( CNN ) -- Africa from the air is a breathtaking sight -- vast herds , sprawling wetlands , snow-capped peaks and rising cities . Thanks to creative safari outfitters , aerial views of the continent are a lot more accessible than they once were . The 11 options below showcase the best aerial tours of Africa . 1 . Huey helicopter flights at Victoria Falls ( Zambia ) Based in Livingstone on the Zambian side of Victoria Falls ( the falls form a border between Zambia and Zimbabwe ) , United Air Charters introduced 20-minute flights in a `` Huey '' helicopter -- the widely used military helicopter -- in 2013 as a radical way to experience Africa 's largest waterfall . With fully open side doors , the 13-passenger Huey zigzags through the 125-meter-high ( 410 foot ) rock walls of Batoka Gorge , skimming close to rapids that make this stretch of the Zambezi one of the continent 's best for whitewater rafting . Upon reaching the violent clash of water and rock called Oblivion , the chopper rapidly rises up and over Mosi-oa-Tunya ( `` The Smoke that Thunders '' ) at the falls . United Air Charters Huey tours over the falls with an open door are $ 175 per person for 15 minutes and $ 330 per person for 20 minutes . 2 . Private flying safari ( Namibia , Botswana ) Little trumps the glamor of a private flying safari in southern Africa , which takes visitors over the Kalahari Desert and Okavango Delta and delivers them to some of the most exclusive and expensive safari camps on the continent . As one of the region 's leading flying safari outfitters , African Profile Safaris lists corporate tycoons , politicians and movie stars among its clientele , and organizes flying safaris anywhere in Africa , from week-long trips around Namibia , Botswana and South Africa to month-long Cape-to-Cairo journeys . African Profile Safaris offers 13-day fly-in safaris in Namibia , Botswana , Zambia from 60,900 rand ( $ 5,770 ) per person . 3 . Table Mountain Cableway ( South Africa ) Table Mountain Cableway opened in 1929 as a vertigo-inducing way to rise from Cape Town to the 1,084-meter ( 3,558-foot ) summit of the giant , flat-topped peak . In the late 1990s , the vintage cable cars were replaced by new pods that can carry 65 passengers and rotate 360 degrees . From the top of the mountain , visitors get breathtaking panoramas of central Cape Town , the beach towns along the western edge of the peninsula , the Cape of Good Hope stretching off to the south and the old prison on Robben Island , where Nelson Mandela spent 18 years . Table Mountain Cableway adult return journeys are 215 rand ( $ 20 ) per person . 4 . Nile High Bungee ( Uganda ) It took European explorers hundreds of years to come into contact with the source of the Nile . Now it can be done in a matter of seconds at Nile High Bungee . Located in the town of Jinja near the spot where the Lake Victoria turns into the world 's longest river , the jump is 44 meters ( 144 feet ) from platform to water . Tandem and night jumps are offered . Leapers can also choose a full dunk -- a brief submergence in the Nile . Nile High Bungee jumps start at $ 115 per person . 5 . Skydiving ( Kenya ) An hour 's drive south of Mombasa , Skydive Diani offers a year-round slate of tandem skydives , full training courses and solo jumps for qualified skydivers . Most jumps are over a permanent drop zone at Diani Beach , but the company runs tandem operations on the coasts of Malindi and Kilifi and in the central highlands outside Nairobi . Each March and November , Skydive Diani and the Nairobi-based Kenya Skydivers Association organize Beach Boogies , a week-long skydiving festival over the white sands and turquoise waters of Diani . Skydive Diani offers skydives from $ 350 per person . 6 . Climbing the West Face at Mulanje ( Malawi ) Rising 1,700 meters ( 5,500 feet ) , the hulking West Face of Chambe peak on the Mulanje Massif is one of Africa 's greatest rock-climbing challenges . The wall features two distinct sections -- a 610-meter ( 2,000-feet ) Lower Face and a 1,067-meter ( 3,500-feet ) Upper Face . Those who want to experience the view from the top without the death-defying climb can trek the Skyline Trail , a three-hour hike between Likhubula guest house and Chambe mountain hut . The Mountain Club of Malawi ( MCM ) offers tips on how to trek or climb Mulanje . Expect to pay around $ 162 per person for a week on the mountain . 7 . Trekking Mount Kilimanjaro ( Tanzania ) The six-day trek up and down Africa 's highest mountain ( 5,895 meters/19,341 feet ) is one of the continent 's iconic adventures . The main routes to the top require no technical climbing experience , but trekkers should be in fairly good shape for an uphill walk that takes three and a half days . Above 11,000 feet , head aches , shortness of breath and other symptoms of altitude sickness are common , and pulmonary edema is a real danger . Tanzania 's National Parks Authority requires that all climbers be accompanied by a licensed guide . Ultimate Kilimanjaro offers seven ways to reach the summit . Hikes start at $ 2,200 per person . 8 . Busanga Plains hot air balloon trip ( Zambia ) `` There 's nothing like it , '' says balloon pilot Erik Hesemans of the low-level gliding he does over Zambia 's wildlife-rich Busanga Plains with Namib Sky Balloon Safaris . `` Sometimes we 're only three meters above the ground -- close enough to look straight into the face of a lion or hippo as you 're flying past . '' Hesemans pioneered the maneuver over the red hot dunes of the Namib Desert and brought `` skimming '' to Zambia 's savannah country in 2012 . Hesemans brings his balloons to Busanga during the dry season between June and October , when animals are drawn to waterholes and are thus easier to spot from the air . See a video here . Busanga Bush Camp starts at $ 799 per person per night ; hot air balloon safari is complimentary ( and only ) for guests who stay minimum three nights . 9 . Microlight flights over Kruger National Park ( South Africa ) Microlights -- lightweight , fixed-wing aircraft -- have been a fixture at South Africa 's Kruger National Park for more than a decade , offering bird's-eye views of elephant , rhino , buffalo and other African wildlife . Kwa Madwala Private Game Reserve on Kruger 's south side is one of the few lodges with its own microlight -- a sturdy little Bantam that takes off from a grass runway . A six-cylinder engine powers the small aircraft on 15-minute , half-hour and hour-long flights over Kruger , including a glide down the Crocodile River . Kwa Madwala 's Manyatta Rock Camp starts at 1,600 rand ( $ 150 ) per person per night with microlight flights from 650 rand ( $ 61 ) per person . 10 . Cairo Tower ( Egypt ) Inspired by the lotus columns of the Temple of Luxor and other ancient monuments , Cairo Tower rises 187 meters ( 613 feet ) above Egypt 's brooding capital city and remains the third tallest building on the continent more than 50 years after it was first built . From the open-air observation deck at the top , visitors gaze down on central Cairo , up the Nile Valley to the Great Pyramid of Giza and across to the great citadel that dominates eastern Cairo . Cairo Tower observation deck access is 70 Egyptian pounds ( $ 10 ) per person . 11 . Tsitsikamma zipline ( South Africa ) Africa 's best zipline soars through the extraordinary wilderness of Tsitsikamma , featuring an hour-long `` flight '' through the Kruis River Gorge over three waterfalls . The zigzag route features eight different `` slides '' or cables , one of them the length of two soccer fields . Thanks to a patented braking system , fliers can control their speed and come to a complete stop midway along the slides to take in indigenous flora and fauna . Tsitsikamma zipline rates are 350 rand ( $ 33 ) per person . Joe Yogerst is a freelance travel , business and entertainment writer based out of California .
Vintage Huey helicopter rides over Victoria Falls began in 2013 . Private flying safaris are offered in Namibia and Botswana . Hide Caption