Bird’s Eye View Ningaloo: Experience the Ningaloo Reef From the Sky
- Cindy Small
- 22 hours ago
- 4 min read
There are some places in the world that are beautiful from the ground.
There are others that are beautiful from the water.
And then there are places like Ningaloo Reef, where seeing it from the sky completely changes the way you understand it.
From above, the turquoise lagoon stretches along the coastline, the red cliffs of Cape Range rise dramatically from the landscape and the Ningaloo Reef disappears into an enormous expanse of deep blue ocean.
And then, somewhere beneath you, a whale surfaces.
Or a manta ray glides through the reef.
A turtle moves across the lagoon.
A pod of dolphins cuts through the water.
Suddenly, you're not just looking at Ningaloo.
You're seeing the entire ecosystem unfold beneath you.
This is what makes a flight with Birds Eye View Ningaloo such an extraordinary part of a trip to Exmouth.
What Is It Really Like to Fly a Microlight?
I'll admit it — for some people, the idea of getting into a small aircraft can be a little intimidating.
That's completely understandable.
A microlight is open, lightweight and very different from the aircraft most of us are used to travelling in.
But that's also exactly what makes it so special.
There is something wonderfully simple about microlight flying.
No rows of seats. No tiny windows separating you from the world.
Just you, your pilot and an enormous landscape stretching out in every direction.
Once you're in the air, that initial nervousness often disappears surprisingly quickly.
The pilots are incredibly experienced and will take the time to make you feel comfortable. They'll also tailor the flight to you.
If you're nervous, they can keep things calm and steady. If you're a thrill seeker, they can make the experience a little more adventurous.
And somewhere between those two extremes is the feeling that makes microlight flying so special.
It genuinely feels like flying.
You can feel the air around you and experience Ningaloo in a way that simply isn't possible from the ground.
It's exhilarating, but at the same time strangely peaceful.
two microlights flying low over the blue lagoon of the ningaloo reef a microlight air craft flying low over the blue lagoon of the ningaloo reef a microlight air craft flying low over the blue lagoon of turquoise bay on the ningaloo reef
Ningaloo Looks Completely Different From the Air
From the beach, you see a section of reef.
From a boat, you see another section.
From a microlight, you can see the reef as part of an enormous living system stretching along the coastline.
The brilliant turquoise lagoon contrasts against the deeper blue of the outer reef, while the Cape Range rises dramatically behind it.
And then there is the wildlife.
From the air, you can cover an enormous area of ocean and potentially spot marine life that you may never have seen from the water.
Whale Sharks, humpback whales, manta rays, turtles and other marine life can sometimes be spotted moving through the reef and surrounding waters.
This aerial perspective is also why Birds Eye View plays such an important role in our Whale Shark tours.
Birds Eye View provides our aerial spotting for our Exmouth Whale Shark tours, helping our crew locate Whale Sharks from above.
It's an incredible partnership between air and sea.
An aerial view captures swimmers interacting with a whale shark near the Latitude 22 humpback whale mother and calf photo taken from microlight aircraft whale shark photo taken from microlight aircraft group of manta rays photo taken from microlight aircraft
Which Birds Eye View Flight Is Right for You?
Birds Eye View offers three main flight experiences, depending on how much time you have and how much of Ningaloo you want to see.
30-Minute Flight — Exmouth Gulf Classic
The 30-minute flight is a fantastic introduction to microlight flying and is particularly popular during whale watching season.
You'll head out over the Exmouth Gulf, giving you the opportunity to experience the thrill of flying while searching the waters below for marine life.
It's a great option if you're short on time or simply want to experience microlight flying for yourself.
60-Minute Flight — Birds Eye View of Ningaloo Reef
The 60-minute flight is a crowd favourite and gives you an incredible overview of Ningaloo.
You'll cross over Cape Range towards the reef, travelling from around Turquoise Bay towards Tantabiddi.
From higher above the reef, you'll search for larger marine life outside the reef, before lower-level flying gives you the opportunity to look into the lagoon and spot smaller marine life.
You'll then cross back over the range towards Exmouth.
It's an incredible amount of Ningaloo to experience in just one hour.
90-Minute Ultimate Flight — NorCape Explorer
Want to see the whole North West Cape?
The 90-minute Ultimate Flight follows the reef before continuing around the tip of the Cape and back down over the Exmouth Gulf to the aerodrome.
You'll see the Cape Range, Ningaloo Reef, the North West Cape and Exmouth Gulf — all from the air.
It's the ultimate option for anyone wanting to experience as much of the region as possible.
A Must-Do Adventure on the Ningaloo Reef
One of my favourite things about a microlight flight is that you don't have to be an adrenaline junkie to love it.
You might be nervous when you first arrive.
Then the wheels leave the ground.
The Cape Range is beneath you. The reef stretches away into the distance. The ocean seems to go on forever.
And suddenly, you're simply looking around in absolute wonder.
There is something incredibly special about seeing Ningaloo this way.
It's exhilarating, peaceful and completely different from anything you'll experience from the water.
If you're planning a trip to Exmouth, I'd genuinely put a microlight flight on your list.
Even if you're a little hesitant.
Because once you're up there, looking down at Ningaloo for the first time, you'll understand.
For a little while, you're not just looking at the reef.
You're flying over it.
view of microlight, pilot and passenger looking at pod of whales from above aerial view of swimmers and manta ray taken from microlight aircraft aerial view of pod of dugongs in clear blue water happy passenger after their microlight flight pilot view of Ningaloo Reef sunlight capturing the essence of a yellow microlight on the runway aerial view of Ningaloo Reef
Ready to See Ningaloo From Above?
Birds Eye View Ningaloo offers 30, 60 and 90-minute microlight flights from Exmouth, giving you the chance to experience the Ningaloo Reef, Cape Range and Exmouth Gulf from an entirely different perspective.
Explore the flight options with Birds Eye View Ningaloo.
And if you're joining us for a Whale Shark tour, keep an eye on the sky — you may just see the Birds Eye View aircraft out there helping us find your Whale Shark adventure.
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