A picture’s worth a thousand words, so for this post I will let the aerial photographs of Kaua’i tell their story.
I have written extensively about Kaua’i in my post Kaua’i: The Emerald Island but I felt that Kaua’i from up above deserved it’s own post. If you are short on time, the best thing you can do is to sign yourself up for a helicopter tour with one of the several outfitters operating out of Lihu’e airport.
Most of Kaua’i is inaccessible by land and this is a great way to see the island. If you are not tight on budget, I highly recommend this. This was a hard decision to make because it felt like an unnecessary financial splurge and was the last thing I booked for our trip. I decided this was a once-in-a-lifetime thing for us and a birthday surprise for my husband. I am so glad we did it!
My second big question was “Doors on or off?”. Flying with doors off had a thrill factor to it and provided the ability to take pictures. In the end, I opted for doors on and went with Safari Helicopters. The experience was great! Their helicopters have huge windows, so even if you are sitting in the middle, you have a clear view. Their pilots are professional and educational in the information they provide as they fly around.
Although the window glare hindered photography, I was able to focus more on the scenery around me. I also managed to capture a few good aerial shots. The in-flight DVD was offered at a reasonable price, but the quality of the footage was extremely poor, with the video completely dropping off in a few places. If photography is your primary goal I recommend a flight with the doors off.
Sit back, scroll through, and dream of paradise.
Lihu’e and Central Kaua’i
Kalalau Valley
Kalalau Trail
Kalalau Beach
North Shore
Na’pali
Tour End
Would you go on an aerial tour in Kaua’i? Share your thoughts in the comments below. As always, thank you for reading!
