Reviews

Having not been on a helicopter before & feeling slightly hesitant, I was certainly put at ease & would have to say that this was the best way to see the island. It was the highlight of our trip. Our pilot was informative & entertaining. If there is one thing that has to be on while visiting Hawaii, THIS IS IT! I would recommend Blue Hawaiian & will certainly fly again next time I come to Hawaii.

One hour flying over a volcanos and water falls the BEST view. Seeing lava flow into the earth as it formed. The pilot "Brant" was very informative and answered all are questions. This was the best part of our vacation! Do it.

Staff was informative very safe and friendly! Birds eye view that not many see. Breathtaking! We would definitely go again!

Wow. Wow is all I can say what an incredible experience! We were picked up from our hotel and upon arrival given a safety briefing which was reassuring. I was moreso excited than nervous and as soon as I saw a group land and jump off I knew it would be ok because they looked so happy! The team are very helpful and clear getting you onboard and once in the air our pilot was informative and calming. The flight was smooth, far far better than a plane and the views spectacular!! Would I do it again? in a heart beat!

Early morning flight at 8am meant that we were back in our hotel by 10:30, so you still had the rest of the day to enjoy shopping or at the beach. There was some confusion over pricing. Our Tour Manager said it was $250, but if you weighed over 249 lbs (17.8 stone) then it was $370. We were not told this before we travelled out from UK, so none of the men on our tour knew their weight in pounds, so the Tour Manager decided that nearly all of us were over the threshold weight, and charged us accordingly, 8 days ahead of time. When we got to the airport on the day, the helicopter company weighed everyone individually on scales ‘hidden’ under a carpet, but didn’t tell any of us our weight. We didn’t see anyone being asked to pay a surcharge for being overlimit, but nor did we see anyone being offered a refund? On Blue Hawaiian’s website the conditions are expressed differently : anyone over 260 lbs (18.5 stone) has to pay for 2 seats. As the craft we were in had 6 individual passenger seats, all seats were fully assigned, there was no spare unused seat. I’m definitely not over 260 lbs, when I weighed myself back home I was under 250 lbs, they still got 6 fee-paying passengers in the aircraft, so I can’t help thinking there was some ‘machination’ going on somewhere? Sure I was on the back row of 4 in the middle, but my wife had the window position, and as it was her first-ever flight in a helicopter (at age over 60) I was happy for her. I got to see most things, and still take a dozen or so photos. Anyway, the flight itself was excellent, not to be missed, visibility was pretty good most of the time, the flight was very smooth, not nauseous at all, and we got to see things you wouldn’t see from the road or from a fixed wing aircraft. OK it was $620 (£387) for the 2 of us, but for a once-in-a-lifetime experience I don’t begrudge paying for it. We also bought a USB drive for $26 that contains 40 minutes of video footage (no audio) from the flight from various cameras attached around the craft, so we didn’t need to panic taking still photos whilst we were in flight. Some of the 30 or so people on our tour had been taking photos not with a conventional digital/SLR camera, but with their iPads and other tablets. The evening before the helicopter trip, the Tour Manager said that iPads and tablets were not allowed on the flight. There was no explanation, just a definitive statement. For those who had no alternative means of taking images, that was a major disappointment. That should have been known beforehand, so that people could make alternative arrangements when packing.

Geoffrey (spelling?), our pilot, born and raised in Kauai and an Army veteran who previously flew in Afghanistan, guided us into 4 canyons (Jurassic Park film location, Waimea, Napali coast and the main Kauai volcano crater) well below the rims and close enough the canyon walls that it made the trip breath taking and worth purchasing the personalized HD video. My wife, who doesn't like small planes or heights was completely comfortable with Geoffrey's flying, which says a lot. This was truly one of the most amazing experiences that I have ever had (age 62) and it was worth every penny. If you start your stay on Kauai with this experience, you will see things that you can't get to and it will also enhance the places that visit later on the ground. Would loved to have just stayed in my seat and done it again.

We booked this helicopter trip around Kauai on taking the recommendation in The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook, and sure enough they were excellent. Our pilot, Brandyn, gave us a fantastic flight around the island, giving us a comprehensive brief on the sights we experienced and facts on the island's history. We did a morning flight before the clouds formed over the islands peaks, consequently we had clear views of Mt Wai'ale'ale and the Napali Coast. Brandyn ensure those on both sides of the helicopter had the opportunity to take photographs. The flight lasted about 55 minutes. This in my opinion is the best way and tour to view the beautiful island of Kauai.

Highly recommend taking a helicopter ride with the Blue Hawaiian Helicopter Co. We were able to see an overview of the island. And the views of the island and waterfalls are just amazing from the air. Easy to get to at the Lihue airport. Friendly staff.

Our family of four spent two weeks on vacation in the Hawaiian Islands cruising with NCL. We visited all of the major islands and went on a variety of excursions. Without a doubt our flight with Blue Hawaiian Kauai was one of the highlights of our vacation. We began with a thorough safety presentation - it's clear Blue Hawaiian takes passenger safety seriously. Seats were allocated based on weight. Our pilot was Captain (Grandpa) Craig. He was a great pilot, he gave a fantastic commentary, and he showed interest in each and every one of his passengers. We were given a fantastic view of all the sights, from one side of the island to the other, and top to bottom - including the inside of the volcanic crater! We would definitely recommend this to all our friends and family.

I can't express enough how amazing this helicopter ride was! The whole experience from start to finish was perfect! If there's one thing you do in Kauai, you should take a helicopter tour. The views are amazing and our pilot did a great job with making sure everyone on the tour saw the sights and giving a great history of the island. We were also given great tips on hiking trails and other fun things to do during our stay from a very nice and helpful employee who was working the front desk (sorry, can't remember her name!). Thank you Blue Hawaiian for our tour!!

We really wanted to do a helicopter tour of the island to see the lava and waterfalls. We got talked into doing the whole island tour which is pricey, but worth it. We booked the earliest tour so we would have the rest of the day free and our pilot was Shane. He was great and explained everything around us and was happy to answer any questions. He played really cool music too throughout. The highlight for me were the huge waterfalls that you cannot get to by road so a helicopter is the only way to see them. It was like something out of a national geographic programme. Awesome experience and great company to go with.

I know it is an expensive tour but there isn't a better way to see the volcano on the Big Island and the Rainforest canyons/waterfalls. The helicopter was comfortable with Bose headsets, music and a great, running commentary by the pilot. Within minutes of the completion of the flight, there was a DVD available for purchase that documented the entire flight.

We flew from Waikiki to the big island for our helicopter tour. This is expensive but WELL worth the price. Seeing the active volcano was amazing. Our pilot, Mark had a great personality and was eager to answer all of our questions as well as pointing out fun facts we would have missed on our own. They do a video of every flight with you in the video. This was great fun to show at home! They also will lock up anything you have such as purses, jackets, bags, etc., nice to have your hands free for just your camera! Don't miss this opportunity.

We took the "Big Island Spectacular" tour on an Eco-Star on September 30. It was outstanding. Greg was our pilot and did an excellent job of taking us around the entire island. Most of what we saw can only be seen by helicopter, or in some cases possibly after a long hike. Greg took us through valleys and we saw a number of waterfalls. We went close to one volcano and, in another case, were able to see a current lava flow that Greg indicated had not even been there on his earlier flight. The Eco-Star was roomier than the A-Star but the A-Star is probably more maneuverable. Greg described it as a Porsche! The Eco-Star has two passenger seats in the front and four in the back. They determine who sits where by computer. My wife was on a window which was good as she is our photographer. I was in the back middle which was fine for me. We had one empty seat in the back middle which helped not make it cramped at all. This tour is the best way to see the entire island. Other tours see segments of the island. It is about 2 hours long. I would highly recommend it if you have not previously done a helicopter tour of the Big Island. Note on booking: if you book on line through their website, 5 days in advance they offer a 10%+ discount.

Every pat of this tour was amazing and worth the money. They do have transpiration to and from Waikiki.