Reviews

We really enjoyed our helicopter ring of fire flight. Scott was an excellent pilot and tour guide as well as a comedian. The flight took us over the active volcano, we got to see active lava in lava tubes and hitting the ocean. We would recommend this activity to anyone visiting Hawaii!

We booked a trip and were super excited to fly but it was cancelled by weather so we never made it up into the air. However the customer service was exceptional and they were super accommodating. I'm sure other tour companies would have taken people up and showed them some clouds but these guys clearly wanted us to have a great trip and when they knew they couldn't deliver they offered to reschedule and or refund with no complaint. This is great customer service and it was totally noticed.

Had a great time with our pilot Tim. We did the Circle of Fire tour which took us over the waterfalls and volcano. We had booked the tour through Pleasant Holidays and paid for the tour previously. The problem that I had was the additional "fuel surcharge" when we arrived at the tour company. I feel that this was alittle extreme, as we had already paid for the tour. If there is a fuel surcharge, fine, but maybe it should be included in the initial price instead of surprising people at the airport.

Two friends and I took the flight over the volcano from Hilo airport in February, 2013. I took a plane tour several years ago and I would recommend taking the helicopter tour. It was great! Pilot was very knowledgable about the area. The staff at the airport was very accommodating and very helpful explaining all the rules when in the air. You will see things that you won't be able to see on the ground, or it would be too difficult to see. Great day!

We took the 1pm flight on the Eco Star helicopter, and it was great. You get good viewing even from the back seat. It cost a little more to go on the Eco Star, but it was worth it. We went over the volcano and out over the ocean, it was fantastic. You go to the Hilo International airport, take a short briefing/video before boarding.

My husband and I did the Circle of Fire tour. It was an absolutely amazing experience and one of the highlights of our trip to Hawaii. We chose the Ecostar option which was a great idea, and as we both got to sit up front we saw everything! Jeremy, our pilot was very knowledgeable and friendly. He made sure that everyone in the helicopter got to see the major sites (looping and circling several times) such as the volcano caldera and the lava flowing out over the sea. Yes it is a bit of a pricey tour, but I would thoroughly recommend it!

We flew with Blue Hawaiian Helicopter Tours out of Hilo! We had Tim for our pilot and he was outstanding! We had very windy conditions for our flight and our ride was smooth and fantastic! The entire family enjoyed our time and would go again in a heart-beat!

The only thing that would have made this trip perfect would have been sunshine and I know the tour company can't do anything about that. In spite of the rain and clouds, our pilot expertly flew us over some active lava flows on the side of the volcano. We also saw what was left of a village that was covered in lava in the 80's. Then he flew us to the ocean and we watched the lava falling into the sea and adding more land to the island. The lava display into the ocean wasn't that spectacular as the steam covers up most of it, but I can imagine it would be pretty at night. We had a seat in the back and still had great views. I booked it through Expedia local and their package included a free DVD and t-shirt from Blue Hawaiian. I would recommend this to anyone interested in learing more about volcanos. There aren't very many easily accessible active lava flows like this one, so go see it while it is still flowing!

As a licensed pilot I'm very concerned about air safety. After seeing the aircraft used by the three tour companies operating out of Hilo I was pleased I booked with Blue Hawaiian. Their copters were the newest and were equiped with flotation devices. I did not see flotation devices on other tour companies copters. Since the tour route is over water at low altitude (so one can see lava flowing into the ocean) an engine-out failure would result in a water landing. Blue Hawaii's copters would remain afloat long enough for an orderly evacuation. Blue Hawaii is obviously very dedicated to the safety of their passengers.

I had never done a helicopter tour before but since it is the only way to see lava on the Big Island we decided to do it. We picked Blue Hawaiian because Frommer's guide book says they are the best and we selected the eco-star helicopters because it said that you could see better. We were not disappointed. We took our two daughters (8 & 10). The eight year old was really scared to do it and I was a little worried that it would be bouncy (turbulent), however it was really smooth. Once we took off, my daughters both loved it and would do it again. The weather could have been better for us. It was pretty overcast and was raining for parts of the flight. The cloud cover was at about 2000 feet and we flew right below the clouds. Some of the other guest pictures on tripadvisor show better views of lava that we got - i guess that you have to take a chance with the weather and Pele. Still thought this was fantastic and very happy that we did it.

On a recent Hawaiian vacation we flew with Blue Hawaiian Helicopter Tours out of Hilo. Scott was our pilot and was very knowledgable of the area and did an awesome job. This helicopter tour was the best part of my Hawaiian vacation and I would recommend it to anyone going to Hawaii to take a tour on Blue Hawaiian Helicopter Tours.

Originally my friend was going with me. She's overcoming her fear of heights so we were looking at one of the hour tours. I ended up going without her on the two hour two which was amazing! In retrospect if I had to choose which hour tour to take, I would definitely take the waterfall tour. That said if possible, go on the two hour. That way you get to see it all. I have a whole new appreciation of Hawaii. I don't regret the high price tag a bit.

This ride will be the highlight of your Hawaii trip and probably the best thing you have done in 10 years. Don't shudder at the price. The ride is more than worth it! Choose the big helicopter. Choose the Big Island Spectacular Tour ($495). You get a close up look at lava flowing out of the volcano and lava flowing into the sea. Then a bathroom stop in Hilo (appreciated), followed by the most amazing waterfall viewing from up in an inaccessible box canyon. The chopper has a camera to record the flight and you may purchase a DVD copy ($25) after the flight.

We did the two hour helicopter ride, in which you see more of the island, both waterfalls and volcanic areas. It is quite expensive, but worth doing once in your life. When we were there, we were told it was the only way to see any volcanic areas because there was a "vog" alert at the national park and people were not allowed to get close to the volcano. We won't be going back to the Big Island, so I'm glad we got to see more of the island rather than less.

This was one of the best activities we did on the Big Island. Our pilot was highly knowledgeable and gave us a great tour. We did the two hour flight and had a blast. Definitely do this if you're on the Big Island!