Helicopter Horizons are based in Maun, the gateway to Botswana’s Okavango Delta. As the only helicopter charter company in the region, they are in a unique position to provide travellers with unforgettable scenic flights, excursions and private transfers that only a helicopter can afford.
Helicopter flights and experiences are designed to complement any safari itinerary by offering a unique perspective of Botswana’s wilderness, wildlife & communities. For guests who are interested in conservation or exploring must-see areas that are only accessible by helicopter, these experiences offer something truly special.
In addition to this, the company also offers a range of other helicopter-based services like photographic and filming flights and helicopter safaris.
Moments after departing Maun or Camp you’ll enjoy the breathtaking views seen only from a helicopter.
Experience the crystal clear water channels meandering their way through lagoons, journey deep into the lush green floodplains exploring some of the many animal species of the Okavango region. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that must not be missed.
We remove the doors from the helicopter for an even better photographic experience while flying over some of the most remote, uninhabited, and wild areas of the Okavango Delta. Scenic flights are conducted any time of day, with keen photographers usually preferring the golden hours of the early morning or late afternoon. While some guests prefer flying during the siesta period to not miss other camp activities.
One hour, 45 minute, and 30 minute flights are available.
"Private journeys throughout the delta"
Helicopter transfers are direct & private, operated at wildlife viewing height for potential sightings throughout the flight. This vantage point allows for a unique perspective of the vast wilderness below you.
Guests are provided with headsets for constant communication with our very knowledgeable pilots to make sure that you have a guided experience.
Helicopter Horizons provides a platform for specialised aerial photography and filming. We have worked with several international and local film crews, including National Geographic, Disney, NHFU, BBC, and CNN. The Okavango Delta is one of the world’s greatest natural phenomena and one of the greatest destinations for wildlife. It offers endless photographic filming opportunities for amazing footage. Helicopter Horizons has access to platforms that make getting great footage all the more easier. Helicopters offer a unique perspective and often unobtrusive and fluid methods of getting the desired shots.
A bucket list experience for all avid photographers, whether you are a professional or an amateur photographer. The helicopter gives you a vantage point to capture the perfect shot of the Okavango Delta from a unique perspective. Your knowledgeable pilot offers a guided experience, making sure every vista and sighting is perfectly set up for you. They will find and highlight the terrain’s greatest treasures through the completely unrestricted views guaranteed by a doors-off flight. With many of the Delta’s most remote areas unreachable in any other way, an unrestricted aerial perspective is an ideal way to gaze into the vast Delta and its meandering labyrinth of crystal-clear channels. First and last light, known as the golden hours, is sought after by photographers and offers the best light conditions for capturing your desired shot.
Helicopter Horizons is the perfect complement to any Botswana Safari itinerary. We operate throughout Botswana from the seasonal floodplains and the permanent lagoons of the Okavango Delta, the spillways of the Linyanti Region, the plains of the Kalahari Game Reserve and the salt pans of the Makgadikgadi.
A Helicopter Horizons safari is an exclusive and personalised way to experience the best of Botswana. Our team of pilots are highly experienced and extremely passionate about sharing their love of the region with each and every guest on board.
A complete safari itinerary will include private transfers directly to your preferred lodges in the heart of the most remote areas of Botswana. Scenic flights throughout your itinerary will allow the helicopter to guide you through the most uninhabited areas, accessible only by helicopter and operated doors off, guaranteeing unrestricted views and the perfect setting for photography from an entirely unique perspective.
Your personalised helicopter safari will guarantee that you leave Botswana always wanting to return.
Explore the UNESCO World Heritage Site, firstly from the air and then by foot. This half-day trip includes a flight to Tsodilo Hills where you will be welcomed by a professional San guide who will explain the fascinating, unique artwork found here.
Tsodilo Hills are a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the remote northwest of the country; a definite ‘must see’ for those seeking more than wildlife from their time in Botswana. Over 4500 rock paintings, some dating back an estimated 26,000 years, adorn the quartzite rocks. San Bushman utilised the caves, with evidence of human activity dating back some 100,000 years.
The return scenic flight will take you on a journey from the wide Okavango Panhandle across permanent lagoons back over the peripheral seasonal floodplains and wildlife-rich wilderness, before landing back in Maun, the gateway to the Okavango Delta.
Elephant Havens is a non-profit organisation that rescues and hand-rears orphaned and abandoned baby elephants to eventually release them back into the wild alongside other elephants. This experience includes return helicopter transfers with a scenic flight en route, interaction with orphaned elephants guided by informed and knowledgeable handlers, and a donation towards the organisation.
For your scenic, we will lift and head for the floodplains of the iconic Okavango Delta. This scenic flight will offer the perfect finale with picturesque vistas that make up this beautiful wilderness, with the potential for wildlife sightings throughout. Spotting Elephants from the air further solidifies the intention of Elephant Havens.
This experience is the perfect complement for any visitors to Botswana interested in conservation and culture. It combines a visit to two community coexistence projects located in one of the most remote parts of the Okavango Delta.
The first stop will showcase the work of CLAWS (Communities Living Among Wildlife Sustainably), which addresses the issue of human-wildlife conflict by helping farmers protect livestock through a herding program, veterinary support, and improved rangelands. The experience includes a talk with the head herdsman and a guided tour of the bomas used for confining and protecting cattle.
The second project offers a 2.5 hour guided tour in the traditional Hambukushu village of Eretsha, organised by conservation NGO, Ecoexist. This Life With Elephants (LWE) tour immerses guests in village life, addressing the challenges faced in coexisting with elephants, and includes traditional song and dance. Ecoexist is facilitating and supporting new elephant-themed enterprises like this one as part of its strategy to promote coexistence between people and elephants.
These remote projects are accessible by helicopter whilst showcasing some of the most picturesque scenes of the panhandle enroute. Together we pride ourselves in offering an integrated, sustainable and people driven approach to empowering communities in Northern Botswana. By booking this experience you offer support to important issue for both villagers & wildlife in Botswana.
A champagne stop is possible on any scenic flight, your pilot will find a deserted palm island halfway through the flight. Once on the ground, champagne is popped for the guests to enjoy as they take in the views from the ground along with further information about the delta from the engaging pilot, an unforgettable experience mid-flight.
One of the largest Salt Pans in the world this dramatic landscape offers incredible scenes over the endless horizons. From approximately January through to April tens of thousands of Wildebeest and Zebra can be spotted during their annual migration.
Makgadikgadi is home to the famous Kubu Island, a granite outcrop of rock jutting out of the salt pans. Kubu island is a cultural icon in the heritage of the people of Botswana. The site is steeped in atmosphere of ceremonies and rites of passage of years gone by. The rocks and baobabs of Kubu look out over the vast salt flats that stretch out as far as the eye can see.
After the rains water can lap up against the shores of Kubu Island and spread out across the whole of Sua Pan, home to immense flocks of flamingos. From the air the pink carpet of flamingos moves and flutters as the birds constantly search the briny waters for food. A scenic over the flamingos of Sua Pan is truly a spectacle to witness.
The season for flamingos is January through June and is dependent on animal habits that cannot be guaranteed.