A Point-to-Point Cape FLying Safari Across the Cape Provinces

The Original Sky Runner
3 days ago
5 min read

Cape Town → Wild Coast (Chintsa) → Kwandwe → Samara → Winelands

The Value of Point-to-Point Flying on Our Cape Flying Safari

This trip was built around a simple idea: move between standout wild destinations by air, not by long road transfers or the stop-start friction of major airports. With a dedicated, private aircraft and pilot/host/guide, we could route directly between locations, land close to where the experience actually happens, and protect time on the ground for what our guests came for: coastline, wildlife, authentic South African culinary and wine experiences, and the small moments that build memories for life, on a Cape Flying Safari.

Just as importantly, point-to-point flying gave us operational flexibility. When weather and timing shift - as they do on any multi-sector itinerary - we can make sensible go/no-go decisions and adjust the plan without turning the whole holiday into a logistics exercise.

Our Cape Flying Safari Guests

Our guests were a Dutch father and son duo - third-time visitors to South Africa - who’ve fallen in love with this country. They’re already safari fans, and equally enthusiastic about South African wine and food, so the route was designed to blend wilderness with the Winelands culinary highlights.

For Henk (dad), it also doubled as a photography trip. New light, new landscapes, and the kind of wildlife encounters that reward patience and a good lens.

Our Itinerary Planning Partner

African Sky Runners was thrilled to support our Dutch travel partner, African Luxury, to enable a vision of a superior travel and luxury safari experience come alive with direct flying and personalised hosting into one coherent journey.

Mike from Africa Sky Runners travelled with the guests as pilot, host and guide; helping with the day-to-day flow, ground coordination, and those practical details that make a multi-stop itinerary feel easy (because the goal is “holiday”, not “project management”).

The Route At A Glance

Cape Town (culinary experience and city time, including restaurant FYN)
Stellenbosch → Wild Coast (Chintsa / East London region) by direct flight
Chintsa: Prana Lodge (4 nights)
East London → Kwandwe Private Game Reserve (~35 minutes)
Kwandwe → Samara Karoo Reserve (~1 hour)
Samara → Stellenbosch (~3 hours)
Franschhoek (2 nights, wine time!)

Stop 1: Cape Town - a culinary start to the trip

The trip opened in Cape Town with a culinary experience at one of Cape Town’s defining modern restaurant and fine dining experiences at FYN. It set the tone: high detail, local character, and a sense that this would be a journey stitched together by quality and distinctive experiences, not by distance.

Flight: Stellenbosch to the Wild Coast (Chintsa)

From the Winelands we flew directly toward the Eastern Cape coastline, bypassing the long road haul and avoiding the “connect through a big airport and lose half a day” routine. This is where private aviation shines: the aircraft becomes the transfer, not the obstacle between transfers.

Stop 2: Chintsa - Prana Lodge (4 nights)

The Wild Coast delivered exactly what it promises: open beaches, remote edges, and a slower rhythm that’s hard to find elsewhere.

At Prana Lodge, our guests had four nights of luxury accommodation set alongside Chintsa Bay, surrounded by indigenous forest, an ideal base for beach time and day excursions. Time on the beach, golfing in the area and river boat cruises turned the destination into a holiday.

Scenic flight: the Wild Coast from the air

Africa Sky Runners allows scenic flying to become part of a journey and a feature of the holiday. In this case we treated our guests to an amazing experience of a scenic flight along the wild coast.

From the air, the Wild Coast is all geometry and movement - headlands, river mouths, and long beaches laid out like a map you can finally understand. An awe inspiring experience!

Flight: East London to Kwandwe (~35 minutes)

From the coast we headed inland to safari country: Kwandwe Private Game Reserve. The short flight time is exactly the point - less time commuting, more time arriving ready to enjoy all that this location has to offer.

Stop 3: Kwandwe (4 nights)

Kwandwe sits in South Africa’s Eastern Cape, spread across 30,000 hectares along the Great Fish River; a large, intact private wilderness with notably strong guiding and conservation purpose.

A standout feature of Kwandwe is its ecological variety; sources note a high diversity of vegetation types/biomes across the reserve, supporting not only the Big Five but a wide range of species and birdlife.

What stood out for our guests (and for us)

Luxury accommodation with Great Fish River views; a setting that makes early mornings feel worthwhile.
Guiding quality and professionalism: from the tracker’s focus at the front seat to the guide’s ability to read the landscape and interpret what you’re seeing, and ability to spot and identify birds at serious distances (the kind of skill you don’t learn from a field guide on the bedside table).

Our Pilot/Guide’s personal highlights

For Mike, it was a chance to stretch his own FGASA bush knowledge and keep learning in the field, with notable sightings including brown hyena (with a cub) and a rare aardwolf encounter (famously shy and infrequently seen).

Flight: Kwandwe to Samara (~1 hour)

From dense river bush and thicket, the trip pivoted to the open spaces of the Karoo - again, directly, without the long road transition.

Stop 4: Samara Karoo Reserve (2 nights)

Samara is positioned near Graaff-Reinet in the Great Karoo and is widely described as a rewilding-led private reserve, spanning roughly 67,000 acres of restored wilderness.

This part of the itinerary delivered a different kind of safari: big African skies, vast horizons, and the Karoo’s particular brand of quiet intensity.

The weather factor (handled with flexibility by our pilot/guide)

The Karoo served uncharacteristically rainy conditions during this stay. Our guests were genuinely grateful for the rain (the Karoo needs it), even if it reduced game-drive time and changed the structure of the days. That’s where a well-built itinerary matters: when one piece requires flexibility, the overall experience still holds firm.

Flight: Samara to Stellenbosch (~3 hours), then Franschhoek (2 nights)

The final flying sector returned our guests to the Cape Winelands, keeping the last leg of the trip focused on what they enjoy: wine tastings, excellent culinary experiences, and relaxation after the safari. Time to just unwind before heading home.

What we felt made this flying safari experience work

Direct flying between experiences: more time in lodges and reserves, less time on highways and in terminals.
Accessibility: Landing close to where we needed to be.
Dedicated private aircraft and pilot/host/guide: flexibility to adapt safely and keep the trip on track when conditions shifted last minute.
Strong travel planning partners: African Luxury (Netherlands) for itinerary co-creation, and on-the-ground hosting from Mike to keep the experience hassle free and seamless.