Reviews

This trip was clearly the highlight of our vacation. As you cannot access most of Kauai by car, a helicopter tour is a great way to see its highlights like the Napali coast, the "Jurassic Park Falls" or Waimea Canyon. You will recognize many sweet spots from movies and TV. The highlight of the helicopter tour was flying into the crater of an extinct volcano. There, several hundred feet of vertical, but nevertheless overgrown rocks encompass you from three sides - with the helicopter only being 10-20 yards away from the walls. And have I mentioned that there are waterfalls on the walls? Words cannot do justice to this experience. 240 $ for one hour may seem expensive, but it was worth every penny.

We're not really very adventurous but we decided to see the other 70% of the island not visible by car or foot or boat while here on this visit. So we did it by air in a helicopter. Even with our skepticism, we have to give two thumbs up to pretty much all aspects of the experience. This is not for the faint of wallet however. It's pricey! About $155 per person plus $42 per person for a fuel charge, so all in about $200. It's also not for the faint of stomach. We played it conservatively and took Dramamine beforehand and we are glad we did. There were more than a few times when the old stomach was queasy as it hit wind currents and trade windes. We experienced amazing sites that we wouldn't have ever gotten any other way on the island. We flew over and into valleys full of waterfalls, over the Waimea Canyon, around and literally into the Napali Coast. Truly amazing views and feeling as we did this!! Awesome is too light a word! We experienced all of these views while listening to some cool island sounds and decent and knowledgable commentary over or noise canceling headphones. Definitely glad we had our camera. Wish we had brough the telephoto lense though. The glare was pretty strong off of the wind shields. They don't open the doors but there is glass in front, on the sides and even above on the ceiling, good for viewing and taking photos. We suggest you put a good filter on the end of the lense. This should help a bit. The craft we were in was called an Eco Star 8 seater (including the pilot). There are 7 seaters also. There are also A-Stars with 6 seats (I think). It would have been great to be able to chose our seats but they work to weight-balance the craft, so how much you weigh relative to others determines your seat. I am about 180 so me and the other guy that was about my size were in the middle (he in the front, me in the back). I suppose I could have been the lucky one and been in his seat up front (for the better, unobstructed views) but things were OK from my vantage point even with the less desirable seating. The trip was about 50-55 minues. We took the first trip out for the day (8:00 am / 7:15 am check-in) as we heard this tends to have better light, lower wind gusts, and since we wanted "ride the wave" of the experience for the day. For me, I was ready to be done when it was over and I wasn't completely "wowed" by the experience and so I rode no wave. Just the queasy wave until about mid-day. I must emphasize again, there there were a few times within the Napali Coast that my mouth was literally wide open and I was blown away by flying into the ridges of the coast line. We were literally engulfed by the sides of the coast, looking at the waterfalls and "moss" (really trees and bushes to give you a sense of scale!) on the sides of the mountains. A few final notes. Check in is 45 minutes before takeoff. This time is for paying the fuel charge, watching the safety presentation and getting your flotation device. They then bus you over to the airport to pick up your ride. All was very organized and we felt safe the entire time. Our captain was knowledgable, curteous and a great pilot. Choose these guys for the professionalism, safety record and Eco-star helicopters (which are quieter and better balanced).

You must do this while on Kauai. You can not see many of the spectacular sites unless you are in a helicopter. The company was professional, the pilot great and the DVD was reasonable at only $25. One of our group of five got motion sick but that was not due to the company or pilot, just from the motion. Going into the volcano was unbelievable. You William see too many waterfalls to count and you won't get a better view of Waimea canyon or Napali coast.

What a great way to see this beautiful island. At first the thought of a less than one hour ride sounded like it was not a lot for the money involved. But after going on the ride we agreed it was worth every penny of the price. Our friendly, informed and very competent pilot/guide made it an enjoyable ride from take off to touch down. We covered the entire island in 50 minutes. At no time did we feel rushed. Breath taking view after breath taking view took place. We took the advise of others and did this excursion on the morning of our first full day on the island. We are glad we did!!! it helped us plan other days. Also don't worry if it rains the night before that only means more waterfalls!!! All told, if your pocket book can take it this ride is the thing to do!!!!

Pilot Steve did a fantastic job of showing and talking about the beautiful island of Kauai. He was informational and I felt totally comfortable in his piloting skills. Would recommend Blue Hawaiian Helicopters to anyone visiting the island of Kauai.

This was the best thing we did on our trip to Hawaii!! There's no other way to see the entire island, and the Napali Coast. Our pilot took us over Waimea Canyon and we saw a double rainbow! Waterfalls, beaches, lush fields...all of it was incredible and a memory we will all cherish for a lifetime! Four of us went (me, husband, kids 12 & 10), they kept us all together, everyone had a good seat. I am very motion-sick prone, and felt it just a bit at the end. I was impressed with their great service and safety record. Dont' leave Kauai without doing this!!

I read all the helicopter reviews in both the Ultimate Guide Kauai and Lonely Planet. Based on that and getting a AAA discount, we picked Blue Hawaiian. Very professional, very nice pilot, saw amazing things. Highly recommended.

We debated a while over spending the money to take a helicopter ride and finally decided to book the shore excursion in Kauai from Norweigean's Shore Excursions. We had to submit our weights to the shore excursion desk after we embarked on the cruise and then when we were at the check in for the tour at the Blue Hawaiian office they had us step on a scale so I am not sure why they had to have us turn in our weights ahead of time. We were picked up promptly from the pier and driven a short ways to a shopping plaza where the tour had a home base office. Here we checked in for the tour, stepped on a scale, gave up all of our extra bags to be locked up while we were gone and watched a briefing video on standard procedures for buckling and opening doors on the helicoptes. We were given life vests that strapped around our waist and then boarded another van that would take us to the airport. We waited under a canopy at the helipads for the helicopters to return from their current tours. We were each given the name of our pilot and a number for our seating arrangement. When the helicopter landed the crew unloaded the current passengers, snapped some pictures for everyone, called out the next group to stand on their assigned numbers and then loaded us into the helicopter. Looking at the safety harness the instructions from the video quickly leave your mind so it was good that the crew strapped you in and got each passenger settled into place. Our pilot was Jimmy and he has been flying on Kauai for 8 years and he was an awesome pilot. The flight was so smooth and he could turn the aircraft on a dime. He gave a wonderful dialogue on what we were seeing, flying over, what had been filmed here, some history and just so many facts. The views were just spectacular. I loved every minute of it. The Na'Pali Coast was just stunning. The 50 minutes we were in the air was just amazing. I absolutely loved it and I can't wait to take another helicopter ride. If you really want to see the island you need to see it from the air! We returned to the base operations for the tour and retrieved our personal belongings. We were given an opportunity to purchase a video of our tour that was filmed while we were flying, including all of the music and commentary that was part of the tour. It would have been nice to be included for the price you pay initially for the tour but watching it again it was well worth the extra to buy this unique souvenir.

Went on the 60 minute tour of the island of Kauai this week while on vacation. The staff was great, safety conscious and the pilot was knowledgable and friendly. Amazing views only to be seen via helicopter. My only complaint was I am 6'4" and was seated in the middle and my head touched the roof if I sat upright (even slouched) which made for an uncomfortable ride and a stiff neck afterwards. The front and side seats had about 6-8 inches more head room.

Jimmy was our pilot, but all the folks at Blue Hawaiian took great care of us. Very professional and safe. Jimmy has been living in Kauai and flying for a while so had lots to share about the land and locals. He did a great job of making sure those on each sides got a view of the sights. They make a DVD of your actual flight so you can have that along with the music (great music which fits the sight at the time) and discussion during your flight. That's $25 and you can add on their Blu ray version of the rides on all the islands for another few bucks. What a deal. While the flight is only about 30 mins, allow about 2 hours for safety briefing, transport to and from the airport (they brief you at their office in the strip center south of the airport - AC and restrooms/food available there), and the viewing of the DVD footage so you know if you want to buy. There was a guy flying with our group that needed a wheelchair and they did a great job accommodating. Even have special equipment to make the transfer easy at the helicopter.

Very professional service. Our pilot Nathan was the best. We could communicate with him & he did a great job with a smooth flight, entertaining us while talking about the island and was engaging & asking us questions about ourselves. Gave us views from all sides of the helicopter, for pictures too. Considerate in every way. Great experience & a highlight of our trip. Go early in your vacation so you get an overall idea of where you want to go. The whole flight is recorded, so we bought a DVD for 25.00 that includes the music that was playing during the flight & the talking that occured. Don't miss this!

Spend the money...it is worth the experience! My ride was so smooth it felt like I was sitting in an IMAX movie theater. I had a front row seat on the passenger door side, Got some great photos of the island only obtainable from the vantage point of an awesome helicopter ride.

    " This was absolutely amazing, We Booked the flight to celebrate our 14th Wedding Anniversary. Vincent was our Pilot and he was amazing!!!!! Thank you Blue Hawaiian and Vincent for making our trip a very special one. We will treasure it forever. Arnold & Deborah Stepanek - Brenham, TX

I loved this tour, but I was lucky because I got the window seat in the front row. It is, without a doubt, the best seat. My 9 year old daughter was in between the pilot and me. She also had a great seat. My 16 year old son had a back window seat and my husband was next to him. For them, the tour was good, but not quite as amazing as it was for me. Our pilot was Vince. He is a former Apache helicopter pilot and a very good pilot. He was also very nice to our daughter, and tried to make her comfortable. My daughter was very nervous and wanted to hold my hand the whole tour. Due to our family size and our nervous daughter, this was a good choice for us. If our daughter had not been nervous, I might have considered a doors off tour. I think the smaller helicopters with fewer seats give more people a great seat. I really recommend a helicopter tour of Kauai. I was able to get some good pictures, but they will also try and sell you a video of your tour.

This is one of best sightseeing tours I ever took. The pilot was excellent - his flying/piloting skill, his knowledge of the island history made this a wonderful experience. If you book online, there is a slight discount. Because of Hurricane Irene, I had to cancel my original reservation in late August, there was no problem and refund was credited to my credit card quickly. I am glad that I rebooked this trip. Since I always the designated driver for long-distance trip, the heli tour allowed me to sit back, relax and enjoy the sight. Even though I had a whole week on the island, I did not really want to drive and drive to the West Coast and inland to see everything - this tour covered a lot in a short time.