A Bird’s-Eye View: Flightseeing in Vancouver

Snow-capped mountains. Glacial fjords.  Gleaming cityscapes.  Coastal waters studded with deep green islands.  Vancouver is a postcard-perfect city, and one of the best ways to take in all the scenery is by air.  Options range from quick 20-minute flights above the skyline to day-long excursions to distant glacial lakes.

Here are three suggestions:

• Vancouver City Skyline: This twenty-minute float plane flight ($139) offered by Seair takes off from Coal Harbour, in the heart of downtown.  Visitors soar above the towering North Shore Mountains and get a unique perspective on 1,000-acre Stanley Park and the iconic Lions Gate Bridge.  On the descent, there are gorgeous views of the city skyline.

•  Alpine Lakes and Glaciers: This hour-long float plane flight offered by Harbour Air ($285) also departs from Coal Harbour and then zips north into the high mountain terrain of Garibaldi Provincial Park.  The pilot circles the serrated peaks and hanging glaciers atop 8,450-foot Mount Mamquam, then lands on a secluded alpine lake where guests can stop for a picnic.  

• Vancouver to Victoria Harbour: For something a little different, consider the 40-minute helicopter flight from Vancouver to Victoria Harbour aboard Helijet ($170 each way).  You take off from downtown Vancouver, ascend over the city, then cross the stunning Salish Sea and land on the southern tip of Vancouver Island in the historic colonial capital of Victoria.  

Has anyone been flightseeing in Vancouver?  What did you think of the experience?

Article source: http://www.insidevancouver.ca/2011/10/20/a-birds-eye-view-flightseeing-in-vancouver/