With the country's beautiful scenery and clear skies, South Africa has become the perfect destination for the 'air-venturers' offering numerous airborne activities.

Visitors can fly over the Kruger National Park in Limpopo in a hot air balloon while game viewing or take a micro lighting flight over the Kalahari and watch this arid wilderness capable of sustaining nutritious vegetation and cultural diversity.

For the more adventurous paragliding off Table Mountain in Cape Town offers a daring experience with spectacular views of the Mother City and the ocean.

Helicopter Flips

Across the country various companies undertake flights to game parks and reserves, offering rides that give visitors a spectacular view of the landscape and the diverse game that the park has on offer. In Cape Town, numerous companies offer helicopter flip of about 20 minutes that offer aerial views featuring the best of the Atlantic Seaboard. These trips include spectacular views of the city, Robben Island, Lion's Head, Table Mountain, 12 Apostles and the dazzling beaches of Camps Bay.

For something spectacular, watch whales as they congregate to mate and calve as the helicopter flips over the shores of the Western Cape between June and November.

Ballooning

Apart from South Africa's National airlines, a much more interesting addition to flights is offered by Balloon Airlines across the country. Ballooning is one of the safest ways to fly and view South Africa's beautiful scenery. Flights usually depart at sunrise and offers uninterrupted views of the landscape from a height of about 20 metres. South Africa offers ideal weather conditions to go hot air ballooning all year round.

Fly over The Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site, 48 000 hectares of pristine countryside just outside Johannesburg. This area is a World Heritage Site where passengers can view a wide variety of game and flora in the Game and Nature reserves, on the banks of the Crocodile River. In Limpopo, scenic flights across the beautiful Sabie River Valley give passengers a stunning view of the small hills and hidden valleys.

Micro lighting

Micro lighting is an adventure sport that provides people of all ages with one of the best opportunities to fly free as a bird. Micro light flying is undoubtedly the closest you will ever come to experiencing the true magic of powered flight. Considered the motorbike of the skies, a micro light is the ultimate flying machine.

There are various micro lighting schools across the country in almost all 9 provinces. Gauteng has been identified as a prime micro lighting destination because of the low wind speeds all year round. The Cape West Coast and The Valley of a Thousand Hills in Kwazulu-Natal also offer remarkable micro lighting experiences.

Paragliding

South African paragliding offers an experience of freedom and exhilaration of free flight in one of the most beautiful places in the world. Enjoy breath-taking views of the country as you glide through the air. Cape Town has numerous prime sites for paragliding, like flying off Table Mountain. Table Mountain is a popular spot and offers the ideal and very adventurous ground for paraglider pilots to fly off. De Aar in the Northern Cape has also become well known amongst paragliding pilots from all over the world.

Scenic flights

If you want to see as much of South Africa as you can, a scenic flight is the thing to do in either a helicopter or micro light. Scenic flights offer unrivalled aerial views of the beautiful South African scenery. There are a few charter flight companies in South Africa which offer trips between some of the country's top destinations. Scenic flights along the Garden Route or West Coast offer visitors a scenic experience as you fly over the crashing waves and watch the majestic whales during mating season.

Source:
Tourism South Africa