Sit on the Right side of the plane for the best views on flights from Addis Ababa to Johannesburg. Right-side seats capture the more dramatic geography: the Ethiopian Highlands escarpment on departure and the Witwatersrand ridge structure on approach. The flight path itself crosses the East African Rift System and the high plateaus of southern Ethiopia and northern South Africa—features more visible to the right during the initial and final phases of flight.

During takeoff from Bole International (ADD), sit on the Right side for the best views. Bole typically departs to the northeast on runway 03/21. Right-side seats face the Ethiopian Highlands immediately after takeoff, with the dramatic escarpment and elevated terrain that defines Addis Ababa's geography rising steeply to starboard. Notable sights include: Ethiopian Highlands escarpment, Entoto Mountains (north of the city), Addis Ababa urban sprawl in the Addis Ababa Basin, Mount Wuchacha volcanic complex.

When landing at Johannesburg International (JNB), sit on the Left side for the best views. Johannesburg approaches from the north on runway 03/21 (typically 03 for landing). Left-side seats provide views of the Witwatersrand ridge and the city's northern suburbs as you descend through 8,000-15,000 feet, with the distinctive gold-mining terrain and urban sprawl clearly visible. Notable sights include: Witwatersrand ridge (the elevated spine running east-west), Johannesburg northern suburbs and CBD, mine dumps and tailings (white/yellow conical heaps), Magaliesburg Mountains (distant western horizon).

The flight from Bole International (ADD) to Johannesburg International (JNB) takes Approximately 4 hours 45 minutes to 5 hours 15 minutes.

The flight crosses the Ethiopian-Kenyan border near the Rift Valley escarpments, then proceeds south over the high plateaus of Kenya and Tanzania. The Rift Valley's eastern wall is visible as a linear escarpment if flying near the Kenya-Tanzania border. Further south, the flight passes over the Tanzanian plateau (around 4,000-5,000 feet elevation), then descends into the lower-lying regions of Zambia and Zimbabwe before climbing again over the Highveld plateau approaching Johannesburg. The Zambezi River valley may be visible as a darker linear feature if the flight path passes near it. Most of the midpoint flight is over sparsely populated plateau terrain with scattered vegetation and few distinctive landmarks from cruise altitude.