Nyumbu Beyond Journeys

Fly in Safaris

Flying some or even all legs of your safari is a great way to reduce travel time, especially for those planning a safari within limited time-frames. A fly-in safari makes use of light aircraft to transfer you between locations within a safari destination, saving you time moving between attractions so that you can see and do more on your vacation. The best thing about flying from location to location – aside from the advantages of getting from point A to point B quickly and efficiently – is that you gain an aerial overview of the landscapes you will explore on the ground.

Whether it’s a quick air hop to track gorillas, or a longer trip covering half a dozen national parks, a fly-in safari is the best way to maximize how much of Uganda you see in a short time. And there’s a lot to see. The biggest draw is the mountain gorillas of Bwindi Impenetrable and Mgahinga Gorilla National Parks.

But this underrated East African country is also a great place to track chimps and rhinos on foot, to cruise along tropical waterways alive with hippos, and to enjoy game drives in search of lions, elephants and giraffes. You’ll also marvel at landmarks such as Africa’s largest lake, the world’s longest river and the snow-capped Rwenzori peaks. A fly-in safari allows you to make the most of Uganda’s stunning diversity.

Kenya, with its kaleidoscope of wildlife-rich savannahs, idyllic coastline, scenic Rift Valley lakes and ragged mountaintops, is an endlessly rewarding travel destination. You’ll never be able to experience everything this country of contrasts has to offer in one holiday. However, with local carriers flying between most popular parks and other tourist hot spots, a fly-in safari gives you the opportunity to mix and match some of the country’s spread-out attractions in a limited amount of time. Leaving the hustle and bustle of Nairobi, Kenya’s capital city, and arriving an hour later on a dirt airstrip in the middle of the bush has a dreamlike quality to it. And getting a panoramic bird’s eye view of Kenya’s landscapes is an added bonus.

A fly-in safari usually makes use of light aircraft, including single prop planes, and dirt landing strips. For nervous flyers, this is not the best way to explore Africa. But for most safari travellers, a fly-in safari has an added layer of thrill and excitement to the obvious advantages of seeing and doing more in less time.