Our top pick1,115 reviews
65 minKauai: Air Tour of Na Pali Coast, Entire Island of Kauai
★ 4.9 · 1 115 reviews
- One hours 5 minutes, Sixty-five minutes over the whole island
- Departs from Lihue
- Most booked
- Free cancellation
$155
Check availability→ 
Kauai helicopter rides
Kauai helicopter rides give travellers a fast aerial view of remote coast and canyons. We compared 14 flights, prices from $155 with free cancellation, and the top tour rates 4.9 from 1,115 reviews. Book that flight to pass roaring waterfalls on a deluxe air tour.
Price from
Air tour$155
Today's lowest Kauai air tour across all 14 tours
Average rating
All 14 tours48
3,976 verified reviews across 14 tours
Time in the air
Shortest to longest45–90min
Shortest: Discover Kauai
Longest: Kauai Sightseeing
Free cancellation
Reserve now, pay later
Verified reviews
Secure payment
Instant confirmation
Mobile voucher
Everything you can book here
Every Kauai helicopter ride, boat trip and hike
Fourteen ways over and around Kauai: helicopter tours in Kauai from $155, a private doors-off flight, boat trips into the Na Pali sea caves, a kayak to Secret Falls and a walk through Allerton Garden. Prices below are today’s, straight from each operator’s own booking page.
65 min655 reviews
65 minKauai: Entire Kauai Air Tour with Window Seats
★ 4.8 · 655 reviews
- One hours 5 minutes, Every seat is a window seat
- Departs from Lihue
- Mobile voucher accepted
- Free cancellation
$159
Check availability→ 
60 min488 reviews
60 minLihue: Deluxe Waterfall Safari Helicopter Tour
★ 4.8 · 488 reviews
- 1h, An hour built around the waterfalls
- Departs from Lihue
- Mobile voucher accepted
- Free cancellation
$336
Check availability→ 
90 min325 reviews
90 minFrom Lihue: Kauai Sightseeing Helicopter Flight
★ 4.8 · 325 reviews
- One and a half hours, Ninety minutes out of Lihue
- Departs from Lihue
- Mobile voucher accepted
- Free cancellation
$369
Check availability→ 
Rated 5.050 min
50 minKauai: Eco Adventure Helicopter Tour
★ 5.0 · 47 reviews
- 50m, Fifty minutes with an eco operator
- Departs from Lihue
- Mobile voucher accepted
- Free cancellation
$449
Check availability→ 
45 min15 reviews
45 minFrom Princeville: Discover Kauai Helicopter Tour
★ 4.5 · 15 reviews
- 45m, Lifts off from the north shore
- Departs from Lihue
- Mobile voucher accepted
- Free cancellation
$539
Check availability→ 
60 minDoors off
60 minKauai Private Doors Off Helicopter Tour: Ultimate Waterfalls
★ 5.0 · 14 reviews
- 1h, Doors off, private, waterfalls
- Departs from Lihue
- Mobile voucher accepted
- Free cancellation
$425
Check availability→ 
24 hNo reviews yet
24 hOahu to Kauai: Napali Coast Helicopter Tour & Waimea Canyon
- 24h, A day trip from Honolulu by air
- Departs from Lihue
- Mobile voucher accepted
- Free cancellation
$1,249
Check availability→ 
Rated 4.9283 reviews
4 hKauai: Nā Pali Coast Zodiac Raft Sea Caves + Snorkel Option
★ 4.9 · 283 reviews
- 3h, Raft into the Na Pali sea caves
- Departs from Lihue
- Mobile voucher accepted
- Free cancellation
$225
Check availability→ 
Rated 4.94.5 h
4.5 hKauai: Na Pali Coast Deluxe Power Catamaran Tour
★ 4.9 · 159 reviews
- Four and a half hours, Na Pali from a power catamaran
- Departs from Lihue
- Mobile voucher accepted
- Free cancellation
$275
Check availability→ 
7 hMeal included
7 hKauai: Niihau and Na Pali Coast Full-Day Boat Tour
★ 4.7 · 160 reviews
- 7h, Seven hours to Niihau and back
- Breakfast included
- Longest tour here
- Free cancellation
$339
Check availability→ 
5 h302 reviews
5 hKauai: Guided Kayak and Hike to Secret Falls
★ 4.8 · 302 reviews
- 5h, Kayak and hike to Secret Falls
- Departs from Lihue
- Mobile voucher accepted
- Free cancellation
$119
Check availability→ 
4.5 h234 reviews
4.5 hKauai: Napali Coast Sunset Sailboat Tour with Dinner
★ 4.7 · 234 reviews
- Four and a half hours, Na Pali at sunset, dinner aboard
- Departs from Lihue
- Mobile voucher accepted
- Free cancellation
$247
Check availability→ 
Lowest price here2.5 h
2.5 hKauai: Allerton Garden Guided Group Walking Tour
★ 4.6 · 179 reviews
- Two and a half hours, A guided walk through Allerton Garden
- Departs from Lihue
- Cheapest here
- Free cancellation
Two questions
Which flight is yours?
Seen the fourteen above and still torn? There are really only four answers on this island. Book the wide flight that circles Kauai in one Kauai heli tour. Ask for the doors off if the photos matter more than the seat. Pick the waterfall safari if that is the one thing you came for. Or stay on the water instead, in a boat or a kayak. Pick what matters and we will point at one.
See it before you pay for it
What the Na Pali cliffs look like from the air
This is the helicopter trip Kauai visitors describe most: the Na Pali cliffs filmed once with the doors on, and once with the doors off, so you can see what actually changes.
Side by side
The standard flight, the private charter, and the doors-off flight
Three different flights, and most people book the wrong one for what they actually want. The standard tour circles the whole island for the lowest price. The private charter adds a smaller group. The doors-off flight is for photographers who want nothing between the lens and the coast.
Swipe the table sideways →
| TOP PICKKauai: Air Tour of Na Pali Coast, Entire Island of Kauai | Kauai Private Doors Off Helicopter Tour: Ultimate Waterfalls | Kauai Private Doors Off Helicopter Tour: Ultimate Waterfalls | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price per person | $155 | $425 | $425 |
| What it is | The standard shared flight, whole island in one loop | Private charter, doors on, built around the waterfalls | Same private charter, doors off for the camera |
| Time in the air | 65 minutes | 1 hour | 1 hour |
| Group | Small group | Private charter | Private charter |
| Doors | On | On | Off |
| What you fly over | Na Pali Coast, Waimea Canyon, waterfalls | Na Pali Coast, Waimea Canyon, Hanalei Valley | Na Pali Coast, Waimea Canyon, Hanalei Valley |
| Rating | 4.9 · 1,115 | 5.0 · 14 | 5.0 · 14 |
| Cancellation | Free cancellation | Free cancellation | Free cancellation |
| Book this one→ | Check dates | Check dates |
TOP PICK
Kauai: Air Tour of Na Pali Coast, Entire Island of Kauai
$155- What it is
- The standard shared flight, whole island in one loop
- Time in the air
- 65 minutes
- Group
- Small group
- Doors
- On
- What you fly over
- Na Pali Coast, Waimea Canyon, waterfalls
- Rating
- 4.9 · 1,115
- Cancellation
- Free cancellation
Reserve now, pay later · Instant confirmation
Kauai Private Doors Off Helicopter Tour: Ultimate Waterfalls
$425- What it is
- Private charter, doors on, built around the waterfalls
- Time in the air
- 1 hour
- Group
- Private charter
- Doors
- On
- What you fly over
- Na Pali Coast, Waimea Canyon, Hanalei Valley
- Rating
- 5.0 · 14
- Cancellation
- Free cancellation
Kauai Private Doors Off Helicopter Tour: Ultimate Waterfalls
$425- What it is
- Same private charter, doors off for the camera
- Time in the air
- 1 hour
- Group
- Private charter
- Doors
- Off
- What you fly over
- Na Pali Coast, Waimea Canyon, Hanalei Valley
- Rating
- 5.0 · 14
- Cancellation
- Free cancellation
Verdict
Book the whole-island flight first
It circles the entire island for the lowest price of any flight here, and it carries the longest record on this page: 1,115 reviews at 4.9. Waterfall safaris and the doors-off charter go deeper into one part of Kauai; this is the flight most first-time visitors should book first, at $155.
Check dates and availability→Before you book
Doors off is a different flight, not an upgrade
The private doors-off tour is a separate charter — a smaller aircraft, no fixed schedule, and nothing between the lens and the waterfalls below. It is not simply the standard flight with the doors removed. And on Kauai, the wettest island in the chain, any flight here can move to another day rather than fly through rain.
Before you book
Which Kauai flight fits your day?
Three things decide it: how many doors you want, how much of the island you want to see, and how much you want to spend. Answer three questions and find out before you book, not at the check-in desk.
How many doors do you want?Doors off changes the photos and the air in the cabin
How much of the island do you want to see?Some flights circle the whole island; others focus on one stretch of it
How much do you want to spend?Price follows what the flight covers, not just its length
Answer the three questions above
You’ll get the one that fits your answers, and the thing about it that catches people out.
What people said afterwards
3,976 reviews across 14 Kauai flights and boat trips
Ratings are the operators’ own numbers on GetYourGuide, shown as published. We do not write reviews and we do not average other people’s into a score of our own.
4.8
★★★★★
Based on 3,976
verified reviews
5 ★82%
4 ★18%
3 ★0%
2 ★0%
1 ★0%
All 14 Kauai flights and boat trips on this page, rated on GetYourGuide.
Read all 3,976→🚶
Kauai: Air Tour of Na Pali Coast, Entire Island of Kauai
From $155 · 1,115 reviews
★★★★★
The full-island flight most people book
Sixty-five minutes over the whole island: the Na Pali Coast, Waimea Canyon and the waterfalls between them, doors on, in a small group. The lowest per-person fare on this page and the longest review record here: 4.9 across 1,115 reviews.
👁
Kauai: Entire Kauai Air Tour with Window Seats
From $159 · 655 reviews
★★★★★
Every seat, not just the ones by the door
The same sixty-five minutes over Kauai’s cliffs, valleys and waterfalls, built around one promise the listing makes plainly: every seat is a window seat. Rated 4.8 across 655 reviews.
🏭
Lihue: Deluxe Waterfall Safari Helicopter Tour
From $336 · 488 reviews
★★★★★
The hour built around the waterfalls
An hour out of Lihue with the Jurassic Falls, Waimea Canyon and the Na Pali cliffs on the one route. Rated 4.8 across 488 reviews.
✈
Kauai Private Doors Off Helicopter Tour: Ultimate Waterfalls
From $425 · 14 reviews
★★★★★
The private charter with the doors off
A private, doors-off or doors-on charter over the Na Pali Coast, Waimea Canyon and Hanalei Valley — a separate booking from the standard flights, not an upgrade on them. Rated 5.0 across 14 reviews.
⛵
Kauai: Nā Pali Coast Zodiac Raft Sea Caves + Snorkel Option
From $225 · 283 reviews
★★★★★
The coast from a raft, into the sea caves
A 30-foot Zodiac raft into the Na Pali sea caves themselves, with a snorkel option when conditions allow — the coast from underneath the cliffs rather than above them. Rated 4.9 across 283 reviews.
🌿
Kauai: Allerton Garden Guided Group Walking Tour
From $64 · 179 reviews
★★★★☆
The lowest price on this page, no flight at all
A guided walk through Allerton Garden’s grounds, the cheapest listing on this page at $64 and the only one that needs no aircraft or boat. Rated 4.6 across 179 reviews.
What it really costs
What a Kauai helicopter ride really costs, listing by listing
The number in an ad rarely matches what Kauai Hawaii helicopter tours actually charge once doors, group size and route are the same for everyone. Here is where every current price sits side by side.
Swipe sideways →
| What you do | Price | What that buys | Cancellation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ground-level way to see the coast: kayak or garden walk | $64 | No flight time, just the cliffs from a trail or the water | Free cancellation |
| Standard air tour of the whole island | $155 | Sixty-five minutes over Na Pali, Waimea Canyon and the waterfalls | Free cancellation |
| Private, doors-off flight over the waterfalls | $425 | One hour, doors off, a smaller aircraft, no fixed schedule | Free cancellation |
Costs the listing doesn't show you
- Minutes in the air do not set the fare. The 45-minute Princeville flight costs more than the 65-minute whole-island tour, so duration alone will not predict the price.
- The Oahu flight is priced as a day, not a flight. At $1,249 it covers a crossing from Honolulu and back, not just time in the air over Kauai.
- Doors off means a private charter. The $425 fare buys a smaller aircraft to yourself, not just the doors coming off a shared one.
- The cheapest listing on this page is not a flight. Allerton Garden, at $64, is a guided walk on the ground, not time in the air.
What is genuinely included
- Free cancellation on every flight, boat trip, kayak and walk on this page
- Small-group flying on six of the eight helicopter routes
- A private aircraft, not a shared cabin, on the doors-off charter
- Meals included on the Niihau boat trip and the sunset sail
- Snorkelling on three of the four Na Pali boat trips
The honest answer
Is a Kauai helicopter ride worth the price?
One hundred and fifty-five dollars is a fair question to ask about any of the helicopter tours in Kauai Hawaii before you book. What it buys here is Na Pali cliffs no road or trail reaches from the same angle, plus Waimea Canyon and the inland waterfalls in the same sixty-five minutes.
What makes it worth it
- Na Pali Coast cliffs that no road or trail on Kauai reaches from this angle
- Waimea Canyon and the inland waterfalls on the same flight as the coast
- A dedicated flight where every seat is a window seat, not just some
- A private, doors-off charter for photographers who want nothing between them and the coast
- Free cancellation on every flight here, so an early booking costs nothing
Keep in mind
- Kauai is Hawaii’s wettest island, and flights do get moved or cancelled by weather
- The Oahu-to-Kauai day trip lifts off from Honolulu, not from Kauai itself
- That Oahu day trip has no reviews yet — you would be an early flyer
- Doors off is its own private charter, not an add-on to the standard flight
- The lowest price on this page is a garden walk at $64, not a flight
The flight, step by step
Check-in to touchdown: what a Kauai flight involves
Check in near your departure point
Flights leave from Lihue, Kapaa, Princeville or Honolulu depending on which one you book, so the meeting point is on your confirmation, not the same for every listing on this page.
Straight out toward the coast
Most Kauai flights head for the Na Pali Coast first, the cliffs that no road on the island reaches on its own.
The sea cliffs from above
The Na Pali Coast fills the window on every flight that lists it, whether you booked doors on or the private doors-off charter.
The same coast, nothing in the way
Book the private charter with the doors removed and the view changes: nothing between the lens and the water below.
Waimea Canyon, on the same route
Several of these flights swing over Waimea Canyon before turning back toward the coast.
The waterfalls a trail cannot reach
The waterfall safari flight is built around Jurassic Falls, one of the sights no hiking trail on Kauai gets close to.
Landing back where you started
Every flight on this page ends at its own helipad, and free cancellation means an early booking costs nothing if your plans change.
Best time of day
Book the first flight you can get
Kauai is the wettest island in the chain, and a flight scheduled for later in the day has more weather stacked up against it by the time it is due to leave. Booking the earliest slot an operator has does not guarantee clear skies, but it leaves the rest of the day free to rebook with the same operator if that flight is moved. Every listing on this page carries free cancellation, so an early booking costs nothing extra even if the weather does force a change.
On the ground
What Kauai actually looks like from the air
The cliffs
Na Pali Coast, on every flight that lists it, doors on or off.
The waterfalls
Jurassic Falls and the rest, the reason the waterfall safari flight exists.
By boat instead
The same cliffs from a catamaran deck, for the days a flight is not the plan.
On the water
The paddle to Secret Falls, the ground-level way to see the interior.
What it's like
What a Kauai helicopter ride actually feels like
The rotors are the loud part, and that ends the moment the doors close and the headset goes on. From there most flights turn quiet and conversational — the pilot’s voice, and the coast opening up underneath you.
Flights lift off from Lihue, Kapaa or Princeville and turn toward the coast within minutes. The cane fields and small towns fall away fast, and the ridgelines above Wailua and Hanalei are usually the first sign that the island looks nothing like it does from a car.
The Na Pali Coast is the reason most people book. It has no road along it, so a flight, a boat or the long hike over the ridge are the only ways to see the cliffs face-on rather than from a lookout at either end. From the air the green folds run for miles with no town, no trail and no break in them.
Several routes swing inland to Waimea Canyon on the way, the red-walled gorge cut into the island’s west side. It is a few minutes of the flight, not the point of it, but it changes the view from green cliffs and blue water to red rock in one turn.
The waterfalls are what people photograph most. Manawaiopuna Falls, the one from the opening scene of Jurassic Park, sits on a handful of routes, and the waterfall safari tour is built specifically around it and the other falls that only show from the air after rain.
The doors-off flight is a different day, not an upgrade to the standard one. Fewer seats, a private aircraft, and nothing between the lens and the coast — it is booked separately and priced for it.
Not everyone wants to fly at all, and the coast is visible from the water too: a raft into the Na Pali sea caves, a catamaran with a swim stop, or a kayak up the river to Secret Falls all show a slower, closer version of the same coastline.
Kauai is the wettest island in the chain, and that is true of every route on this page. A flight can move to a later slot or another day rather than fly through rain, which is the reason free cancellation matters here more than on a dry-season island.
While you're here
Three ways to see the coast without booking a flight
Not everyone wants to fly, and helicopter tours in Kauai are not the only way to reach Na Pali. A raft into the sea caves, a kayak to a waterfall, or a walk through a garden fill the rest of a trip built around one of the flights above.
Practical
Plan the flight
Five things decide how a Kauai helicopter day goes: which coast the flight covers, whether the doors stay on or come off, how far ahead you book, what the aircraft weighs you for, and what Kauai’s rain does to the schedule.
Whole-island air tour
The widest route on the page: Na Pali, Waimea Canyon and the waterfalls in one sixty-five-minute flight out of Lihue.
Waterfall safari
An hour built around Jurassic Falls and the other waterfalls, with the canyon and the coast either side of it.
Sightseeing flight
Ninety minutes out of Lihue, the longest standard route here, taking in Manawaiopuna Falls and Olokele Canyon.
North shore departure
The Princeville flight is the only one that lifts off from the north shore rather than Lihue or Kapaa.
Doors off
A private, doors-off charter over the waterfalls, booked and priced separately from the standard flights.
By boat or kayak
Zodiac raft, catamaran or a kayak to Secret Falls, for the coast without leaving the water.
What stays the same
Route, pilot commentary and the headset are the same whether the doors are on or off.
What changes
Wind, noise and an open frame for the camera — the doors-off flight trades comfort for an unobstructed shot.
Every seat is a window
One listing sells specifically on this: every seat on that flight is by a window, not just the ones near the door.
Small groups on most routes
Six of the eight helicopter flights on this page fly as a small group.
Private means private
The doors-off charter is a private aircraft, not a shared cabin with the doors removed.
Weight affects seating
Seats are assigned by weight to balance the aircraft; ask the operator for its limit when you book.
Free cancellation on every listing
Every flight, boat trip and walk on this page can be cancelled free, so booking early costs nothing.
The busiest routes fill first
The whole-island tour and the waterfall safari carry the most reviews on this page, and sell out first.
One price everywhere
Operator site, platform or hotel desk — the fare is the same. Booking ahead buys the slot, not a discount.
New listings carry fewer reviews
The eco adventure, the Princeville flight and the doors-off charter are newer or smaller and show far fewer reviews so far.
Weather can move your slot
Flights reschedule rather than simply cancel when weather is against them; check the policy before you book.
The Oahu flight is a full day
Booking the Honolulu departure commits your whole day, not just the flight time.
Lihue
The main airport and the base for most of the helicopter fleet, including the top-reviewed whole-island tour.
Kapaa
On the east side, home to the window-seat flight and the waterfall safari.
Princeville
The north shore base for the one flight that does not lift off from Lihue or Kapaa.
Honolulu, on Oahu
A different island entirely. The Oahu-based flight crosses the channel to reach Kauai, not the other way round.
Wailua and Poipu
Starting points for the Secret Falls kayak and the Allerton Garden walk, both away from the airport.
Waimea and the harbour
Where the Na Pali boat trips leave from, on the drier south-west side of the island.
Best time
When to fly Kauai
Flights run all year across every helicopter Hawaii Kauai option on this page, and Kauai is the wettest island in the chain, so cancellations happen in any month. What changes is daylight, how early flights sell out, and how often mornings hold calm enough to fly.
Year-round
No dry-season guarantee
Kauai is the wettest island in the chain in any month, so a rescheduled flight is normal, not a bad-luck exception.
Summer
The busiest bookings
School-holiday months bring the most travellers to the top-reviewed flights, so they sell out furthest ahead.
Shoulder months
More room on the schedule
Fewer travellers competing for the same seats, with every route still flying.
Any month
Book with cancellation in mind
Free cancellation on every listing here is the actual hedge against weather, not a particular month.
From people who flew
What people say after they land
01
The doors-off flight is a separate booking, not an add-on to a standard tour. It is its own private charter, priced and reviewed on its own.
02
“Every seat is a window seat” is one specific listing’s pitch, not a given on every flight. Ask if you care which side you get.
03
The Oahu-based flight leaves from Honolulu, across the channel on a different island, and turns the trip into a full day rather than an hour.
04
Minutes in the air is not what sets the price. The 45-minute Princeville flight costs more than the 65-minute whole-island tour.
05
Reviews are lopsided. The top flight carries over a thousand; several newer or smaller listings have a few dozen or fewer so far.
06
Rain moves flights, it does not usually end the trip. Free cancellation is what protects the day if the weather does not cooperate.
Round out the trip
Booked alongside
Go deeper
More on Kauai helicopter flights and boat trips
Straight answers
Kauai helicopter rides, answered
Does every Kauai helicopter flight actually show the Na Pali Coast?
The whole-island tour, the waterfall safari, the sightseeing flight, the eco adventure, the Princeville flight, the doors-off charter and the Oahu-based flight all route along Na Pali. Check a listing’s own description before booking if that coastline is the one thing you want to see.
What does a doors-off flight change?
It is a separate, private charter, not an add-on to a standard tour: fewer seats, an open frame for cameras, and a fare of its own, $425 rather than the $155 starting price on the standard flights.
What is the cheapest way to see Kauai from the air?
The whole-island air tour, from $155, is both the lowest-priced flight on this page and the most reviewed: 1,115 reviews at 4.9. It also runs the longest route of the standard flights, at sixty-five minutes.
Is every seat on a Kauai helicopter a window seat?
Only on the listing built specifically around that: every seat on that flight is by a window. Other flights do not make the same claim, so ask when you book if it matters to you.
What happens if the weather turns bad?
Kauai is the wettest island in the chain, and flights on this page get rescheduled for weather in any month. Every listing here carries free cancellation, which is the practical answer to a forecast you cannot control.
Boat or helicopter — which shows more of the coast?
A flight covers Na Pali, the inland waterfalls and often Waimea Canyon in under an hour and a half. A boat stays on the water and gets you into the sea caves at the base of the cliffs, which no flight can reach.
How much of the day is left after a Kauai helicopter ride?
Most flights run 45 minutes to 90 minutes, so the rest of the day is free. The Oahu-based flight is the exception: it departs Honolulu and takes the whole day.
Free · no account needed
The Na Pali Coast and the waterfalls — the plan we’d follow
One PDF: how the eight flights differ, when doors off is worth it, what the boats and the kayak show instead, and today’s prices side by side.
- All eight helicopter routes compared, side by side
- Doors on or off, decided with both fares in front of you
- Boat and kayak options for days a flight is not booked
- What each price does and does not include
Check your inbox
The plan is on its way. If it isn't there in a minute, look in Promotions.
Why trust this page
How we put this together
Checked, not guessed
Prices, ratings and durations come from the live GetYourGuide listings for each flight, boat trip and walk, and are re-read with the page.
How we pick
Every helicopter flight, boat trip, kayak and walking tour of Kauai bookable on GetYourGuide is on this page. Nobody pays to be featured.
We say when it is not local
The Oahu-based flight departs Honolulu, on a different island, and we say so rather than let the listing speak for itself.
We do not promise the weather
Kauai is the wettest island in Hawaii, and flights get rescheduled. We say that plainly instead of promising clear skies we cannot guarantee.
The answer
The whole-island tour is the one to book first
It is the lowest starting price on this page, the longest of the standard flights at sixty-five minutes, and the most reviewed by far at 1,115 ratings and 4.9 stars. Free cancellation means booking it early costs nothing if your plans change.
Check dates and availability→ Free cancellation up to 24 hours · Reserve now, pay later