Skeleton Coast Helicopter Tours: Top 5 Adventures

So, you’re thinking about checking out the Skeleton Coast, huh? I mean, it is that strip of Namibia, Africa which meets the Atlantic in such a cool, stark way, that many travelers add it to their bucket lists. Since roads are rough and pretty darn hard to access certain stretches, loads of people find that a helicopter tour provides what might be, quite possibly, the most amazing way to see shipwrecks, dunes, and well, the unique wildlife from way up high. Now, which trip might work for you? This can get confusing since there are options galore; fear not. I’ve put together five of the best Skeleton Coast helicopter tours, just a little bit, to help you make your pick.

1. Scenic Overview: The Classic Skeleton Coast Flight

I mean, there’s that one that everyone does, you know? This basic tour is, pretty much, the appetizer plate of the Skeleton Coast trips. I mean, it offers the essentials: dramatic views of the coastline and some iconic shipwrecks like that Eduard Bohlen wreck. Basically, if you want unbelievable aerial shots without the long time commitment, this may be the choice. It is that these tours usually kick off from Mowe Bay or Swakopmund and run, typically, for two to three hours.

The journey typically involves, pretty much, covering the southern part of the Skeleton Coast. See seal colonies sprawling on the beach like black sprinkles over caramel? Check out ancient canyons scored into sandstone cliffs like monuments carved by time itself? It’s quite possible these will fill your camera roll up very quickly. I will say, that the knowledgeable pilot, usually, doubles as a guide, that offers insightful commentary on the geologic history, ecology, and the shipwrecks, too it’s almost as if they are right out of tales! See Prices, Availability & Reserve Now (Skeleton Coast Flight)

Read our full review: Scenic Helicopter Flight Full Review and Details

2. Northern Exposure: Exploring the Kunene River Mouth

So, wanna go north, I mean, really north? It is that some tours head further, you know, to the Kunene River mouth, right? That’s the spot, basically, where Namibia waves good-bye to Angola. This is a whole other, literally, story: fewer folks, remote landscapes, almost that raw naturalness vibe for days. These flights often originate from a place like Serra Cafema, which is, very, far north to begin with, to maximize flight time way up there. Usually the flying hours are somewhere in the four-to-six-hour span.

This option allows viewing, sometimes, from an advantage point, how the Kunene River snakes its way through stark deserts and into that roaring ocean. Just try to capture with words, very, how different this meeting, more or less, makes things from endless sand to river life is just, well, different. And, too, it’s almost look at the Himba settlements below. Their red-ochre homes contrast super nicely against the yellow-beige background; is that interesting or what? I will point out that the isolation up north here makes everything quite a bit more special—so it feels super exclusive. See Prices, Availability & Reserve Now (Kunene River Flight)

Read our full review: Kunene River Flight Full Review and Details

3. Wildlife Safari: Spotting Desert-Adapted Animals

Alright, for you safari buffs! A tour focusing, typically, on animal sightings may be just the ticket! Now, flying over that terrain and hoping for a wildlife spotting? I mean, it’s quite another adventure from just parking that jeep somewhere! From above one might get a gander, still, at those elusive desert elephants, giraffes hanging out, or maybe even that lone brown hyena trotting about; these sights can easily become the highlight reels of the tour. Very often these flights stretch anywhere from three to five hours depending on routing. It’s kind of like nature’s own reality show, right?

Keep those eyes peeled though so they are in their tip-top-shape. Plus bring good binoculars too! With their excellent knowledge, is that something the pilots use very effectively? A pilot knows where to find these animals in certain regions/seasons and even the time it makes good viewing sense too! Keep this thought with that stark desert landscape, so if one gets images during wildlife, then, this tour makes its purpose very, rather, memorable, indeed. See Prices, Availability & Reserve Now (Wildlife Safari Flight)

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4. The Shipwreck Circuit: A Wreck Collector’s Dream

So, are shipwrecks your jam? This sounds pretty niche, but oh boy; is that there something about viewing those old vessels decaying so eerily in such lonely expanses! A tour specifically tailored towards several specific wrecks can prove, quite possibly, most satisfying if one’s bent for it runs deep in things like history or nautical lore.

This usually gives the explorer lots and loads of time aloft to see many more shipwrecks! Of course Eduard Bohlen is still a wreck. Thomas T Tucker can get looksies. As can Suiderkus… oh and the rest! It is the kind that is focused purely on ship graveyard views, for one to feel like they unearthed something very very amazing! But beware of the melancholy vibes wafting strongly within some of those locations. Very sad endings lurk behind many stories here though… See Prices, Availability & Reserve Now (Shipwreck Circuit Flight)

Read our full review: Shipwreck Circuit Flight Full Review and Details

5. Fly-In Safari Combo: Land, Explore, and Soar

Alright if that flying just tickles one a tiny, still, that little bit; what a brilliant mix to blend flying time among ground exploration as well too!. A “fly-in” provides opportunity after opportunities landing someplace otherwise very inaccessible— that, then, goes for activities! These get coupled, almost similarly to, game drives to beach walks to canyon explorations. Very cool and, quite, immersive! Very often such package tour covers almost several whole days because so packed with other stuff alongside it all.

And this provides that total dive right directly into some place! Think what those aerial views will gift someone’s experience while hiking through those canyons by that afternoon sun. Oh that memory? It gets seared onto those neurons within somebody that did get an incredible shot from both ends! This brings many a traveler deeper right deep inside that experience and, arguably, more in those connections of heart while visiting with Namibians too… So maybe this particular pick might suit those seekers among experience? That’s my hot tip and a great suggestion, alright? See Prices, Availability & Reserve Now (Fly-In Safari)

Read our full review: Fly-In Safari Full Review and Details