If you only have time for one activity, this is the one to do! The Jason, our pilot, was excellent and very smooth. They know Kauai very well and show you the best of it.

We could not have imagined not doing the helicopter tour. The island takes on a whole new meaning for the air. We saw where they filmed Jurassic Park and Raiders of the Lost Arc. The coast line is breath taking, the waterfalls simply stunning and the rain forest was mystical.

Our copter ride was smooth and comfortable. When boarding  they tell you that it’s okay to stand fully upright, but I did not trust them and walked in and out of the craft hunched over. On board they gave us headsets to hear the theme music and to talk to the pilot and each other.

Some words of advice, bring a video camera, pictures alone don’t do it justice. Also wear a black or very dark outfit, light colors reflect in the window and will show up in your photos.

At $209 each, this 60 minute ride was worth every dime. We heard from others that shorter duration rides (30/45 min) left you wanting more. It was worth spending the extra $30 per person to get the extended ride.

Next time I plan to take a ride on a "doors-off" helicopter.

An additional note, most helicopter rides take off from near the airport.

We chose Jack Harter for one reason; when we went, they had the only 90-minute tour (most are 50 minutes). The shorter flights cover similar territory, but were quicker "look quick before you move on" trips. Our longer flight allowed us to linger and really take pics. We also could "customize" our trip—our kids love Jurassic Park—so we spent more time looking at film sites.

Be prepared to see the beauty of nature. You fly over those beautiful mountains, and into the canyons. In places, there are literally so many waterfalls you can't count them all. You fly over the fields and swamp too. You fly over the Na Pali Coast. It's literally awesome.

Do this trip early on your vacation. For one, it allows you to get a real perspective of the island, helping figure out what you want to visit later. For two, if the weather is bad... it allows you to reschedule...

For specifics... Jack Harter offers 4- and 6-seat helicopters. For the 90-minute tour, you only have the 6-seat option. Be wary... those center back seats do NOT have the best view. If you get one you won't have as great of a trip. We are a family of five. We opted to purchase that last seat for our "imaginary" friend, and it helped our middle son (in the middle seat) to see much better.

Our pilot was superb - we had headphones that muffled the sound of the helicopter and could ask any question we wanted as we flew. At times, music was played so we could simply enjoy the scenery. Details were pointed out for us as we flew. This was not a taped narration flight.

Other details. This company is popular, so early reservations are recommended. Don't count on extra seats being open. Every 'copter we saw was filled.

You arrive at their small office close to the airport, sign in, and are weighed on the spot. No cheating on your weight,  you're life might depend on it. Fortunately, other tourists didn't laugh when our weights were announced, and we returned the favor.

There are restrooms available, then there's a safety briefing and you are finally off to the heliport. Your helicopter lands, folks get off, and you enter at your guide's directions. You don't pick your seat... it goes by weight. After some short conversations with the pilot, you're off. All too soon it's over, but the memories we have (and pictures) will always be there.

Jack Harter Helicopters offers a 90-minute tour, covering the same ground as the 60-minute tour, but allowing for more time and views in the tour areas. We’ve taken the tour twice and also have flown with Inter-Island. Harter’s extended tour time plus excellent, comprehensive, accurate narration make them tops for the island tour. The new Hughes aircraft would be our first choice over the tour with the A-Star. Although the A-Star is more comfortable (A/C, closed doors), the doors-off Hughes is better for picture taking without reflections.