iceeu2

OK- we leave Thursday, March 13th for Kauai for a long anticipated 50th birthday celebration. Any suggestions as to the specific helicopter tour to take? Are they really that much different as their priceing indicates? Or all pretty equal? Also, has anyone done an ATV tour? And which NaPali boat trip seems to do the best job. I'm so excited I'm not sure I can wait until Thursday!! Not excited about turning 50, but really excited about spending 2 weeks on Kauai..

Doug

My wife and I just returned from a week on Kauai and we took a tour with Inter-Island Helicopters. They were highly recommended by Ultimate Kauai (only 4 passengers per vehicle, pilot off to the side, no doors,....) so we decided to go with them. And we were glad we did because the trip was phenomenal, the highlight of our trip. The pilot we had was terrific, very informative, good sense of humor, but didn't talk incessantly....just enough that you could enjoy the scenery and views but also knew what you were looking at. At first I was a little nervous about the no doors but it really made the trip that much better....no obstructions in your sightlines, great picture-taking conditions. Now they have your "normal" 1 hour tour, but they also offer a 2-hour excursion which include a 45 stop at a private waterfall for lunch. We did that one and it was well worth the extra money.

Overall the whole trip was something we'll never soon forget.

Kal

iceeu2, 5 mo' days!!! Yer killin' me!
We still have 294.

We did the ATVKauai tour 2 trips ago and loved it. http://www.kauaiatv.com/html/tours.html

Lydia and Forest were excellent guides. Took care of the people on the tour who had trouble shifting. The units are prett yeasy to operate after you've been on them for a few mins.

We did the Sunset Koloa tour. Gorgeous.
You go thru a long mountain tunnel and come out in the valley where they shot Jurrasic Park. Beautiful sunset over looking Poipu.
As for the Heli-tour, we've been a Jack Harter fan. However, our gorgeous Kauai/Chicago Fodor's Friend, Margot55, also recommends InterIsland since they stop at a waterfall for a picnic lunch.
Sounds good to me.
(She may not be a good judge tho as she has me and Mrs Kal as friends? ha.)

Happy Five Oh. I survived mine. Barely!
Kal
<[email protected]>

DE

I would also highly recommend Jack Harter Helicopter Tours. They are a very experineced outfit and we had a fabulous tour of the island which if I remember correctly was at least an hour or more as we opted for a longer tour. We got an excellent view of the islands inland and coastal areas and they were very accommodating for picture taking. A lot of the companies are what has been described as zip tours. You get a 20 or 30 min. ride that just zooms around and back very quickly. More of a thrill ride than one for sightseeing.
I have been on numerous helicopter rides throughout various world regions and can say that Jack Harter Tours offered one of the more enjoyable trips.

gyppielou

We also liked Jack Harter, cant really copmpare it to anything.....they just seemed to be the most recommended, and we loved it. GL

brijax

Jack Harter - I agree. Was a great trip and the pilot was nice, funny and SAFE.
I am terrified of flying and was hesitant to go - and it was the smoothest trip I have ever taken
Enjoy!