Reviews

We did the Circle of Fire + Waterfalls tour, 50 mins in the air. Some people expect too much on such tours, judging by some comments. We saw lava flows (old & new), great views inside the volcano itself and many waterfalls in the area. All this with an informative, friendly and detailed commentary from our pilot (thanks Ethan). If you're a little nervous flying, you can feel confident in these helicopters; they are modern, well maintained, quite spacious and secure. We particularly liked the way our pilot always passed over everything twice so that passengers on both sides had an excellent view and opportunity for photos.

Fantastic, everybody should do this. Incredibly AWESOME experience. Mahalo, Jeremy. We had been at Volcano National Park and drove through Pahoa to see where the lava was. Seeing it from the air is a complete different experience from what you see on the ground. We did the eco-star and I had a front seat, although I think all passengers have a great view. They fly around so all can see no matter which side you sit on. We did see a lot of lava and wondered if we were going to see waterfalls. The waterfalls were great and it is an area the public is not allowed access too. The four in our group all agreed it was worth it. You have to pay additional for parking in the Hilo Airport lot.

We flew out of Kona on a 2 hour tour after the clouds parted and the rains stopped. It was middle of the afternoon, the trade winds were howling and our chopper was the first one in the air for the day. While I was excited for the opportunity I really feel the advertisements of flowing lava and fountains of lava into the air are no longer valid. 10 years ago, yes. But the lava fields have cooled and except for the areas where the lava is still burning the forest all you see are miles of flat black rocks with maybe a couple spots of red glow in the lava field. Flying over the crater may reveal more glow in the lava lake. The lava lake in the crater rises and falls, with lots of steam that can obscure the lake itself. From the volcano fields you fly over the waterfalls on the 'wet' side of the island. Yes, they are tall. Yes, they are beautiful. And yes, you can't see the waterfalls except from the air or from a boat. You get to see Hilo and the various communities from the air, and the narration of the 'wet' versus 'dry' sides of the island is interesting. If you really love seeing the changing geology of the island, find volcano lava fields fascinating, and want to see very tall waterfalls, this tour is for you. But in my opinion it's overpriced. Mother Nature is fickle and the highlight of the tour is Mother Nature at her most fickle.

First time helicopter ride and it was wonderful. Hilo is the rainiest city in the USA, so we went surprised to have had to re-schedule after it started raining. The day we re-scheduled was sunny and gorgeous. Our pilot Brant was very nice and knowledgeable of the area. He made sure everyone in the helicopter had an opportunity to have a great view of all the sites. Seeing the volcano was on our bucket list and this is the only way to see it! Thanks Blue Hawaiian Helicopters for a great memory!!!!

We booked this flight on our honeymoon after reading great reviews. We had Eric as a tour guide and he was fantastic! The trip was awesome we saw the volcanos and even caught some active lave, we saw some waterfalls and Eric made it extra special knowing it was our honeymoon to show us a really cool waterfall that was off the typical coarse they do. Highly recommended!!!

We took the Blue Hawaiian Waterfalls and Circle of Fire trip on May 6. There was a large group of people there and were divided up into groups of 6. There were also 6 helicopters available - 5 larger ones and one small one. I guess it was just by (bad) luck but we got put on the small one - two in front and then 4 of us packed in the back seat. Our pilot was Colleen and she was GREAT - so full of information and so careful to make sure that everyone had the views they needed. But we were so packed into the back seat that i could barely even shoot pictures out of the window with a small zoom lens on my camera. It was very uncomfortable and took away from what would have been an incredible experience. We did see a great deal of lava flowing and Colleen said it was one of the most active days she had ever seen. That was the good part. Again, the bad part was how uncomfortably cramped we were. Since it as so hard to take proper pictures, we were really looking forward to buying the DVD of our flight. So imagine our disappointment when the other flights (big newer copters) all had the option of a blue ray DVD and/or a flash drive but we got NOTHING! Apparently the DVD recorded on our flight was not working. Again, we were extremely disappointed. Blue Hawaiian got great reviews and was highly recommended to us. However, we were a bit disappointed. If you book a trip with them, please make sure you get on one of the larger copters!

We took the Fire and Waterfall tour. It was amazing. Our pilot "Tim" got us up close and personal with one of the volcanoes. He made sure everyone was able to get a great view no matter where you were sitting on the helicopter. He also made sure to speak to everyone onboard using their name. It really made it a personal experience. Thanks Blue Hawaiian for going the extra mile and making it a memorable experience.

Blue Hawaiian is a quality operation. The crew is very professional and I felt very safe and comfortable throughout the entire experience. We saw amazing lava flows and waterfalls. Highly recommend.

We took the 1-hour flight out of Hilo, over the volcano and then the waterfalls. The experience of flying in a helicopter was thrilling by itself, but the view of an active volcano was truly a once in a lifetime thrill. The Blue Hiwaiian staff were extremely patient and accommodating and did a great job explaining safety rules, helping all the passengers know exactly what to expect. The pilot was very knowledgable and engaging, and made an effort to ensure that all passengers had ample time to take photos and ask questions. We were able to purchase a DVD of the flight afterwards. Overall this was a fantastic experience! I highly recommend it.

This is everything you could want from a helicopter tour! The Ecostar is very comfortable with great visibility all around . We did the Big Island Spectacular with Jason and it was awesome! Volcanoes and valleys with incredible waterfalls and 1000 foot cliffs! You get to see it all!

Watch our video here of our experience https://youtu.be/fKkM60H2j6Q The best way to tour the island is definitely by helicopter. With 5 volcanos, 3 active, we were able to see the lava flowing and eating up vegetation like trees and grasses. We also got beautiful views of enormous waterfalls and scenic landscapes. The tour required us to be picked up at 6am. This left us with a lot of waiting around for the tour, which isn't great when you can't get breakfast that early at your hotel, so your sugar levels are low. They paired us with a group of three and split the group up so two were in the front, and one was in the back with me and my partner... why not just seat the three together in the back? Was a slow, unimpressive start. The tour itself was great, the pilot was friendly and funny, and the views were incredible.

So much of Hawaii's sights are in inaccessible areas, but Blue Hawaii helicopters solves that problem. They have a great variety of tours available (I did the lava and waterfalls tour), modern helicopters, and knowledgeable pilots. Our pilot, Brant, was very personable, interesting, and well-versed. They also record DVD/Blu-Ray videos of your flight for optional purchase. The only issue I had was the glare from the glass windows makes high quality photography pretty challenging. Adding a black curtain beside the pilot to block the reflection of his light-colored pants and bright yellow life vest would have improved the experience. Overall, a great experience!

This is an amazing way to see the volcano activity and an overall unforgettable experience. I saved for months to do this! However, there are some important things to know before you go, especially if you've not been on a helicopter tour before. Booking with 4-5 friends is ideal as you will be the only passengers in the chopper. I went solo. This DID assure me a WINDOW seat, but did not assure who I'd be grouped with. Unfortunately, the yng. adults I was put with wore light clothing (you are repeatedly reminded to wear dark colors to avoid white glare on the windows!), were taking selfies that constantly obstructed our views, showed complete disinterested in the pilot's stories AND an extremely overweight member in their group (close to 300 lbs.) was placed next to me! This was an expensive treat I'd planned for months, so it was imperative that I voice my displeasure with the company. I was grateful for their genuine concern and pleased by their willingness to work out a compromise. This kind of adventure can be a once-in-a-lifetime experience IFFFF you know how to plan properly and what to potentially expect in advance!

We were in Hawaii in March and so wanted to do this but with 3 small kids it wasn't possible. So, when the crazy opportunity to return with just the girls two months later came up we knew that we had to do the helicopter tour! To be honest we chose Blue Hawaiian by chance and could not be happier with our choice! We booked it that morning and headed to Hilo! Jeremy was our pilot and he was awesome, so knowledgable, hospitable, and you could really tell that he has a passion for what he does. If you get motion sick like my sister and I do, then take a Dramamine...or two. We still got a bit nauseated but the experience was incredible! We lucked out on the weather and the lava, stunning weather and a churning vent of lava to see. The waterfalls were breathtaking too! If you have the opportunity, this is one excursion not to be missed!

This is a well organised helicopter flight with a range of helicopters available. We rode in their 7-seater and were not disappointed. The pilot provided a great commentary and made sure everyone had the opportunity to observe the volcanic activity. Well worth the money.