Australia · SCENIC FLIGHTS
Some of this country only makes sense from the air — the reef’s outer edge, Heart Reef, the Whitsundays sandbars, Uluru at dawn. These 15 compare aircraft, flight time and whether a landing is included.
See the Great Barrier Reef from above on a 40-minute Cairns scenic flight, with Green Island, coral cays, pilot commentary, and window seats.
“Really fantastic activity! I was a bit nervous about the small plane but there was nothing to be scared of, felt extremely safe and saw some amazing views!”
See Whitehaven Beach, Hill Inlet, Heart Reef, and the Great Barrier Reef on a 70-minute scenic flight from Airlie Beach.
“Beautiful scenic flight over Whitsundays and Great Barrier Reef. Incredible view. Truly a bucket list item ticked! Flight almost got cancelled due to the weather, it then went ahead and was truly one of the most beautiful things I’ve seen in my life. Shout out to the pilot that did an amazing job and to the driver that took us there! Thank you xx”
Review of Airlie Beach’s one-hour flight over Whitehaven Beach, the Whitsundays, Great Barrier Reef, and Heart Reef.
“I was very sceptical about booking this activity, but did so only on my wife's insistence. I am glad I listened to her 😅 This is an unreal experience honestly, to get to see one of the 7 wonders of the world from up above. The magnificence of it just blows your mind. Please bear in mind that most of the flight to and back from the Great Barrier Reef is a normal plane ride, with not much to see after you have gone past the Whitsundays. The flying time at GBR is only around 5-7 mins for the pilot to do a couple of passes over the Heart Reef.”
See Whitehaven, Hill Inlet, Heart Reef, and the Great Barrier Reef on a 65-minute scenic flight from Airlie Beach.
“This really was the icing on the cake for our stay at Airlie beach. Words cannot describe how stunning this trip was and how beautiful the reef is. Great information from the pilot and a magical trip to remember.”
Review of Cairns’ Outer Great Barrier Reef cruise with snorkeling, optional scuba, helicopter flight, BBQ lunch, and practical booking tips.
“What a great day . The crew were very professional and at times hilarious!! . We had a great day on the reef , saw lots of fish and coral , we even saw a humpback whale on the way to the reef . The helicopter ride was amazing just a pity we didn’t see any sea life from the air , no one’s fault !! You can’t order that .”
Fly over Heart Reef, race to Whitehaven Beach, snorkel coral reefs, and walk to Hill Inlet on Ocean Rafting’s full-day Whitsunday tour.
“Memory for a lifetime. What a day. Would really recommend to all the travellers out there.”
Review of the Whitsundays and Heart Reef scenic flight from Airlie Beach, with Whitehaven Beach views, practical tips, pricing, and honest advice.
“There were language options for the tour guide when I booked, so I chose Mandarin for my parents. I’m afraid of heights, so I was hoping they could follow the tour on their own. However, there was no Mandarin guidance at all. My parents didn’t understand what was happening throughout the tour, and they didn’t even know where to look. They completely missed the heart-shaped reef, which was supposed to be one of the highlights.”
See Sydney Harbour, Bondi, and the Opera House from above on a 20-minute helicopter flight with commentary and optional hotel pickup.
“This is without doubt the best flight I have ever done in my life. We must give a massive thanks to Sam our amazing pilot.”
Review of Cairns’ reef cruise with two outer reef stops, BBQ lunch, snorkeling, scuba options, and a 10-minute helicopter flight.
“Great day out. Staff were magnificent and supplied a fabulous lunch. We did the added helicopter flight which was so worth it. Would recommend this day trip.”
Review of the Airlie Beach Fly Raft Package, combining a reef flight, Whitehaven Beach, Hill Inlet, lunch, snorkeling, and ocean rafting.
“The tour itself was alright, but the customer service was terrible. I provided my accommodation address, and I was advised to be picked up 2.6 km away from my accommodation at 6:10 a.m. — in the opposite direction of the airport for the scenic flight. To ensure this was correct, I reached out to Viator for confirmation. They didn’t reply to my email, so I contacted them via chat, where they confirmed that the pickup location was correct and unchanged. Since taxi service in Airlie Beach is quite unreliable, and we didn’t want to risk missing the pickup, we got up at 4:30 a.m. and took a taxi around 5:30…”
Review of Cairns Reef Hopper scenic flight, with reef views, window seats, pickup details, value advice, and practical booking tips.
“We expected a narration. Some explanation, description . Flight was good with clear view of reef....”
Review of Airlie Beach’s one-hour scenic flight over Heart Reef, Whitehaven Beach, Hill Inlet, the Whitsundays, and Great Barrier Reef.
“Friendly crew, stunning views of heart island, the Whitsundays and the Great Barrier Reef. Definitely recommend this experience”
Combine a 55-minute Gold Coast jet boat ride with a 10-minute helicopter flight over Surfers Paradise and the coast.
“Was a bit apprehensive at first as we are OAPs and had surgery a while ago, but the team and crew looked after us and we felt safe at all times. Safety was first class. The transportation and changeover was easy and the helicopter ride brilliant all over Surfers. Would do it again, Probably the only things that would have been better. We did not know about the discount for 2nd booking after doing a lunch cruise the day before. There were no concession for pensioners.”
See Kings Canyon, the Lost City and Garden of Eden from above on a 15-minute helicopter flight with live pilot commentary.
“It would have been better if I didn’t have to sit in middle. Could have put the nervous flyer in middle. He wasn’t looking outside much anyway. The pilot was very good with him though.”
See Cable Beach, Willie Creek, red cliffs and Roebuck Bay on a 30-minute helicopter flight over Broome with hotel pickup.
“It was flying over Willie Creek and seeing the panoramic view of what we had seen on the ground. I sat in the front seat with no outside door- scary but exciting and satisfying. Hilary our pilot was excellent and very helpful and friendly. Anne”
Pick a coastline, a cellar door or a national park.
