Kauai, the Garden Isle, is the oldest of Hawaii’s populated islands, and fairly renowned for its epic beauty. A volcanic mountain that erupted from the floor of the ocean 6 million years ago has been formed by wind and rain ever since, into a thriving island paradise of rocky gorges and tropical splendor.
Kauai’s most inspirational features — the Na Pali Coast’s14 miles of ocean cliffs soaring vertically 3,000 feet over a pristine wilderness coast, and Waimea Canyon, the “Grand Canyon of the Pacific” as Mark Twain called it — are generally unreachable from the ground. They can only be seen and appreciated fully from the air. Through helicopter flights, tourists are given the chance to explore these wondrous hidden places in Kauai, where no one has ever set foot.
Two companies offer helicopter flights from Kauai, both with skilled pilots who are alsoaccredited tour guides. Their flights allow aerial exploration of many spectacular Kauai features including: Hanapepe Valley; Mana Waiapuna (Jurassic Park Falls); Olokele and Waimea Canyons; the Na Pali Coast; Bali Hai Cliffs; Hanalei Bay; Princeville, and; Wailua Falls (Fantasy Island Waterfalls). On a dry day, you can fly into the wettest spot on earth (with more than four hundred and fifty inches of precipitation each year) located in the center of the ancient volcano, Mt Waialeale!
Blue Hawaiian Helicopters provides Kauai Helicopter tours from Lihue aboard its new American Eurocopter ECO-Star. This state-of-the-art craft gives passengers more interior space, two-way radio with pilots via Boze headsets, and expansive glass for sweeping views of Kauai’s unique natural beauty.
Offering flights from both Lihue and Princeville, Sunshine Helicopters and Will Squyres Helicopter Tours have combined their two decades of experience into one company. Sunshine provides David Clark stereo aviation headsets and a choice of either FXStar or state-of-the-art WhisperStar Kauai helicopters to explore this island’s natural beauties.
