Wings Over Kauai

When planning this vacation, Steven and I decided pretty quickly that we would NOT be doing a helicopter tour. The costs were outrageous ... almost $500 for a 50 minute ride. Even if we COULD have afforded it, we just refused to pay that much even if it was a "must see" with all the guides we read.

Once in Kauai, we found something that allowed us to get the views without the price. Steven found a company called "Wings Over Kauai" in a magazine. They were able to get us in the same day, and the costs were significantly less (we're talking less than half). I did a full review on trip advisor, but I will say that we were beyond satisfied (even if I did get a little motion sick... yikes!). Here are most of the pics from the trip. I was honestly so overtaken by the views and the experience, that I didn't take as many pictures as I intended. Our pilot, Bruce (who also owns the company with his wife), encouraged us to not just look through our camera lens, but to really take in the view.

This was the shot that was taken by Ellen (Bruce's wife), and they sent it to us via email. No extra charges for photos (and this is one of many reasons I love small, family owned companies -- they don't try to rip you off). 

Norwegian Cruise Lines "Pride of America." It exclusively tours the Hawaiian Islands.

These are all shots of Kauai's coast line. It's all absolutely gorgeous. We loved that Kauai is still very "rustic." No huge towns, no skyscrapers. In fact, there's a law in Kauai that no building can be taller than a coconut tree ... which means nothing's more than 4 stories high. It's a nice change from the city environment we see every day!

This is the only shot I got of the famous Napali Coast. You can't get to it by car. The only way to see it is from the air, by boat, or by taking a 20 something mile hike. It takes an entire day to get there and a day to get back. The view was beyond breathtaking.

These two are of the Waimea Canyon or "The Grand Canyon of the Pacific." You can also drive up to this and see it, or hike down into it. We drove up, but skipped the hiking (shocking, I know). 

This is one of the last things we saw was this gorgeous waterfall. I want to say it's the one from Jurassic Park, but I could definitely be wrong. Anyway, it's pretty, so who cares!

So there's a quick look at the views we got to enjoy from way up in the sky. I'm so glad we decided to do this tour. Not only was it less expensive, but since I do get motion sick, it was much easier for me to deal with. A helicopter tour would have killed me. If you're going to Kauai, I highly recommend the company. Check them out at http://www.wingsoverkauai.com/.