Kauai Helicopter Tours

Sunshine Helicopters Luxury WhisperStar

The next Kauai activity on our agenda was Sunshine Helicopters Princeville Adventure. This was a 50 minute Kauai Helicopter Tour. I was very excited about this activity and couldn’t wait to see The Garden Isle from a helicopter. About 90% of Kauai is untouched and many of Kauai’s beautiful locations can only be seen by air.

John and I checked in with Sunshine Helicopters at the heliport in Princeville. This is a great location for Kauai Helicopter Tours, and is especially convenient for those staying in the Princeville and Hanalei areas. Check in was quick and easy with the friendly staff of Sunshine Helicopters. We had a short safety briefing and then we were ready to get into the luxury WhisperStar Helicopter. From the moment of lift off to touch down I was captivated by the breathtaking sights of Kauai.

As we took off we flew over Princeville Ranch, where earlier in the day we enjoyed the Princeville Ranch Adventures Zipline Tour.

We flew into Hanalei Valley. Waialeale Crater is the rainiest spot on Earth with an average of 450 inches of rain per year. Alakai Swamp below Mt. Waialeale summit is the largest high-elevation swamp in the world. We saw many Kauai waterfalls including the stunning weeping wall.  

Kauai is the film location for many movies such as Indiana Jones, South Pacific, King Kong, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Descendants, and Jurassic Park. We flew past Jurassic Falls and it was even more beautiful in person!

I took a short break from taking photos and video to simply enjoy the scenic views. For optimal photographs and videos be sure to wear dark clothing to minimize glare. Check out my video – Sunshine Helicopters Kauai Helicopter Tour

As we flew toward Waimea Canyon the lush green turned to stunning reds and browns.  Waimea Canyon is known as the Grand Canyon of the Pacific. Waimea Canyon is 10 miles long, 2 miles wide and 3,600 feet deep. Waimea Canyon was formed thousands of years ago by floods and rivers that flowed from Mount Waialeale. It was amazing to see the lines in the canyon walls that are layers from various volcanic eruptions and lava flows.

Next we flew over the world famous Na Pali Coast. The 15 miles of rugged coastline stretches from Ke’e Beach to Polihale State Park. Na Pali means the Cliffs and the pali (cliffs) rise over 4,000ft above the Pacific Ocean. Since much of the Na Pali Coast cannot be accessed because of the cliffs that drop straight down into the ocean, Kauai Helicopter Tours are a great way to experience this wonder.

John enjoying the views of the Na Pali coast during the the Sunshine Helicopter Tours Princeville Adventure.

If you are a fan of the Hawaii Discount Facebook Page you have probably read that one of my favorite places is Hanalei Bay.  It was amazing to see an aerial view of the crescent beach. You can read more about Hanalei Bay in my post about The Descendants.

As we headed back to the Princeville Heliport we got a view of the Kilauea Lighthouse.

The Sunshine Helicopters Princeville Adventure literally flew by! I was amazed at the variety of scenic locations I saw in 50 minutes. It was a great way to get perspective of Kauai and see the untouched beauty.

The friendly, knowledgable staff and pilots of Sunshine Helicopters make sure their passengers have fun and a flight to remember. I have flown with Sunshine Helicopters on the Big Island (read about that flight here) and Kauai and both flights were amazing! Sunshine Helicopters operates smooth and comfortable state of the art WhisperStar Helicopters.

If I had to suggest one tour while on a Kauai Vacation it would be Kauai Helicopter Tours. Kauai has a lot to offer but so much of the beauty is inaccessible. With Kauai Helicopter Tours you can experience the wonders of the entire island in one exciting flight.

Have you been on Kauai Helicopter Tours? What did you think about your flight?