Reviews

The flight was awesome and our pilot was informative and accommodating. The views of the volcano and valleys with waterfalls were spectacular! I was concerned I would get motion sickness as this was my first time on a helicopter. I didn't get sick at all...don't hesitate to experience the incredible views! My only advice would be to wear dark clothes...including long pants and a long shirt. Even though I wore black, my shirt was sleeveless and it did cause a reflection in my pictures.

My first time up in a helicopter & can't wait to do it again! Our pilot, Eric, was real nice & gave us plenty of info on the areas we flew over & was patient in answering our questions. He made sure everyone had an opportunity to get some good pics of lava flowing & waterfalls. A definite adventure to take if you don't do anything else! Wonderful!

Thank You all and especially thank You scott! Perfect pilot, perfect guide and great experience! Big island is very very beautiful

I was intimidated by the price of these tours - $500 for the 2 hour tour from Waikoloa and $225 for the 1 hour tour from Hilo. We went for the cheaper tour and drove to Hilo instead - I'm so glad we did this. It was a beautiful drive on the north side of the island and then such a treat to get in the helicopter. I think an hour was perfect - more would have been too much in my opinion. Scott was our pilot - he was a delight. Really chatty and informative - he found out what we were all interested in and then expanded on those topics. He was wildly passionate about volcanoes and the Big Island in general. One of the smoothest flights I have ever had! Last time I was in a helicopter, I was sick the whole time. This trip was smooth and safe and really wonderful - pilot Scott completely put me at ease and we all had such a wonderful time.

We took the Big Island Spectacular flight with Noah on 9/17 in the Eco-Star. I, personally, was terrified about the trip, and even shed a few tears upon boarding. Noah made us all feel very comfortable. I suffer from motion sickness, so took Dramamine before flying. It seemed that we picked a good day for flying, because the skies were mostly clear (even with a 2:30pm departure time, which were were worried about) and the flight smooth. The only times I felt slightly sick were when we circled around the crater so that everyone could get a good view of the lava. I did ask for a front seat, but due to the seating being allocated by a computer by weight, I was sitting in the back, but could still see out in front of me and to the sides. Like someone else has previously said in a review here on T.A. - "fatties in the back" - the two lightest people on our flight were given the 2 front seats. The price tag seems steep, but it was totally worth it, and I would do it again in a heartbeat. I thought 2 hours would be a long time, but with the 10-minute stopover in Hilo to refuel (where you can also use the restroom and pick up a bottle of water) it was do-able. The highlights were seeing the bright red molten lava erupting from the volcano, and the second part of the flight after we left Hilo and flew through wonderful valleys with waterfalls. You are only allowed to take a water bottle, sunglasses & camera (no case) on the helicopter - they will store your handbag/backpack for you until your return. Add this to your "MUST DO" list for the Big Island!

We went as a group of four on the two hour Big Island helicopter tour. As full time Maui residents, I was not stoked to participate in that adventure but we were with dear friends visiting from Texas so I went along for the ride. I cannot convey deeply enough how much we enjoyed the ride. The Big Island is unseeable from any other angle. So much of the land looks like cake batter. Kilauea was going off and we could see the molten lava. The topography of the island is truly stunning. Our pilot, John who had only been on the Big Island for a short time (so maybe he needed a little brushing up regarding the flora and fauna of Hawaii), was beyond excellent as a pilot. He was entertaining and engaging while also imparting his professional piloting (former military-Iraq). Every turn was smooth and graceful. Absolutely no queasiness. His form was perfect. The entire ride was like floating on a cloud. When we exited the helicopter, our friend that was absolutely terrified to go on this ride said these words (and she is hard to impress)..."The Grandest thing I have ever done". Hint: Go for the early morning ride....you want to see the island before the clouds get socked in.

Our pilot was fantastic, knowledgeable and a comedien to boot. The day was glorious we went at 7am...well worth it in the morning. A truly memorable experience.

We took the "big island spectacular" and .... It was truly spectacular. Although expensive, it was worth every cent. The scenery of the valleys and waterfalls is absolutely amazing. So is the volcano and pipes with lava falling to the east of the island. A must for the big island.

We booked the Big Island tour as we wanted to see the volcano and waterfalls. We were picked up from our hotel for a 7 a.m flight as we wanted to be in the air before the cloud built up. The tour was amazing - there were 6 people in the helicopter and we all had a great view. We went over the volcano and saw molten lava. Then we refuelled at Hilo and flew up to the north of the island. The flight was very smooth and we were all relaxed despite some of us being nervous fliers. Our pilot Noah was very informative and helpful. It was a brilliant trip and we all had a great time ! We even got dropped back at our hotel in time for breakfast.

It was our first ride in a ECO star helicopter.Of course it was expensive like hell $1000 for 4 of us. But want to sit in a helicopter so we spend it. No fear at all while flying. Looks like lot of saftery procedure and experienced pilot by Blue Hawaiian. We saw Volcano LAVA (just orange spots), waterfalls and flying on the coast. According to all of us this waste of money compare to Zip-line, Waipio Valley 4x4 tour and Snorkeling. If there was a huge flow of LAVA in ocean than it will be worth it but currently Volcano is dead so it's not worth to spend $250 per person. If you are on tight budget you can skip this and should take helicopter ride somewhere else.

The flight and tour were awesome! Our pilot, Nathan did a great job both as a pilot and a tour guide. The opportunity to see the lava flowing as well as the lava pools at the top was amazing since there is no place to see this from the ground now.

With my wife in a walking task access to many of the Big Island's sights, especially the walking trails to viewing for the volcano were off limits to us so...we decided to spend more than we had originally planned on this trip. We will never regret it! Our pilot, Tim, was engaging, skilled (no need for comfort bags here), informative, well versed (since his is a native), and amazing at getting you the best views of the lava flow and the amazing water falls. So impressed, we even bought our personal video of the trip (well done and edited with background music and ready in just 20 minutes). I can't say enough for this company, our pilot and the once in a lifetime experience they provide - maybe it should be more than once! Worth every penny of the cost, really! In fact, spend a bit more and be sure to get the ECO-Chopper!

Had an amazing time with an awesome pilot - Scott - thanks Scott. Took off from Hilo and into light rain. We weren't too sure if we would fly as other trips had been cancelled but we were lucky to go. Scott provided fantastic commentary and observations all through the flight and allowed us great views of the lava flows, destroyed towns, waterfalls, cones etc. Rain had cleared and Scott picked out a flowing lava stream and circled a few times so we all had a great look - how lucky we were as this had not been observed for a while. Highest recommendation possible for Blue Hawaiian helicopters. Staff were all fantastic and very helpful. You may not be as lucky as we were with the flowing lave but the 45 minute trip we had was an experience of a lifetime. The size of the lava flows and the general area brings a new perspective from the air. Thanks everyone at Blue Hawaiain

The pilot put us all right at ease upon boarding. Excellent take off, great tour guide, beautiful landing! Don't expect the volcanos on The Big Island to look like Discovery Channel or National Geographic. It looks smoldering channels/cracks of red lava intermittently, beneath dark grey ashes. Beautiful waterfalls! Definitely something to experience!

We live in Hawaii and this was my second visit to the Big Island. My first visit to Volcanoes Nat'l Park was somewhat disappointing. I fell into the same trap everyone does of expecting to see volcanoes spewing out lava constantly, but had to settle for looking at Halema'uma'u smoking from a distance with no ability to even see down inside the crater and finding out the Pu'u O'o vent was off limits. I vowed to rectify that feeling of disappointment during my second visit by taking a Blue Hawaiian Helo tour of the volcano. We got 40 bucks off per person for the Ring of Fire + Waterfalls tour, which was a great deal. Our pilot's name was Jax and he was a cool dude. The ride was smooth and he gave us some great looks inside Halema'uma'u and of the Pu'u O'o vent. It really is the only way to experience Pele's handiwork up-close. The waterfall portion was just ok but I was expecting more of a Kohala coast experience (which is probably a little too much to ask for the cheap tour). I'd recommend checking into the volcano activity first before booking the tour so you get your money's worth. You can't really take your frustrations out on the tour company if Pele sleeps once and a while. We booked the day before and still saved some cash, so I don't think you'll have to worry about not getting a spot. The Pu'u O'o vent had 3 new boiling craters and a lava pool spilling lava down the side when we went, which was great.