Some birds are blessed to see the best views in the world, whereas tourists generally need to take to the sky in a plane, helicopter or hot-air balloon to experience similar views. It just goes to show that the Greek Gods and Goddesses consider some species of birds better than land dwellers.
Luckily, most of us can watch tv shows and videos featuring great locations to appreciate the beauty on offer in the world. Photos do the same thing. We can see the mystique and splendour of certain wonders without having to travel more than a few feet away from a comfortable couch.
The ultimate experience though is being totally immersed completely in the colours of the surroundings, while embracing all the senses. That’s why going to the beach on a great day is way better than looking at a picture of one.
If you had the chance to see any of these 9 wonders from a bird’s eye view, which one would you like to see the most?
1. Great Barrier Reef / Whitehaven Beach – Australia
Location: Queensland, Australia
The Great Barrier Reef is the largest reef in the world and one of the seven natural wonders of the world. Look out for Heart Reef.
Scenic flights can easily be arranged at the airstrip close to the tourist town of Airlie Beach, the main town near the Whitsunday Island group. The town’s name, Airlie Beach, even provides a hint that you need to see the place from the air. A short scenic flight takes in both marvels.
2. Nazca Lines – Peru
Location: Nazca, Peru
The beauty about this mysterious place is that it can only really be appreciated from the air. Scenic flights will show you huge figures etched on the desert floor including a condor, spider, monkey and whale. That’s nothing really because there are around 800 geoglyths showing numerous other wondrous pictures of animals and sea creatures, including lines and shapes.
Scenic flights depart from the town of Nazca. I wonder what the Greek Gods were thinking when they drew them?
3. Angel Falls – Venezuela, South America
The world’s tallest waterfall was spotted by Jimmie Angel in 1933 on his search for gold. This waterfall has an incredible height of one kilometre.
Angel Falls (Salto Angel) is derived from the explorer’s last name. Thankfully, this white guy didn’t have the last name Short. Poseidon Falls would have been an even better name.
The local Pemon people know it as Kerepakupai Meru, which means “fall of the deepest place.”
Getting a great view of this waterfall will depend on a bit of luck to avoid over the top cloud cover.
In the dry season (January-April) the waterfall may even reduce to a trickle. The tumbling water can disperse and evaporate before hitting the bottom. The wet season from June to October is probably the best time to visit this spectacular waterfall. A scenic flight to Angel Falls on a good day would be priceless.
4. Bora Bora – French Polynesia
In an alternate Universe I wonder if anyone is living on the same island. Can paradise get any better than this model? Are the Greek Gods living on a better version of Bora Bora?
https://youtu.be/y7BBPTZBxLw
For an even better song on Bora Bora click here.
5. Kaiau – Hawaii, USA
I doubt very much you’ll ever regret taking a scenic flight over this island.
Scenic flights generally circle most of the island. Fantastic aerial views hopefully include all of these sights: The Na Pali coast, the Waimea Canyon (nicknamed the Grand Canyon of the Pacific), Waialeale Crater, Hanalei Bay, and a few of the spectacular waterfalls including Manawaiopuna waterfall, made famous by the movie Jurassic Park.
6. Aitutaki – Cook Islands
Could this be the most beautiful lagoon in the world?
7. Maldives
Going on a seaplane flight over the Baa Atoll to see the Skimming Pebbles before they possibly disappear due to global warming and rising sea levels would be magical, especially if they do end up doing a disappearing act.
8. Fox Glacier & Franz Josef Glacier – South Island, New Zealand
Fox Glacier
The Fox Glacier is 13 km long and drops more than 2,500 metres from top to bottom.
Icing on the cake would be a guided walk on the glacier with crampons (fixed spikes) fixed to your boots. Be careful though because in 2009 two Australian tourists were killed after crossing safety barriers to take photos of the bottom of the glacier. They were crushed by tonnes of falling ice in a landslide.
Fox Glacier takes its name from Sir William Fox, the Prime Minister of New Zealand in 1872, who visited the Glacier around that time.
Make sure the scenic flight passes by Aoraki (Mount Cook), New Zealand’s highest peak.
Franz Josef Glacier
The early Maori knew the glacier as Ka Roimata o Hine Hukatere. Translated, it means Tears of the Avalanche Girl. Legend has it that a girl’s lover fell to his death from a peak. As she grieved, her tears froze into the glacier.
Helicopters tours of Franz Josef Glacier take off in the small coastal settlement also known as Franz Josef.
9. Coming soon
10. Blue Hole – Belize Barrier Reef, Belize
Belize lies between Mexico and Guatemala in Central America. The coastline takes in the Caribbean sea.
The famous deep blue 300 metres wide, 120 metre deep ocean sink hole, known as the Great Blue Hole, would be an incredible sight to see from the air.
The sink hole resembles the pupil of an eye so it would be like you’re both looking at each other.
Poseidon, God of the Sea, is that you?
