounds of the hotel from the wild animals that make their way up and down the caldera wall. When the sun sets and darkness moves in, you are on high alert and accompanied by a guard with a gun, spear, or bow and arrow. Its an incredible feeling walking around not knowing what surrounds you.

Tomorrow its back to Kilamanjero Airport to pick up the planes and fly to Zanzibar, Tanzania!!

Today we departed Djibouti for Nairobi, Kenya, for our first African Safari of the trip!

We landed in the chaos of Wilson airport, accompanied in the sky by many commuter flights, coming and leaving for different parts of Kenya. Commuter flights were similar to a bus service in Kenya, passengers would board the flights, would make several stops, until it was your time to get off. And we were about to join in on the fun for our 45 minute flight to Masai Mara.

The looks on the faces of our fellow passengers and Carol, our pilot, as we boarded the Cessna Caravan in our pilot’s uniform was quite funny. We joked that the other passengers could have their pick at who they wanted to fly the plane! They all looked perplexed.

We have finally reached Africa! After an amazing visit to Petra, Jordan, the group continued on to enter their first African country – Djibouti.

Our flight took us from Aqaba, Jordan to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where we refuled before continuing on to Djibouti. Located on the Northeastern side of the continent, on the Gulf of Aden at the southern entrance to the Red Sea, Djibouti is one of the least populous countries in Africa.

We then enjoyed a short transfer to the Kempinski Palace Djibouti – our hotel for the next couple of nights. The hotel was beautiful and beyond our expectations. To be honest, we weren’t sure what to expect in Djibouti but we were impressed.

Our visits during our stay took us to a Cheetah Camp and Lake Assal, a crater saline lake in Djibouti. Lake Assal lies 509ft below sea level in the Afar Triangle – making it the lowest point on land in Africa and the third lowest land despression on Earth after the Dead Sea and Sea of Galilee. Due to high evaporation, the salinity level of its waters is ten times that of our sea. We all jumped in and were amazed at our bouyancy!

Tomorrow its off to Kenya for our first African Safari!!

The Air Journey group ready to discover Petra, famous for its rock cut architecture.

The Treasury – Petra

Visiting in style…

Our Journey Director, Thierry, leading the way!

Today’s flight marks our departure from Europe and our entry into the Middle East as we inch our way closer to Africa. Air Journey has negotiated all of the necessary permits; over flight and landing. We had to deal with the famous EUROCONTROL bureaucracy and even had to apply for a slot while there was not one plane within 50 miles of our departure point. Soon we are off on flight level 270 with blue skies heading towards the desert of Egypt.

Our point of entry would have been Alexandria, followed by Cairo with a hope of seeing the pyramids. We ended up entering in El Alamein which was a turning point in the war against the Axis during World War II. We then crossed Egypt from west to east over flying the Nile River, a beautiful green oasis in the middle of the desert, followed by the Red Sea and the sight of the Suez Canal before entering Jordan’s air space in the other part of the Sinai Desert. We made sure to abide by the note on our approach plate stating that we should not cross a certain line since we would be entering Israeli air space without being authorized -

I’m pretty sure the consequences would have been huge and we definitely didn’t want to test it out.

Landing was gentle. The wind was blowing at 25 knots but the most amazing part was opening the door of the plane and entering a dry sauna with a temperature of 39°C (103°F). Our home for the next two days is the Movenpick hotel while we tour the ancient city of Petra.