Going on a helicopter tour is an exciting way to capture the beauty of the Blyde River Canyon and of the Mpumalanga Lowveld. Getting a bird’s-eye view of cascading waterfalls, winding rivers, lush valleys and deep canyons is nothing short of breathtaking. Seeing the Drakensberg Mountain Range in the backdrop only adds to the experience with spectacular vistas all around.
On top of that, it’s possible to enjoy a picnic lunch on top of a mountain about halfway through the 2-hour flight. That’s what we did and let me tell you that the picnic spread was plentiful. But, for us, having the opportunity to relish in the panoramic views before our eyes took the cake!
From our viewpoint we saw God’s Window, which is a popular lookout point accessible only by roadway. Helicopters are not allowed to land there. Perhaps one day we’ll make this drive…
In addition, it’s possible to combine the helicopter tour with a transfer from airports in the Kruger-Mpumalanga area including some of the private airstrips. This means that you can use a helicopter charter to go from one game reserve to another. We went that route to avoid a lengthy and bumpy land transfer from MalaMala in the Sabi Sands Game Reserve to Kings Camp in the Timbavati Game Reserve. But most of all it was to avoid missing a game drive which would have been unavoidable with a land transfer. Further, this was the only way to also see the Blyde River Canyon and cascades during our safari adventure.
Conclusion
As we bid farewell to our ranger and waved from the helicopter, we could appreciate the vastness of the area where we spent 4 days driving around looking for the Big Five. As we landed, we saw our new ranger waiting to welcome us to our home for the next 3 days. Here too, we encountered all the Big Five as well as many other animals and birds.
See our galleries: South African Animal and South African Birds
Perhaps, taking a helicopter transfer tour over the Blyde River Canyon is a pricy option, but no regrets! The whole experience was well worth it, and we felt like the rich and famous, to top it off!
2 replies on “Blyde River Canyon and Cascades Helicopter Tour”
Hi there! Who did you book this tour through? My husband and I are going to SA January 2020 and have a transfer from Jabulani Camp – thornybush reserve to Lion Sands in Sabi Sands. We want to do this tour regardless on our trip but would be so ideal to do this when transferring to Lion Sands!
Hi Laura! We booked the helicopter transfer through Seasons in Africa. They use Mpumalanga Helicopters Co.