Birthday Helicopter Flight
Package from $850 · whole helicopter
An 18-minute flight past Uluwatu Temple with sparkling wine and a bouquet on landing. Planned as a surprise, for up to 4 guests.
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Bali Helicopter Tour With Kids and Seniors: Ask These Questions First
Children and older travellers can usually fly a helicopter tour in Bali, but the operator sets the limits on age, weight and mobility, so confirm them before you pay. The easiest flights are the shortest: 12 minutes from $450 or 18 minutes from $650, both for the whole helicopter, flown in the morning when the air is calmer. Send every guest's age, approximate weight and any walking or hearing needs on WhatsApp, and we reply the same day with the pad, the boarding plan and one fixed price.
In this guide
- Can Children and Older Guests Fly? What Decides It
- What to Tell Us for Each Guest
- Noise Protection and Child Headsets
- Motion Comfort: Short, Early and Over Land
- Calm Tour Picks: 12 and 18 Minutes
- Seating, Boarding Steps and Walking on the Pad
- A Calm Family Morning, Step by Step
- Seven Things to Settle Before You Book
The short answer
Can Children and Older Guests Fly? What Decides It
Most families and older travellers who ask us do fly. Four things decide it: the guest's age, weight, how they move, and what the operator allows. We do not set those rules. The licensed operator does, and they can differ between aircraft, so we collect the details first and confirm every limit in the quote before you pay anything.
Three practical facts shape the day. The cabin is small and loud, boarding is a step up onto a skid, and the flight is most comfortable when it is short and early. The sections below cover headsets, motion comfort, seating, walking on the pad, the calmest tour picks and what to tell us.
Health questions: ask your doctor
We plan flights; we are not a medical service and cannot say whether a flight suits a health condition. If you have heart, breathing, balance, back or joint problems, or you are pregnant, ask your doctor and check your travel insurance before booking. In a life-threatening emergency call 112.
What to tell us
What to Tell Us for Each Guest
One message with these details lets the operator answer properly. Weights are for seating and balance, not for judging anyone.
| Guest | What we need | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Child of any age | Age, approximate weight, and whether the child has been in a small aircraft before | The operator confirms any age or weight limit, the seat and the headset size |
| Baby or toddler | Age, weight, and whether you plan to hold the child | Whether a young child may sit on an adult's lap or needs its own seat is the operator's rule. Ask before you build the day around it |
| Older guest who walks easily | Age, approximate weight, any trouble with steps | Boarding is one step up to the skid and into a seat higher than a car's |
| Guest who walks slowly or with a stick | How far they can walk and whether they need a rest or a rail | We plan the car as close to the aircraft as the pad allows, and the crew board without hurrying |
| Wheelchair or walking frame | The type of aid, and whether the guest can stand and step up with help | The aid stays on the ground. The operator decides if a safe transfer into the seat is possible, case by case, so send details early |
| Guest with hearing aids | The type, if you know it | Every guest wears a headset over the ears. Ask the operator how it fits with your aid |
| Guest prone to motion sickness or nerves | Say so, and say what helps | We choose a morning slot and a calm route, and the pilot knows at the pad |
How the pilot uses weights is explained in weight limits and baggage. The helicopter types page shows how cabins differ between the 4-seat and 6-seat classes.
Noise
Noise Protection and Child Headsets
A light helicopter is loud inside. Each guest wears a headset that cuts engine and rotor noise and carries an intercom, so you can talk to the pilot and to each other. For adults this is routine. For a child the question is fit, because an adult headset can be too big for a small head.
Ask the operator in writing whether a child-size headset is available for your child's age, and what the minimum age for flying is. Do not assume either answer. If the answer is no for a young child, a shorter flight on another day, or an adults-only flight while a relative minds the child at the car park, is better than a loose headset.
The pad is louder than the cabin. Keep a hand on each child, put the headset on before the rotor starts turning and walk to the aircraft only when the crew say so. Once everyone is inside with headsets on, most guests are surprised how quiet it feels.
Motion
Motion Comfort: Short, Early and Over Land
Light helicopters move with the air, and the air is bumpier when the ground is hot. Children and older guests usually feel best when you stack the odds in your favour:
- Fly between 07:00 and 10:00. The air is usually calmer than at midday, and the volcanoes and terraces are clearer. The best-time guide has the hour-by-hour pattern.
- Pick a short flight. Twelve minutes is long enough for a good view and short enough for a small child's patience.
- Prefer land to sea for a first flight. The Ubud terraces give a steady horizon and green below. Over the sea, a flat horizon can be harder for some guests to settle on.
- Eat lightly one to two hours before. A big breakfast and a bumpy climb are a poor mix. Bring water, and leave the sweets until after landing.
- Look out, not down. Eyes on the horizon, not on a phone or tablet. A window seat helps.
- Tell the pilot early. At the first sign of queasiness the pilot can ease the pace or head back. Ask a pharmacist about travel tablets before the day and take them before the flight, never during.
Calm tour picks
Calm Tour Picks: 12 and 18 Minutes
Prices are guide prices for the whole helicopter, up to 4 guests. The last column shows a family of four sharing one aircraft.
| Flight | Air time | Why it suits | Whole helicopter | Each, 4 guests |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bukit cliffs and the GWK statue | 12 min | The shortest flight; a coast you can follow easily; a good first helicopter ride | $450 | $115 |
| Ubud terraces and the Ayung gorge | 12 min | Over land and green fields; best in the morning | $500 | $125 |
| Uluwatu Temple and the cliffs | 18 min | The longest we suggest for young children; a bigger view of the coast | $650 | $165 |
| Mount Batur and Kintamani | 30 min | For teenagers and confident older guests; cloud builds from late morning, so fly early | $1,150 | $290 |
A child does not get a cheaper seat, because the price is for the aircraft. Six in the family means the 6-seat class at about 1.4 times the 4-seat rate; see the price page and helicopter charter for the rest.
Boarding
Seating, Boarding Steps and Walking on the Pad
Boarding is a step up onto the skid, then into the seat. The step is higher than a bus step and the seat sits higher than a car's. Ground crew steady you on the way in, and the pilot assigns seats, because weight and balance decide who sits where.
We ask the operator to seat each child next to a parent where the layout allows, and to give an older guest the seat that is easiest to enter. The pilot has the last word. If a guest needs extra time, say so at the pad. Nobody is hurried onto an aircraft.
Walking on the pad
Pads differ. A hotel or villa site may be a short walk across a lawn, while a pad on the Bukit can mean a longer walk from the car over grass, gravel or concrete, in the sun. Ask us for the walk from the car to the aircraft before you book. A private car to the pad starts at $50, and the driver can stop as close as the site allows. If walking is hard, tell us early and we look for a landing closer to your door; our guide to landing at a villa shows what is realistic.
- Wear flat shoes with a strap or a closed toe, and nothing that flaps in the rotor wash. See what to wear and bring.
- Go one guest at a time, from the front, when the crew signal.
- Use the toilet before you leave the hotel. There is none on the pad or in the cabin.
- Arrive 20 minutes early, take water and ask for a seat in the shade while you wait.
A calm family flight
A Calm Family Morning, Step by Step
An example for two grandparents, two parents and a six-year-old on the 12-minute Ubud flight. Times are WITA and are adjusted to your pad and sunrise on your date.
- Light breakfast and a toilet stopSmall portions, plenty of water. Charge the phones and put the tablet away.
- Car to the padA private car, from $50, avoids a taxi search. Allow extra time for the walk from the car.
- Arrive, weigh bags, sit in the shadeThe pilot checks weights, fits headsets and shows the seats. Ask for a seat swap now if someone wants a window.
- Briefing and boardingThe crew board the older guests first, then the child next to a parent. Belts on, headsets checked.
- Lift-offTwelve minutes over the terraces and the gorge. Keep conversation simple and let the child do the spotting.
- Back on the groundA slow exit, one by one. Water, a seat, and breakfast at the hotel by 09:00.
Before you book
Seven Things to Settle Before You Book
- Get the age and weight limits in writing. From the operator, through us, in the quote. The same page should name the operator and its licence number; see what to ask an operator.
- Ask about child headsets. Size and minimum age, for each child.
- Choose the morning. 07:00–10:00 is the gentlest slot for little ones and for anyone who dislikes bumps.
- Choose the shortest flight that shows what you want. Twelve minutes first, eighteen if everyone is comfortable.
- Tell us about walking and steps. A guest who needs a rail, a rest or an arm should say so before the day.
- Plan a back-up slot. If rain or cloud move the flight, a child's nap and a grandparent's energy can move too. Keep a second morning free.
- Check your insurance and your doctor. We cannot advise on health. For a full family day around the flight, see the family day itinerary.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Can a child go on a helicopter tour in Bali?
Usually yes, but age and weight limits are set by the operator, so send each child's age and approximate weight when you ask. The quote states the limits, the seat and the headset before you pay. The 12-minute flight from $450 is the easiest first flight.
Is there a minimum age for a helicopter flight in Bali?
The operator sets it, not us, and it can vary by aircraft and seat. Tell us the age of the youngest guest in your first message and we confirm the answer in writing. Do not plan a family day around a young child's seat until you have it.
Do children wear headsets, and will they fit?
Every guest wears a headset for noise and the intercom. Fit for small heads is a real question, so ask for a child-size headset by age. If one is not available, choose another day or an adults-only flight.
Can my elderly parents fly if they walk slowly?
Often yes. Boarding is one step up to the skid and into a seat higher than a car's, and the crew help. Tell us how far they can walk and whether they use a stick or a rail, and we choose the closest pad and add a car from $50.
Can someone in a wheelchair fly?
The chair stays on the ground. Whether a guest can be moved into the seat safely is a decision for the operator, made case by case from what you tell us. Send details of the guest's mobility and weight early, and we ask before you pay.
Which helicopter tour is best for a family with young children?
The 12-minute Bukit flight at $450, or the 12-minute Ubud flight at $500, flown between 07:00 and 10:00. A family of four pays $115 each for the Bukit flight, because the price is for the whole helicopter.
Tell Us Who Is Flying and Their Ages
Send the date, each guest's age and approximate weight, and any walking or hearing needs. We reply the same day with the pad, the boarding plan and one fixed price. Nothing is paid on this site.
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