About us
The Crete2Cape Vintage Air Rally is a Prepare2go endeavour, built on years of ground and air logistics experience across Africa.
The Vintage Air Rally is more than a flying event; it is a long-distance journey that ties crews, supporters and charitable causes together across three continents. Since its departure from Crete, the rally has followed the trail of early aviation pioneers, linking the island to Africa and onward to Cape Town. Participants fly vintage aircraft along a route threaded with history, and along the way the organisers have chosen to channel the spirit of adventure into support for organisations working in conservation and humanitarian relief.
BirdLife International is one of the charities associated with the rally. The organisation is known for protecting birds and the habitats they depend on, and for the wider importance of wild places that migratory species cross each year. By associating the event with such a cause, the rally highlights the extraordinary routes that migrating birds travel — over plains, highlands, coasts and ocean — and the delicate ecosystems those journeys rely on. It is a natural partnership for an adventure measured in weeks rather than hours.
Routing an expedition of vintage aeroplanes from the Mediterranean to southern Africa means crossing landscapes that are rich in birds and other wildlife. The itinerary passes through varied terrain, from farmland and vineyards to savannah, highland and coastal scenery, and each stage offers glimpses of the habitats that BirdLife works to safeguard. The rally's film and storytelling approach, including references to pioneers and legendary flights, helps draw attention to the natural world through which the crews travel.
Because the rally spans multiple countries, it depends on local support and on the enthusiasm of people who host, assist and follow the teams. Supporters can join blogs, newsletters and updates as the aircraft progress stage by stage, sharing the experience and helping raise awareness for conservation goals. For charities, the event offers a distinctive platform; for participants, it adds purpose to an already demanding undertaking. Together, the flying, the scenery and the cause reinforce one another throughout the weeks of the journey.
A Prepare2go Endeavour
The VintageAirRally is organised by Prepare2go, a company with extensive experience in ground and air logistics in difficult countries. That background shaped the planning behind the Crete2Cape route, from permits and fuel stops to the coordination of vintage aircraft and their support fleet across multiple borders.
Prepare2go's work has involved both groups of light aircraft, including vintage machines and helicopters, and support for single vintage aeroplanes flying comparable routes through the African continent.
Experience on the Route
Prepare2go flew this route successfully eight times over the preceding eight years with groups of light aircraft, including vintage types and helicopters, and more recently supported a single vintage aeroplane on a similar African crossing.
Why It Matters
That depth of logistical knowledge underpinned the Crete2Cape rally's route through Cairo, Khartoum, Ethiopia, Kenya, the Serengeti, Zanzibar, Victoria Falls and on to South Africa, allowing 15 vintage aeroplanes and their supporting aircraft to retrace pioneering flights of the 1920s.
Explore the full itinerary or get in touch with the organising team for more background on the rally.