Elevate your Namibian experience
Namibia is a massive country filled with diverse and varied attractions. It’s a place of vast landscapes, long, low horizons, towering dunes, canyons, and craters.
All these aspects are magnificent to view on self-guided drives and walks as well as curated activities, but you’d be missing out if you didn’t enjoy their vastness from the air, too.
Observing from above allows you to appreciate the subtle nuances of how environments blend into one another and can also help you plan your land-based excursions better.
One of the best-known ways to explore the lie of the land from aloft is on hot air balloon trips, but you can also indulge in scenic flights in Namibia if you want to cover more ground from the air.
Where to Enjoy Scenic Flights in Namibia
Most scenic flight operators take off from Swakopmund on the Namibian West Coast. From there they have easy access to major scenic attractions located within two hours’ flight distance from the town. These include:
Sossusvlei
This route flies over the Kuiseb River Canyon, the Namib dune belt, Tsondab vlei to the Sossusvlei and Dead Vlei.
At this point, passengers can look forward to a view of the pans nestled amongst 1 000 ft. tall sand dunes before turning toward the coast via the diamond camps.
Sights along the coastline include the Shawnee and Eduard Bolen shipwrecks, Conception Bay, Sandwich Harbour with its abundant birds, and the colored salt pans and harbour of Walvis Bay.
Diamond Coast
This is one of the best ways to view the once restricted diamond-speckled areas of Namibia. It covers the Kuiseb River, flanked by gravel plains and red sands dunes, as well as the abandoned mining camps of days gone by.
On the way back, travelers can lap up sightings of Flamingos at Sandwich Harbour, the shipwrecks along the coast, and Walvis Bay’s colorful scenes.
Namib Desert
This flight serves as an excellent introduction to what’s on offer in the Namib Desert. It commences with a view of the Eduard Bolen and Shawnee shipwrecks and then continues along the coast past the “Langewand”.
This tour offers a spectacular showcase of coastal wildlife like seals and birds who inhabit the Ramsar wetlands and salt pans of Walvis Bay.
Skeleton Coast
The Skeleton Coast is a vast and unforgiving place offering a sometimes harsh off-the-beaten-track experience. When you fly over this desolate area, you can enjoy the amazing sights on offer in comfort, without the difficulties of a long off-road drive.
Exploring the Skeleton Coast from the air you get an entirely different perspective of this amazing place including views over:
- The coast and Zeila shipwreck
- Rössing and Husab Mines
- The Atlantic Ocean crashing into the desert
- The Ugab River and its astonishing geological formations
- Cape Cross with its Cape Fur seal colony
- Henties Bay and the desert golf course
As a bonus, the route includes sights of the Brandberg, Namibia’s tallest mountain range, and the Spitzkoppe granite inselberg as well as the salt pans to the north of Swakopmund.
The only other way to see the tops of these massifs is on a strenuous hiking or climbing adventure.
Multi-Day Flying Safaris
If you have the time and budget for it, private operators also offer flying safaris that take in all of the country’s major sites. These 7-day trips depart from Hosea Kutako International airport, taking advantage of smaller airfields and luxury lodges as pit stops along the way.
These exclusive airborne safaris feature the following top destinations:
- Etosha National Park
- Kunene River
- Sossusvlei and Deadvlei
- Skeleton coast
- Kaokoland
About Namibia Scenic Flights
Scenic air flips take place using light aircraft like the Cessna 210, which can swoop low to enhance the views along the way.
Some operators also offer helicopter flips for maximum maneuverability.
Experienced personnel guarantee a safe, enjoyable, and personalized outing when you board one of these planes.
If you’re visiting one of the country’s more isolated areas or a luxury lodge, you can make the most of the scenery from the start by booking a fly-in safari on one of these small charter planes.
Scenic flights offer photographers every opportunity to snap shots from remarkable vantage points that present unseen opportunities to capture the play of light and shadow on the land.
The scenic benefits offered by Namibian flight operators are the perfect complement to on-the-ground interactions with the people and natural environment of this amazing country.
Enjoy Namibia from Every Angle
Not only does Namibia boast plenty to see and do, but you can also enjoy it from a diverse range of perspectives.
The country offers close encounters with tiny desert fauna as well as Africa’s most sought-after wildlife species, hot air balloon trips and flights over incredible scenes, and water adventures by the dozen.
Browse our travel blog for more information on how to make the most of your Namibian trip on land, sea, and from the air.
Disclaimer
Please Note: The details shared herein were correct at the time of publishing. However, with time some of this information may change. We recommend confirming information with suppliers prior to making final travel arrangements. If you do happen to find an issue with any information we’ve shared here, please feel free to contact us so that we can make the relevant changes.
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