Beasts from above: Stunning views of African wildlife and scenery from a £65,000 helicopter safari

By Kerry Mcdermott
PUBLISHED: 14:58, 31 August 2012 | UPDATED: 17:32, 31 August 2012


From tranquil desert lakes and majestic cloud-wreathed peaks, to circling camels and a herd of mighty elephants thundering across Kenyan grasslands; these aerial images reveal the breathtaking beauty of the African landscape and the wildlife that calls it home.
The epic scenes were captured by a photographer high above the ground on board a £65,000 helicopter safari for wealthy wildlife spotters.
From his vantage point in the air, Martin Harvey was able to gain a bird's eye view of the country's awe-inspiring landscape; soaring over Kenya's remote valleys, lakes and craters, and dipping to low to glimpse Cape buffalo and African goats in their natural habitat.

Wildlife: These camels in the Chalbi Desert in northern Kenya are among the African animals captured from above in these stunning pictures

'Seeing the wilderness of Africa from above is a unique experience, and viewing large numbers of animals from above is awe-inspiring,' said the 57-year-old.
'It's an incredible experience and gives one a completely different perspective than one gets from the ground.
'Taking pictures from the air is also great fun,' he added.
'It's probably much more dangerous driving on Africa's roads.'

 

Mr Harvey took the photographs while accompanying wildlife enthusiasts on the pricey helicopter safari - one of the more exclusive ways to feast your eyes on the ample scenery Africa has to offer.
'They are very wealthy people who want to enjoy an incredible adventure,' Mr Harvey said.
Lake Turkana, the world's largest desert lake, and an aerial view of a traditional Masai boma are among the many highlights seen from above in the series of images.
You could be forgiven for thinking that the photograph of Lake Turkana, located in Kenya's Great Rift Valley, shows lush fields of grass - but its water is bright green due to the water's extreme levels of alkaline.
In one picture a group of Pokot people, who traditionally herd sheep, are shown investigating the blue helicopter instead.

Epic: An incredible shot of Kenya's Lake Turkana, the world's largest permanent desert lake, which is home to crocodiles and turtles

Africa from above: A herd of goats gather at the Koroli springs in northern Kenya's Chalbi desert

Iconic: The helicopter provided a spectacular view of a herd of African elephants - a member of the group of iconic African animals known as the 'big five'

African life: An aerial photograph of a Masai boma, or enclosure, in Kenya, home to a family of Masai people

Stampede: A herd of Cape buffalo can be seen making its way across the Kenyan grassland in this aerial photograph

Breathtaking: Kenya's Lake Turkana - the world's largest permanent desert lake - was captured from the sky by a photographer in a helicopter

Tranquil: Lake Logipi is a saline, alkaline lake lying in the arid Suguta valley in northern Kenya

Majestic: This stunning shot of Kenya's Mount Ololokwe was taken from the vantage point of a helicopter

Bird's eye view: The Magado Crater is located at the north east tip of the Nyambeni mountain range in Kenya

Lofty peak: Seen in the distance is Mount Kenya, which sits just south of the equator and is the country's highest mountain. It is the second highest in Africa overall

Sweeping views: The shadow of the helicopter can be seen on the rock face as it flies through Painted Valley, within the Suguta Valley

Curious: A group of Kenyan people gather around the safari helicopter for a closer look after it lands

Exclusive: Wealthy wildlife spotters pay £65,000 to embark on one of the helicopter safaris

Mr Harvey specialises in aerial shots, and has also taken to the skies over Africa in a hot air balloon and an aeroplane in his efforts to capture the continent's vast scenery from above.
The photographer trained his lens hippos and giraffes on the ground below, and a herd of antelope dashing across floodplains in Botswana.

On the move: Sunlight glints on the water as a herd of lechwe antelope runs across floodplains in Botswana's Okavango Delta

Spectacular sight: Photographer Martin Harvey has described witnessing the movements of large groups of African animals from the air as 'awe-inspiring'

Beasts from above: A herd of Cape Buffalo move through the flood waters in the Okavango Delta in Botswana

New perspective: An aerial view of the enormous herd of buffalo in Botswana

Rippling sands: The dunes of the Namib Desert in Namibia are captured to striking effect in this photograph taken from the air

Mother and child: An baby hippo and its mother can be glimpsed below the surface of the water in this photograph taken in Botswana

Desert scene: An aerial shot of a salt pan in the Namib Desert, Namibia

Drifting through the clouds: This aerial shot of the Namib Desert was taken from a hot air balloon

Out for a stroll: Martin Harvey snapped these two giraffe as they made their way across grassland in Botswana

Unrecognisable: Seen from the air, this picture of Sossusvlei in Namibia is almost unrecognisable as a desert landscape

Blazing heat: The sun beats down on the sand dunes of Sossusvlei in the Namib Desert in this aerial shot

Bath-time: A group of hippos photographed close to water in Botswana's Okavango Delta

Bounding around: Lechwe - or antelope - like the ones in this photograph are a familiar sight in Botswana

Out of this world: This picture of the Namib Desert could be mistaken for the surface of another planet

On the march: African elephants - including a baby - march in single file in Botswana

Arid: An other-wordly looking aerial view of the Hidden Vlei, an area of the Sossusvlei in the Namib Desert

Shifting sands: Another beautiful aerial image shows the sand dunes of the Namib Desert as seen from the air

Lush: The greenness of the surroundings in this photograph of buffalo in the Okavango Delta contrasts with the arid scenes over the Namib Desert

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