All Reviews for Waimea Canyon, Kauai

One of the highlights of our vacation! Views of waterfalls were spectacular as we went the day after lots of rain and the
Grand Canyon" was awesome. Our pilot, Barrett, was wonderful and took a lot of time telling us what we were looking at and responding to all of our questions. Would definitely recommend as a "Must do" while in Kauai.

An enjoyable lazy trip down the river to a beautiful waterfall. Great Hawaiian entertainment too. Need to give the dancers more room to dance.

I participated alone as a woman. I originally signed up for a Japanese tour, but it was canceled due to not having enough participants, so I quickly switched to this tour at the last minute. (Kauai Island has many tourists from the mainland United States and Canada, and I hardly met any Japanese people during my stay.)

On the day of the tour, all the other participants were from English-speaking countries, mostly older couples and friends. Naturally, everything in the vehicle was in English, and the female guide (who was also the driver) shared enjoyable stories about the scenery and plants visible from the car windows, as well as the history of Kauai Island, sometimes mixing in jokes. I think bringing a guidebook or map would enhance understanding and enjoyment. The ride was comfortable enough that I almost dozed off.

After picking up all the participants, we passed through the charming old town and took a 15-minute restroom break at a souvenir shop run by Japanese Americans before setting off! Along the way, we saw a sugar cane train on the right and enjoyed the townscape as the car gradually made its way into the mountains.

We arrived at Waimea Canyon! The sight of the green and red earth mountains spread out before us was spectacular! The air was also clear, making me feel refreshed. (However, I found the 30 minutes of free time here a bit too long; 20 minutes would have been sufficient.)

Next, we visited the Kauai Coffee Shop. The shop, filled with the fragrant aroma of coffee, had a souvenir corner, café, and tasting area, and I wished we could have spent more than 15 minutes there.

Then we had lunchtime (40 minutes) at a restaurant located within a golf course. The open design allowed us to enjoy lunch while feeling the blue sky, sunshine, and refreshing breeze, which was very pleasant. The menu mainly featured hamburgers and sandwiches, and according to the guide, the "coconut cream pie" is delicious. However, since we were a large group, if you don’t order quickly, the food takes a while to arrive. I only had 10 minutes to eat and ended up leaving half of my meal… (crying)

Next, we stopped by the blowhole at Poipu (15 minutes), and the car headed towards Wailua. After visiting Opaekaa Falls, we went on a Wailua River cruise to the Fern Grotto. We passed by people kayaking while we traveled up the river on a sightseeing boat. After disembarking at the dock and walking a bit through the jungle, we heard singing from deep in the forest. We were welcomed by a live Hawaiian music performance as we arrived at the Fern Grotto! It felt like a private space in the woods, and we enjoyed a performance by musicians and dancers along with a small ceremony, all wrapped in a mystical atmosphere. The performance continued on the return boat ride, culminating in a lively finale.

This tour is packed with highlights, so I especially recommend it for those visiting Kauai Island for the first time or those who do not have a rental car.

女性1人で参加しました。
元々日本語ツアー希望で申し込んでいたのですが、人数が揃わず不催行となり直前で急遽このツアーに変更しました。(カウアイ島はアメリカ本土やカナダ等からの観光客が多く、滞在中ほとんど日本人に会いませんでした)

当日の参加者は私以外全員英語圏の方で年配のご夫婦や友達同士が多かったです。車内は当然オール英語で、女性ガイド(兼ドライバー)さんが車窓に見える景色や植物、カウアイ島の歴史について、時にジョークを交えながら楽しくお話しして下さいます。ガイドブックや地図を持参するとより理解が深まって楽しめると思います。車の乗り心地も快適で、ウトウトしてしまうほどでした。

全参加者のピックアップを終えると、古き良き風情の残るオールドタウンを抜け、日系人経営のお土産屋さんでトイレ休憩(15分)を取っていざ出発！ 途中右手にさとうきび列車(?)が見えたり町並みを楽しんでいると、車は次第に山合いへ。。
ワイメアキャニオンに到着！ 目の前に広がる緑と赤土の山々は壮観です‼︎ 空気も澄んでいて清々しい気持ちになります。(…しかしここで30分の自由時間は持て余してしまったので20分あれば十分ですね)

次に訪れたのはカウアイコーヒーショップ。コーヒーの芳ばしい香り漂う店内にはお土産コーナー・カフェ・試飲コーナーがあり、ここは15分では足りずもっとゆっくりしたかったです。

続いてゴルフ場内にあるレストランでランチタイム(40分)。開放的な造りになっているので、青い空と太陽・爽やかな風を感じながらのランチはとても気持ちが良かったです。
メニューはハンバーガーやサンドウィッチ等が中心で、ガイドさんいわく「ココナッツクリームパイ」が美味しいんだとか。ただ、大人数での利用なので早くオーダーしないとなかなか料理が来ません。私はわずか10分しか食べる時間がなく、半分残す羽目になりました…(泣)

続いてポイプの潮吹き岩に立ち寄り(15分)、車はワイルア方面へ。オパエカア滝を見学した後、ワイルア川クルーズ&シダの洞窟へ。カヤックを漕ぐ人々とすれ違いながら遊覧船で川を上って行きます。そして船着場で船を降り、ジャングルの中を少し歩くと森の奥から歌声が。。ハワイアンミュージックの生演奏に迎えられ、シダの洞窟に到着です！ 森の中のプライベート空間といった感じで、神秘的な雰囲気に包まれながらミュージシャンとダンサーによるパフォーマンスとちょっとしたセレモニーを楽しみます。帰りの船の中でもパフォーマンスは続き、盛り上がりのうちにフィナーレを迎えます。

このように見所満載のツアーですので、初めてカウアイ島を訪れる方・レンタカーを借りていない方には特におすすめしたいです。

We had 7 vacation days to take in as much of Kauai as we could, and we had booked our helicopter ride a month before we took it, but at the moment we were to get on the helicopter, the ride was cancelled due to poor weather. Can't fault them for that, in fact we appreciated that they cared enough for our safety and enjoyment of the ride by cancelling it when they felt compelled to. Fortunately, we were able to re-book 2 days later, and by then we had explored enough of the island to have a good idea what we were looking at once we were up in the air. This made the helicopter trip that much more valuable to us once we got up there. I had two cameras with me on the ride, taking both stills and videos the entire time, and now, a few weeks after the trip and having reviewed their and my photoraphy work, I've come to realize that the video of our trip that we bought from Blue Hawaiian Helicopters was BETTER quality than most of my videos, and I probably should have spent more time enjoying the ride than worrying about getting the shots. So if you go, be sure to buy the DVD or SD card of your ride, and don't be too concerned about taking pictures or videos. Although the ride was expensive, it was well worth the cost because you would never really see Kauai like you do in a helicopter ride, and Blue Hawaiian Helicopters gives a First Class ride!

Was an excellent day well spent. Juan was an exceptional guide providing interesting insight. Timing was superb and food was exceptional. Well worth the money.Juan made it so,

The views and scenery were stunning. We had a family of 4 in 2 helicopters but they were not fully prepared for us. Better timing would have made this activity exceptional.

saw a lot and learn a lot on the tour. A beautiful tour!

Excellent tour. Our guide (Juan) gave us an unforgettable day. Not only was the scenery spectacular but Juan also managed to pass on the story of the Hawaiian people and Kauai as experienced by himself through his life growing up on the island. Juan is to be commended and the tour highly recommended. We also took other tours operated by Polynesian Adventure Tours and they were also of a very high standard.

I was looking for optional tours on Kauai Island and decided to go with this one since it was confirmed to operate in English only. We visited key spots in one day. The driver, who was also a guide (female), provided comfortable explanations, and the services on the bus made me feel secure participating alone. The restaurant we stopped at for lunch had a great view, and the food was delicious. The highlights were the Wailua River cruise and the fern grotto, where the hula show on the boat and in front of the grotto allowed me to experience Hawaii the most during this trip.

カウアイ島でのオプショナルツアーを探していたところ、英語のみですが催行が確約されているとのことで決めました。要所を１日で巡ります。
ドライバー兼ドライバー（女性）の説明や、バス内のサービスは快適で、一人でも安心して参加できました。
昼食で立ち寄ったお店は見晴らしがよく、料理も美味しかったです。
ハイライトはワイルア川クルーズとシダの洞窟で、船内と洞窟前でのフラショーは今回の旅行で最もハワイを体感できました。

Really enjoyed the tour. Was personal and informative. Good views for everyone. Lots of georgous waterfalls, beaches and interior landscapes. Well worth the money. Only way to see the entire island!

It is always awesome to see an island by air up close and personal. My niece had never been on a helicopter and was so impressed with Blue Hawaiian. I have been on many other helicopter rides but the new technology is impressive.

We'll worth it,very informative pilot,smooth flight,very professional.

If you don't have a car or don't want to drive this is a great way to see the sights. Comfortible transportation and the bus driver was very nice and informative. Long day for us, 11 hours, because we were picked up in Princeville, better if picked up from Lihue or Poipu. No lunch is provided however they stop at a golf course in Poipu to eat in their restaurant, so prepare for that additional expense. Was a little disappointed with Fern Grotto, we've seen much nicer areas in the botanical gardens. Boat ride was fun! Might be too long a day for young children and teenagers, for us it would have been better to drive ourselves.

The airplane tour was the highlight of our trip. The scenery was beyond our expectations. It was just beautiful. Josh, the pilot, explained everything to us as we passed by the different areas. Josh is a very professional person and very engaging. I would recommend this trip to everyone.

This was one of our favorite things that we did while we were in Kauai(and we did a lot!). The flight was beautiful! I can't even put into words how amazing this was. I was a little apprehensive about being in a plane versus the helicopter but I was happy with the decision we made. I saw helicopters along the tour and they do get a little closer to the waterfalls and mountains but there is something truly amazing about getting a zoomed out view of Kauai, I feel like I got to see more of the island this way. In addition to the scenery, the pilot was extremely nice and knowledgeable and made sure we were comfortable throughout the whole flight. Furthermore, the other staff at Wings over Kauai were AMAZING! They have a few surprises for their guests that I won't ruin here, but I will say that they are very generous! I HIGHLY recommend this activity to everyone!!!

Really enjoyed the flight, the pilot was excellent, but, the entire experience hinges on which side of the plane you happen to be seated on. As you depart, the coastline is on the right side of the plane, which allows you to see the attractions the pilot is making reference to. If you are on the left, you mostly view the open sea. He does circle around occasionally, however your view is a brief one, usually right on top, making it very difficult to get a good angle for a picture. I enjoyed the pilot, his commentary was very insightful, however, I would only recommend this excursion for anyone assured of seat on the right side of the plane.

Great company and staff. Very organized and efficient.

Nice and comfortable helicopters. Pilot (Geoffrey) was awesome and had excellent choices in music selection to fit the scenery.

Must do activity for Kauai! The only way to see all of Kauai.

Our tour guide was incredible!! he knew the history of the island, and we so enjoyed his humor!!! Fern Grotto needs to grow more not much to see there?

The tour was great and the guide had a lot of knowledge about Kauai. I was pleased to see how much of the south shore was covered in the tour. I wish they would have gone to the two other lookout points on the canyon before turning back but otherwise the stops were great. The river cruise was a little disappointing and the fern grotto, even though beautiful, wasn't worth the time spent getting there. If I had to do it again, I would just do the tour.

I enjoyed the guide. She was the best. The boat trip was perfect. What a beautiful romantic trip

Mario was an excellent driver and tour guide. We got to see so much of Kauai on this day-long tour. He gave us many hints beyond the tour if what to see, etc. We too the tour the first day we arrived. The information we gained helped orient us on our first trip to the Garden Island. Wonderful sites and LOTS of stops, well spaced and paced. We enjoyed the 24 passenger van and all the participants too.

Most beautiful sites on the island of Kauai. Must do tour! I loved all the stops we stopped at I couldn't stop taking pictures! The spouting horn was my favorite!

We enjoyed a day with Davin our driver through Waimea Canyon, the spouting horn, and the fern grotto. There was so much more than just those stops and our driver not only navigated expertly with the large bus he was driving but also provided an informed narrative of our surroundings. We also enjoyed the lunch at the golf course we stopped and the scenery of such a beautiful area. While our stops were quick, we were able to do some shopping and purchased some wonderful souvenirs. Would suggest Veltra tours to anyone!

Best view of the island! Amazing pilot! Beautiful scenery! Well worth the money. Should do the helicopter ride on all islands

Best view of the island! Amazing pilot! Beautiful scenery! Well worth the money. Should do the helicopter ride on all islands.

Tour guide very great and tour was a must do for anyone going to Kauai. Highly recommended.

We went as a family and enjoyed every moment and the Tour Guide Craig was very friendly and knowledgeable. Positive things about the Tour are: 1. the time it went quickly especially with the interesting sights as Waimea Cyn and Wailua River Cruise to Fern Grotto Tour. 2. The lunch was a good time to relax and enjoy a good meal with friends or family. 3. Sightseeing-and able to shop and stretch. Negative things about the Tour are 1. getting to boat on time- Fern Grotto Tour so we could get better seats for photo taking, their was another group of people there already. Negative things about the Tour 2. There was one store we stopped at in beginning of Tour and we did not feel welcomed. The owner was following us everywhere so we left out of there back to the bus also the refreshments where horrible. The only interesting fact at that store was a $4,000 beaded necklace. Overall, we enjoyed the day and recommend.

The flight is incredibly smooth, and the pilot will take you to see over 30% of the island that you will not be able to see otherwise. They'll take you through the canyons and you'll see the major waterfalls. We flew into the old crater, and it was just amazing! The pilot was very informative and pleasant to listen to, as he gave some history of the island. He'll even turn the bird so both sides of the passengers, left and right, may take photos. It's a MUST and well worth the cost!

Pilot was informative. Great scenery. Smooth ride.

Awesome tour! Saw the entire island in an hour, and places we would have never seen had it not been for being in the helicopter! Recommend this tour as a must do if you plan on visiting Kauai. The waterfalls themselves are worth the money!