Island Helicopters Kauai

We did the Jurassic Falls tour and it was incredible. My family’s first time in a helicopter and the ride was so much smoother than I expected. We felt very safe and comfortable through the complete flight. Everything was just breathtaking This tour is well worth the money.
Mahalo
Wes.

The pilot was very friendly and the ride was very smooth, I recommend it to everyone.

Probably the highlight of the time my friend and I recently spent in Kauai. He had never been in a helicopter before and was a bit anxious before the flight, but our entire experience from start to finish was so professional, thought out, and very hospitable.
My friend and I opted for the Jurassic Falls tour, and yes… it was totally worth the extra cost (our pilot even played the Jurassic Park theme song over our headsets while we were arriving at the Jurassic Falls landing area… which was so fun). We had originally opted for an afternoon tour, but I had confirmed our flight 48 hours in advance (which they ask you to do in their initial confirmation email)… and then one of the girls from the main office calls the day BEFORE our flight to ask if we’d consider moving up to the morning tour for the day because they had 4 other people confirmed and they really aim to have 6 people in total when flying. With our agreement to move up, there would be 6 of us and we’d all be guaranteed to fly. My friend and I agreed to move our flight from afternoon to the morning, and we were all set.
When originally making the reservations, I had also requested my friend and I get the two front seats in the helicopter. Because everything is weight-​based in terms of distribution of those flying, there’s no guarantee of this request being fulfilled… but (!) I knew it couldn’t hurt to make the request. When my friend and I agreed to move the time of our tour, the girl in the office also said it was «looking good» for those front two seats, so I was hopeful everything would work out.
My friend and I arrived for the tour, ready in our black clothing (as requested in the tour confirmation email). After a bit of prep/​safety info, we were given our seating info… the front two seats! :) We put our protective shoes covers on, safety/​flotation belts, and got into the helicopter. Once everyone was in and ready with our headsets on, we were ready to fly.
I can’t really describe the views or the experience and do it all justice… so just trust me when I say that this is not an experience to be missed. For what it’s worth, our pilot (Jodey?) was also what really enhanced our experience. He knew the trade winds and how to maneuver the helicopter over the islands and through the crevices of the canyon areas like it was nothing. Everything just flowed together so beautifully and his bits and pieces of narration really added to the experience — he didn’t overdo anything, and really let us all take in the experience and views.
Side note: I don’t get motion sickness (I mean, I read in the backseat of cars on long roadtrips, sooooo… yeah, not a problem), but I took a precautionary Dramamine before the flight because I just DIDN’T want to risk not being able to just 100% enjoy the entire tour. My friend (who does get a bit of motion sickness) took some as well. Neither of us had any issues on the flight, and I don’t think it would have been an issue anyway… but still, I’d recommend taking something as just an extra bit of precaution, especially if it’s your first time in a helicopter. I mean, even with those trade winds? You just never know.
TL;DR Worth it! Highly recommended. Would definitely do again. :)

Great tour. We really loved the experience. They are professional and their customer service is amazing. If you’re in Kauai and want to do a helicopter tour… this is the place.
A couple of things to note. 1. They seat you by size and weight. You may not get a «window seat,» but, it’s a helicopter with a lot of glass… they are all window seats. 2. They tell you to wear dark clothes. This is for your experience because light colors reflect on the windows.

I cannot recommend this company enough. We were picked up at our resort and shuttled to the airport. We did the Jurassic Falls tour and words do not do justice to the views and splendor we experienced. Our pilot, Gary, was better than the best, giving us an extraordinary tour of the island and pointing out magnificent sites. Because we were out on an unusually clear morning, he took us speeding through canyons and over tree tops with dexterity. I later found out he is the head pilot and has search and rescue experience.
This was the best thing I’ve done in HI and these guys made it great.

This was my first helicopter flight. IT WAS AMAZING!
We had booked a flight w another touring company months ago. When we got there it seemed a little shady and seemed to get the run around. 5 minutes before it was cancelled.
We found Island Helicopter and they hooked us up. Great pilot. We were able to go w our friends. The pilots narration was good. The scenery was breathtaking. Places people can’t get to by car. The price was reasonable.
The only reason they didn’t get 5 stars is I wish they would video tape your ride and sale it to you or a canned ride. I’d love to rewatch it and show my fam/​friends. Think about it! More revenue. I am jealous of our friends who got one w the company they went w.

Wish I could give it a «0» … Terrible guide /​«this is a waterfall» … Really (?) … No way to take photos
Beautiful island but guide did no do it justice … Go w/​a cheaper outfit and set lower expectations

I must admit, the idea of a helicopter ride was a bit scary, before our flight.
But-​as soon as we hopped in the helicopter, strapped on our seatbelts & noise-​cancelling headphones, and went for a very smooth lift-​off, my fears fell by the wayside and the thrills came to the forefront.
The whole experience was great, and I’d highly recommend taking a tour with Island Helicopters. Kauai is the perfect place to splurge on an experience like this, and they were a great company to do it with.
We took the Jurassic Falls flight/​landing, and it was a blast.
The views are incredible. Touch-​down was awesome. Photo-​opps galore, both at the falls and throughout the flight itself.
The flight was surprisingly comfortable, too.
Our Pilot was cool, calm, collected, and full of information about the island, (yet he didnt talk so much that we couldnt enjoy the theme music (which was spot-​on, by the way!)
Again — A really special, great experience. Highly recommended.
Give it a try — you won’t regret it and you wont ever forget it!

Fucking awesome! So worth every penny. We did the tour where you can get off and take pics by the Jurassic park waterfall. Our pilot was great the views are spectacular. Do your self a favor and book this

It was quite expensive, but we did the Jurassic Falls landing helicopter tour and it was pretty amazing! The helicopter seats 6 people plus the pilot (2 up front with the pilot and 4 in the back), but we only had 5 people (plus the pilot) on our trip. The flight was amazingly scenic and explored basically the entire island with the occasional narration from the pilot (which was just the right amount). Some of the background music got a bit annoying at times, but that wasn’t a huge deal. The fly in and landing at Jurassic Falls was spectacular and the 3 minute walk to the base of the falls was so cool! We were just waiting for dinosaurs to jump out at us!

This place is great, definitely a «bucket list» item for any tourist. The only reason they don’t get a 5 out of 5 is they don’t have shuttle service to and from the popular tourist hotel spots (like the Sheraton for example), so you have to pay a hefty cab fare to get there and back, or rent a car for the day. This almost justifies renting a car for the entire trip as the cabs are so expensive (like $ 60 each way from Sheraton to/​from the airport).
Pros:
1. Nice pilots that give you local facts and history on the journey
2. Comfortable helicopters, but it can get a bit hot, so wear shorts and a t-​shirt
3. They are orderly and get you in and out with no fuss or muss
4. Beautiful views and not incredibly overpriced like some of the other ones (we went on a Thursday to save even more money)
Cons:
1. If you sit in the back, you have to look through people, and it can be pretty claustrophobic, so ask to sit in the front (not sure if they honor this request, we just got lucky)
2. Gets a little hot, and you can get airsick too from the motion if you get a rough or choppy pilot that twists a lot
3. There’s so many other helicopters in the air it is a bit distracting
4. No shuttle service to/​from hotels, so rent a car versus paying cab fare
Tips:
1. Do NOT look through the viewfinder on your camera or camcorder the whole time, or at all, as you will get sick
2. Bring chewing gum, and maybe even take Dramamine if you ever get sick on boats, as chewing gum helps settle you down
3. Wear dark clothing — this is no joke, it completely glares off the glass and you can’t see anything and your pictures are ruined

We celebrated our anniversary and this definitely was an icing on an already amazing time. The pictures I took does not do the tour justice.
The flight was smooth and just long enough (50 minutes). We saw over a dozen waterfalls and probably saw all of Kauai from a perspective you’ll never see from the ground.
This is a MUST DO!!!

Island Helicopters is the best. They were super accommodating. They took good care of us while we were waiting at the check-​in area (free coffee+water+snacks).
Once we got to the staging area, the staff quickly went over the safety precautions. It was very orderly and organized– we felt very safe.
Of course, the best part was the flight itself. Our pilot was awesome: he made us feel incredibly safe during the entire journey. He provided great commentary (and music) throughout. Without a doubt, Island Helicopters it the best (and safest) way to view the island!

By far the BEST tour available on the island of Kauai! I’ve done them all, and seen the Na Pali coast from all angles, but this helicopter flight seriously outdid them all! I did the Jurrasic Park falls landing which was worth every extra penny. If you don’t do the landing, you will see the people who did land down at the waterfall and be super jealous. Issac was an amazing pilot with 20 years of experience and a brand spankin new helicopter. He flew us to the waterfall you’d never get to otherwise, through waimea canyon, and all the way around the island to the magical na pali coast where you get to fly up into the canyons and see more waterfalls than you could ever dream up. Seriously such a treat!

This company should be ashamed of themselves. When we booked this tour we specifically requested front row seats. The booking agent asked how large we are to which she said that as long as we wore dark colored clothes and sleeves to minimize glare it wouldn’t be a problem as the other party hasn’t requested the front row. We showed up extra early for check in to request front seats again. Weighed in within 2 lbs of our estimated weights so that wasn’t an issue. The woman noted on the paperwork that we wanted front seats and we should have gotten them but the guy at the helicopter sat us incorrectly and we were stuck in the back row behind 2 women who were wearing spaghetti strap tank tops. The women’s skin was equivalent of 2 people wearing fluorescent white shirts reflecting in all of the windows and we couldn’t see anything the entire time.
Adding insult to injury, the other party was a party of 4 with a small child who couldn’t be older than 5 and was crying throughout the flight. And we were stuck in the back with their crying child! Her mother abandoned her to sit in the front but I don’t even know why the company would break up a party of 4 especially with a small child. The women in the front also held up gigantic iPhones or iPads to video most of the flight so we either only saw their reflection out of the windows or had to watch on their video which is just obscene. The office had a large sign that said no iPads but apparently the pilots don’t enforce this.
This tour was absolutely miserable. When we landed we spoke to the women in the office who basically told us our money isn’t good enough to sit in front. Because the other party booked 4 seats they got the 3 best seats plus one middle and we got the worst window seat and a middle. Our window seat was the worst because the seats in front of us are pushed up against the window and the pilot isn’t against the window. Plus we were at the mercy of what these people wore even though we were specifically told we couldn’t sit in front dressed like that. It would’ve been a lot better to put us behind the pilot because the pilot was dressed appropriately. They should stick the family together either in one row or on one side of the helicopter.
Do not use this company! There are so many helicopter tours that are respectable and make sure people dress appropriately. Go with any of the others!

My husband and I went to Kauai for our honeymoon and took a helicopter tour of the Na Pali coast with Island Helicopters. It was VERY pricey, but hey, it was our honeymoon!
The Island Helicopter staff was very friendly and checked us in quickly. We had to wait a half hour or so afterwards before getting on the copter. But that was no problem — they provided some water and snacks to enjoy while you wait.
Our pilot, Gary, was awesome! I was really nervous about the flight, but once we were on there, I felt completely comfortable. Gary played an awesome soundtrack as we flew (James Bond, Jurassic Park sound track, etc.)
At the Jurassic falls, we stopped to take photos. Gary noticed that my husband was posing like a raptor and realized what a big Jurassic Park fan my husband was, so he started sharing a ton of cool facts with us about the filming of the movie and the scene that was shot there.
There were 6 people on the tour all together (me, my husband and a family of four). The two kids from the family got to sit upfront and we were in the back with the parents. Unfortunately, there kids shirts were reflecting off the windows (even though Island Helicopters requests everyone wear dark clothing). We still got plenty of great photos, but the reflection was a bit annoying. Just thought I’d warn you!
Definitely a great experience overall. If you have the money, I definitely recommend you take this tour! Was totally worth it!

Our pilot was great! Kept the helicopter as steady as he could for the wind that we had!
The views that he showed us were absolutely incredible! Gave us plenty of time to take photos and turned the helicopter so every could see.
Highly recommend to anyone wanting to see the whole island and all its beauty!

One of the great travel experiences of my lifetime. My first time in a helicopter, and this was the place to do it! Utterly spectacular from start to finish, and this company does it very well. Courteous and knowledgeable pilot gave us a great ride all the way, covering the Jurassic waterfall, countless other waterfalls, the big canyon, the Napili Coast, and other unbelievably gorgeous scenery. The helicopter is very comfortable.
Kauai is an amazing island with many climates and varied geography, all of it magnificent. The pilot knew this island so well, and maneuvered over peaks and through canyons to great dramatic effect. I loved that.
The Bose headphones and good playlist make the ride even more enjoyable. My son and I sat in the front seats next to the pilot. Wow! The scenery unfolded right in front of, and below, us.
Please listen to them when they say to wear dark clothing. It makes picture taking so much better. The people in the back seats did not heed their advice and now some of my pictures include their clothing. Ugh.
Totally worth the rather steep cost. It’s something you won’t do many times in your life and you’ll remember it always. I certainly will!

What an incredible experience we had!
Issac our pilot was so calm and took such great care of us!!! He was super sweet and Very Personable Xoxo… They had to canc our Monday trip due to rain but were able to get us right in on thrs!
The girls are super sweet in the office and ground crew guys are super funny and cool!
EVERYONE made you feel very comfortable!
Was an amazing experience and would DEFINITELY recommend to do at least once! you HAVE TO!!!
Thanks guys!!!

I found Island Helicopters to be a first class operation from top to bottom. The ride was smooth and the views were spectacular. We went on the first day of our vacation. In addition to the amazing scenery, a trip around the island was a great way to orient yourself for later adventures.
Island Helicopters is the only company licensed to fly in and land at the Jurrasic Park waterfall on the Robinson farm. You will pay a little extra compared to other helicopter company tours, but it is totally worth it.