the great rift valley tour (south-bound) · aim is to witness the great wildebeest migration in the...

BUSHPILOT ADVENTURES

PO Box 215, Newlands, Pretoria 0049 Wonderboom Airport, SOUTH AFRICA

Tel: +27 (12) 348 6982 Mob: +27 (82) 909 0334

[email protected] www.bushpilot.co.za

The Great Rift Valley Tour (south-bound)

Duration: 16 days (excluding travel to Zanzibar and from Johannesburg) Aircraft: 4 x C182 & 1 x C206

Dates: 08–23 July 2015


July 2015 BUSHPILOT ADVENTURES Page | 2

Proposal for the Great Rift Valley Tour south-bound

INTRODUCTION

We are organising a guided

group self-fly safari throughout East and

southern Africa. The main

aim is to witness the Great Wildebeest Migration in the

Serengeti, while taking in

many of the other

highlights that this region has to offer.

In 2012, we ran our first

guided self-fly safari up to Tanzania. The guests

(migration fanatics) rightfully decided the return leg to be too lengthy and expensive,

and arranged for friends of theirs to take over the return to South Africa – effectively splitting the trip into 2, one north-bound trip and a second reverse south-bound trip.

That is exactly what we are proposing here.

The north-bound trip is already fully booked by a private group of New Zealanders

that return each year for a flying safari. At this stage we have three C182’s and one C206, with the probability of one more C182 joining. 5 aircraft will be our cut-off for

logistical and group-dynamic reasons.

The north-bound group will arrive in Zanzibar on the 7th of July 2015, with 2 nights post-tour relaxation. Plan is for the south-bound group to meet us in Zanzibar on the

8th of July, with 2 nights there to get acquainted and brief on the trip ahead. The

actual departure from Zanzibar is on the 10th July.

From there the highlights include:

Flight around Mt. Kilimanjaro

Flight over Serengeti – view the migration from the air and ground

Game viewing in the Ngorongoro Crater (airstrip altitude over 7,600ft!!!)

Chilling, snorkelling & cultural trip on Likoma Island, Lake Malawi

Game viewing / fishing on Lake Kariba, Zimbabwe

Flight over and visit to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

Game viewing in the Tuli Block at Mashatu Game Reserve, Botswana

End of trip flight over the Blyde River Canyon in South Africa.

Tour end Pretoria / Johannesburg, South Africa.



Flying days are generally reasonable, however the longest day does include around

5.5hrs flight plus ground handling (customs, immigration, etc.). Many of the days

however are very relaxed, perfect for scenic detours and taking things easy. In general we plan 2 nights at most stops, providing the opportunity to enjoy each

destination and what it has to offer.

This proposal encompasses everything for the flying safari, including the planning and a guide pilot en-route, flight permits, aircraft hire, accommodation & meals, game

drives and other activities. All that is not catered for are your scheduled flights to

Zanzibar and from Johannesburg and personal expenses en-route.

DATES

08 July 2015 - Arrival Zanzibar, Tanzania

23 July 2015 – Tour end Pretoria / Johannesburg, South Africa

AIRCRAFT

At this stage the group consists of 3 or 4 C182 aircraft, and one C206. We will be limiting the number of

aircraft at max 5.

As a rule of thumb, considering our density altitude and the length of the tour the C182 is considered no

more than a 3-seater (and a very comfortable 2-

seater). The C206 will comfortably take 4, with the

option of a 5th person in the back seat.

Should you wish to join in your own aircraft this can

also be discussed.

LICENSING / VALIDATION INFO

All aircraft will be South African (ZS) registered.

As such, the licensing pre-requisites for joining are as follows:

1. You have a South African licence and the relevant

C182 (or C206) check-out.

2. You already have a SA validation of your foreign

licence, with the relevant check-out.

3. You take a licenced safety pilot / instructor along.

There’ll be at least 2 guides / safety pilots joining

the north-bound leg.

4. You go through the process of validating your

foreign licence prior to joining the safari.

Preferably a few weeks or months prior. Please contact us should you need further details on this

process.



COSTS

There’s many different variables & aircraft combinations when working out the cost

structure. A detailed costing is to follow, herewith in the meantime a high estimate of fully-inclusive costs for the most common configurations:

C182, 2 pax, no safety pilot: $13,600 pps

C182, 2 pax & safety pilot: $16,000 pps





These costs are fully inclusive of: 28hr aircraft hire, fuel & oil, tour

organization & tour guide / pilot guide, permits & landing charges, luxury

accommodation and meals, game drives and other activities, ground transport requirements & even en-route visa estimates. All that is excluded are your

scheduled flights to Zanzibar & from SA and personal expenses en-route.

ITINERARY

Date Destination ICAO Distance

NM (direct)

Flight time C182

Accommodation

Wed, 08-Jul-'15 Zanzibar Zanzibar

Thu, 09-Jul-'15

Zanzibar

Fri, 10-Jul-'15 Mt. Kilimanjaro HTMS 214 nm 2.1 hrs Moshi Hotel

Sat, 11-Jul-'15 Serengeti West Grumeti 224 nm 2.2 hrs Western Serengeti

Sun, 12-Jul-'15

Western Serengeti

Mon, 13-Jul-'15 Serengeti Central HTSN 40 nm .4 hrs Central Serengeti

Tue, 14-Jul-'15 Ngorongoro Crater Ngoro 62 nm .6 hrs Ngorongoro

Wed, 15-Jul-'15

Ngorongoro

Thu, 16-Jul-'15 Likoma Island FWLK 564 nm 5.6 hrs Kaya Mawa

Fri, 17-Jul-'15

Kaya Mawa

Sat, 18-Jul-'15 Lake Kariba FVBM 479 nm 4.8 hrs Bumi Hills - Premium

Sun, 19-Jul-'15

Bumi Hills - Premium

Mon, 20-Jul-'15 Victoria Falls FVFA 171 nm 1.7 hrs Vic Falls Safari Lodge

Tue, 21-Jul-'15 Tuli / Mashatu FBLV 328 nm 3.3 hrs Mashatu Main Camp

Wed, 22-Jul-'15

Mashatu Main Camp

Thu, 23-Jul-'15 Pretoria / Jo'burg FAWB 396 nm 4.0 hrs

TOTALS

2477 nm 24.8 hrs

* direct at 100kts block



Day 1 Destination: Zanzibar

Let us know your flight times for getting to Zanzibar, and on arrival we’ll collect you for the drive to your beach bungalows.

Once booked in and settled we’ll meet up with the New Zealand group that’s

just ended their north-bound flight to chat and share stories about their trip, and spend the day at your leisure (fantastic diving!).

Enjoy dinner over a few drinks and stories with the waves lapping in the

background.

Day 2 Relaxing on the beaches of Zanzibar, tour the Island or go diving. In the afternoon we’ll all get together for a trip briefing and flight preparations.

Day 3 Destination: Mt. Kilimanjaro / Moshi

Flying time: 2.0hrs Destination runway: 17/35 & 08/26 - 1,400m tar - 2,800ft

Ladies and Gentlemen, start your engines! Leisurely departure from Zanzibar

International, climbing along the western shores of the Island to gain sufficient height for the channel crossing. Once over on the mainland we’ll

route over and past the

Usambara Mountains, with Mt.

Kilimanjaro in the distance acting as our Bushpilots’ NDB.

Moshi is the town at which the

majority of trekkers start their Kilimanjaro ascent (Africa’s

highest peak), and as such has

a vibrant feel while still being typically laid-back African. We

spend one night there, dining

in town and mingling with the

locals and trekkers.



Day 4 Destination: Grumeti, Western Serengeti

Flying times: 1.5hrs + 1.8hrs

Destination runway: 12/30 - 1,100m gravel - 4,000ft Fuel stop en-route: Arusha

The clouds & haze around Mount Kilimanjaro quickly build up, hence a very

early morning departure for a spectacular flight around the breath-

taking Mt. Kili. You’ll be tempted to fly

as high as the 5,900m peak, when a glance down at the instruments shows

you’re already at 14,000ft with a climb

rate of only 20f/min, Kili’s snow-capped

peak still looming high above!

Remaining clear of Kenya’s FIR we then

route past (or above) the volcano of

Mt. Meru for a landing in Arusha, a nice relaxed airport to grab some fuel,

drinks and snacks.

Departing Arusha we’re going to fly the scenic route past the Kitumbeine & “Ol

Doinyo Lengai” Volcanos, over the

oddly-colored Lake Natron sporting

colonies of flamingos, and then on to the Main Event – over the Serengeti

looking for the great herds of

Wildebeest.

Grumeti Airstrip is our gateway to the

Western Serengeti, where the Great

Wildebeest Migration brings with it a multitude of predators and wildlife

action.

Day 5 A bright and early wake-up call to breakfast, by private vehicle we then

head off into the great Serengeti with a

packed lunch, fully charged cameras and some sun block – it’s going to be a

full day taking in the migration action.

Day 6 Destination: Seronera, Central Serengeti Flying time: 1hr

Destination runway: 13/31 – 2,200m gravel - 5,080ft

A leisurely flight gives us another chance to appreciate the sheer size of this incredible event from the air, and piloting one’s own aircraft provides the

freedom to explore all corners of the Serengeti at will.

Landing at the Seronera Airstrip, the Central Serengeti boasts the tail-end of the migration with massive herds of Zebra and an abundance of African

wildlife.



Day 7 Destination: Ngorongoro Crater

Flying time: 1.0hr

Destination runway: 10/28 – 1,590m grass - 7,800ft! Fuel stop: optional Mwanza

Another leisurely flight up onto the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater. For those

that need fuel there’s the option to head out to Mwanza.

Best have your finger out for landing on the rim - at 7,700ft and Tanzania’s

high temperature and humidity, you’ll be approaching at an unusually high

TAS and there’s precious little air to feed your aircraft engine in case of

a go-around!

Day 8 The Ngorongoro is rated as one of the world’s most amazing natural

wonders, and offers the best chance

to see the “Big Five”. Enjoy a game drive with a packed lunch at one of

the picnic spots.

Day 9 Destination: Likoma Island, Lake Malawi

Flying times: 1.7hrs + 2.5hrs + 1.4hrs

Destination runway: 01/19 - 1,100m tar – 1,600ft

Fuel stop: Dodoma

After the high altitude take-off (to be discussed), a long day’s flight takes us

via Dodoma, over the beautiful Kitulo National Park Mountains, descending

over Lake Malawi to clear in at Karonga, and once again over the lake to our destination, Likoma Island.

Avgas is going to be our most prized possession between Dodoma and our

next fuel stop, so we’ll discuss engine power settings and mixture techniques prior to departing Dodoma.

Day 10 A welcome break from game viewing and the long flight, Likoma Island is a

stunning place to chill and enjoy Lake Malawi (which is in itself breath-taking).

The fresh water snorkelling (or diving) is incredible, and the local village

which sports a 100% literacy rate makes for an interesting visit.



Day 11 Destination: Bumi Hills, Lake Kariba


Destination runway: 09/27 - 1200m - 1650ft Fuel stop: Lilongwe & Kariba

Another long day’s flying and ground handling sees us flying over the lake to

Lilongwe, then down over Cahora Bassa Dam and low-level down the Zambezi River to Kariba Town.

Lake Kariba is the largest man-made dam (by volume) in the world. The

banks of Kariba are lined with elephant and hippo, and the view from the air offers a magnificent panorama of lake, gorges, valleys and rivers.

Day 12 Game drives by boat & car, fishing (Tiger

Fish), unwind by the pool and sundowners on the lake.

Bumi Hills is set on the southern shore of

the lake, with breath-taking views over Lake and Zambia in the distance. This newly

renovated lodge is sure to become a very

sought after destination now that Zim’s political situation is stabilizing (slowly).

Day 13 Destination: Victoria Falls

Flying time: 1.7hrs Destination runway: 12/30 - 2,286m - 3,490ft

This leisurely flight takes us along the southern shores of the lake, looking

out for wildlife such as hippo, elephant and even giant crocodiles (up to 6m in length). Reaching the mouth of the lake, the Zambezi River contracts into

an impressive gorge further upstream.

Known locally as “Mosi-oa-tunya”, we will hopefully get to see “The smoke that thunders” from up to 50 miles away – another Bushpilots’ NDB. We’ll

request to fly over the Falls (6,000ft ASL is the perfect height for photos)

before landing.

A taxi trip into town sees us checking into our safari lodge, followed by a quick beer and lunch before heading to view the Falls from the ground.

Suggest you DO accept the raincoats offered!



Day 14 Destination: Tuli Block / Mashatu

Flying times: 1.8hrs + 1.3hrs

Destination runway: 12/30 – 1,550m – 1,774ft Fuel stop: Bulawayo

With the option to overfly the Falls once more, we route over the Hwange

National Park to Bulawayo (fuel, customs, immigration). The routing from there takes us over the odd rock outcrops of the Matobo Hills, and with any

luck we’ll spot Cecil John Rhodes’ grave. Descending into the Tuli area we fly

low-level down the dried up Shashe riverbed, lined by the famous Baobab trees, before landing at our favourite local bush destination, Mashatu Game

Reserve in the Tuli Block in Botswana.

Day 15 Mashatu offers wildlife sightings unparalleled with any other lodge in the

region. Of particular interest here are

Leopard, Lion and Cheetah, and also some lesser-knowns such as the Aardwolf. Of

course the massive herds of elephant

passing directly next to your game viewer, occasionally sniffing at its occupants, make

up part of the game drive while searching

for the Wild Cats.

Day 16 Destination: Pretoria / Johannesburg


Destination runway: 29/11, 1828m 4095ft Fuel stop: Polokwane

Our final day’s flight takes us to Polokwane to clear customs and

immigration, and then it’s a low-level flight to the Blyde River Canyon. This is

the third biggest canyon in the world after the Grand and Fish River, made all the more impressive by the fact that it is tropical and green. From the

canyon we head for God’s Window before descending into the Lowveld to find

a place for a lunch stop.

After enjoying a festive meal we take off and turn in a westerly direction, the final leg of this trip. This flight takes us back over the escarpment and

Drakensberg mountains direction Wonderboom Airport, but don’t be fooled

into taking this last flight too easy, the airspace and radio work around

Jo’burg / Pretoria can get quite intimidating after so much time in the bush…



FLIGHT LOG

Name Identifier Ground

Elevation Latitude Longitude

Mag. Var.

Hdg Mag.

Distance Accum.

Distance

Zanzibar HTZA 54 ft S06° 13' 00" E039° 13' 00" 2°

Tanga HTTG 100 ft S05° 05' 55" E039° 04' 26" 1° 354° 67 nm 67 nm

Moshi HTMS 2 800 ft S03° 22' 14" E037° 20' 04" 0° 316° 146 nm 214 nm

Arusha HTAR 4 550 ft S03° 22' 00" E036° 37' 50" 0° 271° 42 nm 256 nm

Lake Natron Natron 1 988 ft S02° 21' 24" E035° 59' 43" 0° 328° 71 nm 327 nm

Lobo Lobo 5 730 ft S02° 00' 38" E035° 09' 41" 0° 292° 54 nm 381 nm

Grumeti Grumeti 4 000 ft S02° 09' 36" E034° 13' 28" -1° 261° 57 nm 438 nm

Seronera HTSN 5 080 ft S02° 25' 00" E034° 50' 00" 0° 112° 40 nm 478 nm

Ngorongoro Ngoro 7 900 ft S03° 13' 17" E035° 28' 36" 0° 141° 62 nm 539 nm

Dodoma HTDO 3 700 ft S06° 10' 17" E035° 45' 10" 1° 175° 177 nm 716 nm

Karonga FWKA 1 765 ft S09° 57' 12" E033° 53' 34" 3° 208° 251 nm 967 nm

Likoma Island FWLK 1 600 ft S12° 05' 00" E034° 44' 00" 4° 162° 136 nm 1103 nm

Lilongwe FWKI 4 035 ft S13° 47' 21" E033° 46' 51" 5° 214° 116 nm 1219 nm

Kariba FVKB 1 706 ft S16° 31' 10" E028° 53' 06" 7° 246° 327 nm 1546 nm

Bumi Hills FVBM 1 650 ft S16° 48' 55" E028° 20' 40" 7° 247° 36 nm 1582 nm

Deka FVDE 1 750 ft S18° 06' 00" E026° 43' 00" 8° 238° 121 nm 1703 nm

Victoria Falls FVFA 3 490 ft S18° 05' 39" E025° 50' 24" 8° 278° 50 nm 1753 nm

Bulawayo FVBU 4 366 ft S20° 01' 06" E028° 37' 29" 10° 135° 195 nm 1948 nm

Limpopo Valley FBLV 1 774 ft S22° 11' 31" E029° 07' 53" 13° 179° 133 nm 2081 nm

Polokwane FAPP 4 076 ft S23° 50' 58" E029° 27' 23" 15° 184° 101 nm 2181 nm

Madrid FAMadr 2 236 ft S24° 31' 00" E030° 56' 34" 17° 132° 91 nm 2272 nm

Nelspruit FANS 2 901 ft S25° 30' 08" E030° 54' 42" 18° 199° 59 nm 2331 nm

Wonderboom FAWB 4 095 ft S25° 39' 19" E028° 13' 16" 17° 284° 146 nm 2477 nm

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Who can join?

The trip is open to any pilot and his / her friends or family.

How does this guided group tour work?

Each pilot & friends / family will be assigned an aircraft, which you will fly

yourself. Should you elect to fly with instructor / safety pilot then such person

will sit front right seat.

There will be a guide that will swap between the free seats of the various

aircraft. Such guide will give briefings on the flight ahead, do the group radio

work (if everyone’s happy with that), help with ground formalities, make sure customs and avgas are available at the various stops, fix basic technical issues

en-route and generally make sure all runs smoothly.

The 4 or 5 aircraft will fly in loose formation – this means sticking together as a group, however should somebody elect to fly their own alternate route and

meet up with the group at destination then you’re welcome to advise the group

and do so.



Can you arrange a pilot share for me if I join on my own?

Should we have two single pilots wishing to find another partner to fly with then we’ll gladly put you in contact with each other to ascertain whether the other

would be a good cockpit-buddy.

Your cost examples only show even numbers, what about an odd

number of pax (for example 3 in a C182)?

The 3rd person in this sort of scenario would either be accommodated in a single room (single surcharge applies), or could share a twin room with another single

traveller if such option exists.

Can I join in my own aircraft?

Yes, this could be considered. Contact us with your ideas and we’ll see if it fits

with the plan.

How do we get there / what flights should we arrange?

There’s scheduled flights to Zanzibar from the likes of Johannesburg, Dar es

Salaam, Kilimanjaro, possibly even Addis Ababa. As you’ll be returning from Johannesburg however it might be most cost effective to buy a return ticket to

Johannesburg, and then a one-way to Zanzibar.

What about visas for the various countries?

We cannot give a set answer to this. Most countries offer either a travel permit

or a visa on arrival, however it depends entirely on your nationality.

If concerned then let us know what passport you’ll be travelling on and we can look into this for you.

Is there an age restriction?

For the comfort of the other members of the group we’d like to restrict this one

to over 16’s.

the great rift valley tour (south-bound) · aim is to witness the great wildebeest migration in the...

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