Is a scenic plane tour really that much cheaper than a helicopter tour?
Yes. The video documents a plane tour at $155 per person versus helicopter tours that typically cost several hundred dollars—more than half off. For a family of four, that's over $600 in savings while still seeing the same major sights.
At a glance
Length
11 min
Channel
The Awkward Tourists
Video from
Dec 2023
Rating
⭐⭐ Great video · 2/2
Best for
Budget-conscious travelers visiting Kauai who want aerial island views without helicopter-tour prices.
What this video answers
Is a scenic plane tour really that much cheaper than a helicopter tour?
What's the main limitation of a plane compared to a helicopter?
How long does the flight last?
Does weather affect visibility on this tour?
Can I do this tour even if I'm not staying near Lihue Airport?
Reads the guide aloud in your browser — free, no account.
Scenic Plane Tours Over Kauai: An Affordable Alternative to Helicopter Flights
If you're planning a Kauai vacation and dreaming of seeing the island from the air, you've probably noticed that helicopter tour prices can run several hundred dollars per person. The video follows Kelly and Kevin as they discover a more budget-friendly option: a scenic plane flight with Air Ventures Hawaii that delivers similar aerial views for roughly half the cost. Their 60-minute flight departs from Lihue Airport—the same airport most visitors fly into—and covers the island's most iconic landscapes from a small aircraft.
This experience suits travelers who want expansive island views without the premium helicopter price tag, families looking to stretch their vacation budget, and anyone curious about seeing Kauai's interior without spending $300+ extra per person. The flight captures the same key sights—the Napali Coast, Wailua Canyon, waterfalls, and the island's lush center—though you won't have the close-up hovering capability of a helicopter. On clear weather days like the one shown in the video, the difference in perspective is minimal while the savings are substantial.
Key Moments
What You'll See on This Kauai Scenic Flight
The island's central peaks and summit area, which are normally cloud-covered but were exceptionally clear during this flight—conditions the pilot noted occur only a couple times per year
The Jurassic Park waterfall, a recognizable landmark pointed out by the knowledgeable local pilot
Wailua Canyon (also called the "Grand Canyon of the Pacific"), visible in striking contrast with its red earth against the surrounding green landscape
The Napali Coast, featuring dramatic sea cliffs and the famous Kalalau Beach area
Hanalei Bay and multiple waterfalls scattered throughout the island's interior
A 360-degree view of the island's peak when weather permits, giving you perspective on Kauai's full geography
Essential Details for Booking Your Kauai Scenic Flight
Cost: $155 per person—approximately half the price of typical helicopter tours
Duration: One hour in the air, matching the time you'd spend on a helicopter flight
Booking: Available through GetYourGuide; check availability early as popular tours fill quickly
Aircraft: Small fixed-wing plane (Piper or similar), which provides excellent visibility but cannot descend into canyons like helicopters can
Departure time: Arrive 30 minutes before your scheduled flight; the video's flight departed at 10 a.m.
Weather conditions: Kauai's center receives over 450 inches of rain annually, so cloud cover is common; clear days are rare and special
Visibility trade-off: You see all the same landmarks as a helicopter tour but at a slightly greater distance without the ability to linger or hover over specific sights
Frequently Asked Questions About Kauai Scenic Plane Tours
Is a scenic plane tour really that much cheaper than a helicopter tour?
Yes. The video documents a plane tour at $155 per person versus helicopter tours that typically cost several hundred dollars—more than half off. For a family of four, that's over $600 in savings while still seeing the same major sights.
What's the main limitation of a plane compared to a helicopter?
You cannot hover or descend deeply into canyons. The video shows you get views of Wailua Canyon and the Napali Coast, but at a fixed altitude and distance rather than circling closely around features. You still see everything; it's just not as intimate.
How long does the flight last?
The flight is one hour total, the same duration as a typical helicopter tour. This includes takeoff, the scenic route over the island's key landmarks, and return to the airport.
Does weather affect visibility on this tour?
Significantly. The video's flight had unusually perfect conditions—the pilot explained that such clear days happen only a couple times per year because the island's center is one of Earth's wettest places. Clouds commonly cover the peak; if you book, you're hoping for weather luck.
Can I do this tour even if I'm not staying near Lihue Airport?
The flight departs from Lihue Airport, which is on the eastern side of the island. If you're staying elsewhere on Kauai, you'll need to drive to Lihue, though the video shows it's straightforward to reach from around the island.
This video is genuinely helpful if you're torn between seeing Kauai from the air and keeping your budget intact. Kelly and Kevin are honest about both the value and the trade-offs: you do see everything you'd see on a helicopter, the pilot is experienced and informative, and the savings are real. They also ground it in reality by noting that plane flights can't hover and visibility depends entirely on luck with weather.
What makes this especially useful is that they book through a transparent platform, show you the actual experience with real footage of the views, and don't oversell it as a replacement for a helicopter—just a smarter financial choice for most travelers. If budget matters more than close-up canyon views, this is absolutely worth booking soon.
Years on the front lines of helicopter tour coordination — not as a travel blogger, but as the person responsible for making every guest experience go right. Managed 2,000+ cruise guests weekly as Shore Excursions staff aboard the Pride of America in Hawaii
Personally coordinated with helicopter tour operators to confirm age, weight, and safety requirements.
Hello Happy Travelers! If you're planning on doing a Kauai family vacation, you might be wondering what the best things to do in Kauai are.
Kauai helicopter tours are one of the most popular things to do in Kauai, but at several hundred dollars a person, they can get very expensive very fast.
We found a cheaper alternative that gives a similar experience for half the price! We did a plane tour instead of a helicopter tour, check out the views we had!
Don't forget to like this video and subscribe to follow our adventures!
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#kauaihawaii #kauaithingstodo #travelcouple
Chapters
00:00 Intro
02:00 Flight
04:04 Review
06:00 Konohiki Seafood
08:25 Poipu Beach
10:00 Up Next
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Video transcript for “KAUAI SCENIC FLIGHT // Kauai Helicopter Tour Alternative // Kauai travel vlog // Kauai vacation vlog” Accessibility
A full written transcript of this video, provided for accessibility. Select any timestamp to jump the video to that moment.
the incredible Nepali Coast is a mustsee for everyone who's traveling to Kawai and a lot of people say that the best way to see it is from the air so you'll find tons of options for helicopter tours on the island but they can be really expensive and definitely add to the stress on your wallet but after a
little bit of searching we found a similar experience where you still get to see Kawaii from the air but it's literally half the price and we wanted to share it with [Music] you hello happy Travelers welcome back to our Kawaii Series so we are going heavy on the excursions on this trip today we
are taking a Scenic plane flight over Kawaii now I know what you're thinking the helicopter flights over Kawaii are the big thing to do but we actually found a small plane flight which was literally half the price of the helicopters now you don't get as much flexibility because you can't like you
know hover and stuff but at half the price it's saving us over $300 which we think is great and can buy a lot of my ties later on today we are flying with air Ventures Hawaii they take off from laoui airport the same airport you probably flew into it's just a different part of the terminal our flight leaves
at 10:00 a.m. and they told us to be here at 9:30 so let's go check in so it's no secret that the Nepali Coast is the crown jewel of kawaii and we are choosing to see it two ways on this trip we already saw it by sea yesterday but the weather was a little bit Moody so we didn't get quite The Full
Experience even though it was very cold helicopters are coming in but today is absolutely crystal clear which is incredible and we're seeing it from the air flight also is the exact same amount of time as the helicopter flight would be we thought we'd save a little bit more money and still see the same views
if you're interested in this particular tour we booked this on gety guide and we'll link it below in the description so you can check it out our pilot just told us this is a gibsland arrow for all you Aviation nerds out
there [Music] after coming to our cruising altitude our pilot headed towards the center of the island usually this part of kawaii is covered in clouds and it's extremely rare to see it as clear as it is today in fact our pilot told us days like this happen only a couple times a
year on the way towards the mountains he pointed out the famous waterfall from Jurassic Park which was pretty cool Yahoo the middle of the island is actually one of the wetest places on Earth getting over 450 in of rain per year it's no wonder why it's so green and Lush but the landscape in kwaii changes
very quickly as we headed towards the famous WEA Canyon which is known as the Grand Canyon of the Pacific it was incredible to see it from the air especially with the red Earth in contrast to all the green we just saw then of course it wouldn't be a kawaii tour without a pass over the
famous Nepali Coast which we had seen from the water the day before as this is one of the best things to see in Kawai we're happy to see it from two different perspectives then after passing over honay Bay and of course a few more waterfalls we made our way back to the airport
all right we just landed from our Scenic plane flight we're alive that was so so cool yeah that was really awesome I would say that was definitely worth $155 a person yeah we had the most clear conditions ever today our pilot said the conditions like this only happen a couple times a year cuz kwaii actually
has some of the rainiest spots on Earth so as you can imagine it can get pretty cloudy normally the highest peak in Kawai is completely covered in clouds but today we were able to go up and circle the entire peak of the island it was super clear and we got to see everything we got a full 360 view it was
awesome I mean we really couldn't have asked for better weather as I mentioned earlier you are limited by being in a plane you can't you know descend into the Canyons like you would be able to with a helicopter we still saw everything that you would see in a helicopter just not as close yeah and it
was it was awesome I highly recommend it we saw WEA Canyon got to fly over the H Coast that was the one section that was kind of a little hazy but it was still super impressive and better visibility than we had yesterday my only complaint was that we didn't really spend that much time at the Nepali Coast we kind of
only saw the place right around kalala Beach but we still saw it and it was a little bit cloudy yeah all in all I was just super happy with it we got to see a ton of the island the weather was incredible so it can't happen for you shout out to our pilot Isaac he was only 22 but he has been flying for 10 years
and he was great super knowledgeable about the whole island he grew up here definitely recommend this tour it was well worth it and we're really happy we did it again if you want to check out this tour we booked this through get your guide we will link it below and on the screen right here so you can go
check it out yourself if you do click that link we get a small kick pack so that is always appreciated but now I think it's time to go get some food sounds good to me we found a really good list of best places to eat on Kawai and a few of them are in leoie so we're going to go check them out we have
chosen in a place for lunch called konohiki Seafoods which one commenter on Google said was the best poke they had ever had in their life it's only about 5 minutes from the airport so you can get it right after you fly in or after you do your Scenic flight as we just did as for the best poke they've ever had in
their lives oh man I've had some pretty good poke so we'll see it is pretty crowded so that's a good [Music] sign so that is just a small little shop in a strip mall there is no place to actually eat so we're going to take it back to our hotel and eat it on the beach in our super fast rental
car so the Hilton Garden in Resort is right in front of a beach park which is awesome because the oceans right there so we are going to head down to one of the picnic tables or somewhere in the shade and eat our food which is awesome that we can do that not a bad way to spend a Tuesday if you ask
[Music] me so we ended up going for a Kalua pork plate they also had a bunch of single sushi rolls that you could get so we bought a couple of those the plate lunch was just about $14 and with the three sushi rolls that we got it ended up being like $245 so we're going to split that and
it's a pretty affordable lunch considering you're getting some really fresh seafood and eating at the beach it's only going to make it taste [Music] better we spent a little bit of time at the resort and now we're going to go out and explore a little bit but due to the
time change we're dragging a little bit it's a little after 3:00 p.m. so we sto this place called Sunrise Coffee it closes in just a couple minutes but it was recommended to me to get get a vanilla Macadamia latte and it sounds amazing if you guys watch my flight attendant Channel you know I get vanilla
lattes all the time so I'm really excited about this one and this place is very cute this also has Donuts but they're clothes I'm so sad I am a doughnut fiend and it's really cute it's very instagrammable like I think I need a neon donut in my house now guys
we are now at po Beach which is on the southern side of the island somebody told us at some point that sea turtles like to come up here around this time of day so we came to check it out see if we could see any of those guys but this is also a great place to come and watch the sunset which is in about an hour and a
half I don't know if we'll stay here that long but be a good place to wash Sunset okay we found the sea turtles are at the other end of the beach [Music]
so I was wrong we did end up staying until sunset because when you're at the best beach in Hawaii for Sunset why not stay there right that's going to be it for this video do us a favor and hit that subscribe button give it a thumbs up appreciate all the support thank you so much for watching guys until next
time this is Kelly and Kevin from the award tourists peace out today we're going to be doing a few activities on Kawaii that are free free or very very cheap to show you that kwaii doesn't have to be a super expensive [Music]
Island all right and uh and we've just arrived about a half hour before no I don't want to say that um you touch my sweaty back sorry about that normally the peak of normally the highest point in Kawai is completely covered [Music]
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