Reviews

We did the "Big Island Spectacular" trip yesterday and it was amazing. I wanted to do this mainly to see the active volcano but it was the waterfalls and valleys that made the trip. The volcano isn't very active right now but we did see red in the crater and a small amount of lava in the rift zone. It was incredible to see the devastation that the lava has caused. Our pilot was very knowledgeable and friendly. We were in a group of 3 and had 1 window & 2 middle seats which were fine. The middle seats were good because you could see both sides. I saw more on this 2 hour flight than I did in 2 weeks on land. It is definitely worth the money!

My husband and friend were recently in Waikoloa for another friend's wedding and we debated whether or not to spend the money for the Big Island Spectacular. All three of us agree that it was some of the best money we spent while on this holiday. First of all, the operation is very well managed and operated - we felt very safe and comfortable - check in was handled efficiently. Our pilot, John, was very personable and shared a lot of interesting information as we travelled over the island. The views of the lava flows were spectacular and if you have any interest in natural history this is a once in a life time sight not to be missed. I thought that the lava would be the highlight of the tour and then we went into the valleys of waterfalls and I was awestruck - waterfalls cascading from all sides seen from a rare aerial perspective. If you choose one attraction on the Big Island, make it this trip! Advance reservations are a must.

Absolutely amazing experience! I can't imagine there's any better way to see the island. Pilot John made it fun and interesting. Mahalo

We took a 2 hour round island tour. The tour was breathtaking and felt both safe and exciting. The diversity around the island is unreal and the pilot made sure to go around on lots of different angles to get the best view and photos each time the scenery changed. Bathe cabin music was a nice touch.

This afforded us views of volcanic activity throughout the area. While it was a splurge, I'm glad we did it as it made for one of the most memorable parts of our trip and a great introduction to the volcanoes in the area before entering Volcanoes National Park. It's a very professional and well run operation.

This was my second trip with them. Fly the Eco and not the Astro copter. It will cost you more but you will see a lot more from the sky and you will find it easier to take pictures. Try to get Tim as your pilot if he is working that day. I find every aspect of their operation to be professional. The first time I went we saw active lava flows including into the ocean and lots of steam. The lava is not as active now but is slow moving so you will not see much from the air except the lava slowly burning a forest. They end the trip by flying over some water falls which I did not find that interesting. The total trip is 50 minutes. They do offer you a video of your trip which I declined to buy each time. Look for discounts on their website and ask at your hotel if they know of any. Even discounted it is expensive, without discounts it is every expensive. But it is worth it to do it at least once.

A helicopter view over the volcano is a must do activity when visiting the big island. As well as going to the volcano on the ground, the air view was fantastic. While we didn't fly over the main crater of Kilauea, it was still exciting to be able to look down the lava tubes and photograph red hot lava that you cannot access on foot. Our pilot was very informative and friendly and interactive for the whole flight. She ensured that all sides of the helicopter and therefore each passenger had a fair time viewing and photographing each site. In addition to the crater we were able to see where the vegetation is continually burning as the burn line of sparks and some flames, proceeds through the forests. Unfortunately for us there were no lava flows for our visit but we were taken to see the devastation and face of the lava of previous recent flows. We were a party of 5 and each of us would do the flight again when returning to the island. The top quality earphones were excellent at blocking out noise and making a comfortable flight for the whole hour. This was our second experience with Blue Hawaiian which we selected for the volcano flight, after having had a great flight over Kauai.

Three coworkers and myself took this trip on one of Blue Hawaiian's Eco-Star copters, and very much enjoyed it. Wish I could recall our pilot's name. We teased that he looked super young, but he was very professional from pre-flight instructions throughout until we got off the helicopter. This tour is probably not ideal since it leaves from Hilo, and has to fly quite a ways just to get to the volcanoes. But our ship was docked in Hilo, so off we went! The helicopter was large, comfortable and had amazingly large windows for viewing. The Pu'u O'o cone was not flowing at the time of our tour, but literally within 3 or 4 hrs of our completing our flight, it began flowing lava again. We did numerous circles down low over Pu'u O'o and could see the red-hot lava peeking out cracks and crevices in the vent. Lots of steam, and occasional smells. Since our time in port was fairly brief, we felt this was a good option to get to see the volcanoes. It was an unusual cloudless day so we could clearly make out the tops of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa, even able to see the observatories! I think a helicopter tour of the RTH/East Maui, or on Kauai would be even better.

Great panoramic views of the island. Ethan, our pilot, was very accommodating to our requests for different shots or revisiting a location when time allowed. In a heart beat, I would highly recommend Blue Hawaiian to any visitor to the big island! You will NOT be disappointed.

On the flight there were great views of the island and the volcano peaks and lava flows. Don't expect pyroclastic (explosive) lava all the time as most of the time it runs on the ground or slightly underground. You can see the immense power of the lava flows as you flay over them. We passed over some stunning waterfalls that aren't accessible by the ground as they are on private property. Out pilot was exceptionally knowledgeable and very accommodating to our requests (reposition to take pics etc...) I'm sure he even tried a couple of top-gun style manoeuvres which were quite cool (and maybe made me feel a little nauseous)

My wife and I, we have taken the flight on jan 18 at 11am. Our pilot was Ethan. The dedication and professionalism of all the crew was outstanding. Made you feel safe and welcome, very very professional. As to what you see on then flight ( lava and waterfalls)- there is only so much as much nature can give at any given moment. This can not be predicted. Our pilot Ethan was phenomenal! He did every extra trick in his sleeve to show us as much as possible that particular day, several approaches to different lava vents, from every angle , waterfalls and even spotting the wales in the hilo bay! He took extra time to show us the mother and cub wales from every angle, as both sides of the chopper wanted to see the same view. Overall the crew on ground and air was great and Ethan was a great example of much professional approach can make you choose one company over another one if all the other things are there to see the same,

Awesome experience. Loved the helicopter ride. The pilot was excellent and informative but mostly made us feel at home. Staff on ground were wonderful and efficient. We weren't left to worry about where to go or what was next. Over all a great trip. Lava fields were terrific, waterfalls a little bit underwhelming. All in all a great and memorable trip.

I too had the Center Seat in the A-Star Model Helicopter and was initially disappointed but took solace in my wife having the window seat. She had never been to Hawaii and never been a Helicopter before so it was important she enjoy her trip. However our Pilot, (Tim) took some flight angles that allowed both sides of the Cabin to get good photo angles. Our other passengers had video and Zoom Lens type Video Equipment and we only had Camera Phones but still got the pictures we wanted. As mentioned the Lava is not in "Splash Mode" at the present time and these Helicopter rides are the only ticket in Town to get to see the Summit. I also had questions about the Lave fields and so on while we were in Flight and Tim was able to provide commentary and historical perspective on our Questions. When we got home days later , and watched the DVD we saw things we had not noticed during our Flight that we did not initially see due to having our faces in Camera Viewfinder. Plus you get to be Stars in your own 50 minute Movie of your Tour. Excellent side trip from Volcano for Waterfall Viewing near Hilo as well. Note This tour takes off from Hilo Airport so that explains why the all the facilities are available.

Waterfalls, waterfalls, waterfalls!!!! We were a bit nervous about a helicopter ride, but the staff at Blue Hawaiian Tours was very professional. Although we are a couple, we saw families, children, teens, and seniors enjoying the ride!! Our pilot, Jason was informative, engaging, and very funny!! We loved his D.C. theme music!!!! If you visit Hawaii (we were on the Big Island), be sure to look up Blue Hawaiian Helicopter Tours!!! The prices may "give you pause", but the views will "stop you in your tracks"!!! Don't miss this magnificent way to see Hawaii!!!!

If your budget can afford it take the 2 hour helicopter tour and you will see all the sites the Big Island of Hawaii offers. It is impossible to describe what it is like to fly over an active volcano but it is a sight you will never forget. The company running the helicopter tours could not be more accommodating. When our first tour was cancelled because of rain over part of the island they gave my daughter and I two Blu-ray videos of the island tour free of cost and rescheduled us for a tour two days later. While they do offer a shorter, less expensive tour I think the longer 2 hour ride is a much better buy for the money considering all that you get to see.