Dubai is a city that shines like a gem, vibrantly contrasting with the monotone desert landscape. Teeming with glistening modern towers and superlative architectural marvels, the emirate owns a city skyline that other cities envy. While each iconic landmark has its own charm, viewing the entire ensemble creates a picturesque and unforgettable moment. So, how should you experience Dubai to gain a complete bird’s-eye view of the city’s beauty? Well, you have a couple of options. Among these, helicopter rides and skydiving are the most popular. If you are ready to experience this iconic city from the air, a question still remains: will you glide above it all in a sleek helicopter or dive headfirst into the ultimate adrenaline rush of a tandem skydive? To help you choose, we have compiled a few key points. Keep reading.
What’s The Experience About?
Helicopter Ride Dubai
Dubai offers an amazing bird’s-eye view, making it one of the most picturesque places to experience the best helicopter rides around the world. You board a helicopter and fly around Dubai for 12 to 30 minutes to enjoy unperturbed aerial views over the Burj Khalifa, Palm Jumeirah, Burj Al Arab, and Dubai Marina. From 1,000 to 2,500 feet, this panoramic flight of Dubai’s architectural wonders feels like a guided city tour in the sky. Moreover, it feels like a VIP tour. You sit back and enjoy the views while an experienced pilot guides you, offering insights into the landmark attractions below. This is a peaceful, stress-free, and comfortable way to enjoy various bird’s-eye views of Dubai city.
SkyDiving Dubai
Skydiving is an exhilarating adventure that begins with a flight in an airplane, followed by a jump from 13,000 feet. You will experience a thrilling freefall at 120 mph for 40 to 60 seconds before deploying your parachute and gliding back to earth. Throughout the experience, a professional instructor accompanies you and captures your emotions during the descent. This activity is far more about adrenaline and excitement than just casual sightseeing. In fact, the only views you will enjoy are as you glide down after deploying the parachute minutes after your jump.
Which One’s Better?
Helicopter tours offer more time to take in the fabulous panoramas across Dubai city. On the other hand, a skydiving experience provides one specific bird’s-eye view of the drop zone – Palm Jumeirah or the Dubai Desert. Additionally, the panoramic viewing part lasts only for 5 to 8 minutes. That also depends on whether you choose to keep your eyes open during the descent. So, if you want to enjoy the views of Dubai city, a helicopter ride is a plus point over a skydiving experience.
What’s Your Adventure Style?
Helicopter Ride
The thrill factor on a helicopter tour in Dubai is quite mild, offering just enough excitement to get your heart racing. However, it’s a smooth and comfortable tour suited for everyone.
Skydiving in Dubai
Book Skydive Dubai tickets only if you are ready for maximum adrenaline kicks. Skydiving is suited only for adrenaline junkies who thrive on intense thrills or those seeking once-in-a-lifetime experiences and are bold enough to conquer fear with a heart-pounding freefall and jaw-dropping views.
Which One’s Better?
Choose helicopter rides in Dubai if you are seeking a unique way to view Dubai’s iconic landmarks. Skydiving is your calling if you want the ultimate adventure of your lifetime in Dubai, the kind you wouldn’t shy from bragging about.
How’s The View?
Helicopter Tours
On a helicopter tour, you get more panoramic and close-up views of Dubai’s icons. It’s like a parade of sights as you fly along Dubai’s modern and cultural landmarks in quick succession. The pilot also flies lower so that you can admire the dominating Burj Khalifa, the sail-like Burj Al Arab, the palm-shaped Palm Jumeirah, and the neon-lit Dubai Marina and Dubai Canal. It offers perfect photo opportunities, as the chopper’s huge windows make it easy to click clear shots of the city’s architectural gems. Since you hover in the air at a uniform pace, you have ample time to capture captivating sights with your camera.
Skydiving Dubai
When you book skydiving in Dubai, you can choose the panorama you want to view while soaring above. Dubai has two jaw-dropping drop zones. One is the breathtaking Palm Drop Zone at The Palm Jumeirah. This offers a wide-angled view of sprawling Palm Jumeirah with Atlantis resorts and Dubai’s coastline stretching below. The second drop zone is the Dubai desert drop zone, set amid the endless golden dunes with the Dubai skyline twinkling along the edges. Both views are iconic and postcard-worthy, etched themselves in your mind forever. However, the duration of skydiving is quite short. You get the view of sweeping panoramas just before the jump. After that, the adrenaline rush during your freefall might feel like a blur, and you might not focus on fully soaking in the view. However, your personal instructor will capture clear photos and videos of you soaring over Dubai’s landscapes, perfect for your social media feed.
Which One’s Better?
Helicopter tours are the best way to get aerial views of Dubai. They offer plenty of time to click memorable photos at a leisurely pace. On the contrary, during a skydive Dubai thrilling experience from 13,000 feet, you will only soak in views during the parachute glide down to the ground due to the speed of the freefall.
If you have read up to this point, it gives a fair idea that if you call yourself a hardcore adventure seeker, skydiving is what you should go for. If not, opt for a helicopter tour. Some other factors that come into play while deciding which experience to choose are:
Accessibility
You can book helicopter tours from several flight operators. However, skydiving can only be experienced through certified and experienced professional operators such as Skydive Dubai. Of course, you can get in touch and make your bookings via us for the best value for money and a hassle-free experience.
Safety
You don’t need to declare you are fit for helicopter tours. There is no age restriction as well. Practically anyone can hop aboard for a stress-free ride. In fact, helicopter tours are among the top Dubai air tours preferred by families and groups with seniors, kids, and those with mobility needs. It is one of the safest ways to enjoy Dubai’s beauty. Skydiving in Dubai, however, is a thrilling activity, but with limits. Not all can sign up for an adventure like this. It is not an activity for the faint-hearted. There are fitness needs to be met and initial training to be completed before you are ready to fly up in the sky. Kids are not allowed to do this activity. Health safety is critical, and those not deemed fit cannot participate.
Cost
In this debate between a helicopter ride and a skydive tour in Dubai, the helicopter ride is more wallet-friendly. It often costs around AED 700 to 1500, depending on the tour length and amenities like private tour options. On the other hand, skydiving is costlier, ranging anywhere from AED 1800 to 2200.
Now, before you go ahead and book your tour, ask yourself this one final but fundamental question:
Is it Pragmatic?
Helicopter Tours
This air tour can be done by everyone – senior citizens, people with disabilities, kids, and even those with mild vertigo or a slight fear of heights. A professional pilot operates the helicopter, and you will be safely strapped into your seats. The best part? You simply settle down in the comfy seats and let the pilot take you around the city. There isn’t anything else for you to do but sit, relax, and enjoy the views. The thrill of being in the air, with the wind whipping around you and the city looming underneath, gives you a mild adrenaline rush. That’s all. Quite practical for all tourists. But that isn’t the case for a skydiving experience.
Sky Diving Experience
Before you go on a skydiving experience, you should really ask yourself if it is your cup of tea. A skydiving experience in Dubai requires initial training, signing a waiver form, and then suiting up for a flight that soars 13,000 feet above ground. This was the easy part. The next step is to jump out of the plane with your instructor willingly. If you can’t imagine throwing yourself out of a plane, this activity is not for you. On the other hand, some tourists would love the idea of jumping out of an aircraft and plunging to the earth to feel the exhilaration and the adrenaline kick. If you view a freefall from a flight as soaring in the air and have no qualms but are excited about this adventure, you are perfect for this experience.
Conclusion
It’s no surprise to conclude that skydiving is for thrill seekers, while helicopter rides are more tourist-friendly. Dubai’s skyline is calling, and you’re ready to see it from the air. But do you want the luxurious glide of a helicopter ride or the heart-racing plunge of a tandem skydive? If you are seeking an extreme adrenaline rush and a unique personal challenge, you shouldn’t miss a skydiving experience in Dubai. However, if you want to safely see beautiful scenery with friends or family, then opt for a helicopter tour Dubai. So, what’s it going to be for you?
FAQs
1. Is skydiving in Dubai a solo activity?
Not exactly. While only one participant leaps out during a skydiving experience, an experienced instructor accompanies a tandem skydive. Only certified, licensed divers can opt for solo jumps.
2. Which activity is best suited for family holidaymakers?
Hands down, helicopter tours in Dubai are best suited for family holidaymakers.
3. What is the best time to do these activities?
The cooler months in Dubai, from November to March, are ideal for both activities, as they are outdoor experiences usually taking place during the day. If you opt for night helicopter tour experiences, any time of the year is a good time to enjoy the ride.
4. What is the duration of these adventures?
Helicopter rides last 12 – 40 minutes and require minimal prep time. Skydiving, however, takes around four hours in total, which includes a safety briefing and preps, taking the flight to altitude, and the 6- to 7-minute jump, and parachute gliding back to the ground.
