Reviews

To see the volcanoes on Big Island, a helicopter tour is a must, and this one didn't disappoint - amazing views! Our pilot (Coleen?) was very knowledgeable and like many guides working in Hawai'i, passionate about her job - a real plus to any such experience.

Booked a Circle of Fire helicopter tour through Blue Hawaiian. Their website was easy to negotiate and all the information was great. We paid for a seat and a half each because we are heavy, and it was worth it. Our pilot Brett was astounding in his welcoming and making us feel comfortable and in his knowledge. The guy seriously knows his stuff. We had headsets and microphones to be able to ask questions and talk to each other. We saw the devastation of the current lava flow towards Pahoa town and learned the history of the island. Mt. Kilauea was stunning and we were treated to a lava window where we saw the molten flow. He threw in some pretty waterfalls for fun and we left feeling that this helicopter tour was likely the highlight of our entire vacation. The benefit of paying for extra seats was being able to both have window seats and enjoy those incredible views. Amazing! Thank you Brett and Blue Hawaiian!!!

My 2nd time to the big island and this is a must.We booked this thru our cruise line and had an amazing time. We took the long tour and it was the trip of a lifetime. Spend the $ it's worth every second. You really get to enjoy more then the average person. Saw multiple rainbows and lava flows.

Pretty big let down. We did the circle of fire and waterfalls tour. You spend a lot of time flying to the volcano and not much time there. The waterfalls are more of an after thought or detour on the way back to the airport. You don't get close to them at all. Akaka falls was a much better view of waterfalls and thay only costs $5. They also have a soundtrack for the whole flight which is better than flat air but also a little cheesy as it switches between happy Hawaiian music and super dramatic "impending doom" music depending on where you were in the tour. The whole thing felt very Disney just not done as well as Disney. Like other people said if you get sat behind the pilot you get a crapshoot. He tried to make loops in both directions but I think the other side got a better view. Somehow the "balancing algorithm" put two tiny girls (no more than 40 pounds) against the window on the opposite side of the pilot. I don't see how a tiny girl would counter balance the weight of an adult but we didn't crash so I guess it worked. Overall we've seen much more exciting things in Hawaii. This was one of the things I was most excited about but I could go to hundreds of places on the island to see black lava. We saw some burning trees on our way up but I'm pretty sure the red glow was burning wood and not red hot lava. I suppose there is no other way to see the top of the volcano but it still wasn't super impressive...

You can't see these places without a helicopter and you can't appreciate the Big Island without a tour from this perspective. It's not a Caribbean Hotel-it's on an island of special topography and geology. It's unique to the U.S. and you get a great explanation and a thorough understanding with spectacular views from these pilots. Worth the cost!

We had done other trips over natural wonders by helicopter and this one rates very highly. The outfit at Hilo is located next to the baggage area at the terminal itself and is very professionally run with safety paramount.We did the Circle of Fire plus Waterfalls in the cheaper A star and have no complaints on the amount of vision we had from the helicopter. The pilot manoeuvres so that both sides get a view and there is plenty of opportunity for video and photos. If you can book ahead the website appears to offer discounts on bookings.

sadly I've done my review in the honolulu blue Hawaiian helicopter spot by mistake & don't want to write it out again (copy/paste not the best on an iPad) - summary - brilliant weather - clear views - circled the 2 active volcanoes & the current lava flow - everyone had great views - the trip was over an hour & it is the only chance you'll get to see any of the Orange stuff at the moment - professionally run & a whole lot of fun

My wife and I took a flight over Oahu today, Adam our pilot was perfect, the office and ground staff could not be anymore helpful. If yor travelling to Hawaii and you don't do this tour, your missing something amazing....Thank guys, we will be back with friends. Paul & Jody Curtis..Brisbane, Queenslad,Australia...Thank again

The tour company is very professional and the pilot, Greg, was very patient with passenger questions. He included information on the economics, culture and customs surrounding the volcanoes. Tip: Check your weather forecast in advance of booking, on a clear day it is truly inspiring. If you're in Kona, drive to Hilo through Volcano National Park for the helicopter tour. Every 10 miles the complexion of the landscape changes. Tour is cheaper too.

We booked on Christmas Eve for a trip a few days afterward. Instead of the take off from Waikaloa which would mean a 2 hr flight in small enclosed space with children, we chose the 50 minute Circle of Fire flight. They gave us a 4 pm booking which concerned me a bit because we would have to drive to Hilo and back from Kona. The drive wasn't too bad. After the obligatory safety video, we had to wait for our helicopter. It seemed that they were running a bit late. But I guess it was worth waiting for. Although we weren't in an Eco-Star, we had a great pilot/guide in Colleen. Just very knowledgeable and friendly and a great role model for my daughters, "Daddy, cool, a woman pilot!" The 4 o'clock flight worked out well as the sky was clear and according to Colleen, the volcanic activity bumps up a bit. We saw the lava flows creeping towards Pahoa, cutting down/burning the rainforest along the way. The flows were not as I imagined, too much tv and movies, I guess. They looked mud-like with flashes and cracks of glowing red, showing the molten lava underneath. So cool. We also flew over the smoking Pu'u O'o crater. During our leg back to Hilo we were able to see some hidden waterfalls, wave to a huge cruise ship, and managed to see one of the planes that serves as Air Force One. It was one of the best things we've ever done in Hawaii.

Our family of five took Blue Hawaiian's new tour where we got to land in front of a waterfall near the North shore of the big island (we were the second group to do so). It was absolutely spectacular. We've taken helicopter tours before; landing in a completely isolated location took the experience to another level. Our pilot, Tom, raised the bar even further. He was funny, knowledgeable, and an experienced pilot. The ride was very smooth and comfortable. Highly recommended.

Flew out of Hilo to see the volcano. Awesome experience from start to finish! The staff was thorough with safety instructions and procedures. The ride was smooth and our pilot was well informed. I would recommend Blue Hawaiian to anyone wanting beautiful birdseye views of Hawaii.

We took a helicopter tour out of Hilo this past month and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. If you want to see flowing lava this is about the best way to ensure that you can see some if there are any active flows. The day that we took off the town of Pahoa was being threatened by a lava flow that had been moving towards it relentlessly for months. The town was about ready to "close up shop" but it was still very much open for business when we were there. The helicopter company had made a corporate decision to not overfly Pahoa; however, the helicopter tour took us to the source of the lava flow where we saw the main crater, some flowing lava, and 11 miles of lava flow that led to Pahoa. The scenery was stark, ther worldly, and mammoth. It's a sight that should not be missed. We also overflew some waterfalls, but the main attraction was the volcano. Our pilot, Tim was very well informed about volcano history and facts and answered all our questions. We sat in the back row (4 passengers) but we saw everything since Tim made sure to bank and go back to any sights of interest so both sides could see. All in all, a fun, exciting, and amazing tour, albeit pricey. Everyone should do that at least once when on the Big Island of Hawaii.

I can't fault the helicopter pilot, but it was a little disappointing because the lava flow from the volcano was not visible. We were hoping for a "skylight" which we'd seen on a previous trip many years ago. However, mother nature was not cooperating. It was fascinating to see the recent lava which had flowed quite near a small village. One house had already been destroyed and the town's grocery store was closing to evacuate that day. You could see some ribbons of red under the lava, and some trees and other vegetation which had burned. We also toured around some waterfalls, but I thought the ones that they took us to were not particularly spectacular. Afterwards, we drove to some others ourselves that were more interesting. The company does guarantee that at least one person from every couple will sit by a window so pictures can be taken. Of course, it was raining and cloudy, so there wasn't much they could do about that. I'd still say it was fun.

I took the Big Island Spectacular tour and loved it. We were in the air for 2 hours. I was on the Eco-Star helicopter which was very comfortable. I was lucky and got to sit in the front by the door. I would have purchased the video, but it did not work that day. We did see some hot lava and fires near the town of Pahoa. We also spent a little time looking for whales which could be seen from the helicopter while near the surface.