Safaris usually offer the opportunity of a break in a stunning location and are always unique – you never know what you’ll see. With amazing landscapes and fascinating wildlife, safaris are a perfect vacation choice, and what better way to customise your trip than by adding a fly-in safari component to it.
If you haven’t heard about fly-in safaris, you are in for a real treat! This option to get an alternative view of the local wildlife is becoming increasingly popular. Many wildlife reserves and national parks are very large and their true scale can be hard to appreciate on foot or with a game drive. Fly-in safaris are an excellent way to get a different perspective on an African habitat, and to visit remote and hard-to-get-to parts of Africa.
A fly-in safari experience might just be what you really need, adding the amazing sense of adventure to the beauty of natural views, not to say that it will save hours and hours of traveling in a car. Another great advantage of them is that there’s a different budget situation to fit anyone interested, from cheaper options to more expensive ones.
The best thing about flying is getting the best of both worlds – not only do you get from one point to another in a faster and more comfortable way, but you also get to enjoy the landscapes, from the sky.
Now, usually, these safaris aren’t near big cities or in places with a lot of population, so getting there might be tricky through normal air travel companies. Luckily, you can take advantage of private jet charters, and fly to more isolated landing strips, closer to where you need to be. Check out this list for the best ones.
Now that you know what the fly-in tours are, I’m going to guide you through some of the best experiences with different budgets, and different wildlife.
1. Victoria Falls, Zambia/Zimbabwe
Victoria Falls from the air
On the Zambezi River, in Southern Africa, Victoria Falls combines the perks of visiting national parks and the breathtaking views of the famous waterfalls. One of the world’s seven natural wonders, and the largest waterfall in the world, it’s a real piece of natural beauty. There are plenty of activities on offer around the falls, in case you want to spend some time exploring the area.
In addition, the national parks in this area have a huge diversity of wildlife, with cape buffalos, African leopards, and even vervet monkeys, among many other more.
2. Masai Mara, Kenya
Great migration viewing on a Masai Marai air safari
It’s time you challenge yourself to the unequaled beauty that Masai Mara has to offer! This fly-in safari tour might be the perfect option for you. This is named after and in honor of the Maasai people, situated in Narok, Kenya, and the reserve is filled with unforgettable experiences, being one of the most famous and important wildlife conservation areas in Africa, and known worldwide for the out-of-this-world animal diversity. If you take this cultural experience, as your next adventure, you won’t regret it.
3. Damaraland, Nambia
Namibia’s breathtaking scenery from the air
Even though it’s not as popular as the other bigger safaris around Africa, Nambian safaris are rich when it comes to offering spectacular wildlife and landscaping. However, the contrasts of natural landscape make it perfect for a fly-in tour around. Nambia has so much to offer. Winning its status as one of the big five safari destinations, not only does it grant a crazy amount of wildlife, but you can even visit it at night to see some nocturnal species. Make Nambia a priority on your bucket list, and go see some Black Rhinos.
4. Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania
The impressive Ngorongoro Crater at dawn
Covering the incredible Kilimanjaro, so many national parks and even game reserves, this area has a total of 17 parks, 29 game reserves, and 40 conservation areas. These incredible locations take place in Tanzania, and, besides that, there’s a natural phenomenon called Ngorongoro Crater – a must for every nature lover! Being also part of the big five safaris, this one is incredibly rich in activities you can do, as well as the wildlife you can observe, like pods of bathing hippos, migrating pink flamingos, and a whole other group of different species.
Tanzania has 6 Unesco World Heritage sites on the mainland and one in Zanzibar, making this place one of the most popular ones to visit. It’s a completely unique and extraordinary experience, and can you even imagine the view from the sky? You just can’t miss it.
5. Okavango Delta, Botswana
Giraffe viewing on an Okavango airstrip
The perfect getaway for anyone who wants to explore the safari life, experience Botswana’s beauty and an incredible variety of animals and fauna, Okavango Delta even has one of the largest inland rivers in the world and is part of the seven wonders of Africa. Already convinced? Imagine this, elephants playing in the water, animals running freely where they belong, heartwarming sunsets and even crazy beautiful night skies, this is what this safari has to offer. Go high in the sky and take in all this beauty.
6. Zimbabwe
Landing a Zimbabwean fly-in safari
One of Africa’s most pristine countries, with stunning national parks and outstanding wildlife, it shares credit with Zambia for part of the famous Victoria Falls. With zebras, giraffes, cheetahs, among many more species, it can be a real delight to see them from up in the sky, running through the wild. Lions and wild dogs will make you want to live and run among them, although we wouldn’t recommend doing so, but surely take your time to see them in their daily life. Don’t miss out on this African pearl.
What Are You Waiting for?
Safaris are a real gem the world has to offer us, and everyone should be able to visit these natural environments to remind us of the beauty that still exists in the natural things. These are only the tip of the iceberg when talking about safaris, as there is so much more to see and so many things to learn, and traveling being part of that learning journey.
Fly-in safaris might be a future trend for all nature lovers and they’re definitely an out of this world experience. Either it’s the wildlife, the landscaping, the waterfalls, or the sunrise behind an elephant, this is something you should put on top of your bucket list. I hope this article made you fall in love with this idea and convinced you to run and buy a ticket, so thank you for reading and happy traveling!
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