Reviews

We did the 1 hour flight over the vulcanic activity and it was excellent. Great views from the helicopter, even from the seats in the middle of the back row. If you book through Expedia you get a free t-shirt and their general DVD, but since we already flew with Blue Hawaiian on Kauai and we already got that DVD there, we received the inflight DVD (actual recording of your flight using the 4 camera on/in the helicopter) for free (normally $25). We choose to drive from Waikoloa to Hilo for this flight. You can also fly from Waikoloa, but either you only see the north side of the island (vulcanic activity is on the south side) or you see the entire island but for double the price. We only wanted to see the vulcanic activity.

My wife and I booked a Blue Hawaiian helicopter tour of the Big Island's lava flows and waterfalls for 21 June. The safety briefing was, as expected, thorough, and after 40-or-so minutes we waited at the 'flight line' in weather that was turning increasingly murky. At last we were told that our flight would have to be cancelled, but we were able to book on another flight that afternoon, something we had not believed would be possible. So far so good: Blue Hawaiian can't control the weather, and was flexible enough to re-book us (and another group) onto another flight. After sitting through the mandatory safety briefing (again ... sigh ...) we finally made it to a machine, and had great seats - at the front - able to see the rain-drop-spattered windscreen. (Again, no faulting Blue Hawaiian: see observation about weather, above.) We had a newish but experienced and competent pilot, John, and he did well. We enjoyed the flight and were able to see some lava flows (which my wife had specifically wanted to come to Hawaii to see). The rain began again and prevented us from seeing the waterfalls, because the mountain was covered in thick cloud. The point I want to make is that the only visible lava flow we saw had been reported only earlier that afternoon. If it hadn't been for this all we would have seen was some steam coming off lava meeting the ocean. Of course tour operators can't control natural phenomenon, but they hype the tour using images of impressive lava flows in brilliant sunshine. It isn't always like that, and you, like us, may have to be philosophical. This isn't a complaint against Blue Hawaiian, just a reminder to be prepared for disappointment. Oh, but Blue Hawaiian should be commended for apparently having facilities to take wheelchair users aboard - well done!

The trip over the lava fields, on out to the ocean and then to the waterfalls was enhanced by Ethan's informative and interesting commentary. I would definitely recommend taking this trip for the unforgettable views of this amazing island.

Four time to the Big Island - four times on the Volcano helicopter tour. Each time it is interesting, different and informative. Our pilot, Scotty, was excellent! Each side of the helicopter got several passes over the ocean view and the vent. Much better view than walking out the 6 miles - we've done that, too. Highly recommend this tour!

Thank you, Scott! We had a wonderful time. You had interesting history to share and made the flight enjoyable. I appreciated the kindness and personal touch you put into the tour. You helped us see and understand the island in a perspective we would have never had without your help. So glad we booked through your company and had you as our pilot.

This was my 4th trip to the Big Island, and my 3rd trip with Blue Hawaiian. I had already done the Big Island Spectacular and the Kohala Coast, but because my friend had never been to Hawaii, we opted to do the Kohala Coast Adventure and fly with another company over the volcano. While we enjoyed both tours, the other did not compare to Blue Hawaiian in terms of professionalism and customer service. I always appreciate how friendly the staff are, how much importance they put on safety, and how nice their facilities are at Waikoloa. I would suggest that they invest in another restroom, though, as a line quickly formed for their one toilet. The heli tour itself was wonderful. The pilot was actually one of the company's trainer pilots (as in he trains, not was in training), so we felt really safe with him. He shared so much history with us, and always made sure to tell us when a good photo op was coming up. He did a great job of turning the heli around so everyone in it got a great view. Overall, wonderful tour.

There are several tour companies that offer helicopter rides around the Big Island. What makes Blue Hawaiian outstanding are the exceptional pilots and other staff that work really hard to provide a top notch operation. You can see their fleet is newer and well maintained. Safety is their primary objective. Our pilot Noah was knowledgable and one cool guy. The ground staff was also outstanding, so friendly and accommodating. From the moment we arrived we were treated like VIPs. We took the Big Island Spectacular, which was over 1:45 minutes of breathtaking scenery and amazing sights. It is a great way to see the island.

I have travelled to the Hawaiian Islands a total of 10 times in my life and this was my first helicopter experience. I had been 'saving' it for the Big Island so that I could see the Kilauea Eruption. I debated using other helicopter companies but Blue Hawaiian kept always been touted as the best way to go! We elected to go in an Ecostar helicopter instead of the A-star as they are also supposedly superior to the A-star in terms of viewing the scenery. Although it is pricey ($564/pp for the 2 hour trip that includes the volcano and the waterfalls), it is truly the only way you can see ALL of The Big Island of Hawaii and the only way to see the lava as it is coming out of the vents at the top of Kilauea. Toshi was our pilot and he was hilarious, making us feel completely at ease! I would definitely do it again and highly recommend it to anyone considering a helicopter tour of the Big Island. Thanks guys! :) If you tend to get motion sick, I would recommend taking something prior to the flight as when they take you to the valleys where the waterfalls are, we all got a bit queasy. ;) Oh and if they are reading this, hello to Laurence and John, our crewmates from NYC and Chicago!

My boyfriend and I had the most amazing experience with Blue Hawaiian Helicopters leaving out of Kona. We had heard that a helicopter was going to be a great part of our Hawaiian experience, but it was by far the BEST experience we had on the Big Island. We really wanted to see the volcano's, so we selected the two hour tour out of Kona. Toshi was our tour guide and he made the trip fun, enjoyable and informative. The volcano was great to see, especially since Toshi explained that they do not always get to see lava as you see it in all of the pictures in promos. We were excited mother nature gave us a little show. The volcano was amazing but we had no idea that the best part of the tour was going to experience the rain forest outside of Hilo. We felt as if we were in Jurassic park with the views that we were seeing. Toshi made sure that each person in the helicopter had a view and was able to take pictures of the experience. I would highly recommend/ demand that you make Blue Hawaiian Helicopters a part of your experience in Hawaii!

John our pilot did an outstanding job on our tour. No other way to see all the sights of this Island. We even seen red lava flowing, so excited. We did the early morning trip and chose the 2 hours tour as well. Better to do this than to drive to Hilo and waste a day. The skies were clear and although we came into rain, which that happens a lot on the Hilo side. It was just a superb trip. Thank you John!!

Very knowledgeable & interesting pilot. Trip over lava fields & waterfalls was great. We had taken Blue Hawaiian helicopter tours on the other islands & they always do a first rate job. Was worth the money.

Wonderful tour! We saw flowing lava streaming below glass formations, an open vent, burning forest, glowing lava flowing into the ocean, and a system of small waterfalls inaccessible by land. The pilot made passes of each multiple times for optimal photos by everyone in all seats of the helicopter. The tour was everything we hoped and was absolutely worth the money. Thanks for a great experience.

Tim our pilot was fabulous, very knowledgeable and engaging. We enjoyed his narration and island stories and he helped to personalize our helicopter tour. Getting to view the active lava flows from the comfort of the Eco Star helicopter was awesome.

I was born and raised on the Big Island so this was a real treat. To get an aerial view of Hilo town and outlying communities was truly memorable. The plume of steam from an open vent pouring into the Pacific was really impressive. The only drawback was that I felt the pilot knew little about Hilo and Hawaii. Hilo has a rich history dating back before the plantation era of the late 1800's. It would be beneficial for pilots of Blue Hawaiian to provide accurate and engaging historical and contemporary knowledge about the area he/ she is introducing to non-locals. Also "Bunyun Way" is Banyan Drive, and some locals enjoy leaving Mauna Kea snow on its slopes. We don't all build snowmen in our backyards and send postcards to friends. The pilot's stories about what "locals" do were kind of corny. But, he was excellent at flying the helicopter, and I guess that's what counts.

On a recent holiday in Hawaii I decided to treat myself to a helicopter flight over the Big Island of Hawaii, I had read that it is rated the best tourist helicopter journey in the world. I can only say that it fully lived up to my very high expectations. From the moment we took off our experienced pilot Steve made everyone feel completely at home. We saw steam pouring out of a volcano in the national park, lava tubes, roads that ended abruptly where lava had overrun them. We ventured above the ocean when we saw lava spewing out into the water and the most thrilling thing of all was when we flew between the walls of a canyon where we flew from side to side and saw myriads of waterfalls cascading time. Our pilot Steve gave us the benefit of his vast knowledge of the Big Island and at the end I was able to buy the DVD of my trip- and yes, I bought the T-shirt. It had been a truly memorable experience.