Flying Adventure: Victoria Falls – Day 5 (FWCM – FVKB):
We are half way into our tour and it is time to get closer to the Victoria Falls.
Club Makokola has assisted us with arranging an Immigration official at their airstrip. We can thus conveniently stamp out of Malawi before take off and route straight to Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe.
It is again a cloudless clear sky all along our route. Just the visibility in Malawi has not improved since we arrived. Well it couldn’t have improved. It was hot dry weather, without any weather front, wind or precipitation that would have cleared the air somewhat.
We are nevertheless in good spirits and hope it may improve along our route, which today is going through some of the most scenic parts of Southern Africa.
Lake Malawi to Cahora Bassa
We take off from the Makokola airstrip and turn out onto the lake to set course towards Mozambican airspace.
We then route to the Cahora Bassa dam in Mozambique. He has in an earlier blog post written about the significance of this hydroelectric scheme.
It is truly impressive to fly along this huge nearly 300 km long piece of water, which branches out into many side valleys.
We fly along the lake to its beginning at the corner of Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Zambia where the Luangwa river joins the Zambezi.
Along the Zambezi to Lake Kariba
Unfortunately, the visibility is not improving and flying into Zimbabwe does not create the impression that it would be getting any better.
But it is nevertheless an amazingly scenic flight along the Zambezi through the Chewore Safari Area and Mana Pools National Park to Chirundu and southwards to Kariba.
From Chirundu we climb a bit higher to make it over the mountain range before Kariba. A mountain range we can hardly see in the haze until we get very close.
Over the mountains, we then start our descent for the approach into Kariba airport.
Below is a video clip of our flight from Makokola to Kariba.
After landing at Kariba we re-fuel the aircraft and clear customs and immigration smoothly. Kariba is a very relaxed place, with mainly charter flights flying tourists from and to the safari lodges of the region.
We arrange a transfer to Hornbill Lodge in Kariba town, where we will stay over for the night.
The lodge’s location offers great views of Lake Kariba and has open chalets, which make a stay a really special experience. It is a very relaxed place and perfect to wind down on this scorching hot late afternoon and enjoy the (hazy) views.
