Kauai Helicopter or Air Tour: Which Flight Should You Book?
5 min read
The most-reviewed air tour in our Kauai listings is not a helicopter. The Air Tour of Na Pali Coast, Entire Island of Kauai has 1,160 reviews, and its booking page describes a 65-minute flight in an Australian-made G8 AirVan with a limit of six passengers. The runner-up, the Entire Kauai Air Tour with Window Seats, is listed as an airplane too. If you picture rotor blades and a hovering view, you want one of the helicopter flights further down.
The four flights compared
| Flight | Aircraft | Duration | From | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Tour of Na Pali Coast, Entire Island | Small plane | 65 minutes | €138.04 | 4.9 from 1,160 reviews |
| Entire Kauai Air Tour with Window Seats | Small plane | 65 minutes | €141.60 | 4.8 from 675 reviews |
| Deluxe Waterfall Safari Helicopter Tour | Helicopter | 1 hour | €298.96 | 4.8 from 502 reviews |
| Kauai Sightseeing Helicopter Flight | Helicopter with a landing | 1.5 hours | €328.62 | 4.8 from 331 reviews |
All four leave from Lihue. Prices are per person; weight rules and extra seats are explained below.
What the plane does well
Both plane flights cover Waimea Canyon, the Na Pali Coast and Hanalei Bay. The first one adds the ridgeline behind Hanalei Bay, the waterfalls of Hanalei Valley and the crater below Mount Waiʻaleʻale, weather permitting. The window-seat flight lists the Hanapepe Valley, then Hanalei Bay, the Na Pali Coast and Waimea Canyon. Both cap the group at six, and the second is sold on its window seats.
A plane cannot hover, so you get long passes rather than a lingering look. The plane flights cost €138.04 and €141.60, the two helicopter flights €298.96 and €328.62; on the first plane flight the pilot narrates the island’s history and you can ask questions over a two-way intercom, while the second promises legends from your pilot. If the aim is “see everything once”, this is the sensible entry point.
What a helicopter adds
The Deluxe Waterfall Safari is a one-hour helicopter flight over the Jurassic Falls (Manawaiopuna Falls, seen in Jurassic Park), Waimea Canyon, the Na Pali Coast and the waterfalls of the Waiʻaleʻale crater. The longer Sightseeing Helicopter Flight covers over 100 miles and includes a landing in Olokele Canyon. Its page describes the falls as privately owned and not reachable by car; both helicopter flights pass them. The landing is what neither plane offers.
Choose the landing flight if you want to step out of the aircraft; choose the one-hour flight if you simply want the scenery from a helicopter seat.
Doors off
Two of the flights we list fly with the doors off. The Private Doors Off Helicopter Tour: Ultimate Waterfalls, from €378.49, is flown privately, and you choose doors on or off. The page sets conditions: passengers must be at least 7 years old and weigh at least 40 pounds, children aged 7 to 11 fly with the doors on, and hats, large earrings and loose hair are not allowed. Each person may bring one camera or phone, and it needs a strap.
The Air Kauai Doors-Off Helicopter Adventure, from €343.76, is a shared 45-minute flight for up to six people. Its page sets the minimum age at 10, requires an adult with anyone aged 10 to 18 and keeps the edge seats for guests aged 16 and over. Only your phone is allowed on board. Its page shows free cancellation up to 24 hours, but the operator’s terms on the same page say there are no refunds or rescheduling within 48 hours of the flight, so confirm the rule before booking.
Weight, health and who should skip it
Every flight above asks for your weight before you fly. The Safari helicopters require an extra seat for any guest at 250 pounds or more, or for two guests who together reach 420 pounds, although the same pages also list people over 250 pounds as not suitable; ask the operator which rule applies. Both Safari flights also list children under 2, fear of heights and motion sickness among people who should not book, and the one-hour flight adds pregnancy. The plane operators give their own limits: the first lists people over 297 pounds (135 kg) as not suitable, asks that each person weigh under 300 pounds and that a party of four to six stay under 1,100 pounds in total, with no refund at weigh-in if the total is higher; the second states 300 pounds (136 kg) per person. The doors-off flights have their own limits: the private tour allows at most 275 pounds per seat and weighs everyone at check-in; the Air Kauai flight requires an extra seat for a single passenger at 230 pounds or more, two passengers at 400 pounds combined, or groups of three or more averaging 190 pounds, and a comfort seat for anyone over 250 pounds. Check the exact rule for your party on the booking page before paying.
Cloud and rain close routes over the interior, and the Waiʻaleʻale crater is often hidden. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before is stated on all four pages.
Our recommendation
For most visitors, book the Air Tour of Na Pali Coast, Entire Island: the most reviews of the flights compared here and the full island loop, at €138.04 against €298.96 for the one-hour helicopter flight. Upgrade to the helicopter with the Olokele Canyon landing if you want to land in Olokele Canyon. Browse every option on the Kauai helicopter tours page.
