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.
Pilot John B. was a source of comfort (excellent flying skills), enjoyment (sense of humor and easily engaging with passengers), wealth of island knowledge that I will carry with me always, and a killer playlist that made the flight a sensory success on all levels. Recommend his tour with the greatest confidence.
I had to be talked into taking this helicopter tour, because the thought of it scared me. I'm so glad they were able to talk me into it. It was fantastic!. We saw so many wonderful sights, including a quick view of the volcano before the clouds moved in, an active lava flow and the newest land in the world made by the lava flow. We flew into an amazing valley where I was sure we were going to hit the walls, but, of course, we didn't. It was the valley that appears to be the inspiration for the movie Maona with the twin water falls.I highly recommend a Blue Hawaiian helicopter tour to see the whole island. The pilot gave some interesting information and filmed the whole ride so we could purchase the video. So much nicer then trying to see the scenery through the lens of a camera. Such a great adventure!
What a great trip! I took the two hour tour of the island and saw the lava flows, the waterfalls, and even a WWII era plane that crashed on a mountainside. There was no problem looking out of the copter and no problem hearing the pilot. You will probably want to purchase the DVD recording of your trip at $40.00. This tour is expensive but highly recommended!
Was so looking forward to this tour, from the moment I booked this activity. I must say, it did not disappoint me or my wife. The only issue was the clouds. Which I guess Blue Hawaiian can not control. Our pilot was Greg, he was outstanding and knowledgeable. It was a pleasure flying with him. The tour itself was beyond great. The waterfalls were unbelievable. For me, however the lava was the highlight of the tour. Greg put us on top of a new breakout, The river of lave was about a half mile long and flowing. He also put us on a few hotspots and couple of windows to see into a lava tube. Great job Greg. Thanks for being so great. You made our flight even better than I thought possible.
The views from this helicopter tour are absolutely stunning! Our pilot could not have been more professional, kind, or knowledgable - plus, the helicopters themselves have comfy seats and are very smooth in flight. You see gorgeous coast line, tons of waterfalls, and even bubbling lava at the top of the volcano! We lucked out on the weather and deeply enjoyed this experience - truly not to be missed on your visit to the Big Island!
This is the most spectacular helicopter trip ever - it starts with flying over the volcanic areas with views of smouldering volcanoes and lava flows. Our pilot, Chase, gave both sides of the helicopter great views, but my highlight was flying up the coast from Hilo with wondereful views of the rugged coastline and waterfalls, then, the best bit, into the canyons, almost touching the sides. Very skillful flying from Chase, and it is just stunning scenery. A "must do" when in Kona. Everyone in the helicopter gets terrific views, so don't worry where you sit. Thank you, Chase, your specially selected music made it even more enjoyable, and perfect volume.
Folks this flight is AWESOME. I cannot emphasise how great it is. The pilot was friendly, co-operative and knowledgeable. Although there was no flowing lave visible, we did fly over the active crater. The view was spectacular. We did a waterfall landing which I heartily recommend. Flew over many sites and the ocean. DO IT FOLKS. DO IT.
We signed up for the 7am 2-hour tour of both volcanoes and waterfalls. It was *spectacular*! The helicopter was amazingly comfortable and with the supplied headphones, quiet. We flew over the Saddle, looped around Kilaluea and then (much closer) around the new vent. Then we flew over the lava to see some red-hot molten flows. The pilot flew a figure-8 sort of thing so that both sides of the helicopter got an excellent view. (Incidentally, at no point did the flight feel anything but safe and stable -- the pilot was great!) We refueled in Hilo and then went up the coast to see amazing waterfalls -- including flying into some of the valleys -- and finally back to the Kona Coast base. It's not cheap, but is very much worthwhile. Highly recommended.
This was an excellent morning tour of the two very different halves of the Big Island starting with the volcanoes craters and the impact that the lava has had in the island - amazing! And then Chase flew over to the windward side, which is just beautiful - green, lush - simply paradise! And so many waterfalls and fabulous valleys... highlight of the trip was landing by one of the beautiful waterfalls and taking some time out just to marvel at the gorgeous scenery. A fabulous “must-do” trip and the only way to grasp the makeup of this beautiful island... Couple of things to consider - there is a shorter (cheaper) flight, but think you’d miss the contrasts of the island landscapes? It’s very tempting to spend the whole trip behind your camera (and you’ll want to grab at least a few selfies) but so worthwhile just to put the camera down and marvel at the scenery first hand - and there’s always the film if your trip that you can buy at the end of the flight. Finally, we were very, very lucky with the weather, so fingers crossed you will be too...
The helicopter tour (Big Island Spectacular) was the highlight of our visit to the Big Island. Our pilot was fantastic, the tour itself was incredible. We wouldn’t think twice about doing the same tour with Blue Hawaiian in the future.
Really enjoyed the two and a half our flight with Toshi as our pilot. Great information about the island and a great pilot. There is a no fly zone of 12 miles around the volcano so saw lots of smoke but had to stay away which I understand. Waterfall trip and landing was outstanding! If you get a chance do the waterfall landing it was super. It was a wonderful trip!
Our pilot, Marco, was able to get us some fantastic views of the Kilauea caldera with the red-hot lava pool plainly visible, although we were prohibited from going into the area of Leilani Estates, which were being destroyed by lava flows at the time. We then got some incredible views of the waterfalls in the northeast side, flying very close (but safely) to the cliffs. Marco was an excellent pilot; he told us exactly what was going on with the flight, provided a lot of information, and made sure everyone got good views, including myself, even though I was seated in the middle rear. And BTW, I am 6'-4" and 195 and felt very comfortable in that seat. Plenty of room in all directions. Perhaps other reviewers who felt uncomfortable in that seat were, ahem, much "larger" than I am.