Reviews

The tour company is very professional and the pilot, Greg, was very patient with passenger questions. He included information on the economics, culture and customs surrounding the volcanoes. Tip: Check your weather forecast in advance of booking, on a clear day it is truly inspiring. If you're in Kona, drive to Hilo through Volcano National Park for the helicopter tour. Every 10 miles the complexion of the landscape changes. Tour is cheaper too.

We booked on Christmas Eve for a trip a few days afterward. Instead of the take off from Waikaloa which would mean a 2 hr flight in small enclosed space with children, we chose the 50 minute Circle of Fire flight. They gave us a 4 pm booking which concerned me a bit because we would have to drive to Hilo and back from Kona. The drive wasn't too bad. After the obligatory safety video, we had to wait for our helicopter. It seemed that they were running a bit late. But I guess it was worth waiting for. Although we weren't in an Eco-Star, we had a great pilot/guide in Colleen. Just very knowledgeable and friendly and a great role model for my daughters, "Daddy, cool, a woman pilot!" The 4 o'clock flight worked out well as the sky was clear and according to Colleen, the volcanic activity bumps up a bit. We saw the lava flows creeping towards Pahoa, cutting down/burning the rainforest along the way. The flows were not as I imagined, too much tv and movies, I guess. They looked mud-like with flashes and cracks of glowing red, showing the molten lava underneath. So cool. We also flew over the smoking Pu'u O'o crater. During our leg back to Hilo we were able to see some hidden waterfalls, wave to a huge cruise ship, and managed to see one of the planes that serves as Air Force One. It was one of the best things we've ever done in Hawaii.

Our family of five took Blue Hawaiian's new tour where we got to land in front of a waterfall near the North shore of the big island (we were the second group to do so). It was absolutely spectacular. We've taken helicopter tours before; landing in a completely isolated location took the experience to another level. Our pilot, Tom, raised the bar even further. He was funny, knowledgeable, and an experienced pilot. The ride was very smooth and comfortable. Highly recommended.

Flew out of Hilo to see the volcano. Awesome experience from start to finish! The staff was thorough with safety instructions and procedures. The ride was smooth and our pilot was well informed. I would recommend Blue Hawaiian to anyone wanting beautiful birdseye views of Hawaii.

We took a helicopter tour out of Hilo this past month and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. If you want to see flowing lava this is about the best way to ensure that you can see some if there are any active flows. The day that we took off the town of Pahoa was being threatened by a lava flow that had been moving towards it relentlessly for months. The town was about ready to "close up shop" but it was still very much open for business when we were there. The helicopter company had made a corporate decision to not overfly Pahoa; however, the helicopter tour took us to the source of the lava flow where we saw the main crater, some flowing lava, and 11 miles of lava flow that led to Pahoa. The scenery was stark, ther worldly, and mammoth. It's a sight that should not be missed. We also overflew some waterfalls, but the main attraction was the volcano. Our pilot, Tim was very well informed about volcano history and facts and answered all our questions. We sat in the back row (4 passengers) but we saw everything since Tim made sure to bank and go back to any sights of interest so both sides could see. All in all, a fun, exciting, and amazing tour, albeit pricey. Everyone should do that at least once when on the Big Island of Hawaii.

I can't fault the helicopter pilot, but it was a little disappointing because the lava flow from the volcano was not visible. We were hoping for a "skylight" which we'd seen on a previous trip many years ago. However, mother nature was not cooperating. It was fascinating to see the recent lava which had flowed quite near a small village. One house had already been destroyed and the town's grocery store was closing to evacuate that day. You could see some ribbons of red under the lava, and some trees and other vegetation which had burned. We also toured around some waterfalls, but I thought the ones that they took us to were not particularly spectacular. Afterwards, we drove to some others ourselves that were more interesting. The company does guarantee that at least one person from every couple will sit by a window so pictures can be taken. Of course, it was raining and cloudy, so there wasn't much they could do about that. I'd still say it was fun.

I took the Big Island Spectacular tour and loved it. We were in the air for 2 hours. I was on the Eco-Star helicopter which was very comfortable. I was lucky and got to sit in the front by the door. I would have purchased the video, but it did not work that day. We did see some hot lava and fires near the town of Pahoa. We also spent a little time looking for whales which could be seen from the helicopter while near the surface.

We booked this tour based on the recommendation from the concierge at the resort we were staying at. We originally booked the lesser expensive A-Star helicopter tour. When we arrived for check-in, things were a bit chaotic since a large group had individually reserved seats on the Eco-Star tour, but did not let Blue Hawaii know they were all part of a single large group and they wanted to be on the same tour. This delayed our tour by about 15 minutes, but we ended up getting included on the Eco-Star tour which was nice. The tour itself was very good. The pilot did a great job showing us the lava flows and volcano. She also noticed some whales surfacing and spent some time showing us those. The waterfalls were nice. She did a good job answering questions. Overall, we would recommend this tour to anyone interested in getting a better look at volcanic activity in the area.

The ground crew was friendly and professional. We took the Circle Of Fire plus Waterfalls in an A Star and visibility was very good. Pilot was Colleen and she was delightful. Very good narration during tour and care taken to make sure everyone got good views of current flow. There was a problem with the video recorder so we weren't able to purchase the video of our flight but were comped the standard video, that's first class customer service. Second time flying with Blue Hawaiian and highly recommend.

Get Eric as your pilot! wonderful trip and guide! You should do this, if your going to Big Island , all worth it!

We flew with Blue Hawaiian Hellicopters from Hilo Hawaii over the active volcano and saw the amazing experience of an island being created by the eruption.We came to the Big Island specifically to take this tour and were not disappointed. The Blue Hawaiian company was recommended by the Sheraton Hotel . Do not miss this if you are in Hawaii.

We took the Big Island tour from Hilo to see the volcanic lava flow and waterfalls and while it was okay, and our pilot, Ethan, was very nice,it was not what we expected Perhaps it was because of the height of the A-Star helicopter, but we saw no flowing red hot lava. What we did see looked more like remains of a forest fire with a little bit of what looked like flames from remains of a forest fire. We did fly over some active volcanoes, and saw a great deal of rising smoke, but we saw almost the same sights while on foot in Volcanos National Park a couple of years ago. The waterfalls also looked potentially spectacular, but at such a far distance I wouldn't say they looked that impressive. I asked after the flight if there was a better time of day to see the lava flow, waterfalls, etc. and was told the scenes varied from day to day, so no, there was no special time of day that was better. We did get a terrific discount for agreeing to listen to a two-hour talk about buying time shares from a major real estate chain that was pushing time shares on the Big Island. Those were two hours well spent because before hand we knew nothing about time shares and by the time these hustlers were done, we knew we would never buy one from them. Those booking this trip will enjoy the flight itself, as the helicopters are very nice and staff are also, but what one gets to see is really the luck of the draw. It could be the most fabulous part of one's vacation or it could be just okay....

Seeing the volcano via helicopter had been on my Bucket List for a long time, so i was thrilled when my husband got me a trip for Christmas. We selected Blue Hawaiian for their excellent reputation and stellar safety record. We were not disappointed. You can get a 20% discount by booking 5 days in advance online, which we did. You can also find giftcards at Kona Costco for about the same value. We were fortunate that the weather was sunny and clear on our tour day, a rarity in Hilo. We got checked in and ready for our flight, but at the last minute we were told that our flight was cancelled due to a maintenance issue with the helicopter. I was devastated initially, but they quickly rescheduled us for a flight 3 hours later that day. That gave us time to have lunch and shop around Hilo before returning to the airport. On the bright side, we were assigned the front two seats of our rescheduled flight (we were in the back row previously), also they threw in a free DVD of our tour for the inconvenience. A $40 value. So I was happy with the change in plans. The ground crew was very nice, and our pilot was excellent. The tour was breathtaking and will be a treasured memory for me. We chose to go on the Eco-Star helicopter, the more expensive one. But I felt it was worth it. The ride was very comfortable and the visibility from all the windows was excellent. As we left the tarmac, I noticed some of the other tour operators' helicopters, and some of them were shockingly old! I was glad we flew on the nicest helicopter around. I would heartily recommend Blue Hawaiian to all interested in a helicopter tour.

Our pilot was Brody, excellent pilot and guide. Am home now reliving the experience through the great video. This was the best thing we did on Kauai!

The short version: they did everything I expected and exceeded my expectations. The longer version with the tips: How to book. The there are a few ways to do that, but the best way is to call. Why? Basically, you need to worry about 3 things: weather, seats and price. Since you want to enjoy the views, if you have a few days to choose from, call the company and ask the agent for an advice. They are nice and honest people and they'll tell you what would be the best strategy to plan your trip. The next is the seats. All helicopters have great windows and you'll be able to see those views. The front seats, especially the right one have slight advantage. You can't book a particular seat because they actually put all visitors on the scale and run a computer program to get a proper balance, but you can ask agent on the phone to request a front seat. That increases your chances (we got ours), but don't worry too much about that - the views from all seats are fantastic. Finally, the price. If you book early in advance, ask the agent on the phone if they can give you any discount. Sometimes they do. Ok, now done with the tips, let's get back to the tour. Be ready to pay a few dollars (something around $5) for parking. You need to arrive about 45 mins in advance, they are going to put you on a scale to get your weight and give you a security briefing. The lounge is really nice. Wear dark colors, please. Otherwise it will reflect in the windows and block the view. The ride is very smooth, so you don't need to worry about motion sickness. I don't think you can choose a pilot, ours was Coleen and she was excellent! Besides showing all main attractions, she also added some deep notes (like when she was showing the black lava dropping into the ocean - she mentioned that this place looks like the island when it was just born and got out of the water - so true!) I think this is about it. Great company, highly recommended!