Reviews

Best money I spent! Unbeatable panoramic views of the island! Knowledgeable pilot also provided facts about the island and answered questions during the tour. An absolute must do while on the island! Plus for $25 you can purchase a DVD of your actual tour with footage taken from your helicopter flight, plus you're in it! TIP: It is advised to wear black or a dark colored shirt so your clothing isn't reflecting against the windows for taking pictures/video.

My wife and I had a busy itinerary in Kauai with amazing experiences thru-out the week, and yet our helicopter tour with Blue Hawaiian was still the singular highlight. Their helicopters seem very nice compared to their competition, as I called and researched 4 other companies before going with Blue Hawaiian. Our pilot was very personable and a great in-flight guide of the various, amazing sights. There is no other way to really see the full beauty of Kauai. I was skeptical that 50-55 minutes was going to be enough for the money, but the tour was very well timed in my opinion. It is very expensive, unfortunately, but it was worth every penny and I would go back to this company again if I was on the island. My wife and I would have stayed on the helicopter for another tour if we could afford to.

Pulled the trigger for four of us to take the Island Spectacular tour on Blue Hawaiian Helicopters. WOW. Nothing like an tour by air in a helicopter. Slowing, banking, change of direction, dipping into a secluded valley, loitering over lava vents while peering into the flowing lava tubes. Got to see some new lave outflows from the current eruption that is slowly making it's way to the coast aided by gravity. Our pilot Carl did an excellent job of giving both sides of the aircraft views of all there is to see. Gave us some information about the Island and other points as we traveled the island. You are making a mistake if you miss this tour, once in a life time tour! Lava flow should be over the cliff and headed toward the coast by mid July!! Can't wait for the video.

We have visited Hawaii many times and talked about doing a helicopter tour and our kids are old enough now to appreciate the experience. It is definitely "spendy", but the folks at Blue Hawaiian make sure you have a very good trip. We booked the Big Island Special which includes a stop at a waterfall and a trip to the volcano. It was about two hours in length. They asked us to arrive at 1:45 for a 2:30 departure. They verify your weights (yes, you will have to step on a scale, but it is private) so that they can balance the load in the helo. There is a quick safety overview and they attach a life jacket in a pouch around your waist. You can only bring your camera, sunglasses, and a water bottle on board. You can leave personal items in your car, or if you prefer, they have a safe lock-up on the premises. They are very clear about following safety rules and our pilot was both professional and a charming tour guide. His name was Jason and he has 12,000+ hours of flying time under his belt, so if you are a bit of a nervous flyer like I am, request Jason, as he is a very skilled pilot and he knows a tremendous amount about the island and the volcano. The island is beautiful from the air and you really get an appreciation for how much topographic variation there is in a relatively small area. Of course flying over a steaming volcano where you can see molten lava is nothing short of incredible. I would highly recommend the trip and also recommend bringing a water bottle and maybe some mints or chewing gum if you are a nervous flyer. When we landed at the waterfall I did feel a bit queasy and my daughters and I had mild headaches after the trip. You can purchase a video/audio recording of your trip afterwards for about $40.

An excellent way to see Oahu. The trip was approx 45 minutes flight time, taking in Waikiki, Diamonf Head and the North East of the island. The chopper held 7 - 6 passengers and the pilot Butch. Seats are allocated by passenger weight (you will be weighed before takeoff) so there is no gaurentee you will have a window seat. I was seated in the middle but still had a excellent view both forward and to the sides. Each passenger had noise cancelling headphones with a mike to communicate with each other and the pilot. A great way to fly ?

Yeah, it's a must to do when visiting the Big Island ... We flew over active volcanoes and saw small amounts of magma flowing and glowing out of the hole on the surface. Then flew over Hilo and lush forests embedded with numerous waterfalls and picturesque coastline vistas. Even if you are prone to getting air sickness, I would skip lunch, grab the barf bag and go nevertheless. You will see simply spectacular view of the island that you can't get from just driving or hiking. The staff was friendly and courteous, offered wet towels and ice water to cool off. Wearing the headphones and music being piped through them and the pilot explaining things every step of the way enhanced the tour, not to mention filtering the engine noise. Our pilot Karl was professional, as well as friendly and personable. Top notch attraction, highly recommended.

Three trips to Hawaii and this is our first trip off Oahu. Will be our final trip, so we didn't skimp on anything. Husband, wife and adult son all took the helicopter tour. A combined 80 years of US military experience and still can't compare a helicopter tour to anything on the ground. All of Blue Hawaiian's pilots have impressive experience and flying time. OUR PILOT IAN has civilian and combat experience. He knows his aircraft and his island -- what a magnificent tour including lava, steaming caldera, rain forest, cliffs, waterfalls, and historic areas including King Kamehameha's childhood stomping grounds. Volcano activity is low now and the only way you can see flowing lava is by air. After passing through a slight rain, Ian hovered his helicopter in a perfect position to observe a double, full-circle rainbow. Most memorable is landing at the base of a waterfall -- reminiscent of helicopters landing and taking off on Jurassic Park. This is the top tour on Trip Advisor for a reason. The company is safety and environment focused. Take only pictures -- leave only footprints. They ask your weight when you make reservations and weigh you (privately) when you arrive. If you do the full excursion and waterfall landing, plan on a little of 3 hours from arrival until you leave. You will see a safety film first, then are guided to the helicopters before loading, one at a time. If you are prone to motion sickness, I recommend one of the many motion-sickness pills or ginger powder about 1/2 hour to 1-hour before taking off. Take lots of pictures and videos while flying, but remember to just watch and enjoy the moment.

First, you must but must do a helicopter tour when you are visiting big island. It is an amazing experience. You see the lava running live stream. Second, blue hawaiian is the number one... Chad was a super guide and pilot. He helped me to take great pictures.

We went on a tour on my husbands birthday and it was a day to remember. The pilot was great, telling us all about what we were seeing. Worth every penny!

As with many other reviewers, my Blue Hawaiian helicopter tour was also the highlight of my 3-week trip to Hawaii. It was truly a fantastic experience and I cannot recommend highly enough to take a helicopter tour when you visit Kauai. The decision which company to choose wasn’t an easy one and to be honest I ended up with Blue Hawaiian more by chance than by actual choice. I’m generally a nervous flyer and procrastinated endlessly which company to book with. Although both Blue Hawaiian and Jack Harter had been recommended to me, I just couldn’t decide…. It didn’t help that the weather during my 5 days on Kauai remained mostly cloudy and rainy. In the end I booked a flight at the very last minute, just a few hours before I was supposed to fly back home…..because the weather was great for a change and Blue Hawaiian was the only company with availability that morning. Reasons why I would book with them again and would recommend them to anyone trying to choose: - As mentioned flying is not my favourite pasttime, however I felt very much at ease with Blue Hawaiian from the moment I booked with them over the phone and especially after I checked-in at Lihue Airport. I have no experience with any of the other companies, so I can’t compare obviously. But it just felt like a very well oiled machine, very customer orientated, yet with a great focus on safety. - Our pilot (Barrett? Brad?) was great, very informative, calm and trying to make sure passengers sitting on both sides of the helicopter got a good view of the sights. Maybe it’s just pure luck how good your pilot is, but I would assume it also depends a lot on the company’s policy, pilot training/guidelines what experience they try to give their passengers. - I liked the fact that Blue Hawaiian bookings are confirmed no matter how many people are on the flight. It wouldn’t have been an issue with my flight anyway, as the flight was fully booked with 6 people. However, I had also enquired with Jack Harter a few days earlier as I was quite interested in the doors-off option, but none of their upcoming flights had enough people to be fully booked. Hence, none of the flights were confirmed. Unless you are a group and you can just fill up the whole helicopter, I wouldn’t have liked to sit around and bite my nails until the last minute, wondering whether my flight would go ahead or not. And then maybe getting disappointed repeatedly. It also just makes it difficult to plan other activities on the island which require advance booking. - It is an expensive tour no matter which helicopter company you book with, so I find it reassuring that Blue Hawaiian only flies when they can guarantee a certain quality and you are only charged when you actually take the tour. A couple I met had their flights cancelled three days in a row because it was just too cloudy to see much. Certain “risks” , no matter which company you book with: - If you are a photographer and your main goal is to take great photos, you should book a doors-off flight. I thought the reflections in the windows did in no way impair my overall enjoyment of the flight. I could view the scenery perfectly. However, although we all wore dark clothing and I was sitting right next to a window, no matter how close I put my camera against the glass, reflections showed up in most of my photos anyway. - All the companies I phoned told me, all seats on our helicopters offer great views. However, as mentioned by so many other reviewers, there is clearly a ranking when it comes to the best seats on a 6-seater helicopter. As the flight route will naturally show the main attractions on the right hand side, front row seats undoubtedly offer the best views, followed by the right hand window seat. In my opinion, then followed by the middle seat on the right. Followed by the left hand window seat. Followed by the left middle seat. If you have a great pilot as we did, he will take special care to turn the helicopter around repeatedly, so ALL passengers will get the chance to take a good look at everything. No matter where you sit you will not miss out on the Napali Coast, Waimea Canyon etc. etc. So I honestly think, all passengers will be able to enjoy the flight. However, if you sit in the front or on the right, you will just get more opportunities to get a better look, a second, third and fourth look. If you think you will not be able to REALLY bear that little injustice when it comes to seat “quality”, please don’t book a seat on a 6-seater helicopter because…. - …. there is no way any of these companies will guarantee you a window (or front row) seat, unless you are on a private tour. I had put in a request to be seated either in the front row or on the right hand side and I was told it’s up to the final weight of the passengers on your flight. Can’t guarantee it. Although I ended up sitting on the right side, I honestly think it was pure luck because I can see how the final seating arrangement on my flight was the natural conclusion of the various passengers weights and sizes. - I think the weather is one of the most important factors in guaranteeing you a great experience. It's Hawaii, so no forecast can completely guarantee you great weather. Weather can change very quickly here. But I think I would rather book at the last minute when the forecast looks quite good instead of booking well in advance.

Great tour, I'd definitely recommend the experience as a way to see the overall island and determine what to see next. Clean, efficient and friendly

If there is one thing you must do, this is it!! Don't skip this opportunity. So much of this beautiful island you can only see by helicopter. My husband was a little anxious as he is claustrophobic and does not like heights. He loved it! No issues even with it being a bit windy that day. Our pilot gave us a lot of info on the island during the tour and made us all feel very comfortable. His name was Brody. You need to wear dark clothes and you can't take anything with you, but your camera. They do have lockers for you to put your belongings. Don't miss this!!

Before leaving to Honolulu I decided to book this attraction with the reasoning I might never be there again so I should tour the island in style. Even though it is costly it is well worth it. I always wanted to fly in a helicopter and what better place than Hawaii. This 45 min. tour took us around the island past all the major landmarks. Be it Pearl Harbor-Diamond Head enthralling the whole journey. Only minor complaint was the pilots blaise approach to this natural wonder. Not enough to spoil this worthwhile event. What a joy to behold from the various beaches to the jungle like terrain. One of the best experiences of all my holidays. Cannot recommend enough.

Great views of Oahu from the air. We were in a 7 seater EcoStar and had great views of the island...coves, valleys, mountains, and beaches that I added to my list to visit. This was my first helicopter ride and I was concerned about getting sick. Midway through the 45 -50 min tour I started feeling a little nauseous, but it went away. The pilot was great although not the best narrator, but I highly recommend it. Unfortunately, they did not video our trip, so we did not have a video of our trip to purchase. Oahu is a beautiful island.

We had the best trip ever! I have been before, but this was the BEST! We were able to go very close to the lava flow and the pilot was awesome!