WHAT TO EXPECT ON A WILDERNESS SAFARI FLIGHT
For the most part we are flying in planes with as few as ten and as many as thirteen seats. Before we left, we had to tell Wilderness Safaris how much we each weighed. We soon found out that, as Norma noted, they should have asked us how wide we were instead. The aisle between the seats - two on the right and one on the left can't be more than a foot across. Plus, you cannot stand up in the plane and have to creep forward. You never want to be seated in the back as the ceiling height is so low you could get a concussion if your flight is at all bumpy. Sometimes we are offered water and earplugs and sometimes not. At the beginning of every flight, you get to stand in the hot sun for a safety briefing - two emergency exits at the front, one at the back. To open the back exit door, pull the lever out and turn it. Same thing for the steps. Only one person on the steps at a time. Fire extinguisher in the front, first-aid kit in the back. Emergency water supply in the bowels of the plane. After landing, don't stand up until the steps are down or the plane will tip over. That's how many flights we've taken. I have it memorized - I could even give it myself! Norma tells me we have done 21 so far and have 4 more to go before we land in Ottawa for a total of 25.
The flight to Shumba Camp in located on the Busanga Plains in northern part of Kafue National Park. It took an hour and a half in the smallest plane yet - a four seater - if you don't count the co-pilot's seat. It was very noisy and my earplugs were in the bottom of my bag. They were the first things I unpacked on arrival. I won't make that mistake again. At times, we couldn't see below us the smoke from the grass fires was so thick and it was hard to breath. We will encounter tsetse flies here if we venture into the woodlands and, of course, that is where most of the birds and unusual mammals pick to live.
However, the scenery below us is worth it. We can really appreciate the different landscapes.
For the most part we are flying in planes with as few as ten and as many as thirteen seats. Before we left, we had to tell Wilderness Safaris how much we each weighed. We soon found out that, as Norma noted, they should have asked us how wide we were instead. The aisle between the seats - two on the right and one on the left can't be more than a foot across. Plus, you cannot stand up in the plane and have to creep forward. You never want to be seated in the back as the ceiling height is so low you could get a concussion if your flight is at all bumpy. Sometimes we are offered water and earplugs and sometimes not. At the beginning of every flight, you get to stand in the hot sun for a safety briefing - two emergency exits at the front, one at the back. To open the back exit door, pull the lever out and turn it. Same thing for the steps. Only one person on the steps at a time. Fire extinguisher in the front, first-aid kit in the back. Emergency water supply in the bowels of the plane. After landing, don't stand up until the steps are down or the plane will tip over. That's how many flights we've taken. I have it memorized - I could even give it myself! Norma tells me we have done 21 so far and have 4 more to go before we land in Ottawa for a total of 25.
The flight to Shumba Camp in located on the Busanga Plains in northern part of Kafue National Park. It took an hour and a half in the smallest plane yet - a four seater - if you don't count the co-pilot's seat. It was very noisy and my earplugs were in the bottom of my bag. They were the first things I unpacked on arrival. I won't make that mistake again. At times, we couldn't see below us the smoke from the grass fires was so thick and it was hard to breath. We will encounter tsetse flies here if we venture into the woodlands and, of course, that is where most of the birds and unusual mammals pick to live.
However, the scenery below us is worth it. We can really appreciate the different landscapes.
Comments
Post a Comment