Safari Helicopter Tours

What Safari Helicopters is and where it flies

Safari Helicopter Tours is a family-run helicopter company that flies its own sightseeing tours on Kauai and the Big Island of Hawaii. The homepage reads "Family Business since 1987", and the footer names the company as Safari Aviation, Inc. It has an office on each island: on Kauai at 3225 Akahi St, Lihue, HI 96766, and on the Big Island at Hilo Airport, Commuter Terminal, 2220 Kekuanaoa Street. The Big Island tours cover Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and the Hamakua Coast, and the Kauai tours cover Na Pali, Waimea Canyon and Waialeale.

The homepage carries a notice headed "KAUAI IS RECOVERING!", which says "Safari Helicopters is currently operating, but flight times are limited", that the office and phone lines are open, and that guests can call 808-326-3356 or 808-246-0136 for help. A banner on the Big Island page announces a "Big Winter SALE".

The About text calls the business "the culmination of a lifetime of flying, adventure, business and family experience". The Pilots menu names Jim (Chief Pilot), Andrew, Cauy, Ross and Aiden. Jim's profile says he began flight training in southern California in the early 90's and later worked as a factory test pilot before moving to the Big Island. Andrew's says he served as a U.S. Air Force civil engineering officer, trained on helicopters at Hillsboro Heli Academy, flew as a copilot on a CH-54 Skycrane in aerial firefighting, and moved to Hilo in early 2024.

Kauai tours

The Island Waterfall tour, pitched as "Big Adventure, Small Price", costs $244 for about 45 minutes and gives a general overview of the island, taking in Na Pali, Waimea Canyon and Waialeale. A private version for the whole helicopter is $1,400.

The Deluxe Waterfall Safari, billed as "The Ultimate Waterfall Experience", is a 55-minute tour at $309, or $279 with the code Save30. The page describes "a 100+ mile tour of central Kauai" that "covers 80% of this island", and says the flight passes Manawaiopuna Falls, "broadly featured in 'Jurassic Park'", which it says plunges 400 feet, and Hanakāpīʻai Falls. The private version is $1,500.

The Jurassic Canyon Landing, "Explore Where Few Have Landed", is a 90-minute tour at $369, or $339 with the code. It is the Deluxe Waterfall Safari route plus "approximately a 30-minute stop over" at a secluded botanical preserve. The site is careful to say "This tour lands on the rim of Olokele Canyon, not at Jurassic Falls". The private version is $1,854. The Kauai page says much of the island is "only reachable via dangerous hikes or restricted regions", which is its case for flying, and describes Waimea Canyon, "the 'Grand Canyon of the Pacific'", as having "depths exceeding 3,600 feet".

The Kauai page also says guests can choose "a doors-off experience" or "a doors-on tour", and that private tours can be shaped around particular waterfalls or more time in Waimea Canyon, though it does not say which scheduled tours fly doors off.

Big Island tours

The Volcanoes National Park Safari, "Experience the volcanoes from above", is an approximately 55-minute tour at $379, or $349 with the code Fly30. The page says that "Due to the National Parks Extreme Limitations on overflights, this is now a highly premier experience". It lists Volcanoes National Park, lava fields and black sand beaches, and the longer description names the Kilauea summit and Halemaʻumaʻu Crater, the East Rift Zone, Mauna Loa and the Chain of Craters Road, which it says descends 3,700 feet from the summit of Kilauea to the ocean. The private version is $1,700.

The Big Island page gives a good deal of background. It describes the island as the youngest in the archipelago, rising "about 18,000 feet from the ocean floor", and says Hawaii Volcanoes National Park has "four main districts" with different geology. It notes that the Chain of Craters Road area has been reshaped by "over nine miles of lava flows since 1986". The page says "Every flight is an educational journey", with pilots covering the geology, history and cultural significance of the volcanoes, and it suggests a private tour for special occasions. The homepage adds that "Lava may vary from picture shown" and points guests to the USGS for current activity.

The Hamakua Coast Waterfalls & Valleys tour, "Where waterfalls meet the ocean", runs approximately 60 minutes over the Hamakua coastline, several coastal waterfalls, Waimanu Valley and the back of Waipio Valley. The private version is $2,100; the page does not show a shared-seat price for this tour.

Booking, groups and gifts

Tours are booked online through the Book Kauai and Book Big Island buttons, and the homepage pushes "Book Direct and save", with Save30 on Kauai and Fly30 on the Big Island each worth $30. The discounted tours are marked "CAN NOT BE COMBINED WITH ANY OTHER OFFERS". For bookings within 15 hours of departure, the site asks guests to call 1.800.326.3356.

Groups of 12 or more get discounted rates on request, and the whole helicopter can be chartered, with the private prices shown on each tour card described as "Better price per seat". Gift cards are sold from the menu, and the footer links to FAQs and Terms and Conditions. The Kauai page quotes a guest who says "Safety is paramount at Safari and that comes first in my book"; the company's own safety statement says its helicopters are "painstakingly maintained".

What the site leaves open, and who it suits

The site does not state a cancellation window or refund rule, weight limits, a minimum age, or how many passengers share a scheduled flight. It does not name the aircraft type, and it does not say how the Kauai schedule is limited during the recovery. Some homepage sections still show placeholder text in place of reviews and photo captions.

Safari Helicopters suits visitors on Kauai who want a clearly priced flight, from a short overview to a canyon-rim landing with time on the ground, and visitors in Hilo who want the volcano or the Hamakua waterfalls from the air. Small parties who want the helicopter to themselves can compare the published private prices before calling.