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Travel & Experiences

Offbeat Traveler: Manawaiopuna Falls on Kauai

It took Island Helicopters 5 1/2 years to obtain the permits necessary to land at Manawaiopuna Falls. While touring the site, tourists wear blue booties to prevent contaminant from entering the grounds.

It took Island Helicopters 5 1/2 years to obtain the permits necessary to land at Manawaiopuna Falls. While touring the site, tourists wear blue booties to prevent contaminant from entering the grounds.  (Catharine Hamm / Los Angeles Times)

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Manawaiopuna Falls on Kauai is a breathtaking sight, but its claim to fame is a brief but memorable movie appearance. In the 1993 Steven Spielberg movie “Jurassic Park,” Manawaiopuna Falls appears prominently in the background as a helicopter carrying scientists alights on Isla Nublar early in the movie.

Until recently, the 400-foot falls could be seen only from the air, as it sits on private property. In 2009, Kauai-based Island Helicopters began landing tourists at the falls.

— Jason La

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