Africa Safaris Using Planes – Air Safaris
Flying between the vacation destinations provides convenience, saves time and offers relative comfort. It is considered the most efficient mode of transport while on safari.
There is hardly any national park, reserve or conservancy in eastern or southern Africa that cannot be reached by Air. A few select companies offer both schedule flights and private charter services that fly to these parks, starting from the major tourist hubs.
The air safaris in most Africa holiday destinations involve flying by small light aircrafts to various safari lodges and camps, exploring the area and moving on to the next location. Your safari adventure begins when you take off! This type of safari allows the visitor to have a more complete experience of the diverse wilderness areas. One may also design a safari combining use of both flights and roads. This depends on the needs of the tourists but in most cases the reason is to avoid some bad road conditions or just to save time.
What Type of Aircrafts Are Used On Flying Safaris in Africa?
The type of aircrafts used by most airlines and safari operators that provide these safari flights are the Caravan, Cessna 206, 208 and 210. Twin-engine aircrafts King Airs and Islanders are also used. There are also many private charter and schedule charter companies that offer smaller jets for added speed and privacy.
Air crafts We Can Help Book on Private Basis are:
Cessna 182 3-Seater Single Engine Sky lane
This aircraft has an endurance of 5 hours and 30 minutes and it has a short take off and landing performance. It can cruise at 110 knots per hour, flying at an altitude of 10, 000 feet above sea level.
Cessna 206 Single Engine 5-Seater Aircraft
The Cessna 206 has 5 hours endurance and it has a short take off and landing performance. It cruises at 130 knots an hour, at an altitude of 12,000 feet above sea level.
PA-34 Seneca 11 Twin Engine 5-Seater.
It has 5 hours 30 minutes endurance, cruising at 150 knots, at an altitude of 18,000 above sea level. It has very good performance on short take off and landing.
Cessna 402 Twin Engine 8-Seater
It has 6 and 30 minutes endurance. It cruises at 180 knots at an altitude of 20,000 feet above sea level. It needs at runway length of not less than 800 metres.
Cessna Caravan 13-Seater Single Engine
It has 7 hour and 30 minutes endurance with short take off. It cruises at 150 knots at an altitude of 16,000 feet above sea level. It is known for it excellent performance and it is commonly used for both cargo and passengers. It is one of the most reliable single engine aircrafts to use on dirt airstrips.
Let 410 UVP-E20 19-Seater Twin Engine
Let 410 has 5 hours endurance and can cruise at 220 knots at an altitude of 22,000 feet above sea level. Its baggage compartments can accommodate up to 836 pounds with 19 passengers.
Beech raft 200 Twin Engine 11-Seater pressurized
It has 7 and 30 minutes endurance cruising at 280 knots at 30,000 feet above sea level. For long haul flights we recommend 2 crew operations. It has a pressurized cabin and it can be configured into V.I.P, and/or into an air ambulance to accommodate stretcher, a doctor, a nurse with 2 family members and be fitted with oxygen equipment.
Citation 501 Jet
Citation 501 Jet has 8 hours endurance and can cruise at 350 knots at an attitude of 35,000 feet above sea level. It is all weather equipped and it can be configured into a conference meeting whereby you can hold meetings in flight.
The airlines that operator these air-crafts adhere to stringent safety regulations by ensuring regular servicing and operational audits. The pilots are also well-trained and highly skilled to handle the wild terrains of the respective game parks and reserves in Africa.
Luggage Restrictions
Safari flights in Eastern and Southern Africa are mostly done using small light air crafts – between 2 seats and 20 seats. As you can imagine, these being smaller planes, there will be weight restrictions for baggage, usually approximately 12 kg (about 26 lbs) for the smallest planes. In fact, for the trip to the bush, it is strongly recommended that luggage is limited to one piece per person. A small overnight bag is more than you would actually need. And most city hotels provide secure storage for left luggage.
Contact us HERE for private charter bookings..
Recommended Air Safaris
Loisaba Safari
Mara Serena Lodge
Ashnil Mara Camp
Singita Grumeti
Four Seasons Serengeti