Top 5 North Chile Helicopter Tours: Reviews & Recommendations
Planning a trip and you’re after something to make it truly stand out? Well, North Chile helicopter tours might be just what you’re searching for. Instead of seeing the sights from the usual spots, think about soaring over them, that would be something wouldn’t it? So, whether you’re all about seeing the driest desert on Earth from above or floating past enormous mountains, these tours really do offer something special.
Why Choose a Helicopter Tour in North Chile?
Okay, picture this: You are flying high above the Atacama Desert, and it seems almost like another planet right beneath you. The thing is, North Chile is jam-packed with these awesome, stunning landscapes. So, forget the regular bus trips; a helicopter brings you so much closer, that way you’ll soak up every bit of dramatic canyon and towering volcano. As a matter of fact, it turns a standard sightseeing day into a mind-blowing, never-to-forget adventure. Read our full review: North Chile Helicopter Tours Full Review and Details
Unmatched Views
Views from the ground are great, and yet nothing quite compares to gliding over vast salt flats, witnessing the El Tatio geysers erupting from a bird’s-eye view, or spotting hidden canyons that really, truly show off the region’s stark, raw beauty. The Atacama is so strikingly unique, so the height and freedom that a helicopter gives you very nearly feel essential to grasping just how incredible the area actually is. Views, you know? See Prices, Availability & Reserve Now (Book Now)
Time-Saving Exploration
Look, time’s precious when traveling, so why spend hours bumping along dusty roads when you could zoom directly to the highlights? With a helicopter, hard to reach destinations turn into just short hops, meaning you get to see way more in much less time. As I was saying, you could spend less of your vacation traveling from spot to spot and a bit more taking it all in, what a difference.
Exclusive Access
That, is the kicker: several of North Chile’s gems simply don’t have road access, and that is a thing. It could be the hot springs hidden way back in the mountains or a crater lake that seems to defy reality, a helicopter will whisk you off to places that few folks get to glimpse. What this ends up giving you isn’t just a trip, no, it really becomes an unbelievable, brag-worthy experience. Exclusive! See Prices, Availability & Reserve Now (Check Availability)
Top 5 Helicopter Tours in North Chile
Alright, ready for the juicy details? Let’s break down the top helicopter tours that’ll give you the North Chile experience you didn’t even realize you needed. We’re talking otherworldly views, professional service, and maybe just a little bit of that “I can’t believe this is happening” feeling. Read our full review: North Chile Helicopter Tours Full Review and Details
1. Atacama Desert Highlights Tour
Okay, so this one is the tour if you are after seeing all the classic Atacama spots without any of the classic Atacama travel times. From the air, the Valley of the Moon transforms into something even more, well, lunar-like, and those salt flats? So, they become mind-bending geometrical puzzles, as a matter of fact. You’re whisked off over dunes and canyons with live narration pointing everything out – and trust me, there’s a lot to point out! Just a little insight from above.
- Duration: Around 2 hours
- Main Highlights: Valle de la Luna, Salt Flats, various canyons
- Why It’s Awesome: Speedy overview, hits the icons.
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2. Volcano Flight Over Licancabur
Picture yourself coming right up close and personal with a perfect cone volcano. Licancabur isn’t simply something pretty; so, it is hugely important culturally to the locals, in a way. Flying right round its crater provides epic photos, but also gives you this incredible sense of scale regarding just how gigantic these natural giants actually are. Apparently, the stark lunar-looking land right up against this sky-scraping giant, truly that does something, doesn’t it?
- Duration: Just about 1.5 hours
- Main Highlights: Licancabur Volcano
- Why It’s Awesome: Super close encounter; photo opportunities like nothing else!
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3. El Tatio Geysers at Sunrise Helicopter Tour
Right, think of having front row seats to a geyser show… and that is what this is. Instead of getting up super early and bumping across miles of roads in the dark, take to the skies and arrive in style as the sun rises. The view from above is absolutely incredible – plumes of steam rising into the crystal clear morning air is one sight you’ll really want to store up. It’s like some sort of primordial symphony unfolding beneath you. The view!
- Duration: Roughly 2.5 hours, sunrise start
- Main Highlights: El Tatio Geysers
- Why It’s Awesome: The best views; that, too. Sunrise. Luxury travel.
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4. Hidden Lagoons and Hot Springs Expedition
Alright, imagine soaring away to a remote hot spring that only a handful of people know exists – you in? This tour brings you face-to-face with secret corners of the desert: vividly colored lagoons and naturally heated pools only visible from the air. You get to land, and after that you soak. I’m just saying! This might just be your ticket to properly unbeatable chill time surrounded by the planet’s finest isolation.
- Duration: Nearly 4 hours (includes landing time)
- Main Highlights: Remote lagoons, exclusive hot springs
- Why It’s Awesome: Getting away; finding pure relaxation far, far away from anybody else.
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5. Custom Photography Flight
If you are a serious photographer this tour might be the one for you: so, a completely personalized flying photo session that hits everything you, personally, would like to photograph. Discuss it beforehand and after that you fly it: getting light, angles, location all perfect. Flying specifically for great shots? Incredible. The stills will be something too.
- Duration: Absolutely varies. Book it.
- Main Highlights: Whatever you choose.
- Why It’s Awesome: Personalization taken to an unbelievable level – photography-lovers listen!
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What to Expect on Your Helicopter Tour
Okay, so here’s the lowdown: Safety’s top priority; so, expect detailed pre-flight briefings covering all the procedures and what not. Helicopters generally seat between 4-6 passengers for more intimate experiences. Tours, so they are typically narrated by extremely informed pilots, and yet sometimes by guides also riding along pointing out what you’re flying over and giving background information. And that, naturally, all the huge expenses are very nearly taken care of, that includes your pick-up spot, drop-off locale plus the cost of drinks.
Safety First
That, is an interesting thing: Helicopter companies are seriously strict when it comes to safety. All the choppers are kept really well, plus the pilots, in fact, are experienced with loads of hours specifically navigating the kind of terrain you will see in North Chile. Listen up in the pre-flight briefing and feel reassured by all of their rigorous prep work.
What to Bring
Alright, so the desert can be quite extreme temperature-wise so layers can be very nearly important (early mornings might be absolutely freezing and mid-day incredibly hot), plus don’t skip the hat plus sunglasses because that sun gets extremely bright above the altitude. Bring that camera too… naturally!
Booking Tips
North Chile helicopter tours, they’re very, very hot right now with vacationers, and because spaces fill very quickly, booking that helicopter ahead can be extremely helpful. And it would be worthwhile that, too: always verify just what your ticket covers: specifically if you need special permits and if those entry-tickets are factored inside the quoted price. Checking reviews is an essential component prior to finalising your trip too, folks are mostly extremely candid there and share everything from best seat on the chopper too if a lunch that the tour provided impressed, or did not! Early preparation will very nearly promise things will unfold perfectly.
Frequently Asked Questions About North Chile Helicopter Tours
Is a helicopter tour worth it?
If you value unbelievable views and ease, seriously, it’s well worthwhile. You will pack more adventure directly into some part of one day than countless visitors manage in a whole trip, and sometimes people really are keen on ticking off those “never be the same again” boxes!
What is the best time of year for a helicopter tour in North Chile?
The driest months tend to be ideal (March to May; September to November), in a way you will want clear skies, which can provide visibility.
Are helicopter tours safe?
Absolutely – all reputable businesses that you will be soaring away with take the safety criteria to the next stage, frequently beyond requirements: really diligent craft care programs alongside absolutely extremely vetted professionals can very nearly reassure you and make all potential worry dissipate entirely.
What should I wear on my helicopter tour?
That really depends but clothing in layers makes absolute sense (temps can totally swing – morning to mid-day!) but also do not pass on protective glasses; a brimmed hat and very strong sunscreen; with the altitude really comes incredibly intense solar radiation regardless of when your trip transpires during the calendar year. Just the UV is quite high there – so protecting yourselves and remaining quite relaxed can very nearly allow things to move far better during the flight.
Can I bring my camera?
Oh, totally! If it’s that special, just-so custom tour put together mainly for photos, then I feel this warrants repeated advice: don’t merely rely upon mobile device cameras; rather carry the preferred and favored bits of kit – zoom lens and possibly even broad angled lenses can very nearly make taking incredible pictures far, far simpler and guarantee superior souvenir images.