Helicopter Safaris
Experience Africa from the air in your own, private helicopter!
The freedom of the air… It’s what birds have enjoyed for millennia and what humans have envied for just as long. When it comes to a safari, you can enjoy that same freedom to explore Africa with a helicopter and add something special to your safari experience in the process..
We make no bones about the fact that we LOVE helicopters and helicopter safaris here at Stanley Safaris. Not because helicopters are the ultimate “boy toy” (which they are) but because they give travelers the ability to reach the furthest, most remote corners of the continent, landing anywhere en route to explore the far-flung wilderness areas only a handful of people get to see.
At the same time, flying in a helicopter adds a dynamic to the visual appreciation of Africa‘s timeless wild places that nothing else offers. Being able to fly exceptionally low, hover and maneuver effortlessly takes you on incredible journeys, taking thrilling flights through twisting mountain canyons, swooping over endless plains and soaring above jaw-dropping scenery filled with wildlife.
Anyone who has visited Victoria Falls and had the privilege of seeing them from the air in a helicopter will share with you what it is that makes a helicopter such an awesome way to see Africa! Flying helps you to appreciate the magnitude of Africa’s incredible topography and the sheer scale of its beauty.
Get off the beaten track on a Bespoke Helicopter Safari
Apart from getting you from point-to-point on your African safari itinerary, a helicopter is a perfect way to enjoy incredible special moments in off-the-beaten-track locations. It gives us the perfect way to surprise and astound guests because of the ease of access it affords. Have lunch on a mountain with views of forever over the Great Rift Valley… Enjoy brunch on a remote island in the middle of the Okavango Delta… Land on the desolate beaches of the Skeleton Coast and enjoy coffee in a colony of Cape fur seals… Sample fabulous vintages from South Africa’s Winelands region high in the Hottentot Hollands mountains… If you can think of it, a helicopter will deliver it and get you to places no vehicle could ever reach.
Many private concessions across Africa offer helicopter safaris as a way to explore their wilderness areas, reaching so much further than an open safari vehicle ever would in the blink of an eye, compared to bumping around for hours.
A helicopter is a perfect way to experience a fly-camping or sleep-out experience, taking guests far from their lodge or camp to indulge them in a completely authentic and immersive wilderness adventure, landing next to the already set-up camp in time for dinner under the stars. Wake up the following morning and do a walk before enjoying brunch and flying back to your camp, viewing wildlife en route.
On his recent safari to Tanzania, Stanley Safaris founder Shaun Stanley experienced a breathtaking helicopter safari on the Mwiba Concession flying low over the Great Rift escarpment and Lake Eyasi.
“We did some extremely low flying along the river until the ground just dropped away below us forming waterfalls, gorges, and river pools,” says Shaun. “It felt like an ‘Airwolf’ episode as we flew through the gorge, finding a spot to land for a swim in the river. Looking around at the towering cliffs of the gorge, we knew that this was the only way anyone could get down here to swim and we felt extremely privileged to be able to experience this sort of safari.”
Our Bespoke Helicopter Safaris
How about exploring South Africa, kicking off in the “fairest Cape”, exploring the Winelands and magical Cape Town before heading up the coast to explore the Cape Peninsula and beyond, taking in the beautiful Grootbos and De Hoop before finishing your safari in the legendary Sabi Sands private game reserve?
Or take in the Masai Mara, Chyulu Hills, Amboseli, and Mount Kilimanjaro, Lake Turkana, and Lewa in Kenya flying over Mount Kenya on the way?
Botswana‘s awe-inspiring and vast Makgadikgadi Pans can easily be combined with the Okavango Delta and an add-on to Victoria Falls, or do what Shaun did and explore Tanzania with stops at Chem Chem and the Mwiba Conservancy as well as the Ngorongoro Crater and Serengeti!
Namibia‘s vast landscapes are begging to be explored from the air and a helicopter can get you deeper into the ancient deserts of the Namib and beyond than you ever could on a traditional safari.
The options are endless, so get in touch to chat to us about a helicopter safari!
