trek airways south africa

TREK AIRWAYS (PTY.), LTD.: South Africa (1953-1976)

Equipped with a Douglas DC-3 acquired for it in the U. K. by subsidiary Meredith Air Transport, Ltd., this charter operator is reformed by Tom Meredith, Jock Hamilton, and five colleagues from Tropic Airways (Pty.), Ltd. in May 1953. Revenue flights are inaugurated to Amsterdam from Johannesburg on December 21.

In August 1954, charter services similar to those flown earlier by TA are initiated to such northern European communities as Dusseldorf and London via Entebbe, Cairo, Malta, Zurich, or Vienna from East Africa and from Leopoldville, Kano, and Palma de Majorca from the West Africa. Two Vickers 498 Viking 1s are purchased from Airwork, Ltd. in October and November, one of which is named Louis Trichardt.

A third Viking 1, the Piet Retief, is acquired in late 1955, and the three continue to make the five monthly roundtrips that each are permitted by the National Transportation Commission to fly to Europe.

Two Douglas DC-4s are purchased in December 1957 from Northwest Airlines. They enter service in April 1958, at which point the Vikings are removed from scheduled flights and assigned to operate charters. The domestic South African charter subsidiary Protea Airways (Pty.) Ltd. is created later the same year.

Low fare passenger service is introduced in 1959 by General Manager

P. C. E. Gratz’s carrier, bringing considerable success. Routes are extended twice weekly from Johannesburg to London, Paris, Frankfurt, Rome, and Athens via Entebbe, Wadi Halfa, and Malta.

A DC-4 with 6 crew and 61 passengers makes a forced landing near El Badary, Egypt, on September 3, 1960; although the aircraft is a total loss, there are no fatalities.

Two Lockheed L-749As, including one named the Andries Pretorius, are leased from South African Airways (Pty.), Ltd. in December 1961, while the remaining DC-4 is sold to Luxair, S. A. In order to avoid being shut out from a Continental destination when its traffic rights to Dus-seldorf expire in May 1962, Trek inaugurates roundtrips to Luxembourg in February. The company will remain the designated South African carrier on that route for its entire history.

When the nations of Black Africa begin to ban South African aircraft from their airspace during the summer of 1963, Trek returns its two Constellations to SAA in August. Beginning in October and continuing for the remainder of the year, DC-6Bs are leased from UAT (Union Aeromaritime de France, S. A.).

Two L-1049A Starliners, formerly operated by Deutsche Lufthansa, A. G., are acquired in February and March 1964. These long-legged piston airliners allow Trek to continue service to Europe via the West African coast in a manner similar to the Springbok services provided by

South African Airways (Pty.), Ltd. Technical stops are available at Windhoek, Luanda, and Ilha do Sal.

A cooperative agreement is signed with Luxair, S. A. and under its terms, joint operations of the new Lockheeds commence in April, with the European line providing connecting service from Luxembourg onward to London. One of the Starliners is transferred to Luxair, which, not having been banned from the routes, can fly in any African airspace.

Shareholding is revised in early 1965 to include Rentmeester Beleg-gings (Pty.), Ltd. (40%), South African Marine Corporation (Pty.), Ltd. (Safmarine) (25%), and private interests (35%). Airline employment is now 130. On May 7, on behalf of South African Airways (Pty.), Ltd., the company begins roundtrip Wallaby route flights once every two weeks from Johannesburg to Perth via Mauritius and the Cocos Islands.

With the flag carrier also providing a service every two weeks, South Africa is able to match the trans-Indian Ocean Wallaby frequencies of Qantas Empire Airways (Pty.), Ltd. These flights continue until September, when SAA is able to place additional Douglas DC-7Bs on the run. Enplanements for the year are 10,094.

Starliner flights commence on February 15, 1966, from Johannesburg to Rio de Janeiro via Luanda. This is the first nonstop commercial service across the South Atlantic by a South African airline.

A third L-1649A Starliner and an L-1049E Super Constellation are purchased from Air France in April. It is employed, beginning on July 5, to operate a weekly roundtrip from Johannesburg to Tokyo, via Mauritius, Colombo, and Hong Kong.

Authority for 10 additional European roundtrips is granted by the South African government in 1967. An order is sent to Boeing for a B-707-320B Stratoliner.

After the tragic loss of a SAA B-707-344C, with 123 killed, at Windhoek on April 20, 1968, Trek volunteers to give its place on the Boeing assembly line to South African Airways (Pty.), Ltd. The state carrier promises to turn over one of its older Boeings as soon as the new plane arrives from Washington State.

A Bristol Britannia is leased in June to undertake the Luxembourg service; however, one Starliner is retained in front line service to operate the connecting service for Luxair, S. A. to London through September 30. At this point, all three of the Starliners are converted into freighters.

A B-707-348, wearing its own livery and Luxair, S. A. stickers, is leased from Aer Lingus Irish Airlines, Ltd. and enters service from Johannesburg on October 22.

South African Airways (Pty.), Ltd., in accordance with its pledge the previous April, turns over a B-707-344B on May 30, 1969.

A former Qantas Airways (Pty.), Ltd. Boeing 707-138B is purchased during the early 1970s and a second B-707-138B is acquired in 1974. The company ceases operations in the spring of 1976 and the Boeings and Starliners are passed to Luxair, S. A., to which many employees migrate as well. After Trek Airways shuts down, the subsidiary Protea Airways (Pty.), Ltd. soldiers on alone until rising expenses (led by fuel costs) force the company out of business in 1980.

When the South African domestic independent Flitestar, Ltd. is created in 1991, the shareholders, Rentmeester Investments and Muelkin & Safmarine, will name their holding company in honor of this charter pioneer.

TRI AIR: United States (1987-1989). Taking a leaf from the book of Jetstream International Airlines, Tri Air, established at Hyannis, Massachusetts, in March 1987, is named in honor of its aircraft. Employing a three-motor Pilatus-Britten-Norman PBN-2A Trislander, daily roundtrips are inaugurated on April 1 linking the company’s base with Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard. Operations continue apace until August 1989.

TRI STAR AVIATION: Box 88, Weyers Cave, Virginia, 24486, United States; Phone (540) 234-8998; Fax (540) 234-9901; Year Founded 1984. Tri Star is established by Marvin Shank in 1984 to offer on demand FAAPart 135 air taxi flights, cargo operations, and also to engage in aircraft management.

By 2000, Shank oversees the flights of 1 each Beech King Air 90, Cessna 414 Conquest, C-421, and Piper PA-23 Aztec. Revenues reach $300,000.

TRI-STATE AIRLINES: United States (1982-1984). Tri-State is established at White Lake, New York, in 1982. Employing a fleet of 3 Piper PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftains, the third-level operator undertakes scheduled passenger and cargo services, expanding, during the remainder of the year and into 1983 to Albany, Binghamton, Montgomery, Monticello, Poughkeepsie, Manchester, Harrisburg, Nantucket, New Bedford, and Newark.

Rapid growth and recession contribute to hurt income in 1984 and all routes are suspended in August except those to Nantucket, Newark, and Manchester. These and other cost-cutting measures do not help and the carrier shuts down in the fall.

TRI-STATE AVIATION: United States (1969-1978). Tri State is established by Carlton Clark as the FBO at Huntington, West Virginia. In the fall of 1969, Edward Hyman and Morris Griffiths establish a company airline division to provide scheduled passenger and cargo services to Colubus and Cincinnati. Aero Commander 500B and Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander daily roundtrips commence in November, but only continue through May 1970.

TRIAX AIR, LTD.: 1 Kings Road, New Haven, Enugu, Nigeria; Phone 234 (42) 337 777; Code TIX; Year Founded 1992. Triax is established as a subsidiary of Prince Arthur Eze’s Triax Group at Enugu Airport in October 1992 to offer passenger charter flights to destinations throughout Africa and the Mideast. Revenue operations commence on November 17 with a single Boeing 727-82. In 1993, a leased B-727-264 is placed into service.

Flights continue in 1994-2000, during which years Chairman Eze and General Manager Capt. D. Okatachi acquire a B-727-22. Destinations now visited include Abuja, Lagos, Port Harcourt, and Owem.

TRICON INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES: United States (19681975). Tricon is established at Dallas (DAL) in 1968 to provide scheduled passenger and cargo services to regional destinations. Employing a Beech 18, daily roundtrips are duly inaugurated, linking the company’s base with Shreveport, Longview, Tyler, Waco, Temple, and Austin.

Operations continue apace until 1975.

TRIGANA AIR SERVICE: Mendawai No. 40, Kebayoran, Jakarta-Selatan, Indonesia; Phone 62 (21) 772 337; Fax 62 (21) 772 337; Http://www. geocities. com/WaUStreet/5470/indo. htm ; Year Founded 1992. TAS is established at Jakarta in the fall of 1992 to offer domestic scheduled and charter passenger and cargo services. Operations commence with a fleet that includes 3 Beech Super King Air 200s, 2 de Havilland Canada DHC-6-300 Twin Otters, and 3 Fokker F.27-600 Friendships.

A DHC-6-100 with two crew fails its takeoff from Pogapa on December 8 and crashes; although the freighter is damaged, there are no fatalities.

Flights continue without incident in 1993, but not in 1994. Another DHC-6, a Dash-300 with two crew and two passengers, crashes into a cloud-shrouded mountain ridge at the 7,050-ft. level near Nabire, Papua New Guinea, on November 4; there are no survivors.

Flights continue in 1993-2000, during which years an F.28-4000 jetliner is also employed. There are numerous accidents.

While taxiing at Jakarta on May 14, 1996, the No. 1 propeller of the Fokker F.27-600 Jayapura chews into the right wing of a parked F.28. Both aircraft are damaged, but repairable.

Just after landing at Ilaga on September 30, a DHC-6-300 with two crew and three passengers overruns the runway and falls over an embankment; although the aircraft must be written off, there are no fatalities.

Just after takeoff from Bandung on a July 17, 1997, service to Jakarta, the F.27-600 Jayapura with 5 crew and 45 passengers and leased to Sempati Air, develops engine problems and begins trailing smoke. The pilot attempts to make an emergency landing at Sulaiman AFB, but instead, hits the roofs of houses in a residential area and crashes into a muddy field (29 dead).

TRILLIUM AIR, LTD.: Waterloo Regional Airport, P. O. Box. 70, Breslau, Ontario N0B 1M0, Canada; Phone (519) 648-1204; Fax (519) 648-1208; Http://www. trilliumair. com ; Year Founded 2000.

Trillium is established at Waterloo Regional Airport in June 2000 as a subsidiary of Pem Air, Ltd. Daily Jetstream 31 roundtrips are initiated connecting Kitchener and Waterloo with Ottawa. At the end of October, the schedule becomes twice daily.

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Trek Airways (Trek Lugdiens)

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Trek Airways was formed in 1953 and was the only South African airline apart from SAA to fly international services. Ceased operations on 11Apr1994 and was liquidated ~ at the beginning, flights were operated from Europe to South Africa with one over-night stop

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Trek Airways

Trek Airways was an airline based in South Africa that operated from August 1953 until April 1994.

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Founded in 1953 by retired German Generalmajor Friedrich Wilhelm von Mellenthin (1904–1997), Trek Airways was the only South African airline apart from SAA to fly international services. At the beginning, flights were operated from Europe to South Africa with one over-night stop. The aircraft used at the time was the Vickers VC.1 Viking . Since the Viking did not have the range for the operations, they were replaced by the Douglas DC-4 and Lockheed L-749A Constellation . Later on it operated the Lockheed L-1649 Starliner .

Trek operated from London , Düsseldorf , Vienna and Luxembourg to Windhoek and Johannesburg with two or three intermediate stops. [1] In 1964 an arrangement with Luxair was made whereby Luxair would carry connecting passengers to other European airports.

It was in 1968 that the first jet aircraft was used when a Boeing 707 was introduced, but with the embargo of South African registered aircraft due to Apartheid Trek had to suspend flights for a period of time. Those operations were re-established in 1991 and once again a co-operation with Luxair was established whereby Trek used a Luxair/Luxavia Boeing 747SP painted in the old Trek color scheme. It was also during this time that Trek founded a subsidiary called Flitestar using Airbus A320 and ATR-72 aircraft. In 1991, politics changed again and the South African Government deregulated its aviation policy. Trek Airways applied for and was granted a license for a South African domestic service, in direct competition to SAA . Flitestar was born operating Airbus A320s. On 11 April 1994, Trek ceased all operations. [2]

• Vickers VC.1 Viking
• Douglas DC-4
• Lockheed L-749A Constellation
• Lockheed L-1649 Starliner
• Boeing 747-SP
• William Buckland "Paddy" Rorke: Trek Airways – A South African Adventure , Athena Press, 2007

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• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Athena Pr Pub Co (March 30 2007)
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TREK AIRWAYS (PTY) LTD.

History: trek airways (pty) ltd. was an airline based in south africa that operated from august 1953 until april 1994. founded in 1953, trek airways was the only south african airline apart from saa to fly international services. at the beginning, flights were operated from europe to south africa with one over-night stop. on 11 april 1994, trek ceased all operations..

13/1/1959 (From Maputo to Lisbon)

13/4/1963 (From Athens to Johannesburg)

29/4/1964 (From Johannesburg to Luxembourg)

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Trek Airways: A South African Adventure Paperback – 30 Mar. 2007

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• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Athena Press (30 Mar. 2007)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 180 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 184401858X
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1844018581
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 12.7 x 1.14 x 20.32 cm
• 890 in Commercial Aviation
• 223,168 in Biographies & Memoirs (Books)

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The Vickers Vikings of Trek Airways

ZS-DKH c/n 121 ZS-DKI c/n 124 "Louis Trichardt" ZS-DNU c/n 118 "Piet Retief"

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Africa Guide 2024

Maybe it is the sound of an elephant munching in the night, right next to my fancy safari tent in the Okavango Delta in Botswana.

Or maybe the lion roaring benignly next to another luxury tent, on another night, in Zambia.

Maybe it is the sheer volume of blue wildebeest and zebra plodding steadily up the Serengeti of Tanzania in the great migration.

Or the colourful birds of the Maasai Mara in Kenya.

Or coming eye to familiar eye with a big male mountain gorilla in Rwanda.

I’m unsure with which African wildlife experience to start this story.

And then I think of the human, cultural experiences.

There’s the pleasure that comes from connecting with locals when you fold a note, and handshake a tip into their hand.

Then there is the general African three-part handshake (shake, twist-and-grip, shake again).

And then the complex handshakes of Ethiopia — a different one for different relationships and moments. (For someone known well, we smile, crouch down like a rugby players, lean in take right hand with right hand, bring right shoulders together and rub one another on the back.)

There’s the guide in South Africa who takes me into townships and so personally describes the end of apartheid and the years since.

In Uganda, a trader on a bicycle piled 4m high with shoes waves as I stand on the roadside.

There are waxed cotton fabrics with their wild colours and big designs in the local Mukuni market in Livingstone, Zambia.

And then there’s the sheer joy of the group of singers on a roadside in Zimbabwe, their voices intertwining in unforgettable harmony and vibration.

I’m unsure with which African human experience to start this story.

And then the landscape itself.

The Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania is 600m deep enclosing 260,000sqm of lush savanna, and is home to 25,000 animals.

The High Atlas Mountains of Morocco are full of walking paths, locals and donkeys passing.

Egypt is themed by the River Nile, and the human history running down its banks.

At Victoria Falls, I stand on a thin bridge, happily soaked in the mist of the waterfalls, standing in the middle of the almost-complete circle of a rainbow.

I’m unsure with which African landscape experience to start this story.

The memories of Africa come flooding in, each one precious and trying to nudge in front of the others.

And so, it seems, this story has started itself, as African moments run all over me.

Before we go any further, I’m going to take a step back, into practicalities.

We are fortunate to be on this western side of the Australian continent, looking across the Indian Ocean towards the African continent. We were, after all, once joined to southern Africa, as our flora shows.

And our geographical position means we don’t have to just plan a “once in a lifetime” trip to Africa. The countries of Africa are as different to me as the countries of Europe.

We are fortunate to have the South African Airways direct flight three times a week between Perth and Johannesburg — even though, for North Africa it will be easier to fly through the Middle East (Qatar Airways and Emirates) and for East Africa it may also be easier to fly through the Middle East, or Singapore. For example, after flying from Perth to Doha with Qatar Airways, there are good connections for flights to Nairobi in Kenya or Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. For both, it is only about five hours, 20 minutes flying time.

I’m suggesting considering the countries of southern Africa, East Africa and North Africa.

And, for comfortable, welcoming, secure and interesting visits, my list looks like this …

Sub-Saharan (southern) Africa Botswana, Zambia, Namibia, Tanzania, Kenya (Maasai Mara, not the north), Rwanda, Uganda, Zimbabwe (Victoria Falls area). Then South Africa (Cape Town region, Blue Train, Kruger National Park), Ethiopia (not the north), Malawi, Lesotho (rural, mountainous areas).

North Africa Morocco, Egypt (main tourist areas, not the north-east).

The last couple of years have given tour operators and travel arrangers a wild old ride in Africa. Some costs have absolutely shot up. At one stage, some lodges doubled or even tripled their rates overnight. It seemed that some little airlines flying small charter planes between wildlife camps were simply “picking a number”.

There was a huge interest in travelling to Africa after the pandemic shutdowns. That interest was, frankly, unexpected, and remains somewhat unexplained. There was just a massive pull towards this luminous continent, where humans first adopted tools, stood up, and started the migration that continues through today’s tourist perambulations.

In some areas, prices have settled a bit, as post-pandemic world tourism has recovered into an “evenness”. Africa was a spike that has flattened a bit.

But I suggest that it is still a moment when the best way to get value and lots of experiences is through small group tours. Lets talk numbers. I think travellers should expect to pay $18,000 to $20,000 per person for a 12 to 14-day tour to, say, two countries.

My favourite combination in southern Africa is Botswana and Zambia. These safe, stable countries have mastered the balance of tourism and conservation; of welcome and wildlife.

Kenya and Tanzania would also be a classic example, maybe with a couple of days in South Africa to visit Kruger National Park.

Look for tours where you can stay three nights in each place — for example, the Maasai Mara in Kenya, Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania. I’d expect to spend a couple of nights in Nairobi at the start.

For trip to South Africa, a classic 14 to 16-night package to Victoria Falls, a safari camp and Cape Town, including the three-day Rovos Rail trip, could start at about $12,000 per person (including international flights).

For bespoke, tailor-made experiences, I find a good guide to a company’s credentials is simply how long they have been around — and some small Africa safari companies have more than 30 years’ experience. Tourist safaris only got their first, tenuous foothold in the 1960s, taking shape in the 1970s and 1980s more into what we know today as luxury African safaris. Some of the companies we can still travel with today were some of the early pioneers.

They will often offer complete itineraries, tailor-made trips, air safaris, and then specialist options like horse riding holidays in Africa, or getting (lightly) involved in conservation work.

Africa is political, mercurial, divisive, aggressive, fiery, co-operative, cheerful, benign and peaceful. A country that has been corrupt and dangerous becomes calm and well-run. In another country, there’s an election, and everything seems to swing.

My point is that the recommendations in this story are thoroughly thought through, and relevant to this moment.

And underlying all of that is the fact that Africa is not a dark continent. It is a luminous continent, filled with light and life. It is a dynamic continent, full of complex relationship and undertones.

I’ve been travelling the African continent, writing about it, and been intensely involved in its evolving story — and every single time I come to write a piece like this, there have been significant shifts.

For example, there has been a lot going on for South Africa. The recent election saw Cyril Ramaphosa re-elected as president following a coalition deal between the governing African National Congress and opposition parties. The ANC had always polled above 50 per cent since the country’s first democratic elections in 1994, when Nelson Mandela became president, got only 40 per cent of the vote.

South Africa has also lodged an application in the International Court of Justice, accusing Israel of genocide in the Gaza Strip. This has roots in South Africa’s apartheid era, and a perceived parallel between South Africa under the situation for Palestinians in Gaza. Just a fortnight after Nelson Mandela was released from prison in 1990, he flew to Zambia to meet with African leaders who had supported the fight against apartheid, but was greeted on the tarmac by Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

For sovereignty (the authority and ability of a country to govern itself), in southern Africa once again I turn first to Botswana and Zambia.

SOUTHERN AFRICA

Botswana The rainy season is between December and March. Expect clear skies and a green landscape in April and May, with the warmer months of June to August being peak season for safaris.

Zambia Most of the country’s safari camps open at the beginning of June, and are busy until the end of August. The rain comes mainly from December to March.

Namibia It’s pretty dry and pleasant all year, but I think April and May are the best months. It usually dries a lot from June to August, and that forces wildlife to gather around water sources, which makes good viewing.

South Africa

The best months for wildlife viewing in Kruger National Park are from May to September. Across the other side of the country, the Western Cape and Cape Town should be sunny and dry from November to March.

Zimbabwe The rain usually clears by April or May, and by June and July, it’s cold at night and clear in the day. August and September are good months, with game gathering around water.

EAST AFRICA

Kenya A fair bit of the parts of Kenya that we like to visit are at altitude — and that means a cool climate, often with clear skies. The big Masai Mara wildebeest and zebra migration usually comes in July and August. Then, in September, they usually get to the Mara River and spread across the northern Serengeti.

Tanzania It is more than 1200km north to south, and only a bit less from east to west — so the climate varies a lot across the country. The dry season, from June to October, is a good time to visit, and June and July are the months to aim for if you want to see the best of the wildebeest migration. That’s when the herds start to move across the Serengeti, heading north. Expect the rainy season in November and December.

Rwanda June to September, then December to February, are the most popular times to trek up the mountains to see Rwanda’s gorillas, as they are drier — but it can be done at any time of year. Rwanda, just south of the equator and at high altitude, has a tropical highland climate.

Uganda Mountain gorilla families can also be visited in Uganda. Once again, June to September are popular months. The best game viewing in Uganda is from June to August, then December to February.

Ethiopia The dry season is from October to March, and January and February are very good months to visit. Expect rain from March to September.

Lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant and African buffalo

My Big Five national parks in southern Africa . . .

+ Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania

+ Maasai Mara, Kenya

+ Chobe River National Park, Botswana

+ South Luangwa National Park, Zambia

+ Kruger National Park, South Africa

BIG TICKET ITEMS

It’s testing to come up with four suggestions for “big ticket items” in Africa.

Okavango Delta

There is a difference between safari lodges (which are more formally built) and bush camps (which, at their most luxurious, are safari tents with bathrooms and separate tented lounges and dining areas). For a close-up wildlife experience, I’ll always look for a bush camp over a lodge. And there’s a difference between national parks and concessions. If I spot the term “concession land”, I know the wildlife experience may be even “closer”. In national parks and reserves, drivers and guides have to stay on tracks. If you see a lion 100m away, obscured by grass, that’s all you will see — and there’s a good chance other vehicles will quite quickly join you. If you are on a concession, the guides can steer their drivers through the bush, much closer to it. There are bush camps on concessions in the Okavango Delta, which has wonderful wildlife. A good example is Machaba, in the Khwai area — a 35,000ha concession.

Victoria Falls

“Zambia or Zimbabwe? Which side?” I’m often asked. And the answer is “both”.

On the Zambezi River between the two countries, Victoria Falls really is its own destination — somewhere you could happily spend certainly two and very probably three nights. On the Zambian side, it is hard to go past the Royal Livingstone Hotel (if you can afford it), because it is “front row”, and has giraffe and zebra walking its grounds. It is right on the river bank and there’s a “back gate” through to the falls. The town of Livingstone has wide roads, good pavements, ATMs and restaurants that range from Indian to Italian. And don’t miss the Livingstone Museum, with Dr David Livingstone’s actual medical chest. While he is known for his journeys in Africa, I think of him most for his opposition to slavery and part in ending it.

The best time to see Victoria Falls is usually from June to September, but from mid-December to September, there’s usually water on the Zambia side of the 1700m-wide falls.

It’s worth the US$50 ($74) cost of the visa (for up to 30 days) and the time crossing the border to the Zimbabwean side. I always feel very welcomed and comfortable in the town of Victoria Falls, in Zimbabwe. There are good places to stay and the town of Victoria Falls is an easy town to be in.

Gorillas in Rwanda

+ While most people will be drawn to Rwanda to spend an hour with mountain gorilla families in Volcanoes National Park, the very name of the country will ring alarm bells for some. It is a natural couplet — Rwanda and genocide. But since the orchestrated genocide of 1994, in which a million people died in 100 days, Rwanda has, in my opinion, become one of the safest countries in Africa. It is strongly anti-corruption and the permit to visit mountain gorillas, which costs US$1500 ($2220), directly helps mountain communities and villages. Only 80 people a day can visit the gorillas, in 10 groups of eight, for a maximum of one hour’s contact.

+ It is less expensive to visit mountain gorillas on the Ugandan side of the mountains, but there has recently been allegations that some Uganda Wildlife Authority officials have been issuing fake permits, taking revenue away from the agency and benefits to mountain communities, many of which have had their traditional rights to the forests restricted, as a result of their protection status.

I understand that more than 10 officers were quite recently suspended as they were suspected of fraud. Communities living near the gorilla parks, many of, say they’re aware of the scandal and that it’s only the latest in their litany of grievances against the UWA.

Egypt, the Nile & Pyramids

We shouldn’t forget North Africa, of course. And, for all the colour of Morocco, where there’s a warm welcome and good riads and tour companies, my mind swings back to the epic sights of Egypt.

I’ve been cautious about recommending it, and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade still has a “reconsider your need to travel warning”, but I haven’t seen issues in what I call the “the usual tour and river cruise corridor” from Cairo, down the Nile, to Luxor, Aswan and the Valley of the Kings.

And there are sights and moments which will surely live with travellers forever.

For me, it’s not the Sphinx or the street food and markets of Cairo. It is the River Nile itself — this river which 95 per cent of Egyptians live within a few kilometres of. It is often described as the lifeblood of the country. It is certainly the most important character in the country, I think — more than just a body of water, but a presence in the Egyptian life and mind. I see major tour and river cruise companies offering good, well priced packages to visit Cairo and cruise the Nile — and think this is still the best, safest way to visit Egypt at the moment.

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