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I hate to admit my ignorance, but I once flew under the impression that the only people who went to Africa were do-gooder missionaries and wealthy folks who poach for sport. While I realized that my impressions were flawed long before I had the opportunity to travel across Africa as part of a chartered jet tour, taking that tour helped me to realize that traveling in Africa didn’t have to require the painstaking planning associated with going on your own. With private jet journeys, you can see all of Africa without endless planning beforehand. The following five organizations offer the best private tours (and African safaris!) of Africa for those who have extra travel cash but no time or desire to plan.
Abercrombie & Kent’s Africa: Across a Continent by Private Jet
Abercrombie & Kent’s tour of Africa will fly you from Cape Town up north along the eastern coast of Africa. While the Aquarium in Cape Town is a fun place to drink and get to know your fellow travelers, the real fun starts when you get to see the flamingos of Sandwich Harbor in Namibia. You get to experience luxury African safari camps in Botswana and Zambia, where high tea is paired with wildlife sightings. There’s nothing more decedent than the distance between the rare African wild dog and your tea cup besides viewing elephants from a hot air balloon (which you’ll get to experience in Tanzania!) This tour will also take you to Uganda and Ethiopia before leaving you in Rome. Honestly, spending the last two days in Rome, Italy seemed a bit disjunctive to me, with only the church tour in Ethiopia and the churches of Rome serving as a thematic link. Alas, no matter the theme of your trip, I suppose Rome is a delicious cherry on top.
National Geographic’s On Safari in Southern Africa by Private Air
While it’s tempting to associate National Geographic with their print publication alone, it’s important to note that in addition to this private jet journey, they run a number of African safaris, and a number of their more comprehensive “around the world”-style tours include extended stays on this continent. Nevertheless, the most compelling private jet experience you can buy from National Geographic is their 12 day trip across Southern Africa. This tour takes you in a figure-8 around South Africa, Botswana, and Zambia. Game drives with knowledgeable guides are a highlight of this African Safari, and I would definitely say that this tour will put you in touch with more experts than any of the others. On Days 9 and 10, you will be given options regarding your activities, and I have to recommend the flight-seeing excursion to Victoria Falls. If you don’t feel like 12 days in Southern Africa is enough, they offer a 5 day pre-trip extension in Cape Town.
Smithsonian Journey’s The Grand Safari: Expedition by Private Plane
If you hoped to add Zimbabwe and Namibia to your Southern African tour, Smithsonian Journeys has the private jet trip for you. Perhaps even more directly educational than the National Geographic trip, you start out your trip in Cape Town with a lecture. If lectures are less your style, Namibia will give you the opportunity to sight ostriches while on a balloon expedition. Large animals galore feast in Botswana, where you’re sure to spot an elephant or two (trust me; they’re much more magnificent in person than at the zoo.) My only complaint about this tour is that two days are dedicated to Victoria Falls. Yes, they’re stunning, but more stunning when viewed by the air. Multiple vantage points are great for photographers on an African safari, but can feel repetitive for everyone else. Of course, the Sabi Sand Game Reserve in South Africa more than makes up for any perceived monotony of those royal falls. You depart from Johannesburg 15 days after you arrive in Cape Town.
TCS & Starquest Expeditions’ Southern Africa Safari by Private Air
TCS & Starquest Expeditions are a big deal—they service the trips offered through National Geographic and Smithsonian in addition to running their own tours. This means that Starquest knows what they’re doing, so even though their destinations are similar to the Smithsonian tour, it’s a unique, well-crafted experience. This trip provides plenty of opportunities to hike, mountain bike, and view the sites from the air—I’m pleased to note that the view of Victoria Falls by helicopter is exceptional. Seeing crocodiles from your boat in Namibia will cause you to imagine that they must live on the moon. Starquest will also take you to the rarely-visited Linyanti Lagoon in Botswana. Depending on your interests, you can extend this tour to the north to see gorillas in Rwanda, or to the south to taste wines in South Africa.
Lakani World Tours’ African Adventure by Private Jet
If you’ve always suspected that Zanzibar was an imaginary, magical land, you can prove yourself post-colonial with Lakani World Tours’ Southern Africa-focused trip. With Lakani, you start your trip at Sabi Sand and its wild animals rather than have it tacked on at the end. After seeing Victoria Falls, you arrive at the highlight of this trip—Zanzibar, with its beautiful beaches and abundant spices. Lakani also gives you the opportunity to visit the Serengeti National Part in Tanzania, the northernmost destination for this tour. You’re given a day at Cape Town in the end, where you’ll get to try wines and opt for a “blue rail” extension that will take you to Pretoria by train. While I would be happy to fly everywhere, if private jets are an issue of convenience for you, this proves to be an interesting voyage.
Though it depends on what you hope to see on your African safari, there are a number of tours that will allow you to see lions, elephants, and buffalo, a majestic waterfall, and the inside of a hot air balloon in all their exotic glory. If you were hoping to eat some authentic Ethiopian food, Abercrombie & Kent’s offering is obviously the choice for you. Personally, I’m torn as to which option is my favorite, but I know for sure that this is the ideal way to experience multiple nations in Africa.
About the author: Alan Carr is an avid aviation aficionado learning about the aspects of the flying world from the business to the technical, while also frequently writing on what he finds. He currently works with globalair.com to provide resources on aircraft related information.
