Safari Helicopters Kauai: Deluxe Waterfall Tour and the Olokele Canyon Landing

Side by Side

Both options carry a 4.8 rating, from 965 reviews for the 55-minute flight and 332 for the landing version. Free cancellation is available up to 24 hours ahead on both.

The landing tour costs $369 per person against $335.70, and it adds a landing on the rim of Olokele Canyon and a total of 1.5 hours. The table compares the tours by price, length, what is included and who each one suits.

The Main Sights

Manawaiopuna Falls, the Jurassic Park falls, plunges 400 feet, according to Safari Helicopters. Waimea Canyon stretches about 14 miles and reaches depths of up to 3,600 feet, which is why Hawaii State Parks calls it the Grand Canyon of the Pacific.

The Na Pali Coast is a 16-mile stretch of cliffs. On foot, the Kalalau Trail is 11 miles long, and anyone going beyond Hanakapiai Valley needs an overnight camping permit. From the air you see the whole run in minutes.

Mount Waialeale in the middle of the island is one of the wettest places on Earth, averaging 373 inches of rain a year from 1949 to 2008. That rain feeds the waterfalls on its crater walls, and it is also why cloud can close the crater on any given flight.

On the Ground

Safari Helicopters is clear that the landing spot is on the rim of Olokele Canyon, not at Jurassic Falls.

The whole trip runs 1.5 hours against the 55 minutes of the flight-only tour. If you have flown a helicopter before and only care about the scenery, stay with the cheaper flight. If this is your one trip to Kauai, the Safari Helicopter Tour with Olokele Canyon Landing at $369 per person gives you time on the ground as well as in the air. Food, drinks and tips are not included.

Kauai Helicopter Tour Prices

The table lists each Kauai helicopter tour by price per person, flight length and format, from the shortest flight to the longest route. Safari's Safari Deluxe Waterfall Helicopter Tour is the lowest-priced shared flight of about an hour, and its landing tour is the only one here that sets down in a canyon. Doors-off and private flights cost more: the Mauna Loa Private Doors-Off Helicopter Tour is $384 and the Jack Harter 60-Minute Doors-Off Helicopter Tour is $495.

For the lowest price over the island, the Wings Over Kauai Air Tour is a 65-minute airplane flight at $159 per person.

Booking Inside 15 Hours

Safari Helicopters asks travellers who want to book inside 15 hours of a flight to call 1.800.326.3356 rather than book online. If you are deciding the day before, pick up the phone. Earlier than that, both Safari tours here carry free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.

Show time is 1 hour before departure, and every guest must be checked in 30 minutes before departure. Arriving late can cost you the seat with no refund.

Safari's Credentials and Aircraft

All of Safari's full-time pilots are ATP rated, the highest pilot certificate level, and the company is FAA Part 135 certified and inspected by OAS and the US Forest Service. Tours fly in an air-conditioned A-STAR B2-7 with BOSE X noise cancelling headsets, a two-way intercom and big picture windows.

Safari flies the AStar B2 with every passenger seat facing forward and does not fly doors-off. Doors-off flights put you in an open cabin over the coast, while Safari keeps the doors on.

Federal rules apply to every operator. FAA 14 CFR Part 136 Subpart D governs VFR air tours in Hawaii. It bans flights below 1,500 feet over the state except at takeoff, landing or with FAA authorization. It requires flotation gear for single-engine rotorcraft beyond the shore and a ditching briefing before any over-water segment.

The Accident Record

NTSB final report AIR-22-05 covers the 26 December 2019 Safari Helicopters AS350 B2 crash near Kekaha that killed the pilot and six passengers. The probable cause was the pilot continuing VFR flight into instrument meteorological conditions. The NTSB also reported a Robinson R44 air tour accident near Kekaha on 11 July 2024 that killed the pilot and two passengers, a doors-off MD 369E/500E forced landing on a beach north of Kekaha on 27 February 2024, and a Hughes 369D that hit the water near Haena on 26 March 2026, killing three passengers.

The NTSB said Hawaii terrain limits weather observation and radio coverage, so air tour pilots rely on their own visual weather checks. As a traveller, prefer operators with ATP-rated pilots and Part 135 certification, book a doors-on aircraft if the open cabin worries you, and accept a weather reschedule. The full record is on the Kauai helicopter crash page.

What Your Money Buys

For $335.70 per person the Deluxe flight covers over 100 miles past the Jurassic Park falls, Waimea Canyon, the Na Pali Coast and Mount Waialeale in 55 minutes. All fees, taxes and the fuel surcharge are in the price. Manawaiopuna Falls sits in a private valley with no road and no public trail, so the air is the only way to see it.

Safari adds a perk that makes the price easier to justify. It is the only company on Kauai with an FAA approved camera system that records your actual flight, so you leave with video of your own tour.

Travellers on a tight budget can fly the Wings Over Kauai Air Tour, a 65-minute airplane flight at $159. Visitors who get severe motion sickness should think twice. Children 7 and under cannot sit in the front seats on Safari flights.

Ratings by Tour

The Safari Deluxe Waterfall Helicopter Tour holds 4.8 from 965 reviews. The Safari Helicopter Tour with Olokele Canyon Landing holds the same 4.8 from 332 reviews. The recorded onboard video is a bonus for travellers who want the flight on film.

Sights vary with cloud over Mount Waialeale, so book early in your stay to leave room for a weather reschedule. For the other operators and routes, see Kauai helicopter tours.

Before You Fly

The Kauai office is at 3225 Akahi St in Lihue, close to Lihue Airport, where Alaska, American, Delta, Hawaiian, Southwest, United and WestJet land. Show time is 1 hour before departure, and all guests must check in 30 minutes before departure.

The operator markets itself with the line Big Adventure, Small Price. Both tours here carry free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.

A passenger weighing 250 lbs or more, or a pair at 420 lbs or over, must buy an extra seat. Give accurate weights at booking, because weights are checked. Children 7 and under cannot sit in the front seats, and camera bags are not allowed on board. For bookings inside 15 hours, call 1.800.326.3356.

Safari Beyond Kauai

The same company also runs Big Island tours, so if Kauai is one stop on a longer Hawaii trip you can fly with the same operator on more than one island.