Reviews

We loved every minute of this trip. Our pilot always so fun and very friendly. The views were amazing and I can't wait to come back and do it again!

Fabulous trip over the lava fields! Jamie's 1st trip on a helicopter and he loved it. Our pilot, Greg, was great. Thank you!!! :) Highly recommended.

Great tour. Very accommodating and helpful when setting up tour. We also saw waterfalls and luscious green valleys. Pilot was very knowledgeable.

Lots of fun for the kids and I. Our pilot did a great job finding active lava spots and keeping the kids engaged in the flight. 50 minutes was the right time for an 8 and 10 year old (the Waikaloa based 2 hour flight would have been way too long and was much more expensive). Only disappointment is the water fall portion was a little skimpy without many close ups.

Although I entitled this review 'once in a lifetime' this was a return visit for us, but a first time helicopter flight for our 2 kids (6&9). At $900 for 4, you need to be pretty sure that this is your bag, baby. But if you love flying and volcanoes like we do then you can't go wrong. The kids were well catered for, with window seats and lot's of explanation about what to expect. Your view of the lava flows are entirely dependent on activity that day but this flight will get you places that the national park simply can't. A big shout out to Greg the Pilot who maintained dignity and heading while the man of the house was bringing his lunch up in the backseat of the helicopter. We ended up on the 'tame' route because dad couldn't handle the steep turns (not the kids!)

I was well and truly spoilt for my 1st helicopter ride. It was amazing - and luckily I got a window seat which was perfect for photos (but you don't get to pick your seats it's done by weight). Everything was very professional and well organised. the pilot (Marty) was very knowledgeable about the island and even played different music tracks at different locations to really set the emotions going ! It's the best way to view all of the sights of Kauai if you are limited for time. (we were only on the island 5 days). you can speak to the pilot and the whole flight is recorded for DVD/BluRay purchase afterwards. I would definitely recommend this helicopter tour company. We booked in the UK prior to travelling and it just looked so much more organised and proficient compared to the other island tours companies. we were not disappointed.

Scottie red beard was our pilot and he was fabulous! Our morning flight was cancelled but they rescheduled us for the last flight of the day. We saw several small lava flows and a cool waterfall. The helicopter ride was smooth and Scott with all his knowledge just made the flight complete!

Very unique experience- to see the world's most active volcano upclose. Our pilot, Colleen was awesome- she told us a lot about the volcano and the area- she was well informed and friendly and really went the extra mile. The ground crew was less than friendly. Overall- great experience.

We took the 50m volcano tour and it was excellent. My wife and daughter got to sit in the front with a fantastic view. My son had a window at the back and I was in the middle, still with a good view. The pilot Jason was extremely competent. He took us close to the Pu'uO and we got to see the red laval oozing out. It was the only way we could have gotten that close to the lava. Overall Blue Hawaiian was great. This was my second trip with them and they did not disappoint. It is not cheap, especially as a family but I think it is worth it as it is the only way to see the volcano in such proximity and clarity. We took the early morning flight and although this meant waking up early to get there it was well worth it. The air is calmer, so hardly any turbulence and we were done by 10am and had the rest of the day for us.

Professional safe and worth every penny. We were able to see active lava flow. Our trip was cut a bit short due to a storm rolling in but we didn't miss a thing. Our pilot was great. We did a doors off flight for better photos..... umm, it was really windy. The took a bit away from the tour. If I did it again I would have dressed warmer and worn a hat. But I would do it again for sure.

My daughter & I were visiting Kona for a week & decided we wanted to do a helicopter tour. The Circle Of Fire with Water Falls tour sounded great. We booked with Blue Hawaiian Helicopters. The tour was wonderful. Ben took us right over the hot lava rock & flow. We could see the red hot lava at a close range. Then he took over the mouth of the volcano where the lava was erupting. How exciting! As far as you can see is black lava rock and smoke. You can see the trees and bushes around the volcano burning as the lava flow reaches them. The helicopter is the way to go if you want to see the volcano at a close range. Hiking to the volcano would be exciting also, but you would not see what you can see from the helicopter. It was just a wonderful and memorable experience.

Tim our pilot was amazing. Calm well-informed and very professional. The views were superb! We actually saw the lava flows. I highly recommend this group. My children loved it as well!

First of all I do have to say that the staff was nice, Pilot was very friendly and the flight was smooth. No complains there at all. However, we paid close to a $1000 with Blue Hawaiian for our family of 4 to see some minimal lava ingrained in rock (no flowing, no bursting). This after seeing magnificinent lava bursts the day before from the Jaggar Museum for free. I just don't think it is worth while to spend your time and money on the helicopter tour. This of course is my opinion. In fairness, I should say my kids were thrilled to be in a helicopter, but I still think paying about $250 a pop is way too much.

We had a spectacular trip on the Blue Hawaiian Helicopter tour. We went up early afternoon and skies were clear and lava was flowing. We got some jaw dropping breath taking views of lava breakouts and lava bubbling in the cladera. The flight over the volcanoes was followed by some dreamy views of waterfalls that flow north of Hilo. Our pilot, Richard, made the journey entertaining and memorable. The safety of Blue Hawaiian cannot be matched. It is because of the professionalism of Blue Hawaiian that we now explore all the islands by air but only on Blue Hawaiian. Loved every second of it.

My husband and I just did the circle of fire tour out of Hilo airport. The tour itself lasts approx 50 mins-actually being in the helicopter. We expected to see lava flows. We did see some, though they were small, but that's out of the tour company's control. Regardless, the staff was very helpful. The pilot interacted with each one of us. She was also very knowledgeable and able to answer all of our questions. We learned things we didn't know. This is definitely an incredible way to see the island. This is an expensive tour. At the time we did the tour (April 2015) the Costco on the island had gift cards to purchase ($80 for $100 gift card), we purchased several- which ended up saving us almost 20% of the total price. Keep in mind that you have to park in the public lot at Hilo airport. Parking cost us $7.