Amsterdam to Johannesburg flight path: AMS to JNB

Sit on the Left side of the plane for the best views on flights from Amsterdam to Johannesburg. The cruise phase favors the left (east) side, which offers fleeting views of the Alps near the France-Italy border, the Mediterranean coastline, and later the edge of the Sahara and hints of the East African Rift highlands, giving more topographic variety than the right side's largely featureless desert and rainforest expanse.

During takeoff from Schiphol (AMS), sit on the Left side for the best views. Departing Schiphol on the southbound Polderbaan, the initial climb keeps Amsterdam's canal ring, IJ waterway, and Utrecht's outskirts on the left (east) side, while the right side shows mostly flat polder farmland and the hazy North Sea coast. Notable sights include: Amsterdam canal ring, IJmeer, Schiphol polder fields, Utrecht skyline in distance.

When landing at O.R. Tambo International Airport (JNB), sit on the Right side for the best views. On approach into O.R. Tambo from the north, the right (west) side offers views of the rugged Magaliesberg range and the distant high-rise towers of Sandton, giving texture to the otherwise flat Highveld landscape seen on the left. Notable sights include: Magaliesberg mountain range, Sandton skyline, Hartbeespoort Dam glint, Johannesburg Highveld plains.

The flight from Schiphol (AMS) to O.R. Tambo International Airport (JNB) takes about 11 hours 5 minutes. The shortest flight path between them is 5,603 miles (9,017 km); winds and air traffic control usually add a few percent.

Alps foothills near the French-Italian border, Mediterranean Sea crossing near Sicily, vast dune fields of the central Sahara, Lake Chad basin, and the dense Congo rainforest canopy before the terrain rises toward the Zambian plateau.