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Cape Helicopter Tours

CAPE TOWN FROM THE SKY

MORE ABOUT CAPE TOWN HELICOPTER TOURS

Take to the skies in a powerful helicopter and experience Cape Town from the perspective of a soaring eagle. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience the glorious city and its iconic landmarks, getting an aerial perspective of one of the most spectacular regions in southern Africa.

MoAfrika Tours uses the leading helicopter tour operator in Cape Town. They have a proven track record of impeccable safety standards and friendly, professional service.

Did you know?

Cape Town Helicopters is rated as the #1 helicopter company in Cape Town on TripAdvisor.

 

Why fly with Cape Town Helicopters

 

The most popular area that Cape Town helicopter tours fly over is a treasured national park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Therefore, it’s important that the helicopter tours have as little environmental impact on the beautiful area as possible and eco-tourism is paramount.

Cape Town Helicopters uses a range of state-of-the-art Airbus helicopters that are certified to operate in noise-sensitive areas such as Table Mountain National Park. The Cape Town helicopters are certified at 86 decibels flying at 1 500 feet above ground level. This noise level is the accepted limit for built-up city areas and sensitive ecozones.

You can rest assured that when enjoying an incredible Cape Town helicopter flip, you won’t be ruining the Cape Town experience for people below you.

 

Know your helicopters before you take to the skies

The new Airbus fleet is rated as the best tourism helicopter in the world. They have been the helicopter of choice for aerial tour operators since the early 1990s and are used by professional helicopter operators worldwide.

Cape Town Helicopters use Airbus EC 120 and 130 for their aerial tours. These incredible helicopters come with a price tag of US$1.2 million for the Airbus 120 and US$2 million for the Airbus 130. As you can tell, Cape Town Helicopters is heavily invested in ecotourism and offering the ultimate aerial tour experience.

Increased visibility

The open cabin design provides sweeping 180° views of the city for each passenger. The Airbus helicopters have 20% extra cabin space compared to other helicopters used for aerial tours. Guests flying with Cape Town Helicopter enjoy greater personal space and improved sightseeing with unobstructed views.

Superior comfort

The interior of the helicopters are plush and offer superior comfort. It’s like flying in First Class with individual seats and extra shoulder room. The rear seating is raised and the cockpit has wrap-around glass. On top of that, the new Airbus 120 and 130 helicopters have built in avionic technology.

Advanced aerial technology

The helicopters are incredibly powerful but extremely safe due to advanced aviation technology. State-of-the-art fuel control automatically optimises main rotor speed, creating the quietest flight operation with instant power response. Grown crystal technology for turbine blades means increased power, heat tolerance and fuel efficiency.

Eco-friendly aviation

The latest Airbus range use the high-tech Fenestron tail rotor or ‘fan in fin’ concept which replaces the conventional tail rotor systems. This tail rotor uses 25% less engine horsepower which makes the helicopter flight safer, quieter and more fuel efficient. The rotor system ensures Cape Town Helicopters can fly below 86 decibels which meets regulations for noise-sensitive areas.

BOSE aviation-grade headsets

Cape Town Helicopters use top-of-the-range noise-cancelling headsets which cost in the region of US$1 000 each. The clarity of the BOSE headsets is up to 10 times clearer than your typical helicopter tour headsets.

A feature of the BOSE headsets is they electronically filter all outside noise and generate the precise opposing wave-form frequency. This cancels out noise before it reaches your ears. Sound incredible? You have to try them high up in the air to believe it.

RuggedVideo™ camera systems

Cape Town Helicopters have invested in state-of-the-art onboard video technology and each helicopter flight is recorded on a memory stick. The company uses a camera system in each Airbus helicopter from Rugged Video™ that comes with a hefty price tag of US$10 000. Again, a clear indication of how invested Cape Town Helicopters is in your aerial experience.

All music, pilot narration and the microphone communication between passengers and the pilot are recorded as well as brief snippets of the passengers experiences. The music that accompanies the aerial video footage compliments the changing scenery. The cost of the video recording is worth every cent and a memory to cherish forever.

 

What will you see during Cape Town helicopter tours?

 

Cape Town Helicopters offers a wide selection of tours, showcasing highlights of the City Bowl, Cape Peninsula, Cape Winelands, Cape safari attractions and the glorious Atlantic coastline.

Here’s a brief overview of the places you’ll see from the air and the city’s incredible natural landmarks.

 

V&A Waterfront

 

The helicopter tour company is based in the V&A Waterfront in the heart of historic Cape Town harbour. All flights depart from and return to the V&A Waterfront which is conveniently located to the best places to stay in Cape Town City Bowl and the Atlantic Seaboard.

V&A Waterfront is the entertainment hub of the City Bowl and one of the most popular tourist destinations in Cape Town. Situated within one of the oldest working harbours in the world, V&A Waterfront is rich in history. It was launched in November 1988 and comprises retail, tourism and Commercial and residential development with the working harbour at its centre.

The area where V&A Waterfront is located played a central role in the development of Cape Town. It served as a refreshment station from 1652 when Jan van Riebeek built a small jetty in the safe bay at the foot of Table Mountain, providing fresh water and produce for ships of the Dutch East India Company on their long and often treacherous journey to outposts in Java and Batavia.

 

Port of Cape Town

 

The Port of Cape Town is one of the oldest working harbours in the world. It is situated in Table Bay along one of the world’s busiest trade routes. It also has significant repair and maintenance facilities that are used by several large fishing fleets and parts of the West African oil industry. Many famous cruise ships berth in the Port of Cape Town, creating quite a spectacle when they arrive.

The harbour’s roots can be traced back to April 1652 when Jan van Riebeeck of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) arrived in the Cape and established a refreshment station in Table Bay, in the shadow of the iconic Table Mountain.

The famous Cape Town harbour has evolved over the centuries and now consists of two main docks and a yachting marina. This includes the Ben Schoeman Dock, the larger outer dock where the container terminal is situated; and the Duncan Dock, the smaller and older inner dock containing multi-purpose and fruit terminals as well as a dry dock, repair quay and tanker basin.

V&A Waterfront is situated where the original Victoria and Alfred Basins were built. These were the main piers of the original Cape Town harbour and are still used by commercial fishing and pleasure boats and smaller passenger cruise ships. The first basin was named after Prince Alfred, the second son and fourth child of Queen Victoria. The second basin was named after his mother, the Queen of England at the time.

 

Table Mountain

Table Mountain is a towering flat-topped mountain that is a prominent natural landmark overlooking the City of Cape Town in South Africa. It’s one of the most popular tourist destinations in Cape Town and yearly, attracts thousands of tourists who either choose to hike to the top or take the more leisurely option of a 5-minute ride in a state-of-the-art aerial cableway.

Table Mountain falls within the Table Mountain National Park, previously known as the Cape Peninsula National Park. This incredible natural wonderland was proclaimed a national park in May 1998 and is home to a fascinating array of mostly endemic fauna and flora.

The spectacular Table Mountain National Park forms part of the UNESCO Cape Floral Region World Heritage Site. It’s also been named one of the official New 7 Wonders of Nature and is the only one of the seven natural wonders that’s located in the heart of a major city.

Table Mountain has a level plateau that stretches approximately 3 kilometres (2 miles) from side to side, and drops off down impressive cliffs. The plateau is flanked by three instantly-recognisable hills; Devil’s Peak, Lion’s Hill and Signal Hill.

Table Mountain and its three rocky neighbours all form part of Table Mountain National Park.

 

Devil’s Peak

Devil’s Peak forms part of the magnificent amphitheatre that is the backdrop to the Cape Town City Bowl. If you look up at Table Mountain from V&A Waterfront, the spire of Devil’s Peak lies to the left of the mountain plateau. You can walk to the top of Devi’s Peak via the western slope.

Famous landmarks on Devil’s Peak are Rhodes Memorial and the University of Cape Town. Both are located on the eastern slopes of the peak. You’ll also find a number of historic blockhouses on Devil’s Peak, along with a few cannons that were placed there to defend the city from attack from the south side of the Peninsula.

There is also an abandoned fire lookout located high up on Mowbray Ridge which is still manned today to watch for fires. From these vantage points, you overlook the southern suburbs of Cape Town, the sandy Cape Flats and the mountains of Somerset West and Stellenbosch in the far distance.

 

Lion’s Head

Lion’s Head lies nestled between the western side of Table Mountain and Signal Hill. If you’re looking up at Table Mountain from V&A Waterfront, you’ll see the small but distinct buttress directly below and to the right of the mountain. The rock outcrop is so named because of its striking resemblance to the head of a crouching lion or sphinx. Signal Hill that lies to its side was named Leeuwen Staart, meaning Lion’s Tail.

The small depression you see on the side of the peak is a decommissioned gold mine that never yielded much fortune for the company that sunk a deep shaft there. Gold was discovered on Lion’s Head in 1897 but the grade was too low and the mine was closed a year after it was set up.

The historic suburb of Bo-Kaap lies at the foothills of Lion’s Head and the area is significant to the Cape Malay community. There are a number of old graves and shrines (Kramats) of historic Malay leaders that can be found on the lower slopes of Lion’s Hill and Signal Hill.

 

Signal Hill

Signal Hill is a striking landmark that is as recognisable as Table Mountain itself. If you’re looking up at Table Mountain from V&A Waterfront, it’s the round-topped hill that rises up above Bo-Kaap to the right of the mountain.

The original Dutch or Afrikaans word for the hill is Seinheuwel, meaning Lion’s Rump (or Flank). Together with Lion’s Hill, the rock outcrop looks like a lion or an Egyptian sphinx.

Signal Hill has a long history and played an important role in the city’s shipping and naval past. In the 17th and 18th centuries, Dutch settlers placed watchmen on the top of the hill who used signal flags to communicate weather warnings and instructions to ships arriving in Table Bay.

On arrival in Table Bay, the ships would fire their guns to alert farmers on the mainland of their arrival. This would give the farmers time to load their wagons with meat and fresh produce and make their way to the city market.

A historic feature of Signal Hill is the Noon Gun. It’s based at the Lion Battery and operated by the South African Navy and South African Astronomical Observatory. The Noon Gun has been fired at 12h00 Cape Mean Time every day since 1806 and is a well-loved tradition that has stood the test of time; through World Wars, changes in government, Dutch and British occupation and more recently the country’s independence.

 

Twelve Apostles

The Twelve Apostles mountain range forms the back of Table Mountain. It’s one of the most gorgeous stretches of mountain landscape in southern Africa and forms the backdrop to the beautiful seaside suburbs of the Atlantic Seaboard.

The mountain range runs roughly from the saddle between Table Mountain and Lion’s Head which is called Kloof Nek to Hout Bay. You can drive the length of it along Victoria Road which winds its way from Sea Point to the mountain pass that takes you over the neck into Hout Bay.

Twelve Apostles is so named because there are 12 distinct peaks, each one given its own name to describe the gorgeous scenery of the area or an historic landmark. Examples include Kloof, Fountain, Barrier, Slagnolie, Kasteel, Separation, Corridor and Jubilee.

 

Atlantic Seaboard

The Atlantic Seaboard is a narrow band of seaside suburbs that lie sandwiched between the glistening Atlantic Ocean and Twelve Apostles. It’s a spectacular stretch of residential and commercial seafacing developments and boasts some of the most luxurious homes in southern Africa. Victoria Road winds its way through the famous suburbs.

Known as Cape Town’s Riviera, the Atlantic Seaboard stretches from the V&A Waterfront on the north shore, down the west side of the Cape Peninsula to the historic fishing village of Hout Bay. It includes the residential suburbs of Mouille Point, Green Point, Sea Point, Fresnaye, Bantry Bay, Clifton, Camps Bay, Bakoven, Llandudno and Hout Bay.

Flying over Greenpoint with Cape Town Helicopters, you’ll see an impressive sports stadium that was built to host the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

On the northern edge of Green Point is the oldest operational lighthouse in South Africa. Starting at the famous lighthouse and running the length of Sea Point is a hugely-popular promenade that is used by casual walkers, dog walkers, skaters, cyclists and families with young children.

On the southern end of the promenade is the historic Sea Point Pool. The 50-metre Olympic-size pool dates back to the 1950s and is circulated with filtered sea water.

The beaches and natural coastal belt are some of the most beautiful in the world. From the air, you’ll see the dazzling beaches of Clifton, Camps Bay and Llundudno. Clifton 4th Beach is a Blue Flag beach and is absolutely spectacular, tucked between massive rock boulders and the icy-cold Atlantic Ocean.

At the southernmost end of the Atlantic Seaboard is Hout Bay. The coastal suburb is home to a charming fishing harbour that lies below The Sentinel, an instantly-recognisable sharp mountain peak that looks like a rhino horn.

 

Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve

 

Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve is a protected wilderness region on the extreme southwestern tip of the African continent. It forms part of the southern section of Table Mountain National Park and falls within the Cape Floral Kingdom, one of the smallest but richest floral kingdoms in the world.

A striking feature of this incredible nature reserve is Cape Point, a rocky headland at the southeastern corner where the Cape Peninsula plummets into the icy Atlantic Ocean. Contrary to popular belief, Cape Point is not the southernmost tip of Africa or the dividing point where the Atlantic and Indian oceans meet. That point is at Cape Agulhas, which is located further up the east coast.

The Cape of Good Hope marks the point where ships begin to travel more eastward than southward. The first recorded rounding of the Cape Peninsula was in 1488 by Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias. The famous explorer called this section of the Cape ‘Cabo das Tomentas’ meaning Cape of Storms, largely because of the coastlines reputation for being treacherous to navigate in violent stormy seas.

 

Cape Winelands

 

Cape Town Helicopters offers fabulous aerial tours of the beautiful Cape Winelands. Taking you from the world-famous Constantia winelands to Helderberg, Durbanville, Stellenbosch, Paarl and Franschhoek; it’s an incredible opportunity to see the spectacular size and scope of one of the world’s leading wine producing regions.

The Cape Winelands is rich in history and home to iconic wine estates that are some of the oldest in the world. This includes Groot Constantia which dates back over 330 years to 1685. The then-governor of the Cape, Simon van der Stel, made Constantia his much-loved home and used the land to produce wine as well as grow fruit and vegetables and for cattle farming.

The Cape Winelands is renowned for its spectacular scenery, endless mountain ranges, fertile agricultural lands and historic Cape Dutch architecture. Located to the east of Cape Town, the most popular wine estates lie in the shadow of a continuous belt of mountains. The striking mountain ranges form an incredible backdrop to the collection of historic towns and wine estates. In the cold winter months, they’re often blanketed in snow.

Frequently Asked Questions

 

What are the best sights to see on Cape Town helicopter tours?

Cape Town helicopter tours offer a unique perspective on the city and its stunning natural surroundings. Some of the best sights to see on a helicopter tour include Table Mountain, Cape Point, the Twelve Apostles mountain range, the Cape of Good Hope, and the famous Winelands. You’ll be able to take in panoramic views of the city and its coastline, and get a bird’s-eye view of some of South Africa’s most iconic landmarks.

 

How long do Cape Town helicopter tours typically last?

Cape Town helicopter tours can range in duration from a 15-minute scenic flight to a full-day tour that includes multiple stops and activities. The most popular tours are usually around 30 minutes to an hour in length, giving you plenty of time to take in the views and capture some amazing photos.

 

Are Cape Town helicopter tours safe?

Yes, Cape Town helicopter tours are generally considered safe, as long as you choose a reputable tour operator with a good safety record. All operators are required to meet strict safety standards set by the Civil Aviation Authority, and helicopters are regularly maintained and inspected. Additionally, all passengers are provided with safety equipment such as life jackets and are briefed on safety procedures before takeoff.

 

What is the average cost of Cape Town helicopter tours?

The average cost of Cape Town helicopter tours can vary depending on the length of the tour, the number of passengers, and the level of luxury. Generally, prices start at around ZAR 3,000 to ZAR 4,000 per person for a 30-minute tour, with longer tours and private charters costing more. It’s recommended to book in advance to secure availability and to check with the tour operator for a detailed breakdown of costs and any additional fees.