One hour, one small plane, the whole island: the Na Pali cliffs, Waimea Canyon, the
Waialeale crater and Jurassic Falls, with a window seat for everyone. What the flight shows you, and how it
compares with a helicopter.
Hurricane Lowell update: after the storm of 7 and 8 September, Waimea Canyon, Kokee, Polihale and the Haena and Na Pali state parks are closed until further notice, and the North Shore road past Princeville is open to local traffic only. Air tours from Lihue are flying, some with fewer departures. Kauai state parks statusChecked 1 October 2026
Plane vs helicopter, honestlySame island, very different prices
Real guest ratingsLive Viator & Tripadvisor figures
Free cancellationUp to 24 hours before, on every flight here
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Flights
Choose your Kauai air tour
The Entire Kauai Island Air Tour in the centre: an hour around the whole island in a six-seat
plane. Beside it, the other full-island plane flight and the helicopter tour people most often weigh it against.
The same full-island hour in a six-seat GA8 Airvan from Lihue, with noise-cancelling headsets and a pilot who lets both sides of the plane see each sight. The most reviewed flight on this page.
What's included
About 65 minutes in the air, small group of up to 6
GA8 Airvan with bubble windows; every seat a window
Na Pali, Waimea Canyon, Waialeale, Hanalei Bay, Kipu Kai
Check in at Lihue Airport Commuter Terminal 30 minutes before
A one-hour loop of the whole island in a six-seat GA8 Airvan with big bubble windows: Na Pali, Waimea Canyon, Waialeale and Jurassic Falls. Every seat is a window seat.
What's included
About 65 minutes in the air, narrated by the pilot
GA8 Airvan: high wing, bubble windows, a window at every seat
Noise-reducing two-way headsets and local taxes
Check in at Lihue Airport Commuter Terminal 30 minutes before
Not included: hotel pickup and tips; max 300 lb per person
A 55-minute helicopter loop over Na Pali, Waimea Canyon and the inland waterfalls. Slower and closer to the walls than a plane, at about twice the price.
What's included
About 55 minutes in the air with pilot narration
Na Pali Coast, Waimea Canyon and interior waterfalls
Small group: six passengers, two in front and four behind
Every flight here leaves from Lihue and circles the same highlights. What changes is the aircraft,
how close you get to the crater walls, which seat you end up in and, above all, the price.
On the plane tours, children under 2 fly free on a lap; helicopter minimum ages run from 7
on the private flights to 10 on the doors-off ones. Weights are declared at booking on every flight. Every tour here
cancels free up to 24 hours ahead.
Why fly
Most of Kauai has no road: the air is the way round.
Kauai's coast road stops short at both ends of the Na Pali Coast, so no car can circle the island.
The middle is Mount Waialeale, one of the wettest places on Earth, a crater of green walls and
waterfalls with no way in. And since Hurricane Lowell in September 2026, the road lookouts over
Waimea Canyon and the trail along Na Pali are closed too. A one-hour flight from Lihue strings all of
it together: canyon, cliffs, crater, Hanalei Bay and the waterfalls you know from the movies.
The Entire Kauai Island Air Tour does it in a GA8 Airvan, a high-wing plane built for sightseeing,
with six seats and big bubble windows. It costs about half of a helicopter tour. The trade-off is
honest: a plane flies faster and cannot hover, so it circles the crater rather than sitting inside it. If
that moment is the point of your trip, the helicopters below do it better.
65 min
To circle the whole island: Na Pali, Waimea Canyon,
Waialeale and the North Shore in one loop from Lihue.
Na Pali CoastWaimea CanyonWaialeale craterJurassic Falls
Waimea Canyon from the air: its road lookouts are closed after Hurricane Lowell.
01
Plane or helicopter?
The plane for the whole island at the best price; a helicopter to hover, go doors off or land.
02
Will I get a window?
Yes. Every seat in the Airvan has a window; seats are assigned by weight for balance.
03
What about the weather?
Flights cancel when cloud or wind is wrong. Fly early in your trip so you can rebook.
04
Who might skip it?
Anyone set on hovering inside the crater or flying with the doors off: book a helicopter.
The flight
How the hour unfolds
About 65 minutes in the air plus a 30-minute check-in. The pilot picks the direction around the
island by the wind and cloud on the day; this is the loop most guests describe.
01
Check in at Lihue
The Commuter Terminal at Lihue Airport: names, weights, a safety briefing and your seat by balance.
30 minutes before
02
Into the interior
Wailua Falls, then the green amphitheatre of Waialeale and the Jurassic Falls valley, cloud permitting.
First minutes
03
Canyon and cliffs
Down the red walls of Waimea Canyon, out to the coast and along the whole Na Pali Coast.
Middle of the flight
04
North Shore home
Hanalei Bay, Kilauea Lighthouse and the Anahola mountains before landing back at Lihue.
Getting to the terminal, tickets and ages, the weight rules and what to bring: one tab each.
Both plane tours check in at the Lihue Airport Commuter Terminal, 3745 Ahukini Rd, with free parking.
Arrive 30 minutes before your flight; helicopter companies ask for up to an hour.
Hotel pickup is not included on the plane tours: drive, take a taxi or a rideshare.
Lihue sits in the middle of the east coast, so the resort areas of Poipu, Kapaa and Princeville are a short drive.
After Hurricane Lowell, the North Shore road past Princeville is open to local traffic only.
The Entire Kauai Island Air Tour is from $159 per person on Viator; the price is the same for every seat.
Children under 2 fly free on an adult's lap; Wings Over Kauai sells a child ticket for ages 2 and 3.
Local taxes and headsets are included; tips and hotel transport are not.
Booking direct with the operators costs about the same once their 6% taxes and fees are added.
Entire Kauai Island Air Tour: maximum 300 lb per person and 1,100 lb per plane.
Wings Over Kauai: maximum 275 lb per person on the Viator listing; weigh in within 10 lb of what you declared.
Give every passenger's real weight in pounds when you book; groups over 1,100 lb fly in two planes.
Helicopters usually need an extra seat above 240 to 250 lb per person.
Dark clothing, so your shirt does not reflect in the window in your photos.
Light layers: the plane cabin can get warm in the sun.
A motion sickness remedy if you need one, taken before you fly.
Your phone or a small camera with a strap; leave big bags in the car.
Sunglasses, and something light to eat beforehand.
Every loopNa Pali CoastAbout 17 miles of fluted cliffs up to about 4,000 feet, with no road at all.
Every loopWaimea CanyonThe "Grand Canyon of the Pacific", up to about 3,600 feet deep.
Cloud permittingWaialeale craterThe rain-soaked heart of the island, streaked with waterfalls.
Cloud permittingJurassic FallsManawaiopuna Falls, on private land and usually seen from the air.
On the wayHanalei BayThe North Shore bay, the taro fields of Hanalei Valley and Kilauea Lighthouse.
Helicopter onlyHovering and landingsPlanes keep moving; helicopters can hover, fly doors off or land.
Where the flight starts
Lihue Airport Commuter Terminal
Lihue Airport Commuter Terminal
3745 Ahukini Rd, Lihue, HI 96766
Both full-island plane tours fly from the commuter side of Lihue Airport (LIH), on Ahukini Road next to the
main terminal. Follow the airport road and bear left toward the commuter terminal. Parking is free. The
helicopter companies have their own heliports a few minutes away; the address is on your voucher.
4.8★★★★★ 2,102 reviews · Entire Kauai Island Air Tour live Viator & Tripadvisor figure
★★★★★
WOW, this was amazing. The pilot was very knowledgeable and professional. The views were out of this world. We saw so much that is only viewable by air, not from the ground or sea.
★★★★★
Marcus gave an exceptional narration and answered all of our questions. This is an outstanding way to see the island. The seating was roomy enough and we always felt at ease.
★★★★★
There's plenty of room to look out of both sides of the windows, offering stunning views of the coastline, including Poipu Beach, coffee farms, the Na Pali Coast, Tunnels Beach, Hanalei Bay, Princeville, and the beautiful waterfalls in the middle of the island.
★★★★★
Excellent experience, terrific views all around the island, pilot did a great job of letting both sides of plane see all the sights.
★★★★★
He was continually actively engaged with the controls to minimize bumpiness so it was an unusually smooth flight for a small airplane. The scenery was simply drop-dead gorgeous.
★★★★★
The island of Kauai was so beautiful, and to be able to see parts of the island from the air that can't be traveled by road was great. Our pilot was so nice and very informative.
★★★★★
The flight took about an hour and we flew all around the island, including the Na Pali Coastline and over Waimea Canyon as well as the South Shore around Poipu and Hanalei Bay.
★★★★★
Highly recommend, as one of the ways to see and appreciate this island better is by air. Reasonably priced, and it was indeed an hour long.
★★★★★
Our pilot did an amazing job taking us to spots on Kauai one cannot see by any other means. He was super smooth in the operation of the helicopter and very informative.
Two views of Na Pali
See the cliffs from the sea too
The flight shows you the whole coast in minutes. A boat shows you the sea caves, the dolphins and
how tall those cliffs really are, from the water.
Na Pali Coast Half-Day Boat Tour
★ 4.9 · 2,050 reviews · 5 hours
Seen the cliffs from above? See them from sea level. This family-owned boat runs up the Na Pali Coast from Port Allen with a native guide, into the sea caves when the swell allows, with snorkelling in summer or whale watching in winter, and lunch on the afternoon trips. Expect a fast, wet ride on choppy days.
Kauai is small enough to fly around in an hour and rugged enough that most of it can only be
seen that way. Here is what the full-island flight actually is, what it shows you, what it costs, and how to
get the most from your hour in the air.
What the flight is, and what it isn't
The Entire Kauai Island Air Tour is a 65-minute narrated sightseeing flight flown by Air Ventures Hawaii from
the commuter terminal at Lihue Airport. The aircraft is a GA8 Airvan, an Australian-built utility plane with a
high wing, so nothing blocks the view below, and large bubble windows. It seats six passengers, all of them at a
window. Wings Over Kauai flies the same aircraft type on a near-identical loop from the same terminal. Neither is
a helicopter tour. The plane flies faster and cannot hover, so instead of sitting inside the Waialeale crater it
sweeps past and banks so each side gets a look. What you gain is the whole island, the north and east shores as
well as the famous west, for about half the price.
Bubble windows give a view downward as well as out, which is why these planes suit sightseeing.
What you see from the window
The listed route takes in the Na Pali Coast, about 17 miles of fluted cliffs rising to around 4,000 feet;
Waimea Canyon, up to about 3,600 feet deep; the Waialeale crater at the island's rainy heart; and
Manawaiopuna Falls, the waterfall from the opening of Jurassic Park, which sits on private land in Hanapepe
Valley. Around the edges come Wailua and Opaekaa Falls, Kipu Kai, Mahaulepu, Hanalei Bay and its taro fields,
Lumahai Beach, Kilauea Lighthouse and the Anahola ridge that locals call King Kong's profile. Cloud decides how
much of the interior you see on the day. Hawaii's air tour rules keep tours at least 1,500 feet above the
ground, outside takeoff and landing, which is why you see whole valleys rather than single trees.
The honest small print: the most common complaints are not about the views. They are
about the weather (flights cancel when cloud sits on the mountains, sometimes at short notice), the heat in the
cabin on sunny days, some bumps over the ridges, and headset audio that can be hard to follow. Fly early in your
trip, dress light, eat something small, and take a motion remedy if you need one.
Plane or helicopter?
The full-island planes cost from $159; the helicopter tours on this page start at about $336 and reach $489.
A helicopter earns its premium in three ways: it can slow to a hover inside the crater and canyon, some fly with
the doors off for clean photos, and one lands in the private Olokele Canyon. It also tends to fly a shorter route
focused on the west and the interior. If you want to see the whole island once, and especially if you are
budgeting for a family, the plane is the better value. If this is the one big splurge of a lifetime trip, a
doors-off or private helicopter is the more intense hour.
Kauai's interior is streaked with waterfalls, at their best after winter rain.
Booking it well
Book with your real weight in pounds: seats are assigned by weight to balance the plane, and a party that
declares too little can lose the flight without a refund. Choose a morning departure if you can, and book in the
first days of your stay so a weather cancellation can be rebooked. Viator lets you cancel free up to 24 hours
before, and the price is close to the operators' own once their 6% taxes and fees are added. After Hurricane
Lowell, with Waimea Canyon's lookouts and the Kalalau Trail closed, a flight is for now one of the few ways to see the canyon,
and the easiest way to see the whole Na Pali Coast.
Dark clothes, sunglasses and ginger chews: the small-plane kit.
Straight answers to what visitors ask most about flying over Kauai.
What is the Entire Kauai Island Air Tour?
A one-hour sightseeing flight around the whole of Kauai in a small GA8 Airvan airplane, flown by Air Ventures Hawaii from the Lihue Airport Commuter Terminal. It loops past the Na Pali Coast, Waimea Canyon, the Waialeale crater, Manawaiopuna (Jurassic) Falls, Hanalei Bay and Wailua Falls, with live narration from the pilot. Up to six passengers fly, and every seat is a window seat. See the flight.
How much does a Kauai air tour cost?
The full-island airplane tours start from $159 per person on Viator in 2026. Helicopter tours of a similar length start at about $336 and run to $489 for Blue Hawaiian, with private and doors-off flights from about $384 to $460. See the price guide.
Is an airplane or a helicopter tour better on Kauai?
For seeing the whole island at the best price, the airplane: it covers the same loop in about the same time for roughly half the cost, and every seat is a window. A helicopter can fly slower, hover and turn tighter inside the Waialeale crater and Waimea Canyon, and offers doors-off and landing options. Read airplane vs helicopter.
Can you see the Na Pali Coast on the air tour?
Yes. The Na Pali Coast is the centrepiece of every full-island flight. Its cliffs run for about 17 miles and no road crosses them, so the only ways to see the whole coast are by boat, by air or on the Kalalau Trail, which is closed after Hurricane Lowell.
Can you still visit Waimea Canyon after Hurricane Lowell?
Not by road at the moment. Waimea Canyon and Kokee state parks have been closed since the storm of 7 and 8 September 2026, with a roadblock on the access road. Air tours from Lihue are flying, so a flight is the way to see the canyon until the lookouts reopen. Check the Hawaii State Parks site before you travel.
How long is the Kauai air tour?
About 65 minutes in the air on both full-island plane tours. Arrive 30 minutes before to check in, so plan on about an hour and three quarters at Lihue Airport in total. Most helicopter tours fly 45 to 60 minutes.
What is the weight limit for Kauai air tours?
The Entire Kauai Island Air Tour takes passengers up to 300 lb, with 1,100 lb in total per plane; Wings Over Kauai lists 275 lb. You give your weight when you book and may be weighed at check-in, and declaring too little can cost you the seat without a refund. Helicopters typically need an extra seat above 240 to 250 lb.
Do you see Jurassic Falls on the air tour?
Yes, weather permitting. Manawaiopuna Falls, the waterfall from the opening of Jurassic Park, sits on private land in Hanapepe Valley and cannot be reached on foot, but the plane flies past it. See what you see on the flight.
When is the best time for a Kauai air tour?
Morning flights tend to have the clearest views before clouds build over the mountains, and booking early in your trip leaves room to rebook if the weather cancels the flight. Winter brings humpback whales and fuller waterfalls; summer brings calmer weather. See the best time guide.
Will I get motion sickness on a small plane?
Most guests are fine, but small planes do bump over warm air rising off the mountains, and the cabin can get warm. If you are prone to it, take a remedy before you fly, eat something light and wear cool clothes. Guests report the plane crews handing out ginger chews and cool cloths. Tips in what to wear.
Can children fly on a Kauai air tour?
Yes. On the plane tours, children under 2 fly free on an adult's lap; on Wings Over Kauai, children 2 to 3 are booked on a child ticket. Helicopters set minimum ages of 7 for private tours and 10 for doors-off flights. See Kauai air tours with kids.
Can I cancel my Kauai air tour?
Yes. Every flight listed here can be cancelled for a full refund up to 24 hours before on Viator. If the operator cancels for weather, you are offered another time or a refund, which is why booking early in your stay helps.
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