Can You See Sahara Desert From a Plane? Best Seat Side Guide

🏜️ Desert · Algeria / Libya / Egypt / Niger / Mali

Photo: Bjørn Christian Tørrissen · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

The world's largest hot desert stretches across North Africa and is almost always visible on Europe-to-Africa routes. The endless golden dunes, ergs, and rocky hamadas create a mesmerizing pattern from altitude.

110Flight Routes

1 miClosest Pass

🏜️ DesertType

Routes that pass it110

NBO → YYZ Nairobi to Toronto · 1 mi Both Sides YYZ → NBO Toronto to Nairobi · 1 mi Both Sides CPT → MXP Cape Town to Milano · 14 mi Left MXP → CPT Milano to Cape Town · 14 mi Right BFN → LCY Bloemfontein to London · 16 mi Left LCY → BFN London to Bloemfontein · 16 mi Right CPT → ZRH Cape Town to Zurich · 22 mi Left ZRH → CPT Zurich to Cape Town · 22 mi Right ERS → FRA Windhoek to Frankfurt · 40 mi Left FRA → ERS Frankfurt to Windhoek · 40 mi Right CDG → MUB Paris to Maun · 40 mi Right MUB → CDG Maun to Paris · 40 mi Left CPT → FRA Cape Town to Frankfurt · 44 mi Left FRA → CPT Frankfurt to Cape Town · 44 mi Right FRA → WDH Frankfurt to Windhoek · 52 mi Right WDH → FRA Windhoek to Frankfurt · 52 mi Left COO → SAW Cotonou to Pendik, Istanbul · 59 mi Left SAW → COO Pendik, Istanbul to Cotonou · 59 mi Right AMS → CPT Amsterdam to Cape Town · 70 mi Left CPT → AMS Cape Town to Amsterdam · 70 mi Right ABV → BUD Abuja to Budapest · 83 mi Right BUD → ABV Budapest to Abuja · 83 mi Left GCJ → LHR Johannesburg to London · 84 mi Left LHR → GCJ London to Johannesburg · 84 mi Right JNB → LHR Johannesburg to London · 86 mi Left LHR → JNB London to Johannesburg · 86 mi Right HLA → LCY Johannesburg to London · 95 mi Left LCY → HLA London to Johannesburg · 95 mi Right GCJ → LCY Johannesburg to London · 101 mi Left LCY → GCJ London to Johannesburg · 101 mi Right JNB → LCY Johannesburg to London · 103 mi Left LCY → JNB London to Johannesburg · 103 mi Right DUB → MPM Dublin to Maputo · 108 mi Right MPM → DUB Maputo to Dublin · 108 mi Left BZV → CDG Brazzaville to Paris · 118 mi Right CDG → BZV Paris to Brazzaville · 118 mi Left CDG → JNB Paris to Johannesburg · 126 mi Right JNB → CDG Johannesburg to Paris · 126 mi Left DUR → LHR Durban to London · 132 mi Left LHR → DUR London to Durban · 132 mi Right SCL → TLV Santiago to Tel Aviv · 132 mi Left TLV → SCL Tel Aviv to Santiago · 132 mi Right DUR → GLA Durban to Glasgow · 134 mi Left GLA → DUR Glasgow to Durban · 134 mi Right MUC → WDH Munich to Windhoek · 150 mi Right DUR → ORY Durban to Paris · 155 mi Left ORY → DUR Paris to Durban · 155 mi Right JFK → NBO New York to Nairobi · 168 mi Left NBO → JFK Nairobi to New York · 168 mi Right JFK → WIL New York to Nairobi · 173 mi Left WIL → JFK Nairobi to New York · 173 mi Right CDG → CPT Paris to Cape Town · 191 mi Left CPT → CDG Cape Town to Paris · 191 mi Right BOS → JRO Boston to Kilimanjaro · 214 mi Left JRO → BOS Kilimanjaro to Boston · 214 mi Right CDG → NSI Paris to Yaoundé · 215 mi Left NSI → CDG Yaoundé to Paris · 215 mi Right CDG → YAO Paris to Yaounde · 216 mi Left YAO → CDG Yaounde to Paris · 216 mi Right CPT → LCY Cape Town to London · 245 mi Right LCY → CPT London to Cape Town · 245 mi Left JNB → RTM Johannesburg to Rotterdam · 249 mi Left RTM → JNB Rotterdam to Johannesburg · 249 mi Right AMS → HLA Amsterdam to Johannesburg · 258 mi Right HLA → AMS Johannesburg to Amsterdam · 258 mi Left CPT → LGW Cape Town to London · 258 mi Right LGW → CPT London to Cape Town · 258 mi Left CPT → LHR Cape Town to London · 263 mi Right LHR → CPT London to Cape Town · 263 mi Left AMS → JNB Amsterdam to Johannesburg · 266 mi Right JNB → AMS Johannesburg to Amsterdam · 266 mi Left JFK → JRO New York to Kilimanjaro · 269 mi Left JRO → JFK Kilimanjaro to New York · 269 mi Right JFK → MRU New York to Plaisance · 273 mi Left MRU → JFK Plaisance to New York · 273 mi Right ABV → FRA Abuja to Frankfurt · 280 mi Right FRA → ABV Frankfurt to Abuja · 280 mi Left CAI → EZE Cairo to Buenos Aires · 294 mi Right EZE → CAI Buenos Aires to Cairo · 294 mi Left NBO → VLC Nairobi to Valencia · 296 mi Left VLC → NBO Valencia to Nairobi · 296 mi Right JNB → ZRH Johannesburg to Zurich · 302 mi Left ZRH → JNB Zurich to Johannesburg · 302 mi Right IAD → JRO Washington to Kilimanjaro · 314 mi Left JRO → IAD Kilimanjaro to Washington · 314 mi Right CDG → LBV Paris to Libreville · 322 mi Left LBV → CDG Libreville to Paris · 322 mi Right ATL → ADD Atlanta to Addis Ababa · 328 mi Right FRA → JNB Frankfurt to Johannesburg · 347 mi Right JNB → FRA Johannesburg to Frankfurt · 347 mi Left DAR → JFK Dar Es Salaam to New York · 351 mi Right JFK → DAR New York to Dar Es Salaam · 351 mi Left ELS → MAD East London to Madrid · 386 mi Right MAD → ELS Madrid to East London · 386 mi Left AMS → MPM Amsterdam to Maputo · 396 mi Right MPM → AMS Maputo to Amsterdam · 396 mi Left ADD → IAD Addis Ababa to Washington · 409 mi Left IAD → ADD Washington to Addis Ababa · 409 mi Right IAD → WMN Washington to Maroantsetra · 420 mi Left WMN → IAD Maroantsetra to Washington · 420 mi Right ADD → JFK Addis Ababa to New York · 425 mi Left JFK → ADD New York to Addis Ababa · 425 mi Right CMN → SYD Casablanca to Sydney · 426 mi Right SYD → CMN Sydney to Casablanca · 426 mi Left JNB → MUC Johannesburg to Munich · 432 mi Left MUC → JNB Munich to Johannesburg · 432 mi Right KGL → LHR Kigali to London · 442 mi Left LHR → KGL London to Kigali · 442 mi Right EZE → IST Buenos Aires to Istanbul · 489 mi Right IST → EZE Istanbul to Buenos Aires · 489 mi Left

Tip: Visibility depends on cloud cover, time of day, and how close the flight path comes. Sit on the listed side for the best chance of a view. Morning and evening flights often offer the best lighting.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you see Sahara Desert from a plane?

Yes — 110 flight routes pass within 497 miles of Sahara Desert. The closest routes include Nairobi to Toronto, Toronto to Nairobi, Cape Town to Milano. The landmark is visible from both sides, with the landmark passing about 1 miles away.

Which side of the plane is best for viewing Sahara Desert?

The best side varies by route. For the most common routes near Sahara Desert: on a Nairobi to Toronto flight, visible from both sides; on a Toronto to Nairobi flight, visible from both sides; on a Cape Town to Milano flight, sit on the Left side.