Top 5 Panama City Beach Helicopter Tours: Find Your Best Flight!
Thinking about seeing Panama City Beach from up high? Helicopter tours give you that wow factor, a way of experiencing the beach that’s a bit unusual, quite special. You get incredible views of the coastline, the water, all that. Choosing the ‘right’ tour, though, can be tricky since, naturally, there are plenty on offer. So, we’ve checked out the top 5 helicopter tours around Panama City Beach, highlighting what makes them awesome and that means hopefully making it a bit simpler for you to find the perfect one.
1. Coastal Wonders Tour: Touch the Sky
If you want to start, well, somewhat gently, the Coastal Wonders Tour is just the ticket. It’s ideal as a first-time introduction to helicopter trips. The experience? Around 15 mins in the air, taking in landmarks such as Shell Island and that amazing coastline of Panama City Beach. As a matter of fact, this option often includes details of local wildlife too so keep your eyes peeled for dolphins and marine creatures!
The beauty of this trip, as I was saying, is that it is pretty family-oriented and a gentle intro to the area. Prices often begin around $129 per person, give or take, so it’s also rather competitive with the other ‘starter’ tour options out there. In some respects, folks really love this one to get their bearings and, in fact, decide whether they want to go for a longer tour later on in their trip. Read our full review: Coastal Wonders Helicopter Tour Full Review and Details
What Makes it Special
- Perfect for families looking for something fun.
- Fairly short flight, a comfortable way to experience things for beginners.
- See key spots without being up in the air for too long.
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2. Grand View Adventure: The Extended Experience
You could be looking to step it up from the introductory flights, right? So, in that case, consider the Grand View Adventure; an extended version takes the Coastal Wonders concept but adds more. We are talking more air time and a bigger area covered.
Usually clocking in around the 30-minute mark, this trip will often fly over spots that the shorter tours can’t get to, arguably, so that might well include the far-flung stretches of the beach or further inland so you get to experience some different scenery. Basically, keep an eye out too for advertised opportunities to see things such as shipwrecks, and other ocean points of interest. These do vary!
With tickets often being from $249 upwards, just a little pricier but arguably a worthwhile jump to appreciate the sheer scope of the landscape from way up high. Read our full review: Grand View Adventure Helicopter Tour Full Review and Details
What Makes it Special
- Extended flight duration which means more to see!
- It sometimes covers a wider area including beaches, waters, plus, too, some inland sites.
- An improved, that is more extensive, photographic opportunity for skilled or unskilled photographers!
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3. Dolphin & Marine Life Quest: Spot the Wildlife
Fancy seeing dolphins? As a matter of fact, lots of folks heading to Florida do! This one does what it says, focusing on that sea life. Often these are trips carefully designed to locate spots where dolphins are likely to be seen and, of course, the guys flying the helicopter tend to be rather knowledgeable in the area, too.
Routes are rather carefully planned to increase the chances of sightings. Just so you know, trips may vary based on the time of year and the likely locations of dolphin pods so arguably, it is worth chatting to the tour operator before you actually go to understand a bit more. Cost wise? Trips begin from around $179 for these specialised wildlife flights. Read our full review: Dolphin & Marine Life Quest Helicopter Tour Full Review and Details
What Makes it Special
- Routes deliberately focus on increasing the chances of dolphin sightings.
- It can be rather educational with skilled pilots offering some insight on the wildlife itself.
- Quite an amazing chance to grab photos of dolphins from way up high, very unusually.
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4. Sunset Romance Flight: A Couple’s Treat
For a certain ‘wow’ factor, a romantic sunset helicopter tour is tough to beat. Seriously! These trips usually coincide with sunset so, very dramatically, the light adds that something extra to your view. A lot of companies market them at couples, too. Still, friends and families might equally find it spectacular!
Expect to potentially pay just a little extra for this. After all, it’s scheduled at a key moment. Tickets usually start at about $200 or so but just check what the firm offers: there could sometimes be extras such as champagne. Anyway, the actual routes are rather similar to regular coastal tours though of course, as I was saying, they’re planned around that golden hour! Read our full review: Sunset Romance Flight Helicopter Tour Full Review and Details
What Makes it Special
- Planned, very specially, for sunset. Great photos guaranteed – normally!
- Romantic and memorable so arguably better for couples, just a little.
- That unusual golden light gives, potentially, beaches and the coastline something unique and awesome.
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5. VIP Private Tour: Design Your Flight
For the most luxurious and customized experience, actually consider a VIP private tour. So these allow you to design, more or less, your itinerary in talks with the tour staff.
Private tours, more or less, offer flights over specified landmarks and at times you request. These options really are rather more pricey as you would expect though often, just so you know, offer things like hotel pickup. Anyway, if money isn’t a thing then you would probably budget at the very least $500. It could be worth every cent. Read our full review: VIP Private Helicopter Tour Full Review and Details
What Makes it Special
- Perfect to plan that specific tour.
- You often get way more flexibility.
- Likely additional perks are added with top dollar prices!
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Choosing a helicopter trip can give an amazing view over Panama City Beach, something special! As a matter of fact, each tour provides something different. It all depends what you prefer, or how much you want to pay. So, whether you fancy a quick introductory flight, spotting wildlife, a romantic flight, or, as I was saying, creating the perfect trip yourself with a VIP tour, basically, there is something there to suit everyone.
