On our final afternoon visiting Victoria Falls, Dan and I decided to go all out and take a helicopter ride over Victoria Falls! As this was right after our Livingstone Island/Angel’s Armchair tour, this day was reallllly crazy!
Helicopter tours are offered from both the Zimbabwe and Zambia sides of the Falls. We signed up at our hotel the morning of the tour. The helicopter tours are quite expensive, running approximately $160 a person for a 12-15 minute ride! While expensive, the views were stunning and we really enjoyed our 15 minutes!
The tour started with a transfer to the take-off site, followed by a short safety lesson. After that, it was off to the chopper (as Dan said!). Here is our trusty ride:
Note – the helicopter seats four guests, one in the front and three in the back. On our trip, it was only Dan and I and one other person, so we all got a window seat! However, if there are four people, someone will have to sit in the middle. Here is Dan in the front and me in the back!
The tour started with a fly over Victoria Falls. The pilot pointed out the relevant sites, such as Livingstone Island, and gave a bit of history. Everyone wore a headset, so questions were welcomed! Again, the views were absolutely stunning!!
The pilot circled around Victoria Falls so that we could see it from all angles!
Then it went over the Victoria Falls Bridge and the Batoka Gorge!
The tour ended with a fly down the Zambezi River, where we did our Sunset Cruise earlier in the trip!
The pictures do not lie. The views from this tour were simply spectacular! We especially enjoyed seeing the falls from another angle, as we had such a difficult time seeing and photographing Victoria Falls due to it being the wet season and so much water coming off the Falls.
Note – the helicopter tours are weather dependent. If it is raining/stormy, the tour will not go forward as scheduled, but if it clears up you may be able to go later in the day!
STEAL OUR TRIP
Shearwater Adventurers – We made reservations the day of at our hotel. The trip costs $160 US per person for a 12-15 minute ride. Longer tours were offered for additional costs, however 12-15 minutes is ample time to view the Falls!
ON A BUDGET ?
Was it worth the hefty costs? It depends. It was expensive, but it was also the single most expensive activity that we did on our entire trip. If you want to see an aerial view of the Falls without paying the costs and you are flying in from Johannesburg, you will have a lovely view of Victoria Falls as you land from the left side of the plane heading into Livingstone, Zambia! Ask the flight attendants which side will have the best views!
Wow, those falls are gorgeous. At first, I thought 15 minutes sounded really short. If you’re not going very far, that’s plenty of time to get a good view. Makes sense now!
I thought the same thing! But it was well worth it!
That looks like an amazing experience, I would love to try it. I get motion sickness pretty easily is my only concern. Did you feel uneasy at times or was it pretty smooth?
Thanks for reading! It was pretty smooth!