Sun, surf, and cities: combine California’s two most iconic cities with two Hawaiian Islands on one amazing holiday

This 30-minute helicopter flight swaps traffic for airspace and shows you why this stretch of coast keeps turning up in films, playlists, and daydreams. You’ll lift off from Long Beach and head south, following the curve of the Orange County coastline. From above, the mix becomes clearer: long sandy beaches, sudden rocky headlands, and neighbourhoods that seem designed to face the ocean.

You’ll pass over Seal Beach and Newport Beach, skim the cliffs around Dana Point, and see the greener, quieter pockets of Laguna Niguel laid out below. From the air, you’ll see the Pacific Coast Highway threading along the shoreline below, with dolphins and seals often visible in the water alongside it. 

The flight continues past surf beaches and coastal landmarks, including the Huntington Beach Pier, the compact charm of Balboa Island, and the layered coves of Laguna Beach. The scenery then opens up into the protected stretches of Crystal Cove State Park and the jewel-toned waters of Emerald Bay, where the coastline briefly forgets about development altogether.

The flight loops back over Long Beach to finish, passing the permanently docked Queen Mary and the working port before touching down. 

• Duration: 30 minutes
• Daily departures
• Operates year round 
• Group experience

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This is a lively introduction to Los Angeles that gives you more than just drive-by views. Over the course of the day, you’ll explore the city’s most recognisable neighbourhoods and landmarks by sightseeing coach, with time to step out, look around, and get a feel for how LA actually works.

The tour begins in Hollywood, where you’ll walk along Hollywood Boulevard and the Walk of Fame, spotting the names that have shaped film, music, and pop culture over the decades. Nearby, you’ll see landmarks like the Dolby Theatre and hear the stories that give this stretch of pavement its reputation, for better and worse. At Santa Monica, you’ll have time to enjoy the ocean air and the famous pier, where beach culture, street performers, and fairground nostalgia all collide. 

You’ll also pass through Beverly Hills, known less for landmarks than for atmosphere, with its wide streets, palm trees, and carefully understated luxury. A stop at the original Farmers Market adds a welcome break, with time to browse, grab a bite, and see where locals have been eating for decades. It’s casual, varied, and a good reset before heading back out. The tour also takes in elevated viewpoints around Griffith Park, where you’ll see the Griffith Observatory and enjoy wide views across the city basin, a moment that helps pull the whole day together.

• Start time: 9.30am
• Duration: 6½ hours
• Daily departures
• Operates year round 
• Group experience

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If you’re going to splurge on one unforgettable experience in Oʻahu, make it a complete island helicopter flight. In around 65 minutes, you’ll see the entire island unfold beneath you, from pivotal historical landmarks to postcard-perfect coastline, all in one flight.

You’ll lift off from Honolulu and fly over Pearl Harbour and the USS Arizona Memorial, a powerful moment that sets the tone before the scenery shifts gears. Minutes later, the city thins out, and Oʻahu’s natural side takes centre stage. You’ll sweep past Diamond Head, the island’s instantly recognisable volcanic crater, then glide over the clear reefs and electric blues of Kāneʻohe Bay. Inland, the landscape turns lush and dramatic as you pass through the Nuʻuanu Rainforest and over Sacred Falls, Oʻahu’s tallest waterfall, hidden deep in the jungle.

Then it’s north, where the coastline opens up into the North Shore, home to legendary surf breaks and long, wild beaches that feel a world away from Waikiki. You’ll also spot the vast green stretches of the Dole Plantation and follow the rugged Waiʻanae mountain range along the island’s western edge, where Oʻahu looks raw and almost untouched. By the time you touch back down, Oʻahu feels less like a collection of highlights and more like a complete, connected island.

• Duration: 65 minutes
• Daily departures 
• Operates year round
• Group experience

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This helicopter tour covers much of Maui in a single flight, combining West Maui’s valleys and waterfalls with East Maui’s rainforest and volcanic landscapes. You’ll also land at Ulupalakua Ranch on the slopes of Haleakalā for a short stop with refreshments and views. It’s a varied, mid-length flight perfect if you want both aerial sightseeing and a brief on-the-ground, away-from-it-all experience.

You’ll start by flying over West Maui, where deep valleys, dense rainforest, and long ribbons of waterfalls set the tone. It’s the side of the island that feels wild and cinematic, the sort of scenery that makes you forget about your camera for a moment because you’re too busy looking. Then comes the unexpected part. Your pilot lands at a private spot on Ulupalakua Ranch, high on the slopes of Mount Haleakalā. You’ll have around 20 minutes on the ground to stretch your legs, enjoy light refreshments, and take in wide-open views across rolling pastureland. On a clear day, you’ll catch views stretching all the way to the sea on both sides of the island.

Back in the air, the flight continues over East Maui for an extended look at the lush Hana region and the vast volcanic landscape of Haleakalā. From this angle, the island’s scale becomes clearer, and the contrast between the rainforest, the coastline, and the crater becomes clear. It’s adventurous without being intense, visually rich, and varied enough to feel like you’ve really seen Maui rather than just skimmed over it.

• Duration: 1½ hours
• Daily departures
• Operates year round 
• Group experience

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Hop on a luxury motor coach for a fun-filled wander around San Francisco’s winding city streets. Uncover a profusion of famous landmarks and hidden marvels as you flit between The Golden City’s colourful neighbourhoods and be sure to seize every photo opportunity that comes your way. The endless rows of Victorian homes are enriched with character, while buzzing Chinatown is peppered with top tier eateries to grab an authentic Asian bite.

Cravings curbed, it’s time to swap the hustle and bustle of the city for the bay as  you cruise to the ghostly enclave of Alcatraz Island for a tour of the maximum-security prison.

• Duration: Four hours
• Departs: Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays
• Operates year-round
• Group experience

Good to know
City tour stops with photo opportunities include: Golden Gate Bridge, Palace of Fine Arts, Twin Peaks, Land’s End Ocean Beach (Sutro Baths), Mission San Francisco de Asis (Mission district). Alcatraz audio guide included. Guests must be aged 5 years or older.

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This short but utterly fabulous seaplane flight takes off from the calm waters of Richardson Bay in Sausalito, just north of San Francisco. You’ll fly in a beautifully restored DeHavill and Beaver seaplane, a classic aircraft designed for water landings and low-level flying, with wide windows that make every seat a good one.

Once you’re airborne, the Marin coastline begins to fall away. Ahead, the Golden Gate Bridge comes into view. From the air, its red-orange arches stretch wide across the mouth of the bay and flying past them gives you a sense of scale and drama that’s impossible to get from the road or the pavement below.

The route traces the edge of the city, revealing San Francisco from angles most people never see. Alcatraz appears below as a compact, unmistakable silhouette in the water, while nearby Angel Island looks greener and quieter, layered with its own history. Along the shoreline, Baker Beach and Crissy Field unfurl where the city meets the Pacific, all open space and wind and light.

Further across the bay, you’ll spot the sweep of the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge, the rugged headlands of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, and the Point Bonita Lighthouse clinging to the cliffs at the water’s edge. Throughout the flight, your pilot adds context and stories, helping connect what you’re seeing to how the city grew, moved, and defined itself around the water.

• Duration: 30 minutes 
• Daily departures 
• Operates year round
• Group experience

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San Francisco looks compact on a map. Then you meet the hills. And that’s where the e-bike earns its keep. This guided electric bike tour is a brilliant way to get your bearings in a city. Over around four hours, you will roll through some of San Francisco’s most characterful neighbourhoods while a local guide fills in the stories. The famous ones, the strange ones, and the ones you would never stumble across on your own.

You’ll start near Fisherman’s Wharf at Ghirardelli Square, once a working chocolate factory and now a very scenic place to begin. From there, the route heads through Hayes Valley, a favourite with locals thanks to its independent shops and excellent coffee culture. Then it is on to Alamo Square for the classic Painted Ladies view, instantly recognisable from films and TV like Vertigo, Mrs Doubtfire, The Rock and Full House.

There is time to pause in Haight Ashbury, the heart of the 1960s counterculture scene and former home to Janis Joplin and the Grateful Dead. These days, it’s more vintage trainers than flower power, but the history is still very much part of the place. The ride finishes with an easy glide along the Panhandle of Golden Gate Park, a long green stretch that shows off San Francisco’s love of open space right in the middle of the city.

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