Helicopter Tour, has anyone done one?

[Uncranky Donald]

I am making my first visit to Hawaii in July and am wondering if anyone who has journeyed there has been on one of the helicopter tours around the island? I'll be on Maui but I'd love anyone's experience, Oahu or any other island

 

[bamagirl@hrt]

We used Makani Kai when we vacationed on Oahu 1-1/2 years ago. I chose them because they go beyond the safety requirements to earn the highest possible safety accreditation. This is the company that Hawaii Five-0 uses when they need a helicopter. Another plus is that once a week, they have tours that begin and end at the Ko'Olina Marina, so you don't have to go to the airport.

Their flights will hold up to 6, but no one else booked the same time we did, so we had a private flight! Unfortunately for us, the eastern side of the island was very rainy. We made it to just past Hanauma Bay when turbulence became too rough too continue around the island. Visibility was impossible by then too. Our pilot turned around and flew up the middle of the island, over the Dole Plantation, up to the coast and then turned left to go around the northwest tip of the island. That's an area that is not usually covered on the tour and it's gorgeous! It is also amazing to see Aulani from the sky. It was a once in a lifetime experience! I'm glad we did it!

 

[Midoria]

My friend and I went on a helicopter tour of Kauai. It was stunning, but both of us got ill. I almost threw up. My friend wasn’t that bad, but we both had to lay out for an hour or so afterward. I would certainly recommend that you go, but take Dramamine beforehand. I’d never gotten motion sickness despite having ridden roller coasters, jerky trains, etc., so I was surprised that it hit me so hard.

 

[happymommy]

I lived on Oahu and never even considered doing one. Yes, I have a friend that did one once on Kauai, and they enjoyed it, but when you live there and hear reports of crashes (and I get motion sickness), it's not something I am interested in.

For Oahu, I would just drive (especially the Pali, or at least the Likelike).

Maybe for Kauai, although I'd do a boat tour of the north side.

 

[Uncranky Donald]

Thank you everyone for your responses!! I hadn't even considered motion sickness cuz unless I'm reading in a car I don't get it, but great to know!! This kind of thing is something I usually would never even consider ( I don't like flying) however my friend is leaving the island and moving back to the east coast and I may never have another chance to do something like this...soooo...Im feeling very, "Go For IT!!" Lol!! Words like "stunning" are what I was hoping for, I also would like to go for a helicopter ride once in my life

 

[Midoria]

Thank you everyone for your responses!! I hadn't even considered motion sickness cuz unless I'm reading in a car I don't get it, but great to know!! This kind of thing is something I usually would never even consider ( I don't like flying) however my friend is leaving the island and moving back to the east coast and I may never have another chance to do something like this...soooo...Im feeling very, "Go For IT!!" Lol!! Words like "stunning" are what I was hoping for, I also would like to go for a helicopter ride once in my life

Just keep in mind that each island is very different in terms of what you'll see in the air. Kauai is often seen as the best overall helicopter tour because it has Na Pali, Waimea canyon, endless green, and many waterfalls. It's the Garden Isle and not very developed. Oahu is going to have a fair amount man-made sites on the agenda like Waikiki and Pearl Harbor in addition to the natural stuff. Just keep that in mind when you book.

 

[Uncranky Donald]

Just keep in mind that each island is very different in terms of what you'll see in the air. Kauai is often seen as the best overall helicopter tour because it has Na Pali, Waimea canyon, endless green, and many waterfalls. It's the Garden Isle and not very developed. Oahu is going to have a fair amount man-made sites on the agenda like Waikiki and Pearl Harbor in addition to the natural stuff. Just keep that in mind when you book.

Gotcha, that makes sense. I'll be on Maui so I guess I got some research to do!

 

[Midoria]

Gotcha, that makes sense. I'll be on Maui so I guess I got some research to do!

Oh, that's gonna be awesome, then. Haleakala!

 

[nkereina]

We did the Jurassic Park helicopter tour on Kauai with Island Helicopters. The tour lands the helicopter on private land at the falls from Jurassic Park and gives you 20 minutes to check them out and take photos. You then go back up in the helicopter around the Na Pali Coast and Waimea Canyon. There are photos and details in my trip report in my signature.

Overall, we enjoyed the experience as we had not been on a helicopter before. It was very unique and the views were breathtaking. I did have some minor gripes - first, our tour started very early and we had to be at the office at 7am. When booking, we could opt for a morning tour or afternoon tour and then were later assigned a tour time. That made it difficult to plan our day ahead of time, but it ended up being very early and we were done with everything by 10am. Second, many of my photos from the helicopter didn't come out great. I didn't have a good camera, but there were a lot of reflections from the glass due to the sun. Not much I could do about that. Also, you don't get to choose your seats in the helicopter as its determined by weight. They take your weight when you get there. Lastly, this tour in particular was considerably expensive. Most helicopter tours are expensive but this one was even more so due to the exclusivity of it. It was a cool experience but in retrospect, not sure it was worth the cost. There is a hefty tax/fee per person added to the listed price at check-out and that may go for all helicopter tours.

 

[thornton0511]

We used Makani Kai when we vacationed on Oahu 1-1/2 years ago. I chose them because they go beyond the safety requirements to earn the highest possible safety accreditation. This is the company that Hawaii Five-0 uses when they need a helicopter. Another plus is that once a week, they have tours that begin and end at the Ko'Olina Marina, so you don't have to go to the airport.

Their flights will hold up to 6, but no one else booked the same time we did, so we had a private flight! Unfortunately for us, the eastern side of the island was very rainy. We made it to just past Hanauma Bay when turbulence became too rough too continue around the island. Visibility was impossible by then too. Our pilot turned around and flew up the middle of the island, over the Dole Plantation, up to the coast and then turned left to go around the northwest tip of the island. That's an area that is not usually covered on the tour and it's gorgeous! It is also amazing to see Aulani from the sky. It was a once in a lifetime experience! I'm glad we did it!

This is the one we were actually looking into for next year. I had no idea that they offered some days from Ko'Olina Marina!

 

[islandsnoopy]

We've done a helicopter tour of Kauai and the Big Island. Both were with Blue Hawaiian Helicopter. Pilots were very informative and answered questions throughout the tour. You can also buy the recording of your actual flight. As others have posted, Kauai and the Big Island are best seen from the air since there are areas that are difficult or impossible to get to via driving like the Napali Coast on Kauai.
Enjoy your trip!