Reviews

Best helicoptor ride!! Must do!! Highly recommend. Worth it :)

It was really cool being on a helicopter, but I wasn't all that impressed otherwise.  The time that we were up in the air was really more like 35-40 minutes instead of the full hour that we were promised.  We got to see some pretty cool scenery from the air, but nothing extraordinary.  Book through Expedia and get a free t-shirt!

Great staff, flexible with scheduling the tours.  They honor AAA discounts.  Their morning tour prices are lesser than afternoon tours.  Price is less if you fly from Hilo airport.  We stayed in Kohala and were initially told $450 per person :-o   Since we had a car, drove to Hilo and the ticket was $150.

Zack was our pilot and he did a great job.

Awesome Helicopter tour above the volcano. They are  well organized and run on schedule. No need to pay the extra for the waterfalls as they are not that great at all. Our pilot was really knowledgeable and friendly. He made sure everyone could see very well from every angle. A must to see the volcano from above! Worth it!

I had a nice flight with family. We got lucky and were able to see lava flowing into the sea and also a new breakout flowing on land. Not a lot mind you, but enough to make it worth the flight in my mind. We took the a- star on our trip. It is a bit crowded, however the pilot told us that it is able to bank more steeply and we got some good shots because of it. The waterfall portion isn't worth too much in my mind. It's on the way back to the airport. It's a bit of a jaunt over to the lava flows and there aren't rivers of glowing lava, but I knew that going in and was satisfied with what we got.

Let's put it this way, if you don't get too excited like everyone else on their way to see volcanoes you will be pleased.  Please keep your expectations in line, whether you are flying or visiting on land, while this is the most active volcano in the world you wouldn't be allowed to visit if it was dangerous.  If you get lucky, you may see some orange lava.  If not you see smoke, its just the nature of it.   Personally, I was very unimpressed by Volcano National Park.  Fly over by helicopter and saw some spots of lava, pilot says we were lucky.  I thought we would be able to get much closer than we did, but what can you do about it.  Obviously, seeing volcano destroyed land isn't all that interesting.  On top of the fact that it was sweltering in the Helicopter.  We were on a 10am tour and I swear my legs were burning after we got off. The ladies that work at Blue Hawaii are nice.  My complaint is they require the whole group they they placed into the helicopter to be together when they board.  Two other people in our group (we don't know them) made us wait in the heat outside.  Why take us out if they will make you stand in the sun?  I found a shady spot by the hill and hung out there while the late couple strolled in. I would recommend taking the tour over Kauai much more over the Big Island tour. At least there are things to see.  The whole place is very Jurassic Park.  Not sure why there is a premium over the tour in Big Island.  Go if you want to see lava, but be aware that you might not depending on how the volcano acts up that day.

Great tour, professional ground staff and pilot.  Mark (pilot) gave a detailed description of what we were seeing throughout the hour-long flight.  Points of interest were passed by multiple times, so both sides could get a clear view. Two styles of helicopter, both seat four-across in the back, then one or two in the front.  Everyone has a great view.  Ride was smooth, and quiet with the noise-canceling headphones.

Flew out of Kona heliport. Great experience even if my wife got airsick. Pilot Jason is a hoot. We bought the post flight DVD. Not sure it was a good value but their blue ray DVD of all the islands is excellent. NOT CHEAP..........over $700 without the DVDs. We took the cheaper helicopter and saw all we needed.

Great tour, Nate was a great guide.  He was very informative and answered "all" of our 7 year olds questions.

the volcano tour was awesome.. it was so nice to see the volcano and lava fields from the air. we also saw a couple of waterfalls and got a quick passing rain shower. it was very short at 50 mins so $220 is a huge cost to time ratio. note that the internet prices are only good for 5 days advance reservations.

My hubby and I decided to take a short cut to the the Kilauea Volcano by taking a helicopter to it.  I have to say what a neat experience we had! The staff at Blue Hawaiian Helicopters were top notch! Unfortunately, during the time we took our helicopter tour (September 2012), there was not much activity from the Kilauea Volcano.  I have learned now, that for some reason, the volcano seems to be  most active around December/January/February.  So be sure, to research the volcanic activity and weather conditions before heading out on a helicopter adventure as they are not cheap!   However, we did get to see  the orange glow of lava and some smoke, but nothing grand a spectacular like I had hoped.  But it was still really cool experience to see and be able to fly over one of the most active volcanoes in the world!  We also had the opportunity to get a really great aerial view of the eastern side of the big island which included dozens of waterfalls!  The land on the eastern side of the Big Island you will notice is completely green, lush and almost seems wild and untouched, with the exception of the areas of blackened lava where the island continues to expand.  It is absolutely gorgeous when compared to the almost desert like conditions on the Kona side (west side) of the island.   Overall, a really cool experience and I have no regrets!  I hope to to do it again, in my life time especially when Kilauea is more active.

This was so much fun!  Its a great way to see the island if you aren't afraid of flying.  Our pilot was Todd and he was very careful about how he flew so he didn't make anyone sick.  My wife isn't fond of flying but, in the end, this is one of her most memorable tours while on the big island.  Everyone here is very friendly and you can tell they love their jobs.  Extremely aware of safety precautions and they don't miss a beat.  Don't miss this chance.  Its expensive but worth every penny.  Great value for the price.  We did the Circle of Fire Plus Waterfalls.

Wow! Beautiful views!! The best way to get up close & personal.  My parents and I did this tour back in 2012. Late I know! All the staff was great, the tour was very organized. I felt safe the whole time. We even purchased a dvd of the whole tour because we thought this was a once in a lifetime experience. I would recommend this tour especially if you have the extra bucks, it's quite expensive, but well worth it!

We had a blast taking the volcano and waterfall tour. First time for both of us in a helicopter and we found it fun and exciting. The best way to see a lot in a short amount of time. Brent (I believe that was his name) was very informative with some humor to keep the trip fun, and ensured everyone in the copter got a chance to see the views. Highly recommend!