Flying Over Rio de Janeiro

If there was one thing I really wanted to complete on my bucket list in Rio, it was flying over the city. I kinda assumed I would do this while hand gliding but we decided to go one step more luxurious. We took a helicopter ride over the city as part of a luxury weekend in the city.

Without repeating what I said in that post, I want to set the scene for our flight. The day had presented us with some long hanging cloud and strong winds but we didn’t let this ruin our plans. We chose to fly from the Lagoa helipad and had opted for flight three. A flight which was 13 minutes long and took in Ipanema Beach, Copacabana Beach, Sugarloaf Mountain, Tijuca Forest and Cristo. Unfortunately you had to have three people to take this journey so we waited rather anxiously so see if another person would arrive wanting to take this trip. Thankfully they did.

Flying over Rio de Janeiro

Despite the long hanging cloud it was a breathtaking journey which I was so glad we splashed out on. Having had a similar experience in New York City I knew it would be worth the money but I had forgotten just how amazing the experience would be. Throughout the flight I alternated between just staring out of the window with my jaw open and having my face glued to camera lens trying to capture it all.

Taking pictures while flying above the city with the wind blowing in your face (we had little windows to open in the helicopter) can be kinda tricky but thankfully I think the results capture some of the excitement of this journey.

Before I keep talking for several more hundred words that aren’t needed I’m going to share with you my photos of flying over Rio de Janeiro.

Have you ever flown over a city? What did you think of the experience?