Helicopter tours have become one of the island's signature attractions partly because so much of Maui's rugged interior is inaccessible to vehicular traffic.

Here, it is possible to lift off from a heliport, quickly bypass populated areas, and, in minutes, leave civilization behind. Look down and you'll find yourself flying low over deep, impossibly tangled, uninhabitable canyons where inland waterfalls drop hundreds of feet right outside your window.

Now and then, the helicopter will hover before a unique geographic or legendary site and the pilot, like a guide standing before a masterpiece in an art museum, will fill in the details. Noise-canceling headphones wipe out the roar of the helicopter rotors. Music, like the soundtrack from a movie, sets the mood. And the narrator, that is your pilot, guides you skillfully into what many describe as a mystical experience.

Most helicopter tours offer views of the lunar-like surface of Haleakala Crater and the waterfall-laced coastline of the North Shore rainforest. Some companies fly to Moloka'i, where towering waterfalls and 3,000-foot vertical sea cliffs provide a spectacular sight.

Tours depart from the heliport at Kahului Airport. They vary in destination, length and cost with airtime fluctuating from 30 to 90 minutes. (If you're not in the air for at least 60 minutes, you'll wish you had been.) As a rule, morning is the best time to fly, as cloud cover tends to increase throughout the afternoon. But even if it's cloudy before you take off, don't worry. Helicopters can fly just under the cloud ceiling, which typically is around 4,000 feet.

The seating configuration in most tour helicopters on Maui is similar with two passengers seated up front with the pilot and four more in the seats behind. Because tour helicopters resemble airborne glass bubbles, the view is generally excellent no matter where you sit.

Each year, an estimated 400,000 visitors take a helicopter or light plane tour.