AS THE NORTHERNMOST of the Hawai’ian Islands, Kauai is the middle kid in terms of size, the oldest in terms of age and the poster child for natural beauty in Hawai’i. The island offers rainforests with rushing waterfalls, rivers that cut through stately rock formations and beaches where the sand is as white and soft as powder.

Kauai, often referred to as “The Garden Island,” features dramatic emerald valleys and sharply jagged mountains which set the stage for a number of cinematic moments. Many an opening scene has begun with one of Kauai’s stunning shorelines; the island’s biggest credits include Raiders of the Lost Ark, Pirates of the Caribbean, Jurassic Park and The Descendants.

Kauai boasts a range of active tours in which visitors can hike through Koke’e State Park, kayak along the Wailua River, go tubing down historic plantation ditches or even snorkel in the waters off Poipu Beach. However, one of the best ways to get a full picture of the island is on one of Kauai’s many scenic helicopter tours.

Many parts of the island are inaccessible by foot or road, so getting a full view of the island is only possible from the air. Helicopter tours offer the chance to glimpse down into Waimea Canyon, once called “The Grand Canyon of the South Pacific” by Mark Twain, and scout out the rare species of flora and fauna that call remote Alakai Swamp home.

Some tours, like the one offered by Niihau Helicopters, allow visitors to step out on pristine beaches to comb the shores for seashells and enjoy a private picnic before taking back to the skies for more aerial sightseeing. Glimpse unspoiled views of waterfalls on tours with Blue Hawaiian Helicopters, with the focus on the eco-initiatives of the island and environmentally sound travel as it takes guests high above Jurassic Park Falls, more commonly known as Manawaiopuna, inside the Hanapepe Valley.

Cinema buffs will love the tours with Jack Harter Helicopters as they board a Eurocopter AS350 AStar for the journey around the island. The aircraft is like a flying theater, with Bose noise-cancelling headsets, floor-to-ceiling Plexiglas windows and in-flight music to coordinate with the sights below. See the waterfall that appears in the opening credits of Fantasy Island, soar over Moloaa Bay to relive where Gilligan first met Ginger on the pilot episode of Gilligan’s Island, imagine a world of dinosaurs in the remote outcroppings made famous in Jurassic Park, or hum along to “Bali Hai” as the aircraft circles the most iconic filming locations from South Pacific.