Booking choice: The Entire Kauai Island Air Tour, from $159 per person. Check dates Compare the options below
The Entire Kauai Island Air Tour lists more than a dozen sights on its route, from the Na Pali Coast to a fishpond from Raiders of the Lost Ark. The pilot chooses the direction around the island by the wind and cloud on the day, so the order changes, but the loop is the same.
These are the highlights, roughly in the order many guests describe them.
The quick answer
Expect the Na Pali Coast, Waimea Canyon, the Waialeale crater, Manawaiopuna (Jurassic) Falls, Hanalei Bay and Valley, Wailua and Opaekaa Falls, Kipu Kai, Mahaulepu, Lumahai Beach, Kilauea Lighthouse and the Anahola mountains, with the interior shown when the cloud allows.
Do you see the Na Pali Coast?
Yes, the whole of it: about 17 miles of fluted green cliffs rising to around 4,000 feet, with no road anywhere along them.
From the plane you see the valleys between the ridges, the hidden beaches and the sea arches at once, a view that a boat or the trail only shows in pieces. The Kalalau Trail along the coast is closed after Hurricane Lowell, so the air and the sea are the only ways to see it for now.
Do you fly over Waimea Canyon?
Yes. The flight follows the red and green walls of Waimea Canyon, up to about 3,600 feet deep, the canyon Mark Twain is said to have called the Grand Canyon of the Pacific.
The canyon's road and lookouts in Waimea Canyon and Kokee state parks are closed until further notice after Hurricane Lowell, so this autumn a flight is one of the few ways to see it.
Waimea Canyon's lookouts are closed: see the canyon from the air on the full-island loop.
Check dates for the Entire Kauai Island Air TourWhat is the Waialeale crater?
The worn-down volcanic heart of the island, one of the wettest places on Earth, averaging around 450 inches of rain a year.
Its walls form a vast green amphitheatre streaked with waterfalls. Cloud often sits on the summit, so you may see the crater clearly, partly, or not at all; pilots only go in when it is safe. Helicopters can hover inside; the plane circles past.
Can you see Jurassic Falls?
Yes, weather permitting: Manawaiopuna Falls, the waterfall from the opening of Jurassic Park, is on the listed route.
It sits on private land in Hanapepe Valley and cannot be visited on foot, so you see it from the air. One helicopter company, not listed here, holds landing rights at its base.
Want the movie waterfalls and the whole coast in one hour? The full-island flight covers both.
Explore the Entire Kauai Island Air TourWhat do you see on the North Shore?
Hanalei Bay and the taro fields of Hanalei Valley, Lumahai Beach, Princeville, Kilauea Lighthouse and Mokuaeae Island.
With the highway past Princeville limited to local traffic after the hurricane, the flight is the easiest way to see the North Shore at the moment.
And on the east and south sides?
Wailua and Opaekaa Falls, the Anahola mountains known as King Kong's profile, the Menehune Fishpond, the Tree Tunnel, Kipu Kai and Mahaulepu.
Kipu Kai, a private valley on the south coast, is nicknamed Baby Na Pali, and the Menehune Fishpond appears in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Guests also point out the coffee farms and Poipu.
Can you see whales from the plane?
Sometimes, in winter. Humpback whales visit Hawaii from roughly December to April, and pilots point them out when they see them.
Do not count on it: you are high up and moving fast. For a close look, a winter boat trip is the better bet. See the best time to fly.
Flying in winter? The waterfalls are at their fullest after the rains.
Check dates for the Entire Kauai Island Air TourWhat will you not see?
Close-ups of single waterfalls from a hover, the inside of the sea caves, or anything under cloud.
For the sea caves, take a Na Pali boat tour from Port Allen; for hovering, a helicopter. See airplane vs helicopter.
Want the sea caves too? See the Na Pali cliffs from the water with a native guide.
Explore the Na Pali boat tourFrequently asked questions
How high does a Kauai air tour fly?
At least 1,500 feet above the ground under Hawaii's air tour rules, except for takeoff and landing; one guest put the plane at 3,000 to 5,000 feet.
Is the route the same every day?
The highlights are the same, but the pilot chooses the direction and order by the wind and cloud.
Which side of the plane is better?
Neither: pilots fly each highlight so both sides get a look.
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Free cancellation up to 24 hours before on every option. Prices are from-prices in USD and move with the season.
Entire Kauai Island Air Tour
- 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
Wings Over Kauai Small-Group Flight
- 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
