WITH effect from 1 May, Botswana’s local airline, Mack Air, will introduce flights in a new regional route linking Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, to Kasane, Botswana.
The route is expected to boost tourism between the two major tourist attractions.
Mack Air managing director Michael Weyl said: “Victoria Falls is well-known as a hub for tourist activity. Our new scheduled flight route brings neighbours closer together. Now, they can take in Victoria Falls, visit a number of Zimbabwe’s destinations, and see Botswana all in one action-packed vacation.”
The flight will depart from Kasane International Airport at 11am, arriving at Victoria Falls International Airport at 11:20am. The return flight will depart at 12 midday and arrive at 12:20 pm.
A Cessna Grand Caravan EX will be used on the route.
Kasane is a north-eastern town in Botswana near the borders with Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe – a unique border area with great natural beauty and amazing biodiversity.
It’s the gateway to Chobe National Park, known for the herds of elephants which converge on the Chobe River in the dry season.
Caracal Biodiversity Centre shelters rescued wildlife. The Chobe Crocodile Farm is nearby. East of town, the Kazungula Ferry crosses the Zambezi River, connecting to Zambia.
The gateway to Chobe National Park, Kasane, is an important point of debarkation for the nearby Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe and Livingstone in Zambia, and Namibia’s Caprivi Strip. Impressive!
Spread out along the banks of the Chobe River, Kasane presents an array of hotels, guest houses and campsites that accommodate all the visitors to the national park.
Some are splendidly situated, with wonderful views of the river and its wildlife. Often visitors opt to have a morning game drive and an afternoon boat cruise, with an afternoon game drive the following day, as this is the time of day when elephants are usually spotted.
Another option is a day trip to Victoria Falls, which is about 80 kilometres from Kasane. Kasane now boasts small shopping malls where all basic commodities can be purchased, and arts and crafts shops. While its main attraction is the park that lies a mere 10 kilometres away, there are nevertheless attractions in and around the town.
Other flights to Victoria Falls include British Airways, Airlink, Fastjet, Ethiopian Airlines, Kenyan Airways and Air Zimbabwe. South African Airways also used to fly to Victoria Falls before it stopped operations amid its business reconstruction.
In Zimbabwe, there are three main airports where regional and international flights operate from – Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport (Harare), Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo International Airport (Bulawayo) and the Victoria Falls International Airport.
From the international airports, connecting to other Zimbabwe destinations can be done via domestic scheduled flights, charter flights, rail, boat cruise and road networks.– STAFF WRITER
