Reviews

We took the Circle of Fire and Waterfalls tour out of Hilo with Blue Hawaiian Helicopters. We were scheduled to head out on a morning tour and we did, but there were some bad clouds and fog over the volcano so we could not fly over it for safety reasons. Our flight only ended up being about 25 minutes. When we got back we were able to reschedule for the same day in the afternoon. We went out a second time and the weather had cleared so we made it to the volcano, waterfalls and the coastline. It was truly an amazing experience. There is nothing that compares to what you will see on this tour. You will not be able to get this close to the volcano any other way. We stayed out longer than the scheduled 50 minutes as I think we were the last tour of the day (3 pm). Blue Hawaiian is an excellent company. Rescheduling was super easy and they were very apologetic for the weather even though it was completely out of their control. The pilots were great and shared stories about the Bug Island and the volcano as we were flying. Highly recommend going on a tour with them. We went out in two different helicopters. My husband and I actually preferred the A-Star which is the less expensive of the two. Both the A-star and Eco-Star have great views so you can't go wrong with either.

Who cares what it cost .To come to Hawaii and not do the 2 hr trip with these guys is a waste. Pilot gave us full confidence . See places that would not be possible except from the air. I will do it again.Thanks Blue Hawaii.

We went with Blue Hawaiian (via the Polynesian Adventures H2 tour). You miss a significant portion of the H2 tour to do the helicopter part (rejoin at the mac nut visit). We decided to reschedule for 4pm (no extra charge!) and were extremely glad we did. This meant we missed out on most of the H2 tour which seemed pretty crap anyway. Blue Hawaiian Helicopter is 100% highly recommended if you want to visit the Volcanos and see lava. It's not the best way do to it, it's the only way. Don't bother with anything else.

We booked the Circle of Fire and Waterfalls tour with Blue Hawaiian in Hilo during a quick day trip to the Big Island. We were told by a Hawaiian local that Blue Hawaiian is the only way to fly. Our Eco-Star tour with Chad took off and was in the air for about 10 minutes before the pilot informed everyone that the tour had to be cancelled due to cloud/rain conditions over the volcano, said we didn't "pay all of this money to see big puffy clouds" which we appreciated. Chad was great and made the best of the short flight, giving us information on everything we got to fly over. When we landed, everyone was taken to the customer service desk and given the option to reschedule or get a refund. They tried to accommodate us on an afternoon Eco-Star flight but we would miss our flight back to Maui, so they gave us the option to fly on the afternoon A-Star flight. It was definitely worth waiting a few hours. Our afternoon flight was with Gregg and he was great, making sure everyone on the flight got to see everything. The volcano and the lava were amazing!! Definitely worth seeing!! Both pilots we were with, as well as the employees on the ground, were all very friendly and professional. We had an excellent experience and would recommend to anyone.

Our pilot Wesley was awesome. Very personable! We were very lucky on our tour because the lava was flowing and Wesley made a couple of passes over the crater to make sure everyone in the helicopter was able to see it more than once. He added some nice stories about the area and showed us some waterfalls. We took the volcano/waterfall 50 minute tour. It was enough time for my wife, but not for me. I would have loved to take the longer tour. Well worth it.

Fantastic flight over volcanoes lava and waterfalls. Even as a nervous flier felt extremely safe. Staff very professional from check in staff, ground crew and pilot. Well organised. Cullen was our pilot. She was very good. Expensive but worth it.

This tour is a great way to see an active volcano up close and personal! The tour leaves from right by baggage claim so its easy to arrive on the island, take your tour then pick up your rental car and continue your trip on the island. Apparently some new flows opened up a couple days after we were there so its luck of the draw, but still we were able to see red moving lava, burning trees, a few small waterfalls etc. If you can only go on one helicopter tour I'd recommend the waterfall tour on Kauai with Blue Hawaiian, but the volcano tour here is 2nd on my list.

All four of us were disappointed in this excursion. It was 50 minute helicopter ride over the same views and the crater was not exciting at all. Three of us had never been on a helicopter, so that was a plus, but would not recommend this one.

My wife, son, and I did the Circle of Fire trip. Our pilot Scotty was extremely knowledgeable and engaging. The sight were amazing! We flew so close to one of the vents we could look straight down to it's bottom. We saw active lava flows and we even saw lava devastating a tree line. Would pay to do this again without thinking!

Very professional, courteous, and pleasant staff & pilots. A bit pricey for about a 45 min trip, but what a view, especially if you are limited on your time for your island visit. Easy access right at the Hilo airport terminal.

This my first time on a helicopter, and it was surprisingly not scary. We flew up and saw some towns that were threatened by previous lava flow. We saw the volcano including actively boiling lava. We saw trees catching on fire. We learned that another big eruption is predicted for the next 7 years. The helicopter circles a lot to give everyone a good view, so expect to feel a little nauseous. Brian was our guide and he was amazing! They video tape your flight including your voices. It costs $25-40 depending on which media they record to. It is worth it to be able to just enjoy the experience. The picture I took with my camera were not so good due to glare. It was a little warm in the helicopter and if you wear a sweater you can't take it off. Wear dark clothes to avoid glare.

To see live flowing lava and into the inside of a lava tube is something I thought I would never see but it is truly amazing for a science freak like me! We had such a great experience and a pretty comfortable ride at that to see the top of the crater and lava flowing out of it...something that you can't truly imagine seeing until you actually do it. Our pilot Chad was amazing in explaining things to us about the volcano and the history of the lava flow, plus going around multiple times to get great camera angles from all sides of the copter. He even spent extra time out on the water to fly us over certain waterfalls and scenic outlooks, which was just icing on the cake for a great experience. If you are ever on Hawai'i (Kona or Hilo side), it is worth every penny to see the lava flows. Getting used to the helicopter takes a couple of minutes but is not scary in the least, and the views you will get to see are worth it! Thanks a lot guys!

Go to Costco in Kona and buy the Blue Hawaiian giftcards. It cost $80.00 for $100.00 giftcards. We bought our excursion in Waikoloa and drove to Hilo for the Circle of Fire tour! Our pilot was very friendly and shared many stories about Hilo and the five volcanos on the island. It was about 50 minutes and worth every penny. We flew over the crater and saw a lava tube with flowing lava. After the volcano, we flew over the river and saw many waterfalls. It was awesome!!!

I was alittle nervous in the beginning our pilot explained everything and off we went. From the volcano national park we did not see much lava. On the helicopter we flew over miles of it. We say great views of the coast, erupting lava. Learned a bunch and added bonus flew over waterfalls

We booked the volcano and waterfalls trip and it exceeded all our expectations. The views are amazing and the pilot's commentary great. Could have kept going.