From a helicopter you see Christ the Redeemer and the city it watches over in one frame: the statue on its rock, the Lagoa and Ipanema below it, Sugarloaf and the bay beyond. What it is not is a close-up. No flight goes over the statue or lands near it, so think of it as one of the best views of Rio there is, with the statue in the middle of it.
The flights differ in four ways: shared or private, doors on or off, how long you are in the air, and where you take off. Here are the three we would book, how close they get, and what people wish they had known before they flew.
Christ the Redeemer helicopter tours
Rio de Janeiro Helicopter Tour, 20 to 40 Minutes
Best for: Choosing your own length, with the doors on or off
- 20, 25 or 40 minutes with the doors on, or 20, 30 or 40 with them off
- Pilot speaks English, Portuguese and Spanish
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead
What’s included and more details
What’s included
- A seat on a shared flight. Book 3 seats and it is yours alone
- Christ the Redeemer, the Lagoa and the beaches from Barra to Leblon on every route
- Copacabana and Sugarloaf on the 25 and 40-minute flights
- The Maracanã and Niterói on the 40-minute flight with the doors on
- Takes off from
- Jacarepaguá Airport, Barra da Tijuca
- Doors off
- Arrive at least 60 minutes before the flight
- Flight time
- Set by the route rather than the clock, so treat the minutes as a guide
- Bring
- Passport or ID card
- Not suitable for
- Anyone over 120 kg
- Not included
- Getting to the airport
- Also
- Reserve now and pay later
30-Minute Private Helicopter Flight to Christ the Redeemer
Best for: Two to four people who want every window to themselves
- About 25 to 30 minutes in the air
- Live commentary in Portuguese or English, audio guide in English or Portuguese
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead
What’s included and more details
What’s included
- A helicopter for your group alone, up to 3 or 4 people
- Christ the Redeemer at the end of the route
- Sugarloaf, the Lagoa and the beaches from Barra to Copacabana
- A lounge and a safety briefing before take-off
- Takes off from
- Avenida das Américas 13,750 (HELIMAR), Recreio dos Bandeirantes
- When you book
- Full name, passport number and weight for every passenger
- Hotel transfer
- An option, with pick-up about an hour before the flight
- Not included
- Food and drink, photos or video
- Not allowed
- Drones, selfie sticks and large bags
- Not suitable for
- Anyone over 120 kg
Doors-Off Helicopter Flight over Rio
Best for: Sitting with your feet out of the door, with the statue behind you
- 25 to 35 minutes in the air
- Pilot speaks Portuguese, English and Spanish
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead
What’s included and more details
What’s included
- A helicopter with the doors removed, shared, or private for up to 3
- Safety equipment for your phone, so you can film
- Two moments with your feet outside, at Arpoador and at the statue
- All fees and taxes
- Takes off from
- Recreio heliport, Avenida das Américas 13,750
- Minimum age
- 16. Nobody aged 15 or under can fly
- Arrive
- At least an hour before the flight
- The doors
- Come off only if the weather and safety allow on the day
- Shared flights
- About 35 minutes, and need 3 passengers. If they do not fill, you get a full refund, or can pay to go private
- Wear
- Closed shoes, and nothing loose
- Hotel transfer
- Only with the private option
- Not included
- Food and drink
- Weight
- There is a limit, and heavier passengers give their weight after booking
How the helicopter flights compare
| Shared, 20 to 40 minutes | Private, 30 minutes | Doors off | |
|---|---|---|---|
| In the air | 20 to 40 minutes | 25 to 30 minutes | 25 to 35 minutes |
| Takes off from | Jacarepaguá Airport, Barra | Recreio | Recreio |
| Shared or private | Shared, or yours alone if you book 3 seats | Private, up to 3 or 4 | Shared, or private for up to 3 |
| Doors | On, or off by option | On | Off |
| Sugarloaf | On the 25 and 40-minute flights | Yes | In view from the statue |
| Hotel transfer | No | Optional | With the private option |
| Cancellation | Free up to 24 hours ahead | Free up to 24 hours ahead | Free up to 24 hours ahead |
| Best for | Choosing your own length | Couples and families | The thrill |
How close you get to Christ the Redeemer
Closer than anyone on the ground, and not as close as the photos suggest. Under a 2024 agreement with federal prosecutors, the companies that fly tourists over Rio may not fly over the statue or the top of Sugarloaf, and they keep a set distance from the statue. So the statue is a fly-past, not a face-to-face meeting. It is the most common disappointment among people who fly, and it comes from expecting the wrong thing.
What you get instead is scale. From the air you see what the statue is standing on: a granite peak rising straight out of the forest, with the Lagoa, the Jockey Club racecourse and the whole South Zone laid out at its feet. Pilots usually make one pass, and two or three when time and cloud allow, turning so that both sides of the cabin get a clear look.
Have your phone up before the statue comes round, because the pass is quicker than you expect. The beaches and the lagoon give you far more time.
What you see on a helicopter tour of Rio
The main heliports are in the far west of the city, so most flights start by following the coast east and save the statue for last. The routes vary by operator and length, but this is the usual order:
- Barra da Tijuca and Joatinga, the long western beaches and the cove below Joá.
- Pedra da Gávea and São Conrado, the great flat-topped rock, with the Rocinha and Vidigal favelas climbing the hills behind the beach.
- Two Brothers Hill, Leblon and Ipanema, the twin peaks at the end of the beach and the city’s best-known stretch of sand.
- Arpoador, Copacabana and Copacabana Fort, the rock between the two beaches and the long curve beyond it, on flights of 25 minutes or more.
- Urca and Sugarloaf, on the longer routes.
- The Lagoa, the Jockey Club and the Botanical Garden, the lagoon, the racecourse and the green block below Corcovado.
- Tijuca forest and Christ the Redeemer, up over the trees to the statue.
The longest flights go on to the Maracanã, the Sambadrome, the Museum of Tomorrow and across the bay towards Niterói.
Shared, private or doors off: which helicopter tour to book
If two of you want window seats, book private
On a shared flight you cannot pick your seat. The crew places passengers by weight for balance, and the rest is often settled by a draw at the helipad, with a spin of a wheel or by drawing lots. In the helicopters that take four, one person sits in the middle of the back row, behind a pillar that blocks the view forward, and sees out only past the people on either side.
Solo travellers are paired with strangers and can end up in that seat. If two of you care about the view, book the private flight. It takes up to three or four, depending on the aircraft, and the whole cabin is yours.
If you want the doors off, dress for wind
Flying with the doors off is the version people rave about. You are clipped in with a harness, your phone is tethered to it, and at set points the pilot tells you when to swing your legs out. The wind is much stronger than people expect. It can pull off a loose shoe, so wear trainers laced tight, tie long hair back, and bring a layer in the cooler months.
Three things to know before you pay for it. Nobody under 16 can fly with the doors off. The doors only come off if the weather and safety allow it on the day. And with the doors off you cannot lean across to the far side of the cabin, so what you see depends on which side you are sitting.
If you hoped to fly from the city
Short flights do leave from Urca Hill, the first stage of the Sugarloaf cable car, which saves the drive to Barra. The one you can book online is six minutes over the beaches and Sugarloaf, and it does not go to Christ the Redeemer. You also need a cable car ticket to reach the helipad. It suits a Sugarloaf visit, not this one. For the statue, the drive west is part of the deal.
If you are nervous about flying
It is smoother than most people expect, including first-timers and people who are afraid of heights. If one of you is nervous, a closed-door flight is the gentler choice.
When to take a helicopter tour over Christ the Redeemer
Late afternoon is the time to want. The last slots of the day put low, golden light across the beaches and the bay, and it is the time people who have flown recommend most often. Ask for it when you book and again when you check in, because times are often shuffled on the day and a late booking can end up flying half an hour early.
Cloud is the real risk. Corcovado often has cloud sitting on its summit while the beaches are in sunshine, and a statue in cloud is a statue you do not see. Pilots will make another pass in the hope it clears, and sometimes it does, but not always. Look at the live summit camera before you set off for the heliport. If the statue is hidden, ask to move the flight before you board, rather than after.
Book it for early in your trip. If the weather cancels your flight, you then still have days left to fly.
How to book a helicopter tour in Rio
Pick the flight, then the option
Most of these listings have several options under one name: different lengths, doors on or off, with or without a transfer. The route and what is included change with the option, so read the one you are paying for.
Fix your time with the operator
The booking holds your day, and the operator then sets your exact time. Message them the day you book, and again the day before, to confirm the time and, if you booked a transfer, the pick-up time. Times can move, so do not plan anything tight for the rest of that day.
Give names, passport numbers and weights
Expect to be asked for each passenger’s weight, for the balance of the aircraft, and on some flights for passport numbers too. Bring the same passport or ID on the day.
Plan the journey out and back
Put the heliport’s full street address into your ride app, not the company’s name, which has sent people to an office or the wrong airfield. From Copacabana the drive takes 45 to 90 minutes depending on traffic, and you are asked to arrive an hour before the flight for paperwork and a safety briefing. Sort out your ride back before you take off.
If the flight is short of passengers
Shared flights need a minimum number of people. If one does not fill, the booking terms give you a full refund, and some offer a new date instead. Upgrading to a private flight for the empty seats is your choice, never a condition of flying.
Insider tips
Use your own phone
A 360° video of your flight is sold at the heliport, and it is not always delivered quickly or in the form people expect. Your phone on the tether does the job. If you do buy the video, ask how and when it arrives before you pay.
Wear something dark
On a closed-door flight you shoot through glass. Dark clothes and a phone held just off the window cut down the reflections.
Know what you are looking at
Some pilots talk you round the city, and some say very little, especially in English. Treat it as a flight, not a guided tour, and keep the route above to hand.