NEW, clean, beautiful helicopters immediately set me at ease. Eli was our pilot. His experience was apparent as he flew us across the island and provided information about the sights. We flew over Volcano National Park and saw an active volcano with a lake of lava. We also flew into the most incredible valley with at least 10 waterfalls- WOW! It seemed like the helicopter was close enough to touch the water. There are very few tours that I would do more than once but I would do this again.
My wife and I just recently returned from a 10 day trip to Maui, The Big Island and Oahu, spending 3 days on each island. While we relaxed and enjoyed the romantic sunsets, we kept a busy schedule in trying to explore as much as we could given it was our first time to Hawaii (we live in North Carolina). This experience was by far the best! Our pilot, Steve, was an Alaskan native but had moved to Hawaii a few years ago and his knowledge of the island was incredible. He was very engaging and kept us entertained the entire time. He flew us very close to the lava and up the volcanic coast, all while narrating and answering our fury of questions. The best part of the tour was hands down the waterfall landing. This was worth every extra dollar and I highly recommend it. One of the more 'underrated' parts of this tour is the music that is played in the headset that literally goes along with the sights you are seeing. It felt as if we were in an amusement park or a movie the way the music perfectly synced up with the sights and the adventures below. We highly recommend it and cannot wait to return to Hawaii and see the island the best way possible: from the air! Mahalo!
We read many of the reviews on Trip Advisor before deciding to add on the waterfall landing in addition to the Big Island spectacular helicopter tour. So glad we did. Shane answered all of our questions over two hours and we learned a ton about the island, the history, and the volcanos on the Big Island. The lava wasn't flowing into the water, so we more looked at lava pools over the craters and then found a few hot spots where we could see fresh lava. Our favorite though was going to the waterfall. That was a part of the island we hadn't explored yet (and I don't think it's super easy to explore) so flying past all the waterfalls and seeing all the lush landscape was amazing. The waterfall was pretty. After that, we even saw a half mile tall waterfall from the helicopter which was absolutely amazing. Definitely once in a lifetime tour and a fantastic overall experience. When you're spending this much for a helicopter tour, I'll second to add the waterfall experience in as well!
We circled the Big Island with Blue Hawaiian Helicopters and our pilot "GO" was great. It was a windy and overcast day but GO still got us to see the volcano, lava flows and some pretty spectacular waterfalls. With the recent rains, there were a lot of waterfalls to see and GO got us up close to see them. We toured with Blue Hawaiian Helicopters in Kauai a couple years ago and had a great experience there as well. We definitely recommend this company for helicopter tours. Their helicopters are comfortable and pretty quiet. Their pilots are experienced and give you the chance to see the islands in a way you can not imagine. There are so many places you cannot get to from the ground.
Toshi, our pilot, was fun and informative. I would highly recommend taking the Big Island Spectacular Helicopter Tour. Toshi took us on an amazing tour of the island.
クリスマスに夫婦で休暇を利用しハワイ島に行き、日本人パイロットのTOSHIさん操縦でボルケーノヘリツアーに行きました。初めてのヘリコプターですが、天気も最高で安定したフライトとTOSHIさんの飽きさせないジョークを交えた説明で2時間もあっという間でした。噴火口の溶岩を2か所見て、残念ながらオーシャンエントリーは2か月前にエントリークローズで見れなくなりましたが、その後ヒロでトイレ休憩、ワイピオ渓谷の先の500m断崖や渓谷に入って滝を眺め、最後はザトウクジラの潮吹きまで見れて最高の思い出になりました。しかもTOSHIさんとは静岡の同郷出身、オレゴン大学の共通点もありまさにクリスマスプレゼントでした。値段は高額ですが、絶対にお勧めです。是非、TOSHIさんご指名で行ってみてください。そういえば指名料を払い忘れました。(冗談です・笑)
Great tour that ended up being worth the price paid. Weather wasn't perfect but our pilot Chase was able to show us lava and made up for the weather with an extended tour of the Valleys and Waterfalls. Defiantly do the waterfall landing. The Ecostar was also the way to go. Unfortunately the helicopter video didn't work well so don't rely on that for pictures - snap your own. Chase was a great pilot and made everybody fell safe and comfortable.
My three teenagers and their grandfathers took this tour on January 7, 2018. What a fabulous trip they had!! I had been on the tour a few years prior, so due to the price, I chose not to go again this time, I but really wanted my family to have the amazing experience. They all loved it! Devin was their pilot (former marine) and did a fabulous job answering their questions and giving them the history and current status of Hawaii, the volcano,....A MUST DO while you are there. We stayed neared Mauna Lani, so it was just 10 minutes away to catch the helicopter. Great customer service! Great company!
We did this tour on 1/9 during our stay in Kona. I'm not good with heights or roller coasters so my husband really had to talk me into it. Was so glad I went. Our excellent pilot Chase handled the helicopter very smoothly, provided excellent commentary, and answered many questions. The scenery was spectacular! We had clear skies everywhere, which Chase said was a bonus. I took 2 dramamine beforehand and was fine, even during the S-curves Chase made so people sitting on both sides could have a great view. Two other passengers who hadn't taken anything were feeling queasy so Chase stopped briefly at the Hilo airport to allow people to recharge. We visited Hilo and Volcano National Park later in the week and I'm still glad we did this.
The best way to really see Big Island. We took the 2 hour tour starting near Waikoloa VIllage. We saw the most amazing views of both sides of the island. The contrast between the side, the lava inside the volcano and out is a once in a lifetime experience. Our pilot provided a lot of information and great music to math with the scenic travel! There is a short stop in Hilo Airport and then what was already a great tour turns out to be something one cannot describe but rather feel. We could see the mountains of Hilo, waterfalls and even whales when we were already going back to our hotel. Dress dark clothes so you will not interfere in the pictures, we purchased the flash drive with the film of our trip and we really recommend you take home this memory!
If you love experiencing waterfalls, a volcano, the ocean, and the magnificence of nature in an IMAX theater - where your heart and soul both say OOOH - then you will love this helicopter tour. We were able to fly above the smoking vent of Mauna Kilauea and spot some hot lava and seemingly float above multiple waterfalls. We even saw a few whales as we flew over the ocean. Simply a magical journey.
Organized, professional, and worth every red cent! Instructions for safety excellent. The weather cooperated. Saw active Kailua lava flows, whales, waterfalls, black sand beaches, hidden Waipio Valley and the pilot's comments were professorial. Greg Go was our pilot, full of facts and information. All fellow flyers connected with head sets so group conversations were fun. There was music at times which matched the stunning dips, turns, and views. It was almost a spiritual feeling to see the pure majesty of mother nature. Myself and 2 other ladies had tears of joy and huge smiles on our faces! DO NOT MISS THIS ADVENTURE. Awe inspiring...a once in a lifetime opportunity.
Worth every dollar (which is a significant amount!).....this aerial trip was all we had hoped for. After driving over 400 miles over the course of 3 days to see Kilauea but being greeted only by rain and fog each time, we awoke to our last day being a gorgeous blue sky morning so we booked the Big Island Spectacular tour at the absolute last minute. Our pilot, Chase, was great in every way. He gave us a full on tour of the Island's most celebrated tourist areas and did it smoothly and with great narration. Highly recommend this trip, Chase and this company, they are good people.
Everybody that works here is so nice and our flight was amazing. Our Big Island Spectacular Helicopter Tour was downgraded due to bad weather on the volcano end of the island which of course was out of their control. But Blue Hawaiian was quick to give us options of either cancelling and getting a refund, rescheduling, or doing a different tour which is what we did. Our pilot Sean was amazing and the aircraft was clean and new. When we landed a nice female member of the staff offered to take our pic with our camera in front of the copter. I'm extremely happy with our experience and you will be too.
We did the Big Island Spectacular Tour which is the 2 hour tour of the volcanic area as well as the north shore valleys, waterfalls, etc. Take off was 7 am and let me tell you it is hard to describe the rush you get as the chopper powers up and the blades start turning. We first flew over the north side of Mauna Loa a observed some of the lava flows from the 1988 eruption. We arrived at the volcanic area and observed some vents, craters with lava, some flows that that had not solidified yet. We stopped in Hilo to refuel and then continued on to the north shore for some breathtaking views of the coastline. The picturesque valleys and waterfalls will keep you busy snapping pictures. We saw a number of whales breaching below us. We also did the waterfall landing which was such a thrill. We didn't know where we would be landing ahead of time so when the chopper sets down in a clearing at the base of the waterfall it's quite the surprise. Our pilot was Chase and he was great. Very personable and knowledgable in all aspects of the island history. Truly a great tour guide. Thanks again Chase. We highly recommend taking the Big Island Spectacular Tour with Watertfall Landing.