Cape Town (South Africa) never fails to amaze me. It truly is one of the most spectacularly situated cities in the world and each time I return, I’m always blown away by its beauty. Located at the southern tip of the African continent, Cape Town is backed by the iconic Table Mountain and fronts the expansive Table Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. To its south, a range of mountains skirts the Atlantic Ocean and stretches to the shores of Hout Bay, another jaw-dropping bay. On my recent trip, I had the opportunity to experience this majestic beauty from a different perspective: a helicopter! I jumped at the opportunity to join a helicopter tour with Cape Town Helicopters without thinking twice and the experience was simply unforgettable!
A spectacular Cape Town helicopter tour
The Cape Town helicopter tour departs from their helipad at the far end of the V&A Waterfront. There are various tours to choose from and I went for the 24-minute ‘Two Oceans’ route – I’ve driven this Cape Peninsula route many times – it’s one of my favourite road trips from Cape Town – and I was so excited to finally fly it!
Me and my colleague Nick arrived at their office 30 minutes before departure and were led into a waiting lounge by the cheery personnel. We were weighed and shown a safety video in the lounge – it was clear that Cape Town Helicopters takes safety very seriously as we received instructions on do’s and don’ts.
Take-off
Before long, we were introduced to our pilot, Maurits, who led us onto the tarmac. The brand new, futuristic-looking Airbus helicopter gleamed in the late afternoon sun – we were so lucky with the weather! We climbed into the helicopter, buckled up and put on our noise-cancelling headphones. I was so excited I could scream!! Haha! We were soon airborne and the breathtaking views unfolded as soon as we left the ground!
Amazing views of Cape Town
The pilot circled around Table Bay and we could see Robben Island, before heading south along Green Point. The views of Cape Town were awe-inspiring! I was speechless!
We passed the trendy Camps Bay suburb with its gorgeous beaches and backed by the Twelve Apostles, a series of mountain peaks.
We basically followed the path of the incredibly scenic Victoria Road which runs from Camps Bay past other suburbs such as Llandudno (in the photo) and down to Hout Bay.
Hout Bay
From Llandudno, we flew past the blue expanse of Hout Bay. The winding road below is the Chapman’s Peak Drive, one of the most spectacular drives in the world!
From Hout Bay, we flew over the mountains to False Bay and passed the towns of Fish Hoek, Kalk Bay and Muizenberg before making our way back to Cape Town.
The scenery was just mind-blowing! I remarked how awesome it must be for the pilot to see this every day – during the whale season, you can also see whales (especially in Hout Bay and False Bay) and the odd Great White shark! Maurits, our pilot, laughed and said, “It’s the most beautiful office in the world!”.
Book your Cape Town helicopter tour!
Update: May 2018
Roughly two years after my first flight, I went on this Cape Town helicopter tour again, this time with my brother – it was my birthday present to him. The views were just spectacular and this time, we even spotted whales and dolphins! I’ve created a short video of the flight to give you an impression of how awesome this Cape Town helicopter tour is. Check it out below:
If you’re visiting Cape Town, this is one tour I can absolutely recommend! Seeing Cape Town from a helicopter is absolutely one of the top things to do in Cape Town! It’s just one of those magical experiences that will stay etched in your mind forever!
Note: I was invited by Cape Town Helicopters to experience this flight. My enthusiasm and views expressed above are mine of course. Two years later, I went as a paying guest and updated this post.
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Incredible experience , i feel your excitement when you describe that you and your friend Nick arrived at their office 30 minutes before departure.
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Doors off? Brrrrr! I did something similar on Reunion Island in a microlight. I chose to keep the door closed when we flew over the volcano and only opened the door when we flew along the coast. haha!
Cheers,
Keith
Looks like a fun helicopter tour! How awesome to see a whale (or a great white shark) from above! We’ve done a chopper tour over the waterfalls and canyons of Kauai — doors off (for better views). That was quite something…
Hi Laura,
Thanks for your comment! Yep, the weighing part does make sense but it seemed more like a formality than anything else. The helicopter we were in seats four and there were three of us (including the pilot).
Cheers,
Keith
Absolutely gorgeous. I’ve never been in a helicopter, but it seems like a fun time. It initially shocked me that they weighed you before you got on, but that makes sense.
Although I hope they’re not just shoving extra people on if you happen to be extra light :).
Hi Rob,
It was out of this world amazing!! 🙂 It was on top of my wish list too and I’m so happy I got to experience it… finally! 🙂
Cheers,
Keith
Amazing experience right? On top of my wishlist 🙂