A seaplane tour shows you a place the way no road, boat or train can: mountains, beaches and reefs spread out below, with a take-off and landing on the water to begin and end the adventure. These are five of the world's most amazing seaplane tours, and one closer to home in the Philippines.

1. The Maldives
2. Vancouver, Canada
3. Bergen and the fjords, Norway
4. Bora Bora, French Polynesia
5. Alaska, USA

1.The Maldives

The Maldives is made up of 26 ring-shaped coral atolls and more than a thousand islands, many of them uninhabited. No wonder it has one of the largest seaplane operations in the world. From the air, the atolls look like turquoise jewels set in deep blue water, with white sandbanks and reefs in every direction.

With sunshine for much of the year, almost every view from the window is a postcard. It is the place where many travellers take their first seaplane flight. Curious about the cost? See how much it costs to charter a seaplane.

2.Vancouver, British Columbia

Floatplanes are part of everyday life in Vancouver, taking off right from the downtown harbour. A panorama tour flies over Stanley Park and the city skyline, towards snow-capped mountains and the Gulf Islands, where forests meet the sea.

Longer flights continue across the water to Victoria on Vancouver Island, or north into the wild Coast Mountains. British Columbia is also home to the DHC-2 Beaver, the famous Canadian bush plane we fly in Palawan.

3.Bergen and the fjords, Norway

Norway's west coast is a maze of islands, deep fjords and steep mountains, waters once sailed by Viking longships. From a seaplane you see it all at once: narrow fjords cutting inland, waterfalls dropping from the cliffs and tiny villages at the water's edge.

Flights from the Bergen area take in the archipelago, the fjords and the open North Sea, one of the most dramatic coastlines on earth.

4.Bora Bora, French Polynesia

Bora Bora is one of the most famous islands in the world: a green volcanic peak surrounded by a lagoon of impossible blues and a ring of small islets. Seen from the air, the colours of the lagoon and reef are even more striking than from the beach.

On the ground, the main village of Vaitape is small and relaxed, and locals greet visitors with "ia ora na", hello in Tahitian. Between flights, explore the lagoon by boat, snorkel with rays and reef fish, or simply enjoy the view from an overwater bungalow.

5.Alaska, USA

Alaska may be the world capital of floatplanes. Across this vast state, many communities and wilderness areas can only be reached by air, and floatplanes are as common as taxis.

Scenic flights take you over glaciers, fjords, mountains and forests in minutes, places that would take days to reach on foot or by boat. Many tours land on a remote lake so you can step out into complete silence.

Want more? See our list of the world's most scenic seaplane flights.