Sunshine Helicopters – Circle Island – 60 Minutes

Sunshine Helicopters Circle Island is the best way to see Maui from the air. Covering both the West Maui Mountains and the Hana and Haleakala tour, this 60 minute trip with Sunshine Helicopters will give you Hawaiian memories to last a lifetime. Sunshine Helicopters is a nationally recognized leader in the helicopter tour industry. Since 1985 Ross & Anna Scott have been following their passion of offering first class helicopter tours on Maui. To see just how amazing Maui is, you will have to get out of your car and get into a helicopter. The circle island tour is 60 minutes of jaw-dropping scenery that is only accessible via helicopter. It combines the West Maui mountains with the Hana/Haleakala tour to give you a full perspective of the entire island. The waterfalls that are hidden in the valleys behind Hana and on Maui’s Northshore will absolutely blow you away. Haleakala Crater, 1000 foot waterfalls, old growth rainforest, volcanic coastlines, the Road to Hana, are just a few of the highlights of this incredible air tour!

The best way to get a true perspective of Maui is with a Sunshine Helicopters Circle Island tour. Maui helicopter tours cover the portions of the island that you are unable to explore on your own. All circle island helicopter flights on Maui begin with the same route over Haleakala Crater south rim at the roof of the world. Veering away from the crater the helicopter tour takes you into the remote Kaupo Gap, once an ancient rift zone that carved out a huge valley on the south side of Haleakala. A forest of green with tumbling waterfalls and cliffs of lava rock will leave you speechless. From this point, you can gaze forward to see the towering peaks of the Big Island jutting through the clouds, 100 miles away. As the crystal, blue waters of the Pacific Ocean become closer the helicopter takes a left turn towards Hana-town.

As you journey north with the Sunshine Helicopters Circle Island tour, you’ll go along the East Coast of Maui with its rugged coastline,  jagged cliffs, and thundering waves crashing up against its walls is a sight to behold. So beautiful with its power, yet so lonely as only the sea can be.

The flight moves inland viewing the remote and lost valleys of the eastern slopes of Haleakala with towering waterfalls spilling into ancient streams that have carved out the canyons on the trek to the ocean. Once again, the flight takes to the sea as you approach civilization again as the windsurfing beaches of Hookipa where the windsurfers can be seen racing with the wind. Across the bay lays the second part of your flight of discovery – The West Maui Mountains.

The first valley visited is the Waihee Valley where at the steep back wall plays host to the “Wall of Tears”. 27 waterfalls that sprout out of the sides of its vertical cliffs. Truly an impressive sight.

Somewhere in a canyon carved out of the walls of the mountain is the “Keyhole” waterfall.  The Keyhole falls over 1200’ from the ridgeline into a lake like a tier before tumbling to the valley floor. How anyone ever found this waterfall is beyond comprehension.

The flight continues above the peaks descending into the adjacent valley which is the center of the mountain, best described as an ancient caldera of a volcano.  Here is a land forgotten by time, untouched, unspoiled and the same as it was a million years ago; It is also the headwaters for the Wall of Tears and the wettest place on earth.

Honokahua Valley is the longest valley on Maui. Where the valley meets, the mountain lies the Honokahua waterfall filmed in Jurassic Park. At 900’ it plunges down to a pool hammered from rock through countless years of erosion. The flight out of the valley winds its way out to the sea and the jagged peaks of Molokai rise above the ocean. The journey down the coast is a nice tour of the West Side as you head back to the heliport on your Sunshine Helicopters Circle Island tour.

We recommend that you wear dark, solid colored shirt for this helicopter flight. Brightly colored or white clothes can cause reflections on the windows that will show up in your photos and videos. Don’t forget your sunglasses!

A live action video is filmed of the Sunshine Helicopters Circle Island tour while you are boarding, the flight and when you land. The video is available for purchase. I would recommend that you purchase the video. It would make a great conversation when showing your friends and family after you return home.

The FX-Star Helicopter:
The FX-Star Helicopter features forward seating with an unobstructed 180-degree view from every seat. The back seats lift up like theatre seating to provide incredible forward viewing. The FX-Star is a smooth and comfortable ride. The FX-Star touring helicopter is equipped with air conditioning, leather seats, and a digit music system with noise reducing headsets. The FX-Star touring helicopter seats 6 guests and the pilot.

First Class Seating:
Sunshine Helicopters offer a unique experience with first-class seating. All Maui helicopter companies seat their guest to balance out the helicopter. Under this guideline, there is no control over where you are seated.

First Class Seating eliminates that surprise and guarantees you the front seats in the helicopter. It does come at a price with the costs per tickets being a little higher, much like first class seating on a flight to Maui. But the experience outweighs the costs.

Other Activity Options by Sunshine Helicopters: Sunshine Helicopters – West Maui And Molokai – 45 Minutes, Sunshine Helicopters – Hana And Haleakala – 45 Minutes, Sunshine Helicopters – West Maui And Molokai – 60 Minute Flight