Testing Astrum Helicopters New Ride Over Ambergris Caye, Belize Or HOLY CRAP! I Can’t Believe I’m Doing This!

Yesterday I received an invitation from my friend and SanPedroScoop.com correspondent Finn Kardashian to TAKE A RIDE ON A HELICOPTER over the reef and Ambergris Caye with Astrum Helicopters.

The very same company whisks people from the Belize International airport to super luxe resorts, allows them to flyover the Blue Hole in a matter of minutes (from basically anywhere in the country) and to see Belize’s amazing sights in probably the most spectacular way possible.  Hidden waterfalls…jungle clearings…Maya sites…I can only imagine.

Hovering just a few hundred feet above them…amazing.

I arrived at our pick up spot.  Beautiful Victoria House Resort.  The manager and some of the staff were there looking at the new, faster, larger copter that can carry more people and luggage.

Although not a flawless sunny day…there was hope.  Sun to the north as I watched the helicopter land behind the resort.

And I made my way back to see what I would be riding in.  Let me quickly point two things out – I was jittery/excited and I have NEVER been on a helicopter before.  Never.   This is a once-in-a lifetime thing.  And I’d been dreaming about it since I had a giant crush on Tom Selleck as Magnum PI – and he used to copter around with his buddy TC.

YES I AM OLD!

She is a beauty.  All done in the Belize national colors.  I like it.  A Bell 407.

Pretty snazzy.

Finn finally arrived – looking what he likes to call “peasant chic” or “casually elegant” or “upscale backpacker”.  Superstar pose.

And all the passengers.  Cheese!  Most of them had done this before.  Again.  I was SUPER excited.

Julio (on the far right in the first pic) did an excellent job attempting to make me nervous when, in the end, there was NO NEED for nerves at all.

I was ushered into THE FRONT SEAT!!!!!!!!!!!!

Headphones on to dull the noise and so we could talk, we floated up.  Literally.  Super smooth and easy.

And the view is just spectacular.

The cut at Hol Chan Marine Reserve…deep and blue.

And then the boats at Shark Ray Alley.  Wonder what they are thinking as we buzz over them…the people I’m wondering.  I’m pretty sure the sharks are only focused on their next snack.

We turned around to head up north on Ambergris Caye.  To the Heli-pad at Rojo/Azul Resort at about 5 miles north Ambergris Caye.

Hol Chan again.  I have been here 50x and had no idea it looked like this.  Gorgeous.

You MOVE in this thing.  One minute or less, we were up by Grand Caribe.

And then the next, we were swooping around to land at Azul.  You can see Mata Chica Resort and their pool.  I didn’t even know they have a pool.

You can see how wide the caye really is…

And landing…on the BIG H.  The foot view my be my very favorite part.

And Finn and our pilot, Gustavo as we de-boarded the helicopter.  Is deboarded even a word?  Sounds so much more posh than unloaded.

Amazing.  Honestly.  And much smoother than flying.  You are just a few hundred feet over the water and land…you can see the sharks, rays…the amazing coral.

Trust me.  If I could afford it?  I’d travel no other way.

Thank you SO MUCH to Gustavo and Astrum Helicopters for taking me along.  HOLY CRAP.  And planting seeds in my head – now I want to see the Blue Hole and Turneffe Atoll this way…and the 1000 foot falls (it’s pretty much the only way you can see all 1800 feet of it) and Caracol and…sigh.

1000 Foot Falls when I visited in July of 2012.  Sure, beautiful but…

a little bit…meh…when compared to the full view from above.

I’d better get myself a part time job.

For all of the information on Astrum, check out their website site.  Still time to add a quick helicopter jaunt to your Christmas list…I already did.