The Best Helicopter Tour on Kauai

There is no better way to witness the beauty of Kauai than by taking a helicopter ride.

We chose Mauna Loa Helicopter Tours for two reasons. One, we wanted a private tour. My husband had a less than optimal experience on our group ride in Hawaii several years back. We flew with Blue Hawaiian; you can read about that experience here. The second reason we went with Mauna Loa was for the doors off experience. I went way outside of my comfort zone for my husband on this one. Luckily, I was only terrified for the first 20 seconds.  

The beautiful views start as soon as you lift off. 

The only way to glimpse these waterfalls is by air. There are no trails or roads to bring you in. It’s all private property, designated to be used for conservation purposes only. 

Words fail to accurately portray how awe inspiring the views are. This is going to be a photo-centric post!

One of the waterfalls in the photos above is from the movie Jurassic Park. I don’t remember which one, there were so many that I lost track!

The colors in the canyon appear more vibrant on slightly overcast days. If there is a lot of sun, it washes them out. 

If you hike in Waimea Canyon, you can only see one waterfall, and it is in the distance. If you want to see more of them, you have to fly. 

I really appreciated the obstruction free views of the doors off option.

I was even brave enough to peer straight down. When we were going through some of the tighter canyon slots, I preferred looking down.

This was my husband’s favorite part of the ride, flying over the cliffs and dropping down to the Napili Coast.

Seriously, the best way to see the island!

The views just kept getting more amazing.

It will literally take your breath away.

After you fly along the coast, you turn around in a canyon.

Then you fly back along the coast in the other direction.

After this, we flew back into the canyon to check out the caldera of the volcano that formed Kauai. This was my favorite part. 

There were waterfalls everywhere. We had to fly through a bit of rain to get here. Even with the doors off, we were just sprinkled with water.

As we were flying out of the canyon, we were treated to a rainbow. Talk about a perfect ending! We were so happy with our tour and our pilot, Stephanie. I 100% recommend taking a helicopter tour and choosing Mauna Loa, for the doors off and private flight experience.

Things to Know Before You Go

1. Schedule your flight very early in your trip. Our trip had to be rescheduled due to dense cloud coverage. During the planning stage, I made sure we had flexibility in our plans for this contingency. 
2. I loved the doors off, but it did feel like I was getting a shiatsu massage on my right shoulder and arm throughout the entire flight. It wasn’t painful, just unexpected.
3. If you have long hair, put it in a braid. I only did a ponytail, and it took a LONG time to comb out my hair. 
4. I was very comfortable in lined leggings and my jacket. My husband was fine in shorts and a t-shirt. I would have froze in shorts and a t-shirt. 
5. I could not hold up my camera with the wind blasting me. I took all of my pictures with my camera sitting in my lap, aimed out at the scenery. If I were to do this again, I would only use my cellphone, as I think that would have been easier to manage. At the time, I was a little disappointed because I had no way of knowing if any of my pictures were turning out. So, I changed my focus to just enjoying the ride, clicking away and hoping for the best. 
6. The seatbelt is exactly like a seatbelt on a plane. This was unexpected for me, as on Blue Hawaiian we were in a harness even with the doors on. I kept picturing my husband leaning over to talk to me and accidentally unfastening my seatbelt. Once we were in the air, I never felt like I was going to fall out. Even without a seatbelt, something would have to go very wrong for you to be in any danger of falling out.
7. On our Blue Hawaiian Flight, I felt nauseous and I was a little nervous about taking another helicopter ride.  The doors off and Stephanie’s amazing piloting skills did the trick. I felt fine the entire trip.

The helicopter ride is an hour long, but you need to check in 35 minutes early to watch a safety video and sign a waiver. The covid rules at the time were: proof of vaccination, masks worn while in the building, you must provide your own ride from the office to the helipad. Payment is due at time of booking, but they offer full refunds up to 24 hours before your flight. 

We signed up for a morning flight so we could spend the afternoon checking out some scenic overlooks and going on a few hikes. As always, wishing you happy travels and fantastic adventures in this thing called life.

(Pictures are available for purchase as Fine Art Prints or Digital Downloads at full resolution through Alamy. If you see something you like, click on the link. If you are unable to find it, use the Contact Me page and I will make sure the image is available.)

Things to See and Do in Kauai

Visiting Poipu and Brennecke’s Beach

The Lookout Points at Waimea Canyon and Kokee State Park

Visiting Spouting Horn Park

Opaeka’a Falls and the Wailua River Overlook

Hiking the Kuilau Ridge Trail in Kauai

 

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