San Francisco is one of the most vibrant and memorable cities. The Golden Gate Bridge, Victorian buildings and strangely shaped skyscrapers are harmoniously intertwined with wildlife and the ocean, which carries its waters into the San Francisco Bay.
The best views of the city are always from a height. From the observation decks, you can see San Francisco at a glance. But if you fly over it in a seaplane, you can see all the landmarks in half an hour and get a bird’s eye view of the metropolis.
The impressions of such an acquaintance with San Francisco are the most vivid, memories will last a lifetime!
My husband’s birthday came to an end traveling in California. I couldn’t think of a better gift than flying over San Francisco in a seaplane. It was a good surprise.
Why a seaplane?
It’s quite trivial: the price of a half-hour helicopter flight over San Francisco is a bit of a stretch – from $300 per person. I explored all the options until I found Seaplane Adventures, which offers sightseeing flights on a 1955 De Havilland DHC-2 Beaver seaplane.
Seaplane Tours was founded in Sausalito in 1945 by Bob Lowe, a pilot who had just returned from World War II. In the early 50s, the company became the largest flight school in the United States and one of the major regional air carriers serving Lake Tahoe.
In January 2012, Aaron Singer bought Seaplane Tours and renamed it Seaplane Adventures. With him, we flew over San Francisco, the Bay and the Golden Gate Bridge. The base is located in Sausalito, a suburb of San Francisco.
The cost of a 20-minute air tour is $149 per person, and the price hasn’t changed over the year.
What we could see during 20-minutes flight?
Is 20 minutes enough time to see San Francisco and the surrounding area? That’s all it takes: the plane flies over theGolden Gate and then circles the Point Bonita lighthouse. Then it flies over the Golden Gate Strait, passing over Ocean Beach, parks and private homes. Then he flies towards the downtown area, where skyscrapers and the city center are clearly visible. Then it flies over the prison island of Alcatraz and turns toward the base in Sausalito.
The Golden Gate Bridge. First we saw it from the observation deck, then we drove over it by car. And, by the end of the trip, we flew over it in an airplane.
The Point Bonita Lighthouse is located in Sausalito, a suburb of San Francisco. It has been operating since 1855 to this day. Dozens of ships pass by.
The lighthouse is open to visitors two days a week – Sunday and Monday from 12:30 to 15:30. You can take a free tour of the museum.
Ocean Beach – a surfer’s beach in San Francisco.
And the houses adjacent to the beach
Then we fly to the center of San Francisco– to the skyscrapers in the downtown area.
Below you can see the port and berths. The huge liner looks like a toy.
Despite the cloudy and not sunny weather, my impressions were very vivid.
An elderly couple, friends of the owner of the company, flew with us. Tolik was sitting next to the pilot, I was behind him and managed to look and take pictures in both directions – I was provided with two windows.
The pilot was telling us what we were seeing along the way – unobtrusively, but quite informative.
Alcatraz is a former prison on the island, now a museum, which we saw from above.
A suburb of San Francisco with luxurious homes, swimming pools and private piers.
Did I like it?
In general, if you want to get the most emotions and impressions while traveling, make a bright farewell accent, or a gift to your loved one, I heartily recommend flying.
It doesn’t matter whether it’s by airplane, helicopter or balloon.
The wow effect is guaranteed!
Useful links for independent travelers:
Car rental – cheap car rental options on Rentalcars.com
Hotels – I traditionally book in advance on Booking.com
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- Wadi Rum Desert – a branch of Mars in Jordan
