Seronera the Serengeti's avaition hub

Yesterday morning I got airborne out of Arusha at 0920 after a long delay waiting for fuel, usually I use my brain and get fuel the night before if I am staying in Arusha the night...but I was too lazy this time and paid the price yesterday morning by being the last in line for my 600 litres of Jet A1. Thankfully after a quick climb (I had no self loading freight/passengers on board) up to flight level 125 (12500 feet) I had a swift tailwind which had me over the Ngorongoro highlands to the Serengeti national park in no time at all. I landed at Seronera airstrip only 7 minutes late I made up nearly 13 minutes.....As you maybe able to make out in the pictures above and below there was not much space left in the parking area for me with already 7 Cessna Caravans and Let 410 occupying most of the space.

I managed to squeeze the Caravan in between the two rows of aircraft in the saturated muddy parking area without blocking half a dozen other aircraft from departing. Inside the cul-de-sac of parked aircraft and safari going four wheel drives I turned around in the mud without receiving any complaints of my prop wash (wind created by a propeller) plastering aircraft, pilots, four wheel drives or tourists in mud or gravel...Not a bad feat when I had just manoeuvred a 7000 pound aircraft on a small crowded muddy apron.
From Seronera airstrip 6 aircraft myself included were part of a large charter to Zanzibar 346 nautical miles away down on the coast....No worries only a 2 hour and 20 minute flight away in the Cessna Caravan, as part of the safety briefing for this flight I said to my passengers, 'I hope everyone went to the bathroom before the flight'....this may sound like a joke but I have had passengers on long flights urinate into bottles and even their carry on bags they got so desperate to relieve themselves. I wrote about one guy in my May 18 post last year.

This is a photograph I took at Seronera airstrip two weeks ago of the morning rush hour of tourists waiting for flights connecting to Arusha, Zanzibar the beaches or various other Game reserves throughout Tanzania.

This here is a perfect example of a Masai Kraal in the Ngorongoro highlands. The round fenced in areas are where the Masai people house their Cattle and other livestock at night to protect them from prowling predators. The small round huts are Masai houses. These Masai villages are dotted all throughout the highlands with an average height of around 8000 feet above sea level. I am sure these Masai who live permanently at such heights and walk everywhere would without any training be able to run a marathon at sea level with ease.

The above picture was taken by fellow pilot Aaron Cawsey.

Also check out:

www.africanbushpilot.com