Southern Africa - Part7: Bumi Hills

Our flight today would only be short so we decided to have a late breakfast before driving to the airport in Victoria Falls. Since we were staying in Zimbabwe we used the domestic terminal for paying landing and airway fees before getting to our aircraft. Luckily our safety pilot knew how and where to avoid fees saving us some money such as navigational fees. Victoria Falls Airport serves as an international hub so there are few rules to be followed e.g. even small airplanes like ours have to get startup and a clearance. We climbed out to the south following the Zambesi River from the Falls up to Lake Kariba. The first part we dove down into the canyon to follow the river low level where we could see fishermen, small villages, and even some hippos. After half an hour the canyon opened up, the river got broader and soon we reached the beginning of Lake Kariba. Lake Kariba is one of the worlds largest man-made lakes with a length of over 300km. In former times the area used to be a forest there are still trees sticking out all over the lake especially at its shoreline giving it a unique look. We continued along the shoreline flying just above the surface of the water until reaching Bumi Hills. This time our lodge is located on top of one of the hills while the airport is located just at the bottom in between hills making it difficult to land due to varying winds blowing through the valleys. Furthermore, one of the main wildlife routes to get to the water crosses the runway at one end. On our first attempt to land we had to go around due to some impalas on the runway which we effectively scared away by a low pass. After a circle around the lodge’s hill, we landed safely without any animals disturbing and parked our aircraft in a small shelter where one of the lodge’s guide was already awaiting us. The lodge on top of the hill offered a spectacular view across the lake with grassing buffalos and elephants along the shoreline.