Trip report “May ex-pat” group, flying safari 21 September – 6 October 2013.

By Tony Kent, guide pilot. (Pilot extra-ordinare, defender of women, an officer and a gentleman, and any other suitable superlatives you can think of)

Photographic contributions : myself, and the rest of the group.

This band of revellers will visit favourite destinations in Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique, covering 2 200 nm (4 000 km), logging 25 - 30 hours of flying time during the 18 days.

The adventure starts on Wednesday 18th of September 2013, when the pilots arrive from Europe, and the rest of the day is spent attending briefings for the validation of their foreign licences to the South African licence at the Skyafrica premises at Brakpan Airfield.

On Thursday and Friday, the pilots are individually given a check-ride, and subsequently the validation test. Some of the guys (and 1 gal!) are flying aeroplanes not previously flown before, and some challenges need to be overcome. However, in the end, all obtained their licence with flying colours. There is even time for some of the participants to be whisked off to fly the South African-built Impala jet trainer at Wonderboom Airport, the North American T6 Harvard radial-piston trainer at Rand Airport, and a Tiger Moth is flown in to Brakpan Airfield for local flipping. Much adrenaline flows, and the happy smiles and chatter confirm it was worth the effort!

It is obvious after three days with these folk it is not going to be a boring trip, and the SA Breweries can look forward to a healthy boost in turn-over in the next 2 weeks!

The participants are Andrew May (Andy) and his lovely wife, Nola, Graeme Parker and his cheeky Scottish wife Shelagh (Scots canna speeul), Andrew Jenkins (Jenks) and his pretty young lady Julia (Jules) and lastly, Russell Clark, whose wife Jilly will join us at Victoria Falls. (Can’t leave 3 young children at home alone for too long!)

Saturday 21 Sept
A cool, windy and overcast sky greets us when we meet at the Skyafrica terminal early morning, and a thorough briefing follows in preparation for today’s hop to Sun City, landing at the Pilanesberg International Airport. Our chariots in the Sky will be a Cessna 182, a Cherokee 6, and 2 Cherokee 235’s. We discuss points of interest to see, cover some history, and how best to route to maximise sight-seeing from the air while keeping clear of lots of controlled airspaces restricting our flight-path. The plan is to route over Soweto, taking in Soccer City, the Johannesburg CBD, Sandton City, Kyalami Racetrack, Attridgeville, Gerotek testing grounds (with its Nuclear bombs history), and the picturesque Hartebeespoort dam.  From the dam, we will head for the extinct volcano which cradles the playground of the Sun City complex. A loose formation is kept most of the way in rather poor visibility conditions – the Harkers become temporarily uncertain of their position, finding themselves approaching the Letaba power station near Vereeniging instead of the brightly painted (and disused) Orlando power station! Thanks to the briefing, they are able to figure out where they are,  get back on track, and can relax to enjoy the sights. (Note to all – do not rely on GPS! Get back to basics, use the supplied nav-log, HEADING + TIME = DESTINATION!!)
Three of us complete an orbit over the resort before landing on RWY 23. We unpack and secure the aircraft as we await the delayed arrival of Graeme & Shelagh in their C182. Shelagh later expresses her dismay at an “International” airport being unmanned – TIA – expect the unexpected!
There is a mix-up with transport from the airport to the resort, and instead of the usually free transfer, we have to pay an independent operator an exorbitant fare per person to get us to the Cabanas at Sun City for the night. It has been a long, tiring day, and Andy is grumpy as there is no beer to be had............ Our expensive bus disgorges us at the Cabanas, where we all check-in, beer in hand!

I file our flight-plans for tomorrow’s leg to Gaborone, Botswana, and then join the rest for pre-dinner drinks around the pool-bar. Graeme then leads is on an “interesting” (read “getting lost/wrong turns”) night-walk past the Sun City Hotel, en-route to the Cascades Hotel, through lit gardens, where good wine and seafood is enjoyed at Santorini’s.
Sunday 22 Sept
After a good night’s rest and an early breakfast, we board the transfer bus to take us to our aeroplanes at Pilanesberg airport. Customs and Immigration formalities out of South Africa are dealt with efficiently (by African standards), the aircraft all fuelled for the forthcoming trip, and landing fees are paid. The now manned Tower gives us each takeoff clearance in turn, and we take up our heading to Gaborone as soon as we have enough height to cross the National Park. It soon becomes apparent that we will not reach the planned flight level 065 due to solid and fairly low cloud base. Johannesburg information bids us farewell as we elect to fly low-level at 5000’ AMSL for the rest of the way. Not much to see, and the poor visibility galvanises our attention to aviating, with all 4 aeroplanes in a loose formation. It is a short 50 minute trip to Gaborone, and the tower controller at Sir Seretse Khama Intl.  Airport gives us our inbound clearances individually, with well-timed landings performed professionally onto this very long, wide asphalt runway.
The sole purpose of our visit to Gaborone airport is to do the customs and immigration formalities into Botswana. This does not take too long, and after landing fees are paid, we enjoy coffee, tea, and muffins while we wait for Andy’s friend to visit. Due to a time-zone confusion, this plan does not come to fruition, and soon we are mounting our trusty steeds for the somewhat boring and long flight to our destination, Haina Ventures, set in the hot and arid Kalahari Desert. We form up in a loose formation again, and remain dead on track as is required by law, bearing in mind the hostile terrain below us. Once clear of controlled airspace, we nudge down our aircraft, and the low-level flight releases us from what would otherwise be rather boring flying. The visibility is rather poor, and worsens as we approach our destination. We are thankful that we have GPS to assist us locating our destination airfield cut out of the desert bush. The panorama en-route does not look like a normal desert – the landscape is covered by trees, shrubs and grass, however, the thick, khaki-coloured sand is waiting to trap the unwary. Only the hardiest of 4x4 vehicles will traverse this terrain, and even then, not without incessantly getting stuck. As we drone on, there is no sign of life, human or animal..............

Haina’s airstrip appears out of the murk - relief! Russell and I lead the pack, and we do the obligatory low-level runway inspection, checking for animals (a solitary Impala male lazily crosses our path seemingly unperturbed), and we note the Land Rover waiting for our arrival (we are 12 minutes behind our ETA) . Russell does another “greaser” landing, closely followed by the rest of the formation.
The aircraft are parked, secured and covered for our two night stay (Our guide Mozilla warns us no need for thorn-bush around the tyres – no Hyena to worry about – I take his word with a bit of scepticism!). It is a short 5-minute trip in the open Landrover to the Lodge, bouncing along the sandy track, and on arrival  we enjoy welcome drinks and some snacks - most of us are famished as it is eight hours since breakfast at Sun City! Adriaan & Wanda manage to Lodge, and are most welcoming, together with friend Susan from the neighbouring Lodge helping out. Mozilla acquaints us with the rules, and makes suggestions to remain safe while in the Lodge. We are reminded that the tents are not in an enclosed area, and animals and predators move freely through the Lodge. We can transit by foot in the day, with due caution, but at night need to be transported by Land Rover. The lion's clear spoor are testimony to frequent visits. It is hot, very hot, and the ice-cold beers slide down without touching sides- delicious!

Mozilla & Adriaan deliver us respectively to our luxurious tents set upon wooden floorboards, and the plan is to meet in about 30 min for “high tea” and a shortened game drive. High tea turns out to be more like “high beer”, nevertheless the tasty treats that go together with that are welcome. There is a buzz of excitement as Adriaan returns to the Lodge to say that he has sighted a pride of lions who have just finished gorging themselves on a Kudu. We make our way to the Land Rover and soon we are off the beaten track in search of the lions. Mozilla winds his way over and around bush, doing his best to avoid his passengers getting scratched by some thorny branches.  The waiting vultures in the treetops give us a good idea of what direction we should be travelling in. After about 15 min, we pass the skeletal remains of a once-proud Kudu, and soon after, chance upon the Pride - two adult females, three middle-aged youngsters, and three one-year old pups (so cute!). Initial interest in our arrival is soon overtaken by the need to rest and digest their meal, and as they flop over, their distended stomachs pointing skywards look completely unnatural. We get the odd hairy eyeball from some of the Lions, otherwise they seem completely oblivious to our presence. Cameras snap away, and videos roll – rightfully so – it is a wonderful sighting! After about half an hour, with the sun beginning to set, we make our way back to the main road. As we pass the carcass, one of the group point out a Black-backed Jackal scavenging on the remains of the Kudu. This turns out to be another special experience, as most of us have never seen such animal behaviour. The jackal is very nervous and keeps running out to see if the Lions are approaching, rushing back in, snatching some scraps. Fascinating, and with the sun now gone Mozilla delivers as to a nearby water-hole, where we are treated to tasty snacks and sun-downer drinks. Great camaraderie flows, and the banter is non-stop. Poor Jules is snapped passing water behind a giant ant-heap – I wonder if she managed to erase that rather unflattering photo from Jenks’s camera..........

it is a quick drive back to the Lodge, and we disgorge the Landrover in the dark, wipe away the fine desert dust with the fresh, cool face cloth supplied, and settle down to pre-dinner drinks around the fire in the encircling boma. A verit able feast follows under the starry African skies, with a welcome  breeze starting to cool things down a bit. Note: I will not describe any of the cuisine on the trip – suffice to say it was mostly top-class, and always too much!
It has been a busy, tiring, long day, and I am relieved when the group hint at being taken to their tents for a relatively early night. The boiling hot day has now turned into a really chilly desert night, and we all enjoy a good nights’ rest comfortably wrapped up in our beds. Some of us (not me!) hear the Lions move through the camp during the night.
Before the morning game drive departure, the pride are watched lapping at the watering-hole a mere 100 meters away. I busy myself catching up paperwork and preparing nav-logs for the next leg. Note to self: new word “plog” = pilot’s log. (thanks Russell)
The chilly morning drive yields sightings of Giraffe, Zebra, Oryx (previously known as the Kalahari Gemsbok),Wildebeest (Gnu), Kudu, Eland, Impala, amongst others, as well as plenty of varied bird-life. The team, on their return, inaugurate the “Haina Desert run”, and set off for a jog to the Airstrip and back, accompanied by Adriaan on the quad-bike to chase off any hungry predators. Then it is into the sparkling-blue swimming pool, (the next day it was a sickly green!??), for a cool-down dip before enjoying a wholesome and filling “brunch”.
Siesta time follows, and those who don’t go for some shut-eye, take in some reading, others catch up on the Internet, now even available in the once isolated Kalahari Desert. Jules insists on being “Landrovered” to & from her tent in the day – Jenks has scared her about the Lions and fictitious “eating humans” stories!

The afternoon's activity is a walk with the Bushmen, who enlighten us on their ways and disappearing culture. The collection of water in various ways in the Desert by these nomadic people is fascinating, compared to us who merely have to turn on a tap............ Starting a fire through friction alone is demonstrated, and most of the boys in the group try their hand, with limited success, confirming it is a practised art!

With the sun disappearing below the horizon, we head off to the nearby Airstrip, where a roaring fire greets us. It has been another hot day and the fire is not needed for warming, but it sets a nice mood for chatter while sipping drinks (the obligatory G+T in the bush!), and enjoying tasty morsels
Pg 8

of biltong and other snacks.  Back at the Lodge, fine cuisine is again enjoyed, before we all retire for the night. The cooling breeze is welcome, and we drift off to sleep with the varied night sounds......
Tuesday 24 Sept
Before sunrise, the troops and their luggage are collected from their tents and deposited at the Lodge. Each crew are handed their plog, the route discussed, lines drawn on the charts, and GPS’s  loaded. It is a short 30-minute hop to Maun for fuel, and then just over an hour to our destination, Nxamaseri, set in the and so-called “pan-handle” of the Okavango Delta.
The ‘planes loaded and pre-flight checks done, we bid our hosts goodbye, start and back-track the dusty strip in formation, taking off in +-15-second intervals to quickly form up in echelon. The chatter and chirps flow on 123.45, interspersed with the required calls to Maun Approach. Russell does a sterling job, doing a radio-call for the entire Squadron inbound!  Maun is the busiest airport in the Southern Hemisphere (movements), and it is apparent from the struggle to get calls in in between all the other traffic! We then get our individual landing clearances; Andy is chasing us hard, and gets a “land after” clearance – new terminology to me....... As the two of us taxi to the newly-positioned fuel-bay, Jenks and the Harkers land in close formation, also exiting on the “high-speed” taxiway.
Flight-plans, fuel and landing fees attended to, we are ready to go, but Jenks’s 235 won’t even turn the prop – the battery is cooked! The troops decide that Andy and Nola in the 6, and the Harkers in their 182 will press on, while Russell and I will stay with Jenks while we source a new battery. Jules and some luggage get transferred to the 6, in case we have to leave Jenks’s ‘plane behind and go 3-up in Russell’s aerie. Lots of  ‘phone-calls, SMS’s, 2 AMO’s and 2 hours later in the baking hot 33°  heat, we are on our way with a revised flight-plan each. The new battery comes at double the price they are back home – we should have sorted it before departure! Lesson learned........
The “fan” of the Okavango Delta starts to make it’s appearance, with sporadic bits of water, and as we head North, we see more and more water, till it is almost one big lake with some tree-filled islands. The water-ways also become clearer, and we start to see some elephant herds. Jenks is keeping us in sight, and takes appropriate avoiding action when we call for an orbit over a particularly good elephant sighting to get some camera shots.

All this water makes for a welcome visual experience, with a never-ending changing landscape of different trees, palms, grasses, shrubs, reeds, water-lilies, with every hue of green represented. Likewise, the water colours vary between deep-blue, greenish and mud-brown, and everything in-between. Besides the elephant, there are Buffalo and some antelope to be seen, plenty of bird-life, but is obviously too hot for the plentiful Hippo to show themselves - the “hippo highways” clearly seen from above are testament that they are lurking below the cooler waters..........
Below – the “pan-handle” with the Okavango river

We enter the pan-handle, and the sea-blue main stream of the Okavango river snakes itself like a never-ending Boa Constrictor through the green riverine vegetation and reeds which stand 3 to 4 metres above the waterline – beautiful! Jenks follows us in for the low-level runway inspection, tear-drop turn, and landing on the reciprocal, somewhat bumpy dirt strip of Nxamaseri, set upon an island. Phoraki (Mr P) is waiting for us and helps carry our luggage to the flat-bottomed aluminium speedboat. Our friends sent some welcome COLD beer which disappears during the 5-minute boat- ride to the Lodge........
The waters of the Okavango River originate in the highlands of Angola, running through the Namibian Caprivi Strip, before entering Botswana near Shakawe in the N-W part of the country. Each year, eleven Billion cubic metres of water a year flow into this inland Delta, only to disappear into the Desert sands of the Kalahari further South. Some math : 11 Billion C.M / year divided by 365 =30 137 000 cubic metres/day. 1 C. M. = 1000 litres of water, therefore that’s 30.137 million C.M. multiplied by 1000 = 3.0137 Billion litre/day. Staggering........ It lends some credibility to a statistic quoted to me at Drotsky’s Camp in 1998 - at its peak, more water flows through the Okavango in 24-hours than all of the rivers in S. Africa combined in ONE year!
This place is very far from the crowds, with comfortable accommodation set immediately on the banks of the river, with the only sound being the abundant birdlife, splashing fish, and chattering Vervet monkeys feeding in the Jackalberry tree overhanging my room. I sit and peel Pistachio nuts, flicking the shells towards the river, which land in the water, occasionally fooling a fish it is something edible! The unmistakeable call of the African Fish Eagle intersperses the other bird calls, and the hair on my arms rise to this beautiful sound – I know I am deep in the bush when I hear that regal-looking Eagle’s haunting call !

The food is simple, but delicious, more like home-cooking, and makes for a welcome change to the usual. Owner run, (Tiaan) with the help of Sophie (from the UK) and Katrina (from Germany), together with guides Mr P and Fish, we are treated royally, and it makes our stay a memorable experience. More so for Jenks and Jules – they were allocated the “tree-house”, which they found “interesting”, possible romantic, and obviously contributed to Jenks experiencing a moment of weakness, producing a ring, and asking Jules to marry him! No contest, I believe........  All the best to the happy couple!

During the 2-night stay, Tiger fishing is the main activity, but also catching Bream and Barbel. Most of the crew get lucky, and all return their catch to the waters in the interest of the ecology. Speedboat rides are a great way to get further down the waterway, and view the scenery, checking the birdlife en-route, and occasionally stopping to study  a Fish Eagle atop a tall tree next to his hunting ground. The last afternoon, we hop into the wobbly Mokoro, and glide silently over the water-lily and through the reeds, thanks to our “poler” pushing us along. This is the primary transport in the region, and the traditional “dug-out” canoe is sourced from the big, old trees. This is a problem, as wood eventually rots, meaning another tree is cut down. Thanks to fibreglass, the Botswana Government sponsors these more durable versions of the dug-out canoe to help preserve the big trees.

Obligatory beer in hand...........  Our polers beach us on an island, where we sip sundowners, taking in stunning birdlife and action too numerous to note here. Some firsts for me : 1) the Giant (black in colour) Kingfisher, catching his dinner in front of us, 2) the multi-coloured Malachite, also catching his tit-bit then settling on a branch not 10 feet away from us. We watch and photograph the hapless bait-fish being stunned and eventually killed over a period of about 10 minutes with 5 -15 second intervals between each slap against the tree branch. 3) the African skimmer, leaving a surgical line behind him, lower beak in the water as he collects his food on the glass-smooth water surface with the sunset now gone – magical............

As with the previous night, we are lulled to sleep by the deep-throated grunts of the Hippo, and the boiling water created by the annual “Barbel-run” during August and September – the receding water causes the smaller fish to come out of the reeds, and the Barbel feast themselves each night from Sunset till about midnight. The Tiger has a go at whatever her can get, Baitfish and Barbel alike.....
Thursday 26 Sept
Power checks are again done whilst back-tracking to minimise sandblasting the propeller. It is hot already when we get airborne for today’s low-level scenic flight to Kasane Intl Airport for the Chobe National Park. We route south-easterly along the pan-handle, towards Seronga, so we can follow the meandering mainstream of the Okavango river, with the occasional blue-coloured ox-bow lake sticking out of the green borders of the reeds.
Then the very loose formation heads north-easterly, picking up the rather waterless Lion river, which leads us to the more plentiful Chobe River, which in turn will take us to the Linyanti floodplain at the Namibian Caprivi strip border with Botswana. During August this year, the Namibian Government (politicians at play!) renamed the well-known and famous “Caprivi strip” as the “Zambezi Region”, supposedly to rid themselves of their German Colonialist history – what a load of bollocks.......... At the same time, the colourful coastal town of Luderitz became Naminüs.
The Chobe river yields plenty Elephant, some African water buffalo, varied birdlife, but little else. It is extremely dry, and a Winter fire has left the terrain barren and devoid of any grazing, hence the lack of other wildlife. As we fly over the Linyanti floodplain, the promised Hippo keep hidden, and my credibility comes into question! The only sign of them is their footpaths, as well as an unfortunate dead hippo, upturned with his 4 feet sticking skywards. I get a ‘photo of this rather grotesque sight with Russell’s camera. The endless elephant provide for some unique pictures, and I see the largest herd of Buffalo I have ever seen!

Not Ants, Buffalo!

We spot a lot more varied game nearer “our lodge”, and after pointing out the river-front “Chobe Marina Lodge”, we land at Kasane.
The afternoon activity is the river game-cruise on the big boat shared with chattering Japanese, and a particularly loud American. Anyhow, the group get good sightings and ‘photos of Elephant crossing the water, fat Hippo, Buffalo, the pre-historic-like Crocodile, Giraffe and various Antelope, not to mention the endless bird variety, big and small! Not surprisingly, the bar is run dry long before the cruise is over!

The air-conditioned rooms of civilisation make a welcome break from the searing heat of the past few days, contributing to sound sleep..........
Friday 27 Sept
After early coffee and rusks, the group head off to the Chobe National Park on the back of the open Landrover. Fifteen minutes later, with the sun rising in the East, the animals of the Chobe do not disappoint, including the Lion and Cheetah. As at Haina, Leopard tracks are seen, but the elusive cat remains just that!
Breakfast, and later, lunch are enjoyed (too much good food!), all around the cool pool – it helps keep the body temperature down, dipping in & out occasionally. The rain season will start the end of October/November, and until then, it will remain hot, dry and dusty. I prefer to lurk in my air-conditioned room!
For the afternoon boat cruise, we have substituted the big commercial boat with our own private flat-bottomed speedboat. This will get us closer to the shores, nearer game, and be able to go where the draft of the big boat will prevent it going in shallower waters. Also, we are not subject to the inane babble of others....... This time, we make sure the cooler-box is properly stocked, and then we skim across the choppy water into the National Park, passing Sedudu Island, which Namibia claimed as theirs about 20 years ago. The dispute very nearly resulted in the 2 countries going to war over this useless (mostly flooded) 5-square km island, but sanity prevailed and they agreed to abide by whatever the International Court of Justice decided, which in 1999, ruled in favour of Botswana. Ever since, the Botswana flag flies from an awkwardly leaning pole planted on the island, almost in  gesture similar to one’s middle finger to Namibia!
Once away from the maddening crowd, Stanley slows down for us to enjoy the sights surrounding us – animals both in the water and on the low-lands, countless birds, camera-shy crocodile, all interspersed with the beautiful call of the regal Fish Eagle.

Always a special occasion to watch is the crossing of the elephant to or from the mainland – they all mill about, kicking up dust, until the Matriarch chooses the entry point, and once she is in the water, the rest follow in tight formation. The adolescents become fully submerged, and their trunks resemble a teapot spout sticking out of the water, as they breathe through this periscope. More fascinating, is how the babies are kept aloft by the young cows, surrounding the youngsters, and using their trunks to keep them buoyed up so they can breathe normally. Mohkoetsi keeps our thirst slaked with beer and G & T’s, liberally poured to keep the mosquito away, of course!

Saturday 28 Sept
Another early-morning game drive into the Game reserve, albeit more leisurely and the Park appears less crowded. The only extra-ordinary sighting is a reasonably-sized African Rock Python, whose lazy disposition and swollen body suggests something is being digested.
After breakfast, we head off to Kasane International Airport, and en-route, stop to admire a large herd of Sable antelope grazing on the side of the road. It is a short 25 minute hop to Victoria Falls Airport, and the obligatory orbits over the Victoria Falls extend the flight to just under an hour. Although the water volume is the lowest I have ever seen, it is as ever, still an awesome spectacle, with the 300’ deep zig-zag gorges of previous falls leading away the water below Eastwards to Quelimane, Mozambique, fanning out into the Indian Ocean. (Quelimane is about 100nm N-E of Beira). The falls line is now on cutting 9, and cutting 10 is clearly visible, but it will be another 10 000 years before it is fully established at the new line.
Cleared inbound, we hear the South African Airways flight carrying Jillie obtain landing clearance. We land next, and it is a hurried shut-down for us so Russell can wait at the bottom of the stairs disgorging the passengers from the Airbus 319. One of the last to exit is Jillie, and it is an unexpected surprise to be met by her beloved as she steps onto African soil. The other 3 ‘planes land and park next to us, and C & I into Zimbabwe are quickly dispatched with, and as we meet up in the terminal hall, Andy and Co hand out ice-cold beers. Most welcome, as it is now 38 C !!!
Our 25 km transfer in the air-conditioned bus is seamless, dropping us at the A’Zambezi River Lodge, set on the banks of the Zambezi river, upriver of the Falls. Once again, we are grateful for our 4-star, air conditioned rooms. Top priority is beers in the cooling waters of the large pool. It is at pool-side that Nola bumps into an old Capetonian friend, now resident in New Zealand, and had arrived on the same flight as Jillie from Johannesburg. Hoddy is a New Zealander, and married Fred du Plessis after meeting on a Kontiki tour in their youth. Quite freaky to meet up in darkest Africa, having travelled from the UK (Nola) and New Zealand (Hoddy & Fred)
They join us for a fun dinner, most of our party well lubricated after downing poisonous concoctions on the Sunset cruise on the Zambezi. Some mothers children!! Good food, good company, and later we all drift of contentedly to our rooms for welcome rest.

Sunday 29 Sept
Discretion being the better part of valour, I divorce myself from these adult hooligans who try and coerce me into “white-water river rafting” with them. Watching the video and photos on a big screen that evening over pizza and beer at “Shoestring backpackers”, I am happy to say I think I made the right decision........ Whilst they loved it, it did hold its moments of terror, being tipped out into the raging waters twice, and the fact that they came away unscathed, I presume is what made it fun – dicing with death!  The afternoon is spent exploring the Victoria Falls, one the 7 natural wonders of the world, now also a UNESCO World Heritage site. While the water-flow is slow now, It averages one BILLION litres per SECOND –hard to get your head around! When at its peak during the months of Feb – May, it has the biggest sheet of water in the world, at 1708 m wide, and dropping 108 m (350’) into the gorge below. There is too much information to put here – Google for more interesting data.
Sun gone, Andy decides we can walk the fifteen minutes back into town, and a Warthog trots past us, and we then pass him as he is checking out his hole for the night, completely unperturbed by our attention. More interestingly, some Elephant lumber out of the darkened bush, crossing in the headlights of a car that stops just behind us. Just as we think we can proceed, another 4 make their appearance, and one of them walks towards us flapping ears, and looking a little menacing, no more than 50 metres away. This sends us all scrambling back, running for the cover of the car. But the car driver has decided to turn around and flee, leaving us all a bit exposed. Fortunately, the young bull looses interest in us, and joins the rest who are now feeding in the bush on the other side of the road, invisible in the dark. I am not usually concerned with these sort of encounters, but this had my heart racing! The Zimbabwe Elephants are now hunted for food by the indigenous, and consequently they see humans as a threat – 2 SA hunters were trampled to death near Kariba in October 2011, 2 British tourist met the same fate in Hwange in 2009, and in May this year at Chahara Game Park, 2 poachers were attacked and one trampled to death............These gentle giants have become dangerous, thanks to man and his ways.
The crew are baying for a lie-in, and they get their wish granted for the next morning.
Monday 30 Sept
After a leisurely start to the day, we are soon in the transfer bus to Victoria Falls Airport, serenaded by Andy with his rendition of “Love me tender, love me true”. (Note to all – hide any microphone in sight, Andy cannot resist them!)
Formalities completed and fuelled up, we take off into a strong headwind, turning our 1 hr 50 min flight into 2 hr 15 min. Anyhow, it is very scenic, with the rugged mountains flanking the Zambezi gorges and their numerous rapids. Soon the area flattens out, and we descend to fly about 500’ AGL along the Lake Kariba shoreline, and for the next 200 nm, take in the various sights, varying from hostile cliff-faces, to wide, white sandy beaches. We pass the famous resorts of Binga & Bumi Hills,
Pg 19
and navigate over Chete Island, Sengwa Mouth, Fothergill and Gache Gache before turning North to land at Kariba Airfield. The visibility for the last 50 nm or so has deteriorated somewhat, and is not helped by the light rain.  Russell thinks I am a real “wuss” as I make him fly Island to Island – he clearly has more faith in the single Lycoming whirring away upfront!
Our transfer buses are waiting for us, and deliver us to our house-boat at the small Kariba harbour, (via the bottle-store of course - the team decided the stock on board the boat would be insufficient). All aboard the “Return to Eden”, we annex our cabins for the next 3 nights, and set course for Antelope Island, enjoying some welcome mid-afternoon snacks. Captain Satiel, cook Chris (excellent chef as we were to find out), and deck-hand Panashi make us feel very welcome, seriously pampering us.

Later, we hop onto one of 2 motor-boats in tow, and do a mini “game cruise”, enjoying the abundant Fish Eagle and their distinctive calls. As the islands are denuded of grazing and tree foliage this time of the year, they all have a feeding station, where private enterprise and interested parties bring in feed weekly for the animals. We watch Buffalo, Kudu and Impala, as well as a troupe of Baboon, their human-like antics very amusing! The setting sun over the expansive waters as we float back to our house-boat makes the G &T’s taste all the better...........

Tuesday 01 – Wed 02 Oct
The 3 days and nights on the 3-star “Return to Eden” are comfortable, with outstanding “home-style” cooking. The temperatures have been pleasant, not requiring the use of the air conditioners in our cabins. The starry nights on the open deck allow for a bit of star-gazing – Jillie very excited at my laser pointer! The second night, we tie-up at the Southern shores of Lake Kariba, after a leisurely 4-hour  cruise back across the Lake. I have caught some dreaded lurgi, and spend most of my day feeling sorry for myself alone in the gently rocking cabin. I miss out on some great food, and leave the party-animals for an early night. The next day, thankfully, I am feeling better, only to hear that my flying partner, Russell, is not well, and he takes the day off in his cabin alone. Jillie keeps us posted during the day of his condition. Diseases like malaria, scurvy, typhoid, dysentery, TB, etc,  have apparently been discussed in his cabin...........the boy is clearly not a happy puppy.

The days are spent relaxing (a lot!), fishing early morning and evenings (not too successfully!), reading and socialising. There are worse ways of spending time!

Kariba is the largest (by volume) man-made lake in the world, approximately 200 km long, and, on average, 30 km wide, giving it a surface area of 5 600 sq km, and 180 cubic KILOMETRES of water –staggering  stats!  The average water depth is nearly 100’, with the deepest at 320’. Compare this to the controversial  Chinese 3-Gorges dam completed in 2008 with a surface area of only 1 000 sq km and a volume of 39 cubic km of water .
The building of the hydro-electric scheme started in 1956, and in a 1 in 1 000 year flood,  a years’ construction was washed away as predicted by the tribal leaders (white man’s magic was not understood). Against these and similar odds, constructions of the 420’-high, 580 metre long arched wall was completed in 1958, and the dam overflowed for the first time in 1963. (Remember these numbers – one of our aviators later on could not sight this “little” structure)
The flooding of the area required the re-settlement of thousands of rural people, and “Operation Noah” swung into action from 1958 to 1964, rescuing every conceivable animal, reptile, birds, and even insects they could. The rising water created islands, where 6 000 fortunates were plucked from certain death, but there were still countless unhappy outcomes. Rupert Fothergill should have been knighted for his work...........
The above is just a taste of the history around the town of Kariba (built to house the Italian construction workers) and Lake Kariba. Go Google some more!
Thursday 03 Oct
Today involves a full day of travel, so the house-boat engines fire up at 6 am, and we have a light breakfast on the way from Antelope Island to Kariba harbour. Chris has kindly packed us some “padkos”, as I am not sure we will get anything to eat or drink en-route. It is about 1 hr 30 min to Harare’s Charles Prince regional airport, where we will do C & I out of Zimbabwe, and fuel up the ‘planes for the 3 hr 30 min trip to Vilanculos. After C & I into Mozambique, it will be a 5 min hop to the island resort of Benguerra.
The team want to see the Kariba Lake wall before heading to Harare, so I point out a hillock 7 nm West of the Airfield, and tell them the gorge and dam wall are just behind it. Andy and Nola in the “6” take off first, closely followed by Jenks & Jules in the 235, and they head West. We take off next, followed by the  Harkers in the 182, and we are finished seeing and ‘photographing the wall when it is clear from radio communications that Andy (& Jenks trustingly tailing him) have over-flown the wall......... (Apparently, the “boere-Boeing” is too fast for our intrepid aviator! )Some tight-lipped exchanges follow, and I do my best to direct them to the wall. Meanwhile, we set sail for Charles Prince, Harare, with occasional mutterings over the chat frequency heard “where the hell is this f*#king wall”, etc....... You can just imagine the chirps from the others!! Remember the Harkers and a certain Power Station? Now Andy will forever be linked to invisible Dam walls......... (even if they are structures consisting of over one-million cubic metres of concrete!)
It is a fairly featureless high-level, loose formation flight into Charles Prince Airport, and the flustered, over-worked ATC lady manages to confuse all and sundry trying to get into AND out of her very busy Airfield. She does herself no credit, and her favourite response to all calls is “Standby”, which simply compounds the problem. Anyhow, we all barge our way in, land, and taxi directly to the fuel bay. 
After 1 hr and 15 minutes attending to formalities (and enjoying Chris’s great sandwiches, boiled eggs, and fruit) we take off in a tight formation, with one aircraft doing radio calls for the entire formation to minimise needless chatter, all in an effort to minimise our harassed Controllers’ workload. She seems grateful!
Our route takes us over hundreds of kilometres of informal settlements, clearly on what was once prosperous crop farms, and then we start to approach the Zimbabwean highlands bordering Mozambique. The rocky outcrops start to grow as we drone one, until they are huge and impressive mountains, requiring their capture for the picture-albums. Russell climbs to 7500’ and the others follow suit, and we pass level with the highest peak to our right.

Pg 22

Then we leave the Zimbabwean high ground, and the huge panorama of the flat-land of Mozambique opens up for us to take in – it is amazing how the terrain immediately falls away by over 5000’. We slowly descend to 1000’ AGL,  and watch how the terrain changes from the thick bush with high trees, to Savannah, and finally to the coastal palms and salt-adapted Mangrove trees of the floodplains meeting the Indian Ocean.
Before arriving at the coast, Andy formates one at a time with the other aircraft for a mutual ‘photo-opportunity, each time with his now customary “break”, presenting the belly and wings of his ‘plane for some unique aerial pictures!
Over the shoreline, we do some exhilarating low-level flying along the mostly deserted white beaches, taking in the contrasting hues of blue of the waters – the shallower water is crystal clear and more turquoise, while the deeper water becomes a Royal blue. All pleasing to the senses, especially as the flying conditions are quite calm, and makes for a relaxed mood.  Jillie’s initial nervousness is soon overcome by this special experience, and the camera starts to click away..........
Passing the huge delta of the massive “Save” River, we climb to obtain inbound clearance from the Controller at Vilanculos International Airport. Three hours, 50 minutes since take-off (and some well-managed bladder-control), we shut down in turn at the main apron.  Clearance into Mozambique in the new terminal buildings is handled expeditiously and efficiently, and flight plans are lodged for the 10-min hop across the channel to our destination. An hour later, we take off for the idyllic resort on the Benguerra Island, part of the Bazaruto Archipeligo made up of a chain of six islands paralleling the mainland 15 kms away. Russell heads straight to the sandy, up-sloping strip, while the rest of the pack do some aerial sightseeing of the Islands. Low-level inspection completed, we land and park in time to watch the other three make their touchdowns. Aircraft parked and secured, the sun setting in the West, we pile onto the Landrover for the short drive to the beachfront Lodge, accompanied by wailing from the troops at the lack of “refreshments”........
Sally greets us as we disembark, and the refrigerated wet face-cloth is refreshing as we wipe away the days sweat and dust. Andy wastes no time establishing the source of some beer, and we all meet up with him at the old sailing boat on the beach converted to a Bar, quaintly covered in thatch grass. The soft, fine sand underfoot, gently lapping waves, and waving Palm fronds suggest we are in Paradise, with the sun setting between some cloud layers finishing off the panorama – perfect accompaniment to the welcome ice-cold 2M beers! We meet Andy & Nola’s friends from Cape Town, Johan & Mandy, who arrived earlier in the day, and will return to Johannesburg with us.

Activities for the next 2 days are booked, and include horse-riding, snorkelling, SCUBA diving, and a helicopter flip to Paradise Island for some more snorkelling, returning in the afternoon for the Dhow sailing trip. WHAT? No fishing????? Apparently, no time, but methinks it’s got something to do with their experience at Lake Kariba..............
Friday 04 Oct
The day is spent pursuing the various activities in perfect weather, some indulging themselves in some pampering at the Spa, others just relaxing a bit. The food is varied and enjoyable, obviously with plenty of local Seafood thrown in to the mix, and always accompanied by good wines. By the end of the day, Jilly has met her target of getting through the whole list of Cocktails on offer – all 10 of them done & dusted within a 24 hr period. Don’t mess with these Gurnsey-woman! Clearly, Russell is well again, as the jokes start sprouting forth. He and Graeme have been the comedians throughout the trip, both gifted jokers!

Saturday 05 Oct
I am awakened at 4.30 am with crashing thunder, hectic winds, followed by pouring rain...... I hope the ‘planes will with-stand the gusting winds, and start to think about weather for our return tomorrow! These folk have to board flights back home Sunday evening.......  At breakfast , with the odd intermittent shower, it is decided to cancel the (rather expensive) helicopter ride to Paradise Island, and because of the churned up waters, no SCUBA or snorkelling either (Russell, Johan and Mandy did do a dive in the afternoon, and they were happy with the spectacle presented to them). So, it’s mostly relaxing time for all – reading, some get their bodies massaged by the very effective resident therapist, some pull out the sundeck chairs and enjoy the beach complimented by the pleasant ambient conditions. The afternoon Dhow sailing is a unique and enlightening experience, accompanied by a stunning Sunset over the sea..........
Pre-dinner drinks are enjoyed around a fire, and Karen Allen from the “Endangered Wildlife Trust” tells us all about the threats to the survival of the Dugong as a species, and what her work entails. Fascinating, requiring dedication  and passion from a young lady, far removed from a “normal” life with friends and family......
Tomorrow is a big flying day, but it does not stop the team from working hard on their eternal thirst, while enjoying another special meal, this time our table set on the Beach just a few metres from the lapping high-tide.

Sunday 06 Oct
It is an early start, and we say goodbye to Sally and Arminda who have hosted us so graciously at their Lodge set in a piece of Paradise! I hope the sale to CC Africa will not change the character of this unique place.
After take-off, some exploring of the Archipelago from the air is done, before landing at Vilankulos for fuel, C & I formalities, and filing of flight plans. For the first time of the entire trip, we take off on time!!!! Some low-level coastal flying is done for about 20 min, before turning inland towards South Africa. The 182 has “lost” us, and the 3 low-wings keep a loose formation over the flat Mozambican interior. Flying over the Kruger National Park, we make contact with Kruger-Mpumalanga International Airport, and it is quite a rude awakening arriving at a busy, controlled Airfield again, but we all land within 5 minutes of each other after a long 3 hours. A pit-stop breather and formalities completed, we take off for the last leg, a short 1.5 hour hop to our base at Brakpan Airfield, this time keeping a 4-ship loose formation.

On time, we land at around 15.15, de-plane, and enjoy some good food, hosted by Skyafrica and the “larger than life” owner, Karl Finatzer, and of course, Janna who put the whole package together.
Too soon, it’s off to the Airport to catch the “boring-Boeing” (or fantastic-plastic) trip back to London-town, and back to the respective salt-mines.

In summary, what a great trip, and one would search forever to find a nicer bunch of people to fly with. Great camaraderie, and good friendships struck.  

Thur 21 April :
I awake at 03.15 am to the sound of thunder,  flashes of lightning, and pouring rain, and my heart starts to race. This does nothing to ease the tension in my neck, shoulders and back muscles! Today we are supposed to start a once in a lifetime adventure, and the weather may very well jeopardise this! The past few days, the weather has not been aviation-friendly, and an enormous amount of time, effort (and money!) has been invested in this exciting African odyssey, and my mind is racing with thoughts of not being able to deliver............. I need to rest, but I cannot go back to sleep, so eventually I get up around 5 am to check the weather over the Internet, and the picture is not good – I immediately re-do our flight plans from “Visual Flight Rules” to “Instrument Flight Rules”, as the expected clouds and Thunderstorms preclude any scenic flying. After sunrise, the rain abates, and I go to the Airfield to take our “carriage” out of the hangar, do the pre-flight checks, and have a serious conversation with her as to the importance of a reliable 20-odd hours required of her...........
One of my worries is eased, as the Swiss flight is 10 minutes early, and Uli is easy to identify amongst the thronging passengers coming out of Customs & Immigration (C & I), and soon we are at Brakpan Airfield, where we hurriedly board & complete start formalities – Uli successfully undertakes his first “practical” start-up on the twin-engined Piper Seneca. Taxi, pre-takeoff & power-checks complete, we soon start the +- 1 hr flight on our way to Pilanesberg International Airport, where re-fueling, landing fees, and C & I formalities are swiftly (by African standards!) dealt with. So far no rain, but we passed lots of cloud inbound, and we know (and can see) lots of fluffy stuff waiting for us en-route. Fluffy stuff usually develops into dangerous thunderstorms!
The friendly Pilanesberg ATC assists in our expeditious departure, and within 10 minutes, Johannesburg Control hand us over to Botswana ATC, whose airspace we will occupy for the next    3-odd hours. Soon, the patches of ground are displaced by solid cloud – luckily, we are between 2 layers, so not always flying “blind”. The Gods are being kind to us, as the expected 15 Kt head-wind does not materialise, and we are managing a better-than-expected groundspeed of around 160 Kt, or just under 300 km/hr in “plain-speak”. Uli is experiencing IFR & IMC for the first time, and there is not too much chatter in the Cockpit. The Stormscope shows no thunderstorms, and I begin to doubt its reliability, as it becomes obvious  we are entering bigger cloud masses. However, about half an hour before the Namibian border, we start to see patches of ground, and after a few minutes, we are flying over the featureless Kalahari desert. (Stormscope redeemed!). I have never seen the desert so “green” – obviously the result of the exceptionally high rain-season.
This intermezzo is short-lived, as we soon enter clouds again, and this time, the Stormscope lights up with Thunderstorms about 100 nm (185 Km) ahead. Botswana ATC hand us over to Windhoek Control, and for a few minutes, Uli and I debate whether we should climb or descend, as the clouds are getting angrier – the tension in the Cockpit is palpable as we listen to Airliners 25 000 ft above us asking ATC for different headings to avoid storms. Uli has clearly had enough of these clouds, and is diving left and right in an effort to avoid them. A check with the weather in Windhoek confirms the clouds are high enough above the ground for us to continue safely below the cloud-base, so no time is lost getting ATC clearance to descend through the clouds, where we will continue the last 50 minutes of our journey “VFR”. As we pop out of the cloud, a huge thunderstorm, easily about 60 kms wide, blocks our direct passage to Windhoek’s Eros Airport. We have to track about 20 degrees left to get around this big, black & blue storm. We hear other Aircraft in & out of Eros, so we are re-assured that when we get around this thunderstorm, we should still be able to land.............only 45 more minutes!!! Soon we are around the thunderstorm, and can again track to our destination, but now we have to contend with some rather unpleasant turbulence, which has us tightening our seat-belts.
We are 12 miles / 5  minutes away from Eros, and ATC have not acknowledged us – we climb for better radio reception – we see a looming thunderstorm close by – Goodness! I want this flight to end!!!!!!! 3 minutes from landing, ATC eventually are in contact us and we are cleared to land – phew! It is a hurried landing with an abbreviated approach due to the encroaching thunderstorm. Uli does a good job for his 2nd-ever landing in the twin, and immense relief floods over me as we park and shut-down. So many “what if’s” – If we had not made Windhoek, his family would have been stranded waiting for us, and jeopardised the whole itinerary. If that big storm was sitting over both Windhoek Intl & Eros and not where it was, we could not land at either Airport, and, we did not have fuel to go anywhere else............ I said to Uli later that whilst we were never ever in any danger, we were a little bit lucky this day. None of the above helped with my stiff neck and shoulders!  Other than that, everything went to plan, including time-wise, and after securing our trusty stead, C & I done, we were on our way to the Olive Grove Guesthouse, and after checking into our comfortable rooms, another taxi-ride brought us to the Windhoek CBD to meet Ines & the boys. (Very grumpy, as they were only allowed to “window-shop” due to weight restrictions! Good for Uli’s bank balance....). Ines, David, Jacob & Julius appear to have not changed at all since I last saw them 3 years ago.
After doing some “touristy” stuff,  sight-seeing, etc, we descended on the popular & famous “Joes Beerhouse”, with its varied and interesting menu. Appetites appeased and thirsts slaked, taxis were hailed for the return to our Guesthouse for (thank goodness!!) an early-to-bed night –slept like a contented baby.

Fri 22 April :
All appear at the breakfast table refreshed and ready for the day. The weather is promising too, and the morning temperature is uncharacteristically cool for this usually hot town – the locals are dressed up in jerseys and jackets!
Over a hearty breakfast, Julius presents me with a lucky charm (chimney-sweep), which I know where it will go on the dash of ZS-MDU. So thoughtful of “meine beste kleine freund”! 
Innes then hands me  a package – inside is a beautifully illustrated book about “Schwabia”, which includes the town of “Tubingen” where their family hail from – another not-so-subtle hint that we need to visit them. Inside is a postcard signed by the whole family thanking me for flying with them –             heart-warming stuff!
A 15 minute taxi ride brings us to Eros Airport, where re-fuelling, landing fees, and a weather check pave the way for our flight to Etosha, via “Vingerklip”, a solitary column of rock, bound to fall over one day from erosion at its base. It is set in a valley amongst some interesting rocky outcrops & “mini “ Table mountains. En-route, I point out the Erongo Mountains to our left, which I think are the 2nd highest point of Namibia (7600’/ m). Sticking out beyond them, is the highest point pushing itself above the flattish Coastal plateau, the majestic “Brandberg”(8460’/2580 m), so named due to its red-tinted rock sheer cliffs, which in the setting sun hint at the mountain being on fire.
About 2 hours after take-off, we are over the Ongava Game reserve, which borders the Etosha National Park to the South, and has 3 Lodges – we overfly “Andersons Camp” and I erroneously point this out as their Lodge. Later I discover my mistake, as we are actually booked into the “Ongava Lodge”, the 3rd being the “Ongava Tented camp”.
Two nights are spent here, and some special moments are experienced. The first Sundowner drive lets us see Springbok (and some graciously demonstrate why they got their name!), Gnu (Wildebeest), Red Hartebees, Waterbuck, with their distinctive “toilet ring” backsides,  Burchells Zebra, and of course, my favourite antelope, the beautiful Kalahari Gemsbok, now officially re-named as the Oryx. The shy & elusive Steenbok, the smallest antelope, is spotted momentarily before darting off into the undergrowth. Of course, smaller animals are seen and discussed, birdlife is plentiful, and the vegetation and trees make for conversation and interesting observation. With the sun going down, we are blessed with the sighting of a well-horned White Rhino peacefully grazing, unperturbed by the Landrovers around, together with her 4 – 6 month old calf, who clearly is not as accepting of these invaders! We move off for a drink & snacks at the disused Airstrip, under the suspicious glare of 2 black-backed Jackal slinking away, and the warning barks of the leader of a troop of Baboon in the nearby rocky hill.  Back at the Lodge, suitable liquids accompany a sumptuous (slightly excessive!) dinner, before retiring to our luxury rooms and comfortable beds, and fall asleep with fleeting thoughts of a busy day........... 

Sat 23rd April
The Etosha has had an extra-ordinary amount of rain, and it is a sight I am not used to seeing – pools of water everywhere, roadways river-like, lush ground cover – instead of the dry, dusty conditions and the sparse vegetation. All of this water in the veld sadly means the animals don’t need to visit the waterhole at the Lodge. A lone Oryx comes to lick the Salt Block, and a female Waterbuck with 4 adolescents in tow make a quick, skittish visit, before moving on.
The drive into the Etosha National Park is disappointing – due to excessive water, the side roads are closed to stop vehicles from getting stuck, so we are restricted to the main arterials, and the Elephant, Buffalo, and predators we hoped to see remain elusive, except for a distant sighting of a mating pair of Lion. A lot of smaller and unusual animals and Lizards are seen, and the Birdlife does not disappoint.
The Ongava Sundowner drive delivers similar to the previous day, but with a not too surprising Landrover getting stuck, and Ines getting sprayed with muddy water as the wheels spin furiously to try and break free – as the Queen said “we are not amused”!!! Help is summonsed, and another Landrover helps pull the stuck one out, it’s driver also “not amused”, as he has to swim in the muddy water to attach the tow cable underneath our stuck ‘Rover! Back to normal, Sundowners are enjoyed in the company of another pre-historic-like White Rhino and her calf – very special......... The well-behaved and “involved” boys are clearly having a good time.Another pleasant dinner is enjoyed by all, and I spend the night pacing up and down between my bed and the toilet, wondering if whatever affected me has had the same effect on the unsuspecting Gohrings. To my relief, at breakfast, they are all fine, and my “one day bug” gets sorted out eventually over the next 24 hours.

Sun 24th April:
The overnight rain allows us to enjoy crisp, clean fresh air, and a dust-free ride to the Ongava Airstrip for the flight to Opuwa. After take-off, we head over the Etosha Pan and are not disappointed with the huge flocks of Flamingo and various water-fowl. Other than a few Elephant (and lots of domestic cattle!), the game viewing from the air is sparse. We just enjoy the low-level flying, and soon the flats are replaced by the darkened mountains making their appearance as we approach Opuwo, our fuel stop en-route to Purros. I warn Ines and the boys about the pushy Himba women who ply their wares when a ‘plane-load of tourist stop here for fuel. Opuwo is the most North-West possibility for fuel, and no one comes here for much else! It is a hot, dry, dusty and desolate area.......... The obligatory runway inspection reveals a satisfactory landing surface, but a herd of goats and 2 lazy donkeys occupy the mid-section. We note herd-boys, so our very low flypast should give them a hint of our intentions, and we hope it also chases away the donkeys! We re-position for our landing, and Voila!, the runway is clear......... Uli is getting more comfortable with the controls, and lands us safely. We stop next to the 6-metre container which serves as the fuel bay, and we await service. We are all very hot and thirsty, but we have to suffer (not so) quietly, as there is nothing here, NADA! The Okahirongo Elephant Lodge are alerted to our expected arrival, and politely ordered not to arrive at Purros Airfield without drinks to slake our desperate thirsts!!
Fueled, it is a short 30-minute hop to Purros, and the ever-changing Namibian landscape again does not disappoint – the ochre-red desert mountains and valleys make for spectacular views, and the unusual vegetation suggests this area has also experienced good rains. The ephemeral Hoarusib River is flowing fairly strongly, paralleling the Airstrip, but appears to be low enough to allow the Lodge’s Landrover to cross to collect us. This is no ordinary strip, bounded by mountains all the way around, steeply inclined, so you land uphill and take off downhill, regardless of the winds. It is not much wider than a car track, very sandy, with a serious bump halfway down, and local pilots at Ongava warned me of these and other problems. Uli agrees to let me fly this one, and it turns out to be easier than expected. We pile out of our trusty transport quickly to get to the Okahirongo Landrover who thankfully hands out cold Cokes! The ‘plane off-loaded & secured, we traverse the flowing waters of the river (to the squeals of delight of the boys), and bump along comfortably for about 15 minutes to the Lodge, where a tasty lunch is devoured. (I hold down my first meal and beer – great!).I spend the afternoon catching up on lost sleep, and the Gohrings’ go hunting the desert Elephants, which James succeeds with about 35 kms from the Lodge, lazily foraging from the trees in the river. (Note to James – BIG thank you! Mrs Gohring was threatening me with serious bodily harm if no Elephant sighted on this trip, and this was “last chance” in Namibia!).  More culinary delights are set before us for dinner. It never fails to amaze me how these Lodges manage to produce stunning Cuisine in the most inhospitable locations, many miles, and sometimes, days away from the nearest supply of fresh produce.

Mon 25th April:
The next morning after breakfast, James takes us to the nearby Himba village, where we learn first-hand more about these tough people, taking a tour of their camp and peeking into their humble homes in which they sleep on the hard floor. Himba women demonstrate to us the crushing of the ochre stone, mixing with butter-fat and a “perfumed” plant, and then show us how they smear it all over themselves, and as they never wash in water, this is their form of cleaning themselves. It also serves as protection against the Sun, and insects – no surprise there! The different style of head-dress is explained, which symbolises the women’s status (community, marital, etc). Back at the Lodge, the boys enjoy a dip in the inviting pool, and get to play with the responsive Jack Russell Terriers for the last time. After a refreshing drink, it’s off to our Seneca for the next leg of our odyssey – and Uli and I are looking forward to some low-level Coastal flying! The “short-field technique” take-off from this rudimentary strip is uneventful, and we keep low to overfly and see the Himba village, and follow the Hoarusib River looking for the Elephants from the previous night’s sighting. After about 5 minutes, success! Then we start to climb to traverse the mountains before descending towards the Skeleton Coast, and soon we are low-level over the beach (more like a stony shore!) and waves, heading for the now abandoned “Westies Mine”, at the mouth of the Hoarusib River.   When we get there, we are surprised to find a dry river-bed leading into the Sea! (At Purros, it flowed quite strongly). We pass “Mowe Bay” (without a Seagull in sight; Mowe = Seagull), and Terrace Bay, the most Northerly point people can drive to along this coastline. Remnants of the collapsed mining venture protrude through the shifting desert sands...... This reminds us of the notorious “Skeleton Coast”, so named for the skeletons of hundreds of shipwrecks the past 400 years that littered this stretch of coast, as well as the skeletons of many-hundred seafarers who rejoiced surviving the shipwreck on reaching land, only to perish a slow, lingering death due to no people to help, no food, and no drinking water, and of course, the searing desert sun & heat which sometimes mercifully expedited the inevitable...........
Next is Torra Bay, a minute fishing resort open only from 1 December to 31 January – goodness knows who wants to come to such a desolate and hostile place to catch fish for only 2 months of a year!
We pass Toscanini, an old Diamond Mine, with its fallen over drilling rig and abandoned buildings, also half buried in the dunes. We pass the mouth of the Ugab River, the official Southern border of the Skeleton Coast, and we are now over the “West Coast Recreational Area”, and this is obvious for the rest of our journey to Swakopmund, with the odd (rudimentary) campground, and the fishermen dotted along our way. We will not fly to “Twyfelfontein” or Brandberg as originally planned, and I am thankful, as the strong 40kt/70kph headwind will add 1 hour to our abbreviated expected time of 1 hr 45 min!! Other than the wind, the weather has been behaving for our flying, but as we get closer to Swakopmund, the cloudbase gets lower and darker. Cape Cross passes, as well as the pretty holiday town of Hentiesbaai. We are less than 5 km from Swakopmund, but the invisible strip in the desert sands eludes us until the last minute (thank goodness for GPS!). A normal approach and landing follows, where-after the usual formalities, we are on our way to “Sam’s Giardino”, a small boutique hotel with an Italian name – Sam is Swiss, and offers all things Swiss at his establishment, including, to the delight of David, Jacob & Julius, a PR manager in the form of “Beethoven”, a Swiss Bernese Mountain dog, the same breed as the family have waiting for them on their return home. Beethoven is a playful 4 months, and relishes all the attention from the boys, his boisterous 50-odd kg antics making him a lot of fun! Uli has been lusting for oysters, me for an ordinary hamburger – all this Lodge food is great, but some junk-food would be good for a change. We take a 20 minute walk to the beachfront where we find a restaurant specialising in Seafood, and our “cravings” are all satisfied, including some delicious local draft beer! Some window-shopping through the clean, wide streets of this colourful and modernised Germanic town, and a visit to the “railway station” Hotel end the outing with a jog back to Sam’s, as it is suddenly very cold and most of us do not have jackets.................... A delightful evening is spent with a rather dour but warming & interesting Sam, who plies is with wine from his fantastic collection, followed by a tasty light meal. A good night’s rest follows in our comfortable and warm rooms.

Tues 26th April:
David and I go and do an early morning 5 – 5.5 km jog/walk before a sumptuous and varied “Swiss breakfast”. I have to try and make that Swiss joghurt muesli back home.......... Then it’s back to the Airport for our expected 1.5 hr flight to Wolwedans Lodge, but coastal headwinds again extend our flight to nearly 2 hours. After take-off, we skirt past Walvis Bay harbour, overflying ships at anchor outside the harbour, across the crimson, red, pink, and other coloured pans of the Salt factory, before reaching Sandwich Bay, with it’s 50’ golden dunes rising straight out of the Ocean – makes for stunning flying, and the forecast coastal fog is thankfully absent, making for spectacular photo’s and video’s. We are now entering the “Sperregebiet”- the “forbidden area” declared by the Government to manage the “diamond rush” chaos. The well-buried wreck of the Shauni slides past below us, and at Conception Bay, we find the wreck of the Eduard Bohlen,  a German freighter beached in 1909 without loss of life. It is now about 1 km from the shoreline, the Desert having forced the sea back, and it is a ghostly sight seeing this ship now apparently “sailing” through the sand. Then we briefly head inland to find the abandoned Desert Diamond camps, North & South, now very broken down and covered by the wind-blown sand.......... We head back to the “Soutvlakte” adjoining the Coast till Meob Bay, where we turn inland and head towards Sossusvlei. A slow climb keeps us just above the ever-changing and varied dune formations, with many different colourings: white, sandy, gold, brown, red – they are all there! Soon we are over the “vlei” at Sossus, “Deadvlei” is clearly visible with the stark skeletons of once proud Camelthorn trees, and we come abeam “Witberg” in the distance, which marks the beginning of the magnificent, ochre-red dunes of this 50 km valley. It is claimed they are the highest dune in the world, and they don’t “shift” like most dunes do. I point out “Big Daddy” & “Big Momma” and we carry on down till we get to “Dune 45”, the most famous and photographed of them all, due to its curves and knife-like edge. Then it’s on to our destination, Wolwedans Dunes camp, 10 minutes away, and we start to see the myriad “fairy circles”. Soon we are landing on the rather narrow sand strip, and our waiting Landrover carries us up the steep, red and well vegetated dunes to our accommodation. Later we hear that this areas average annual rainfall is around 70 mm per year, and they have had 360 mm so far, which explains the flourishing plant-life compared to my last visit 1.5 years ago. This place offers really special scenery, the red dunes contrasting with the golden Bushman Long Grass, the sparse, bright-green Camelthorn Acacia trees, and the darkened hillocks & mountains which surround us, all of which is bordered by the clear, rich-blue sky. Amongst this beauty, we find the beautifully marked, regal-horned Oryx in abundance, as well as many Springbok, together with all the other animals found here. Cheetah, shot out by the livestock farmers before it became a Park, are being re-introduced, as well as Black Rhino previously poached out of existence about a hundred years ago. The warm day turns into a freezing night, reminding us we are actually in Desert country! After cuisine of the highest order, we fall into bed in our luxury tented accommodation, the crisp air ensuring a pleasant nights rest.

Wed 27th April
I am enjoying the warmth of my bed around 6 am as I hear the Landrover drone across the Desert, tyre pressures soft to navigate the trapping sand. They are all off to climb the dunes of Sossusvlei, a 2.5 hour drive away, and this needs to be done early before the heat gets too high. They climb the stunning contours of Dune 45, visit “dead pan”, as well as the Sossus pan, which uncharacteristically has a little water. This water arrived here via the Tsauchab River, and will go no further other than into the sand, or evaporate, as the dunes prevent the river ever reaching the ocean 70 km away.  The packed breakfasts are enjoyed before the journey back to Wolwedans Lodge, all content with the experience, and the children managing the dune up & down twice, as opposed to the “old people” once only..... The Lodge has saved them lunch, which is devoured after 3 pm, and they decide to spend the rest of the day relaxing – reading, catching up the diaries (yes, each child too!), and of course, the boys having fun around the (too cold for me) pool. Pre-dinner drinks are enjoyed around the open fire, well-stoked by me to try and stave off the cold – Sun gone = fridge door opened – amazing how quickly it gets cold. Then Migiel, Lodge manager, invites those wanting a special wine to visit the Cellar set in the sand underneath the Diningroom. Curious boys in tow, we file down the darkened steps into the musty air of the well-stocked wine cellar, and after a little “wine talk”, guests make their choices, and Uli picks out a top-class SA blend, which I am privileged to enjoy with him and Ines over another delightful Desert dinner. The family slink off for the night, Uli & I enjoy some after-dinner Cognac as a night-cap.  

Thurs 28th April
After a leisurely breakfast atop the dunes, we take the 15 minute ride down to the valley below, where we check-out after a visit to the Curio shop, and soon we are racing down the narrow, sandy strip for the short flight to Luderitz. We continue low-level along the valley for awhile, admiring the mysterious, countless “Fairy circles”, before heading West for the coastline. The rich-red inland dunes give way to golden curves of the Desert dunes, then the ever-lightening sands as we approach the beach at Hottentots Bay. We overfly Ichaboe Island, Marshall Rocks, and another 4 similar outcrops just off-shore, which are notorious for between them claiming 45 ships and boats between 1843 and 1903 which ventured close to pick up Penguin and cormorant Guana scraped off of them – a fairly dangerous 30 km stretch! We overfly the picturesque harbour and town of Luderitz, then orbit over the abandoned Kolmanskop mining town being swallowed by the sand, before Uli does another good landing. Usually we just top up fuel here, and head on to the Fish River Canyon, but Ines wants to visit the neat, clean and orderly village, with its obvious German influence with colourful streets and cheerfully painted houses. We enjoy a varied meal at Ritzis on the Waterfront, and curiosity satisfied,  we head back to the newly renovated Airport and take off for our last 15 minutes of low-level coastal flying. We pass Namdebs’ loss-making Elizabeth Diamond Mine at Elizabeth Bay, and follow the Elizabeth Bay beach, where 40% of the worlds Cape Fur Seals are found – none seen today, but the visibility is terrible due to the strong on-shore wind, whipping up sand and mist. Next up is the abandoned Pomona Island Diamond Mine, the richest ever alluvial Diamond Mine, producing 2-million Carats during 1907-8. The diamonds were literally sieved out of the sand by hand-turned sieves – the smaller stones abandoned back to the sand, only to be retrieved some years later when the sand was sieved a 2nd time! The sieves, about the size of two 200 litre drums welded together, are still visible, scattered all over the area worked. At the extensive Bogenfels Diamond Mine (also Namdeb), we  turn inland, and at last we have a bit of a tailwind, which speeds us over sand dunes, soon replaced by the majestic “Huib-Hoch Plateau, punctuated by the occasional peak. The usually dry Boom & Konkiep Rivers are flowing strongly, and then we are over the “Hunsberge” – amazingly sculpted black rock formations. Then we reach the Fish River, but the late afternoon light minimises the dramatic impact to your visual senses when this panorama unfolds around you. The Fish River Canyon is second only to the Grand Canyon of the USA, and is split into 3 levels – the plateau, atop which our accommodation is perched, then the middle level, about 1000’ (330m) down, then the gorge carved out by the twisty Fish River, another 1000’ lower. It’s taken Mother Nature million & millions of years to produce this stunning creation – about the fifth time I am visiting, and it still blows me away! The late-afternoon sun ahead foils my attempts to show off the Lodge from the air, and after the obligatory runway inspection, Uli does his best landing to date on the dusty, stony and undulating “Grande View” strip 4 km from our “Fish River Lodge”. The waiting Landrover whisks us to our splendid abodes set abreast on the edge of sheer cliffs, with the most amazing views of the Canyon below and in the distance. Its’ been a long day, and the beers we have been lusting for since Luderitz go down easily – flying does make you appreciate that liquid gold once the flying is over! A pleasant meal is enjoyed (with a bottle of Uli’s favourite) in the open fire-warmed lounge/dining room, with the setting sun providing spectacular ‘photo opportunities, Quiver plants (the National tree) silhouted against the crimson-red African sunset, blue-turquiose skies, twinkling stars making their appearance, and so much more............. We all fall asleep to the howling winds, which blow strong throughout the night, only to drop off for the day – strange........

Fri 29th April       
I was looking forward to a relaxing day, catching up on some admin, but Mrs Gohring has co-erced me into a half-day (7 hr) hike into and back up out of the canyon with the rest of the family after a hearty breakfast. It turns out to be more mountaineering than a hike, and more than once I wonder why I did not listen to my common-sense. Later, Uli confides that quite often during the “hike” he disliked his wife intensely! The boys take it in their strides, and little 9-year Julius makes us huffin’ & puffin’ oldies look very staid. It was tremendous fun, notwithstanding all the moaning from me, and was a really challenging achievement – sore muscles assured the following day!! Reagan, our guide, paces us perfectly, stopping at appropriate spots for a rest, a drink, and sometimes, some food – all carried by ourselves in rucksacks. Back at the Lodge, never has some of the local brew gone down so well............  David, Jacob & Julius again enjoy the pool with a VIEW, and again fail to get me into the water to play with them – they don’t seem to understand that anything below 28 C is a no-no for me! The rest of the afternoon as relaxing time, and after another splendid evening meal with some of the best Sauvignon Blanc around, we head for an early, chilly bedtime – tomorrow is a big day........

Sat 30 April
We are all up early, and at 6 am I get a Landrover ride down to the Aircraft to do the pre-flight checks, clean windows, etc, to save time later. At 6.30 we enjoy a relaxed breakfast, although pangs of “angst” visit me regularly – so many things need to happen correctly to get the Gohrings delivered to JHB Intl in time for them to catch their flight back to Europe, and this being Africa, so much can go wrong! Checked out and bouncing along on the Landrover to our trusty steed, we soon reach for the skies 4 minutes behind schedule – OK so far, and it is a quick 30 minutes to Keetmanshoop. This will be the last low-level flight, and our track takes us up the diminishing Canyon, which flattens out eventually, till we are following the Lowen River, a tributary to the Fish River. We pass the Naute Dam, Namibia’s 3rd largest, with its Date plantations – about 300 tons exported to Europe annually. Uli does not disappoint, his landings improving all the time, and we touchdown 10 minutes behind schedule, and as we enter the Terminal to do C & I out of the country, we are informed Saturday is “after hours”. So, 40 minutes are wasted waiting for HRH to come from town to do the necessary, excessive paperwork & stamping, as well as unashamedly take bundles of cash for said services, after hour fees, etc. I am not amused, and my slot times in & out of JHB are in serious jeopardy. I am very relieved when we are airborne again for the 1.5 hr flight to Upington, and the tailwinds are welcome! Controlled airspace means no more low level flying (and it’s cooler!) and once past the rocky mountains near Keetmanshoop, the terrain flattens out, revealing the wide expanse of the Kalahari Desert, with its parallel and very long red-orange sand dunes, resembling waves rolling onto the beach. After passing the swollen Orange river, we contact Upington ATC who give us landing clearance, Uli again excelling with a nice landing. Formalities are surprisingly dealt with quickly, and ‘phone calls to JHB get me a slot only 15 minutes after the original booking, and I begin to lighten up....... We are now flying IFR at flight level 090, and for the next 2.5 hours, towns, roads, railway lines, farms and other features glide past below us, and with the odd exception, the journey is smooth, considering the obvious amount of storm build-up around us. The Strikefinder warns us of thunderstorms ahead, and a few times we need to take avoiding action to stay clear of potentially dangerous CB’s. I prepare and revise for the Instruments approach into JHB Intl, and we will make use of the Instrument Landing System – good practice for me! Uli is looking forward to his  last landing at such a big runway, but unfortunately I have to interfere in the last few seconds to comply with ATC’s requested “minimum time” on runway – I can hear from the radio calls an Airliner is closing fast behind us. As we turn off, I show Uli said Airliner about to touchdown, and as we turn parallel to the runway, the MD82 of 1Time whizzes past us at high speed. It was really close, and ATC thank us for our quick exit of the runway. I wonder what was going on in the cockpit of the MD82 when getting close to landing – it was touch ‘n go whether they have to “go-around” – would not have impressed them (or their passengers!) because of a “little” aeroplane on the runway!. Anyway, all works out well for all, and after an inordinately long taxi, we eventually arrive at our designated parking bay, near the Freight Section, 2.5 km from the passenger Terminals. The transfer company is waiting for us, and after an emotional good-bye, loads up my precious cargo and their baggage, helping them through to the check-in counters at Swiss Air. So ends a wonderful adventure, and I breathe a sigh of relief that all has gone according to plan............. Now it’s just the short 5 minute hop back to Brakpan Airfield, and as I am cleared for take-off, I cannot help but notice it is now just me and our “trusty steed”, and after more than 23 hours in the air,  I say “thank you” aloud for getting us this far................