VAI Member Spotlight: Helicopter Horizons, Botswana Air tour operator uses a fleet of Bell 206s and Robinson R44s to provide access to views and wildlife. By Jen Boyer The rugged beauty and astounding wildlife of the African nation of Botswana is a bucket list item all on its own. Taking in the country’s vast landscapes from a helicopter makes the experience all the more memorable. Helicopter Horizons of Maun, Botswana, specializes in helicopter excursions to the Okavango Delta, the Makgadikgadi pans, and the Kalahari Desert. The operator employs more than 20 rotorcraft pilots from around the world and flies a combination of Bell 206 and Robinson R44 helicopters. Access to Unique Region The Okavango Delta is a vast inland delta that formed where the Okavango River reaches a tectonic trough in the Kalahari Desert. It attracts wildlife from around the region that live in a freshwater ecosystem of islands, swamps, wetlands, and lagoons. Helicopter Horizons—which maintains that the only way to fully experience the delta is in the air—offers a variety of flights through this region, including doors-on and doors-off scenic tours and photography flights, transfer flights between lodges at wildlife-viewing height, and a VIP tour that includes landing on a deserted palm island for a champagne toast. The flights to the Makgadikgadi pans offer access to a collection of the world’s largest salt pans, or salt flats, where the earliest evidence of prehistoric humans suggests the origins of our species. With the largest pan spanning 1,900 sq. miles in size, a helicopter view offers the ideal opportunity to see just how vast this area is. During the wet months of the year, the region is often filled with wildlife from migrating flamingos to wildebeests and zebras. Tsodilo Hills, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is another popular destination for the operator. Helicopter Horizons offers a service that flies out to this remote area to meet with a professional San Bushmen guide and explore ancient rock art. Safaris and Elephant Havens Some of the most popular of Helicopter Horizons’ tours are helicopter safaris and a visit to the Elephant Havens. A complete safari itinerary includes private transfers directly to lodges in the heart of remote Botswana. Scenic flights include uninhabited areas that are accessible only by helicopter. The doors-off safari tours provide unrestricted views and opportunities for photography. Elephant Havens is a nonprofit organization that rescues and raises orphaned and abandoned baby elephants with the goal of eventually releasing them back into the wild. The Helicopter Horizons service includes return helicopter transfers with a scenic flight, interaction with orphaned elephants guided by informed and knowledgeable handlers, and instructions for making a donation to Elephant Havens. The return flight passes over the Okavango Delta to spot elephants in the wild. Helicopter Horizons is a Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) of Botswana–certified air carrier that follows a higher level of safety than required by CAA regulations. The company takes an integrated, sustainable, people-driven approach to empowering communities in northern Botswana. VAI Member Spotlight is a free service that VAI provides its small business members to help increase their visibility. If your company would like to be considered for a VAI Member Spotlight, please sign up here. Jen Boyer is a journalist and marketing communicator specializing in aviation. She holds commercial, instrument, flight instructor, and instrument instructor ratings in helicopters and a private rating in airplanes.
