Reviews

If you are on business and do not have too much time to visit the island or even if you are on holidays, this is the ultimate experience. You will discover wonderful Oahu. The team is professional and the pilot was very knowledgeable piloting and as a guide. Pick-up and drop directly from my hotel in Waikiki in a shuttle. I took the Doors Off helicopter as I wanted to take pictures without the obstruction of glasses and I wanted to be sure to have a seat without obstruction (you amy have a middle seat in the other helicopters). Furthermore, having the Magnum PI helicopter type gave it a funny dimension. The tour was complete of 50 mn with amazing views that nothing from the ground can compete with. Plus that was my first helicopter experience. I do not regret it and I want to recommend Makani Kai as they were simply great.

I would like to say a huge thank you to this company. Everything ran so smoothly and the tour was amazing. We did the doors off tour and it's the only way to go. Our pilot Geoff was phenomenal at everything and gave us a bit of a thrill ride whilst at it. I definitely recommend this company, best experience so far Steven

For starters they have great customer service. Our flight was pushed back due to light rain, they extended our flight due to the inconvenience. The view from the helicopter are amazing it's a must do for families.

Everything was extremely smooth. Little scared at first because it was my first helicopter ride, I felt safe and comfortable immediately. The views are breath taking! The pictures I took make every postcard look lame. I did the 'Sacred falls' 1 hour tour and can only highly recommend. The explanations by the pilot are quite useful and I got a great understanding how the island is laid out. Recommend doing this in the beginning of your stay. I also like that it's a local family run business.

We had a great time on the 50 minute doors off tour. I have taken many helicopter trips all over the world and the views and sights on this tour were just awesome! I have been to hawaii many times and found a new appreciation for all of the new things I was able to see from the air. The only thing that I would probably do differently was do a doors on tour with an air conditioned helicopter. The other recommendation is try and sit in the front. you need to request this when booking as they do try to balance the weight out n the helicopter. We took over 200 photos on this tour and have enjoyed sharing them with everyone back home.

The doors open helicopter rider was good, however it did not meet my expectations. My wife and I booked first class seats. She was seated in the front between me and the pilot. There was another couple that sat in the seats behind us. As it turned out the person seated behind the pilot in the back probably has the best opportunity for photography. My wife had to shoot through the canopy. The trip went from Honolulu Airport, through Sand Island, Waikiki, Hawaii Kai, Diamond Head, the south shore, Kokohead, Makapu’u Point, up the wind ward coast to Kaneohe bay, Sacred falls, and to the north beaches, Waimea Bay and then down through central Oahu, the Dole Plantation, West Lock, Pearl Harbor and back to Honolulu Airport. The flight was great, the scenery fantastic but from my perspective it was marginal for photography. The vast majority of the great shots were on the pilots side of the helicopter and as I mentioned my wife had to shoot through the canopy. We both got some great shots but if the trip was reversed starting at Honolulu Airport going up through central Oahu, across the north beach and down the windward side I would have been in much better position to take a lot more great shots.


We did the 50 minute Open Door Helicopter ride and it was just fantastic. We'd done the 10 hour bus tour Grand Circle Tour around the island 2 days prior and it was just amazing to see all the same sights but from the air. I had the middle seat at the front between the pilot and my Dad, and I still managed to take some fabulous photos from the middle seat. My father sat beside me in the front (with a harness seat belt) and my husband was in the back. They both absolutely loved it. My Dad said that it was the best thing he'd ever done (apart from marry my mother) :-). All the staff we encountered were helpful, courteous and gave clear instructions. All 3 of us would highly recommend this tour (and it was especially great after doing the bus tour as it just put everything into perspective). Thanks again Makani Kai! It was a great thrill and we would highly recommend this company and Open Door tour to anyone looking to see a different side of Oahu.

We booked the 45 minute flight over Oahu over the internet and saved 10%. The company shuttle met us at the cruise terminal (Pier 2 is Channel Street) at exactly the time promised. A short safety video was shown on the way to the airport. There are lockers available ($1) to store everything but your camera. This was our first ever helicopter flight and it was surprisingly smooth. Highlights were flying over Pearl Harbor, Waikiki Beach and Diamondhead. Lots of opportunities to take photos if you have a window seat. My wife was in a center seat and still enjoyed the flight. We saw a lot more than if we had taken a land tour. As we were off a cruise ship it left time to see other sights in Honolulu. The company will fill the aircraft to a maximum of six people. The noise cancelling head phones reduce the noise from the rotors. Soft music is played as the pilot provides commentary. The only drawback is that you do not have a microphone to converse with the pilot. The staff were very friendly and took photos of us with the aircraft after the flight using our own cameras. Tip By booking a group of six we were able to avoid paying the first class seat premium (front seats). Seat location is determined by computer to balance the load. If you book the whole aircraft you can nominate the people for the front seats, however weight restrictions apply.

We were picked up by the shuttle service at our Hotel and it was a quick 20 minute trip to the airport. The pilot was ex military and he knew how to fly. The sights are amazing, and being open door made it even more exhilarating. When the pilot banks hard left or right and then apologises, you just grit your teeth, be grateful you are still alive and enjoy the sights. The tour of the island is amazing and helicopter is the best way to see it. Highly recommend.

This was the top experience in our Oahu visit. We operate a family business in Australia selling Hot Air balloon rides and fully appreciate the tourist aviation industry. We took the "Doors Off" Magnum tour and it was a top adventure. As an aviation tour operator we could not fault Makani Kai. Their focus on safety and attention to detail was excellent. Pricing for 50 minute flight was very reasonable. Will do this again on our next visit. The Hughes chopper is a bit cramped, particularly in the front and even an 80 deg day can be very cold in flight, so be sure to rug up!

The trip was a fine experience, not terrific. While I paid over $272.00 for my flight, I feel like for the things I saw I should have paid only $150 for it. We saw the valey where Jurassic Park was filmed. And we saw the fields where Dole Pinneapple began growing their harvest. I wish that for a $272 experience I would have seen a volcanoes with magma gushing, or put floaters on the landing gear so that we could dive into the water for 5 seconds, or to land at the top of a building that was the location where George Clooney looted money in the movie Ocean's 11. I'll shop a little deeper next time to assure that these are the exeriences I'll be getting when I intend to for the price I pay.

Despite my fear of heights and after researching several local companies, I booked this (closed door) helicopter tour of Honolulu. I could not have made a better choice. Makani Kai picked me up at the hotel and provided shuttle transportation to their launch pad at the airport. They were very professional and friendly and their safety record was flawless. The helicopter appeared quite new and decked out for comfort. Upon boarding we were belted in and provided headphones to block noise and to hear the pilot describe the sites below. Take off was smooth and before I knew it we were high in the sky. Our pilot was exceptionally experienced and definitely knew his stuff. The only flaw was that due to his accent, it was a bit hard to follow his commentary on what we were seeing below. However, this was just a small inconvenience. The 45 minute tour was breathtaking and the very best way to see parts of the island I would have never been able to access on the ground. I spent several days researching helicopter tours in Honolulu and this was by far the most memorable experience I could have ever imagined. If you are wanting to tour Honolulu by air, I highly recommend Makani Kai tours. You won't be disappointed!

On a fait un tour d'une heure au dessus d'Oahu. Certes c'est un peu cher, mais ça vaut vraiment le coup. Makani est venu nous récupérer devant notre hôtel de Waikiki et nous a ramené. Les consignes de sécurité sont données pendant le trajet (environ 30 mn). Le survol est commenté par le pilote qui prend soin de faire pivoter l'hélicoptère pour que chaque passager puisse faire des photos.

I opted to take the doors-off, "Magnum, P.I.", helicopter tour as part of things to do to treat myself on my vacation. I have to admit that it wasn't quite what I expected, even for it being my first time in a helicopter. I hadn't quite realised how small the interior of the chopper would be, and while the flight was exhilarating with the doors off, especially on some of the turns and flying past/over some of the mountain ridges, it was also really windy...it also ended up being a little cooler at altitude than I expected, and the vibrations made taking video without stabilisation very difficult, and keeping the sights in frame was often a challenge (watch your zoom factor). However, I did enjoy the nearly-one-hour flight, and it was really interesting seeing the island from the air instead of the ground, including the difficult-to-access Alii Falls, as well as the aerial flight over Pearl Harbour just before landing. Surprisingly, the flight was almost too long, given the conditions I mentioned, but I suppose that's self-inflicted. :/ The criticisms I would level from my experience would be 1) that on the flypast of Waikiki, the pilot didn't do a double pass: that is, he didn't give both sides of the chopper a good view, which is something I had seen this helicopter do from the ground; and 2) the pilot was hard to understand even through the headsets we were all wearing...his manner of speech was part of the issue. Additionally, though DVDs of the flights are offered, this flight does not have them, and that's not explicitly stated anywhere I saw when booking the flight. All in all, though, it was a good experience, and it's definitely a unique way to tour the island.

We made with my Family an Oahu helicopter tour for 45 minutes. It was awesome! Excelent service, and most important, Safety goes First! Don't remember the name of the Japanese-American pilot but he was very professional and skilled! Mahala- Arigatogozamazu- Gracias- Thank You!