The World's Top 10 Aerial Tours
www.airwhitsunday.com.au
The Scenery: The largest coral reef complex in the world (covering more than 217,000 square miles), Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is scattered with jewel-like islands—most famously the tropical Whitsunday group. From above, you can see these sugar-sanded, palm-studded islands (many of them uninhabited) in all their beauty. And if the flight leaves you longing to dig your toes in the sand, don’t worry—you’ll get to do that too.
The Flight: Flights depart from Whitsunday Airport in the mainland town of Airlie Beach. After looking down at the brilliant colors of the Great Barrier Reef from a classic Cessna or DeHavilland Beaver floatplane, you’ll descend—and land on water—right off the stunning, powdery Whitehaven Beach, the Whitsundays’ most famous. There, you can wander along the four-mile crescent of sand, or strip down to your swimsuit for a swim or snorkel.
When to Go: Anytime you can. The Whitsunday Islands have gorgeous tropical weather almost all year round—although Southern Hemisphere summers (December–March) may bring some brief afternoon rain showers.