by Air Journeys Director of Land Arrangements Anais Pouille
Five pilots and their companions took off last year for a 60-day Air Journey of a lifetime to discover islands of the Indian Ocean, flying their single-pilot jets 24,291 nautical miles across four continents, and landing in and touring 28 countries.
As we were entering 2022, we were looking for a replacement for our Around the World Journey due to lasting COVID-19 restrictions in the Far East. Various countries starting from Singapore, all the way to Russia, and back to Alaska in the United States, were not open to visitors regardless of anyone’s vaccination status. That is when the idea of creating a different journey about the same length as the Around the World Journey blossomed.
When looking at a globe, it’s interesting to see the distances between the different islands of the Indian Ocean. One of the first questions we ask when considering such a journey is if it’s possible to fly to the various stops with the range of aircraft we typically fly on our journeys. That is when the creative process comes into play. By looking at the distance ranges for this particular trip to get around the travel restrictions of some of the countries we’d normally travel through, it turned out that by our aircraft leaving the Middle East, such as Dubai or Oman, they could easily reach the Maldives via India. Followed by the Seychelles, Mauritius, Reunion and Madagascar.
From Madagascar, the journey could easily reach the east coast of South Africa. In South Africa, a discovery of Zambia, with Victoria Falls, was also included, continuing way up to Botswana to see the Okavango Delta before flying toward home by way of the island of Sao Tome, off the coast of Gabon in Western Africa. Then the journey went onto Abidjan, on the Ivory coast, followed by Dakar, Canary Islands, Marrakesh, Lisbon, Amsterdam, Reykjavik, and then back home.
Keeping with the Air Journey concept, each leg was 1,100 nautical miles or less!
There were countless highlights during the entire journey, but there are some of the places that need specific mention. In the Maldives, the journey stayed at The One & Only Resort. The group stayed in beautiful villas over the water, where they could get out of their beds and jump into the blue ocean in a few steps.
Another honorable accommodation is a new place in the Kruger National Park — the Kruger Shaliti “Train on the Bridge.” The name fits the description perfectly. It originally was an unused bridge crossing the Sabie River in the middle of the park. Today it serves as home to 24 sleeping car accommodations overlooking the park’s amazing vistas, with wild animals below. The trains used to travel from this part of Africa to Cape Town and Johannesburg. Each of the sleeping cars has been completely renovated, creating a luxurious and unique lodging experience. Fair warning: This is not for the faint of heart since you are situated way above the wild animals, with a large drop below.
Other parts of the journey that were also incredible throughout the stays in the Europe portion, as the journey visited places AJ had not gone before.
Whenever a journey is created, we create an itinerary, and as a journey develops — and even as it is in operation — there are always changes that need to be made.
In the case of this trip, Madagascar was on the destination list initially, but due to the evolution of the political environment, it was decided that a stay was out of the question. We replaced Madagascar at first with a stay in Sri Lanka. However, the political situation changed, so we replaced the destination with Israel. This was exciting news, as this would have been the first time Air Journey would fly to the Holy Land. Unfortunately, that idea was also short-lived due to safety concerns that might result from the latest uprising between the Palestinians and the Israelis. Finally, a decision was made to add Istanbul, Turkey, to the itinerary, which worked out beautifully.
The island of Reunion was a thrilling addition to this journey. Reunion is an island of French territory in the Indian Ocean that offers a unique scenery made of volcano rocks and a ragged coast. For this stay, our journey elected to have a helicopter ride to discover the island. On that day, the clients were able to see three roaring volcanoes with active lava, high views of the Indian Ocean, and a newly built bridge that was built above the ocean connecting parts of the island, to avoid volcano rocks falling on the roads.
Every journey decides unique accommodations and activities, as well as offering the clients many unique culinary experiences. Some of the culinary experiences included the one-star Michelin restaurant Marchal in Copenhagen and a two-star M.B. restaurant in Tenerife in the Canary Islands.
The journey lasted 60 days, a long time away from home. But as the journey progressed, the pilots and their companions continually commented on how the end was coming too fast! Our 2023 Indian Oceans and Beyond Journey, which will feature new locations, is already in the making. Be sure to check it out!
Also, for 2023, we have created a new journey visiting Australia, New Zealand, and part of the Pacific Islands. This journey will be traveling through Europe to and from Australia since the Around the World Journey can no longer be accomplished. Stay tuned!
Learn more about this and other Journeys at www.airjourney.com