JohnM's E Africa aerial safari

[craven morehead]

Fantastic pics

 

[craven morehead]

Glad you enjoyed it, folks!

The sunset photo with the elephant silhouette was an absolute cracker !! :mrgreen:

 

[LadyC]

Thank you so much for posting. It looked like a great trip and your photos were fantastic! I went to Namibia last year and it is definitely worth a visit. We almost did the fly-in fly-out tour, it was unfortunately a bit too expensive for us. But it would definitely be a great way to see Namibia.

 

[TomVexille]

Now that I've properly read your report. WOW.

Africa is definitely on the "must do" list now

 

[JohnM]

Now that I've properly read your report. WOW.

Africa is definitely on the "must do" list now

It's on my 'must continue to do' list :!:.

 

[auriga]

Thanks for sharing. Must have been an amazing trip!

 

[JohnM]

The sunset photo with the elephant silhouette was an absolute cracker !! :mrgreen:

Just made it my avatar .

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Thanks for the truly great trip report.

Very relevant to myself as I am heading that way in 2015 and am I am planning a trip from Nairobi to Victoria Falls myself at present

Flying really is the way to go in E Africa. From what all the travellers I have met along the way tell me, the roads are rough (the ‘African massage’) and travel times are very long. Pay the money and go by air!...

However I am mad enough to be planning do undertake it by being at the wheel of my own 4WD and yes many of the trails and roads along the route will be rough!!

 

[JohnM]

Thanks for the truly great trip report.

Very relevant to myself as I am heading that way in 2015 and am I am planning a trip from Nairobi to Victoria Falls myself at present

However I am mad enough to be planning do undertake it by being at the wheel of my own 4WD and yes many of the trails and roads along the route will be rough!!

Very interesting! I'd also love to do it by land - but independently, not in a tour group. What time of the year and how long are you planning to take?

Are you renting a 4WD in Nairobi? Can you do a one-way rental to Vic Falls?

I'm waiting to see what the aerial safari gods will come up with for next year. Hoping that Namibia will be on the agenda but, after the comments from the Okavango camp managers (a S African couple) that self-driving in Namibia is good, in the meantime I'm going to scope out that as an alternative to include in my annual DONEx (or even an addition to follow the aerial bit if that flies).

 

[RooFlyer]

Just got advice from JohnM's operator. They are proposing to run several 16 day air safaris in June & July next year; schedule and price (gulp - I saw this years') not yet finalized.

It'll be weird though; all that flying and not a SC or a point to be seen

 

[Paddy55]

Also loved the TR, especially the photos, and the one of the elephant at sunset is sensational!

 

[JohnM]

I've added a TR on my trip to Kruger NP a couple of years ago to round out the Africa story: http://www.australianfrequentflyer....s/kruger-national-park-61318.html#post1076257.

 

[liparj]

All I can say is WOW! Thanks for sharing

 

[Myrna]

Great report!....is it too rude to ask how much is the aerial safari? (I'l have to pay x2 if +1 comes along:shock

From our safaris experience, save like crazy and mortgage the house then go on safaris! Like JohnM and others have said, Africa gets into your blood and you will want to keep coming back. It is always on our must do list.

 

[Myrna]

Loved your concept of the rough roads giving you an African massage. Beautifully done JohnM...a triumph! I felt I was there.

Don't dream it! Just book and take mrs cove. We love Africa, and never get tired of seeing the animals and the amazing landscape.

 

[kpc]

From our safaris experience, save like crazy and mortgage the house then go on safaris! Like JohnM and others have said, Africa gets into your blood and you will want to keep coming back. It is always on our must do list.

JohnM PMed the costs....still recovering! Been to Africa and a safari once in 2012...can't wait to go back!!

 

[Bindibuys]

I had them send me the book, now to decide which tour to take. Some serious saving to be done to pay for it, but it looks well worth it.l
Thank you JohnM for the info.

 

[cove]

It's only money...they don't want an arm or a leg.
We enjoyed South Africa and we stayed at the Palace up at Sun City. My family all enjoyed the ten day holiday.

 

[drron]

Great TR and doing Africa in style is definitely the way to go.
On our trip the only way I got Mrsdrron to go was the cruise up the coast of west Africa.But she then enjoyed our safari in Botswana and Zambia.The luxury as you say just fits in perfectly with Africa.

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Very interesting! I'd also love to do it by land - but independently, not in a tour group. What time of the year and how long are you planning to take?

Are you renting a 4WD in Nairobi? Can you do a one-way rental to Vic Falls?

I'm waiting to see what the aerial safari gods will come up with for next year. Hoping that Namibia will be on the agenda but, after the comments from the Okavango camp managers (a S African couple) that self-driving in Namibia is good, in the meantime I'm going to scope out that as an alternative to include in my annual DONEx (or even an addition to follow the aerial bit if that flies).

Hi JohnM.

My apologies for the slow reply.

Not sure if I can answer this quickly...and so as not to go off topic too much in your thread, following the great lead of yourself and others with Africa Trip and Planning Reports I might start up a Trip Report to go into all aspects of my trip, including the various ins and outs, which is still evolving.

However as a quick (well not so quick!!) reply:

* My daughter went Africa in two phases of her 9 month post-Uni trip about 2 years ago. 1/ Egypt/Jordan and then down for 3 weeks in and out of JNB which included safari to Victoria Falls, parks nearby as well as Kruger. And 2/ then after Europe a month in Morocco with 2 weeks trekking in the Atlas Mountains and 3 months volunteering in Togo.
* In helping her research her African Safari it rekindled my long held yearning to visit Africa and do mainly "go on safari", but to go on a longer overland trip than my daughter did.
* After various research of which countries to visit, it became clear that I should visit a number but that I wanted part of it to include the great migration. So Tanzania/Kenya was to be part of it and that meant travelling in July- September..
* However South Africa, Namibia and other places all had appeal. Given time and space, some countries will have to be left to later trips.
* How? Well initially I had been thinking of joining some form of overland safari-truck or 4WD type tour
1/ However after some research I soon discovered that "self-drive" as it seems to be called in Africa is both safe and viable.
2/ However equally it is not just one answer as road conditions very markedly. In South Africa the roads are good and so for many parks like Kruger one only needs a normal rental car. Reportedly for many parts of Namibia it is likewise. However for many other countries 4WD is definitely the way to go.
3/ 4WD hire is available, and there are also firms available that offer suggested routes, and 4WD vehicles which have been modified for safari type trips.. However it is easier to hire vehicles for use within one country. Crossing borders can be problematic and you need special paperwork for this. Some hire companies will arrange this, but the more countries visited, the more complex this is. I do not think one way rentals is really an option as unlike car hire companies the firms are specialised as are the vehicles. So you have to come back in the main to where you start.

==== So to hire a vehicle yourself can be viable depending on exactly where you want to go. South Africa and Namibia it is straight forward. But then :

=====I have done many 4WD trips throughout Australia. More important than the actual 4WD traction ability is normally the extra ground clearance that such vehicles have, and their extra ruggedness. From my trips I know that if one is going very remote, that one can easily get stuck, and that mechanical breakdowns can and do occur. The longer and more arduous the trip, then it is a matter of WILL occur. That is a major reason why on such longer and remote trips you normally seek to travel with other vehicles. ie if stuck, another vehicle with snatchem strap can easily pull you our backwards. Now I also did a number of trips in Australia in a sole vehicle ( including retracing the Burke and Wills route, visiting the Simpson Dessert, driving up the Finke River from Ayers Rock to Kings Canyon rather than on formed roads, crossing Cooper Creek near the Dig Tree when the water was windsreen deep)- but with a broad stock of parts, ample spare water and fuel and a Tirfor hand winch (better for solo travel as you can pull in any direction, whereas a power winch just pulls you forward, which is often the opposite of what you need to do), elaborate first aid kit and a number of other measures. This is all a long winded may of saying, that on long 4WD trips in remote trips on rough trails something will happen...so you need to have the equipment, knowledge and ability to deal with a range of situations...and also be prepared to walk out if required (if radio/phone is not operable).

So I think you need to ask where you want to go....and that can give different answers. There are certainly parts of southern africa that I would be comfortable hiring a 4WD and doing my own thing. Particularly if I could organise a group of friends to travel in 2 or 3 vehicles.

However for me, for this trip, I wanted the long overland experience.

I eventually came across a company called African Expedition Support African Safaris | Africa Self Drive Safari Holiday & Tour Packages that ticked all of my boxes (or at least was a compromise that I was happy with).

* 26 day overland trip from Nairobi to Victoria Falls through four countries and driving 4500km.
* Yes it is a group tour in that there is a small number of vehicles, BUT the big plus for myself, is :
==== that during the day you are free in the main to drive at your own pace, and see as much of, or as little of, what you come across along the way. So if you find a village fascinating you can stay longer. You might find birdwatching fascinating, and others may not and so you can tailor where you spend your time to a large extent. You do not have to drive as a convoy. You can choose to drive with another vehicle or not.

==== that while the day is yours, you have some other like-minded travellers to meet up with each night to chat over a campfire and beer with. Having been a keen camper over the years, this is a combination that appeals to me.

==== there is a support vehicle (see my comments above on remote 4WD travel) with a mechanic and a cook ( I just swapped emails with someone that went last year on the trip that I will be doing, and mid-safari one vehicle broke a CV joint. No problem as the mechanic had a spare. So he just replaced it and away they went again. Now a spare CV joint is not something that I have travelled with before. I have replaced them myself before as I am mechanically handy, but if you do not have the part.... well you might have a long wait! The guy that went last year indicated that the list of spares was most comprehensive. ie under his seat was a spare cylinder).

* You do have a fixed itinerary. Which can yes a negative. But then again some game parks you cannot just turn up to without pre-booking anyway. The route that I have signed up for is pretty much what I was looking for anyway, and so for me it is not an issue. Particularly as I will visit some other parks post this part of my trip.

All up I am planning 6 weeks for my (well actually my wife and I) trip.

I am still finalising the later part of the trip. But in essence the trip will be:

* Fly in to Nairobi from MEL
* Fly back to MEL from South Africa
* Do the Nairobi to Victoria Falls Safari (This is the only "group" part of our trip. The rest is all our own arrangements and will be independent travel).
* Spend 3 nights visiting Chobe staying in the one accommodation and doing river trips and games drives from it
* Hire a car to spend 3-4 nights in Kruger (note that in South Africa the roads are good, and car hire easy to get)
* Hire another car to take in the sites along the Garden Route between Cape Town and Port Elizabeth over say 4 nights. this will including whale watching from Hermanus. See http://www.hermanus.co.za/whale-watching The whales get extremely close to shore here, and in some places this can be as little as 5m, which is quite amazing!!
* Spend 3/4 nights in Cape Town (Most reviewers list this as a must see, and describe it as one of the great cities in the world to visit as a tourist). It will be a bit cold in August, but offsetting this is that it is whale watching season.
* Take the overnight sleeper Premier Classe train to/ or from Cape town from Johannesburg. This looks to be a bargain for what you get. See Premier Classe Train, Premier Classe Reservations, Shosholoza Meyl

When I get a bit more time I will start up a separate Trip Report.