Flying Adventure: Around South Africa – Day 9 (FAManzen – FAKN – FALeshe):

Departure from Kosi Bay is early in the morning. Our initial leg takes us over Swaziland to Kruger International Airport for breakfast and re-fueling.

From Kruger we set course in a northerly direction to the Blyde River Canyon. Flying along the edge of the canyon is an exceptionally scenic flight. A truly impressive landscape and totally different to the coastline we have flown along over the past days.

After passing the Blyde River Canyon we route to Hippo Pools for a touch and go and then straight to Leshiba Wilderness in the Soutpansberg mountains, our destination for the day.

Leshiba’s airstrip is inside a valley of the mountains, and a fairly challenging approach. We descend in circles into the valley and do an inspection of the landing strip to clear it of any animals roaming the area. We then climb out again and line up for final approach and landing into this one way in one way out strip.

The afternoon and evening is spent enjoying a cold beer and the views of Leshiba and its wildlife. We later proceed for an awesome sundowner game drive through the reserve. The hospitality at Leshiba is hard to beat, and it is certainly a place one wants to return and explore further.

After a wholesome dinner it is time to get some rest. We want to be refreshed for our next leg tomorrow, across the border to Botswana.