Filed in archive Adventure by Terah Shelton on March 31, 2008

Helicopter tours are often viewed as touristy and expensive. In New York, a helicopter ride through Lower Manhattan will cost you about a hundred dollars for what literally amounts a to few minutes. I'm not saying its not worth it, but honestly, I can find other things to do with that much money. But there are a few destinations where the helicopter tour is worth it, according to an article and wonderful slideshow on Forbes.

Rotorua, New Zealand
Rotorua, a city of more than 50,000 in the North Island's Bay of Plenty region (New Zealand's own Lake District), is ringed by several varieties of exotic geothermal activity, including thermal springs, mud pools and sulphur vents. The appropriately dubbed Volcanic Air Safaris offers trips to nearby Mt. Tarawera, a vast lunar crater which famously blew its top in 1886, resulting in the loss of over 150 lives. Patrons can also pay a visit to Whakaari or White Island, an active volcano island 20 miles off the coast, where they can experience its rumbling vents firsthand (from a prudent distance, of course) or wander through the ruins of an abandoned sulphur-mining town.

Juneau, Alaska
While they won't be gone any time soon, the Juneau glaciers are definitely in retreat, and Era Helicopters offers two-hour trips to the still-spectacular series of ice fields just north of the Alaskan state capital. Patrons hover over four distinct floes, receive some pointers on glacier taxonomy, then touch down for a brief amble on the ice (special glacier walking boots are provided). The dogsled trip, a popular "soft adventure," allows customers to spend some quality time with dozens of seasoned four-legged Itidarod veterans.

Sabah, Malaysia
The Malaysian state of Sabah occupies the northern tip of the storied isle of Borneo and features a series of spectacular mountain ranges, as well as some of the world's oldest extant rainforests. The area is also home to Mount Kinabalu, the highest peak in Southeast Asia. A minor ecotourism boom has brought flight-seeing trips to the region, and Sabah Air (which led tsunami relief efforts to Banda Aceh) leads expeditions that fly over rice fields spotted with water buffalos, orangutan preserves, mangrove swamps and the great mountain itself.

Related Entries:

It's a Gnat, It's a Mosquito, It's an Indoor RC Helicopter! - 03 December 2006
WhirlyBirds at Whirlpool - 20 July 2007
Specialty Tours: Stepping Off the Beaten Path - 21 October 2007
Airborne Tours of Las Vegas - 27 October 2007

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Permalink: 10 Scenic Helicopter Tours

Tags: Helicopter Tours Rotorua New Zealand Forbes Amazing Breathtaking Sabah Malaysia Juneau Alaska outdo

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Vote for 10 Scenic Helicopter Tours:

Currently 7.75/10
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Rating: 7.75 out of 4 vote(s) cast.

Response from: Ajlouny (12/27/08 4:10pm)

How about a helicopter ride over Vegas. It's breathtaking.

Response from: hawaii helicopter tours (05/20/09 5:14am)

Do the Big Island Spectacular with Blue Hawaiian. Their best chopper is called the Eco-Star; it has more room then their A-Star. They do a good job on the narration. You'll see the volcano and waterfalls and get a DVD of your trip.

Response from: helicopter tours (07/20/09 5:23am)

helicopter rides are breathtaking!great destinations!I'm excited to take helicopter ride.

Response from: Los Angeles Helicopter Tours (09/24/09 3:36pm)

hawaii tours are great, las vegas tours are great and los angeles helicopter tours are great. you get the most variety in L.A. with the ocean, downtown and hollywood/celebrity homes.