Kauai Doors-Off Helicopter Tour Review: Is it worth it?
A doors-off helicopter tour in Kauai is the crème de la crème of tours on the island and possibly in the United States. In the span of an hour, you get to see Waimea Canyon, Jurassic Falls, the Na Pali Coast, and so many more waterfalls. But, and there’s always a but, it’s quite expensive, and the weather can severely impact the tour.
So, after touring the island and seeing all the sights, is the Kauai doors-off helicopter tour worth it? I present my case with plenty of photos below, but you’ll be the final judge on this one.
Is the Doors-Off Na Pali Coast and Kauai Helicopter Tour Worth It?
One Minute Key Details of the Doors Off Kauai Helicopter Tour:
- Length of Flight: 50-65 minutes
- Estimated Cost: $375-$450 (depending on company)
- Route of flight: Clockwise around the island (most start in Lihue, some are in Princeville)
- The person on the back left (behind the pilot) gets the worst view along the Na Pali Coast
- Book your flight early in the trip in case there are cancellations and you need to reschedule
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My Review of the Kauai Doors Off Helicopter Tour
Quick Review: First, the Kauai doors-off helicopter tour is worth it! This is an incredible tour, but it’s too fast, in my opinion. An extra 10 minutes to slow down at the main sights would really increase this experience.
The weather on the Na Pali Coast was disappointing and cruddy, but flyable weather could make this a bummer. However, there’s no debate that this is the best way to see the entire island.
The weather forecast for our trip to Kauai did not look too great. Luckily, it ended up being fine (though we were rained on almost every day in Poipu, but it moved on quickly), but I wanted to get a trip on the books in case they had to cancel, which happens occasionally.
On the day we did go, I thought it would be decent weather across the island—and it technically was! But the Na Pali Coast was in the clouds, which I didn’t expect.
Okay, back to the tour. At $400 per person, it is definitely a steep cost. I know not everyone has that money to spend, but if you do, jump at this trip.
It is absolutely incredible and stunning. It’s hands down the best, most efficient way to sightsee across the island. But a doors-off helicopter tour is not for everyone. While there’s 0.00000001% chance (not scientific) of anything bad happening, flying with no doors can freak people out.
So, if you have an issue with heights, you may want to opt for a standard helicopter or an airplane flightseeing. If that’s not a concern, you should opt in to do this tour.
Every place that we saw on the tour (see them below) blew my mind. That said, I was pretty bumed that the Na Pali Coast part of the flight was in the clouds and we didn’t get the epic views others get.
Secondly, I was too caught up in the photography to realize on the flight that my fiancée was on the helicopter’s left side, so she hardly got to see any of the Na Pali Coast. They did loop back once or twice, but it wasn’t enough.
She had an excellent view for the rest of the tour, but she got the short end of the stick in this area.
Wrapping up, I do think the Kauai doors-off helicopter tour is worth it. It’s not for everyone, and I think they could have slowed it down. But considering you get to see the entire island in one hour, it’s a beautiful introduction to the island and shows off why this is one of the best places in America.
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What You’ll See on the Doors-Off Helicopter Tour
Jurrasic Falls
After leaving Lihue, this is the first major sight you’ll see.
It’s also the only way to see “Jurassic Falls” as the entire canyon and area is privately owned. This was the part where I felt it was too fast. We zipped on by, and the photographer in me could have used a little more time to see it.
It’s a remarkable sight, especially if you’re a Jurassic Park fan, but we were pretty high up, which somewhat negates the experience.
Waimea Canyon
Next up is the ‘Grand Canyon of the Pacific!’ The red and green combo is utterly striking, and seeing it on the helicopter tour is easily the best way to witness the views. We had a sweet rainbow below Waipo’o Falls – but again, we moved too fast to land the perfect shot.
Even with my nitpicking, the Kauai doors-off helicopter tour is worth it for unparalleled views like this.
Na Pali Coast
This was the reason for our flight. Unless you hop on a boat cruise, you cannot see what I’d consider the best coastal view in the world. This side of the island has generally better weather, as most of the rain comes from the east and north.
That said, we still encountered pretty low clouds, and some rain temporarily misted us. While it was pretty, it wasn’t anything like I had expected.
Northwest Shore
Flying over the turquoise waters of the north shore near Princeville was mesmerizing. The calm bays, with green, lush mountains behind them, took my breath away. This area was also much sunnier, making for fantastic sightseeing conditions.
Overall, it was a pretty fast blip on the tour radar, but still lovely to see.
Waialeale Crater/Weeping Wall/Waterfalls
After passing over the Priceville area, we cut inland, hugging the mountain walls full of waterfalls. Seriously, there are an innumerable number of them cascading down. The downside, though, was the low clouds, which cut off the peaks and some of the highest waterfalls.
These photos don’t compare to how wet the area can be. We had minor waterfalls. If you look up other images, you’ll see the entire wall covered in gushing falls.
We did get to see the full display on a later trip to this side, and it’s pristine.
Then, it was back to Lihue for a full circle and around 60 minutes in the chopper.
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What Can and Can’t You Bring on the Flight
You are very limited in what you can bring on a doors-off flight. If something flies out of the helicopter and hits the tail rotor, it could cause a crash.
So, what can you bring?
- Camera with neckstrap (only one lens allowed)
- Phone – they will provide you with a wrist strap
- Shoes (must have a heel strap)
Nothing else that is mobile.
What to wear? It was much colder than the 75-degree temperatures we had taken off from, but it wasn’t “cold.”
- Long sleeve shirt or light jacket (maybe a rain jacket?
- Pants, possibly, but I was fine with shorts
- Sandals (but shoes and socks would work to keep them warm)
Photography Tips: Shooting from a Helicopter
I really struggled figuring out what lens to use on the doors-off helicopter tour around Kauai. Years ago, I remember reading that someone very skilled recommended a 16-35mm. But I was torn about bringing my 24-105mm to get more zoomed in on waterfalls. And you’re only allowed one lens.
I ended up going with the 16-35 and made the wrong call (not terribly wrong, just mostly wrong). Whenever I was shooting at 16mm, I got the helicopter blades in the shot or the legs of the chopper.
Another mistake I made was due to being overly cautious. I set my shutter speed at 1/2000 to combat any and all motion blur as we would be flying over 100mph around the Garden Island. While that shutter speed isn’t bad per se (I’ve used it plenty with other flightseeing tours), I didn’t realize how cloudy our trip would be.
So I also had my aperture at f/5.6 and ISO on Auto, which meant that my ISO reached 6,400 or even 10,000 at some points on the flight. Thankfully, my Canon R5 can handle higher ISO, but I personally wish I had put my shutter around 1,000 (maybe 1,250) and my f/stop at four. This would have drastically dropped my ISO into a much more friendly range.
Luckily, most of my photos are in the 2,000-4,000 ISO range, which is totally manageable with modern editing tools.
If the trip hadn’t been so fast, I would likely have looked to see what I was shooting at. But this is a fast trip (even if it’s an hour long), and I was focused on the pictures while also enjoying the views.
Photos from our Kauai Doors-Off Helicopter Ride
Photos taken in early April 2025.
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Final Thoughts on If The Kauai Doors-Off Helicopter Tour is Worth It?
As you can see, the Kauai doors-off helicopter tour is totally worth it, even though it is a steep price. On my trips, I like to prioritize experiences over going out to eat and drink. I like to believe that I’ll remember this flight far more than any meal I’ll have.
So, if you’re looking for a memorable time that will wow you in so many ways, this is the tour to do in Kauai!
Until next time, adventurers, stay safe.
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