クチコミ

First off, this cost almost $500 per person, so definitely not cheap! We did the grand tour, which included both the volcano tour and also the valleys/waterfalls tour, on an Eco-Star helicopter (an upgrade from the "standard" A-Star helicopter). The visibility was excellent even from the middle back seats (where I was), and the ride was generally smooth. Not having been in a helicopter before, I was pleasantly surprised by that. Our pilot, Noah, was excellent. Honestly, the first few minutes of our tour were fascinating. However, once the novelty wore off, the ride became somewhat boring despite Noah's best efforts to keep us informed with factoids about what we were seeing. Things picked up again as we approached the volcano-- only to find the volcano itself rather disappointing, with almost no flowing lava visible. It was interesting to see the spots at the edge of the forest where the crusted lava was still hot enough to start fires, though. The ride then got relatively boring again as we made our way to the valleys and waterfalls. This portion of the tour was spectacular, and we sincerely wished that it lasted longer.

The 2 hour tour was outstanding! Our pilot was very well trained and helpful. We brought our 16 month old son and he loved it. The views are unreal. 5- Stars!

We booked our tour over the volcanoes, but on the day we had to return due to unclear visibility, and therefore unsafe conditions. However, the staff booked us in for a flight the next day, and the weather was perfect. Seeing lava was amazing, and then the pilot took us over amazing lush hillsides, and cascading waterfalls, which were just as amazing as the lava and volcano. Definitely recommend this experience.

We took the two hour round island tour in a 7 seater. John our pilot was first class, and kept up a good commentary for the whole trip. Even his corny jokes were tolerable. We were able to see most things, and John went out of his way to ensure that people on both sides could see. While not cheap - well worth it. However, the DVD that was purchased afterwards is pretty poor quality. Looks like it was shot by 1970's cheap video camera.

Actually, the helicopter tour we took back in '91 was better than this one that was taken in July of 2011--it was foggy and a little rainy, and there wasn't much lava to be seen at Kilauea. When we toured during our honeymoon we were amazed to see lava lapping in the open crater. This time there was no lava flowing and you could just see a little bit of it. This is, of course, no fault of the company or pilot, but this experience was not as good as our prior one. Our pilot seemed bored as well. It was interesting to see the red roof house still standing among old lava flows and we were glad to hear that when the lava overtook that house a couple of months later that the owner was able to get out. We had also taken a helicopter tour a week before in Kauai which was absolutely spectacular, so this was a bit of a disappointment by comparison. I still think a helicopter ride on the Big Island is worthwhile, however. It is extraordinary to see an active volcano, and if you are lucky you may get a chance to see lava flowing.

Mark was our pilot and he did a great job, professional yet cordial and informative. This was our 2nd helo ride with Blue H and enjoyed both thoroughly. If you visit Hawaii you must see it from the air...if you see it from the air, you must use Blue Hawaian Helicopter!

Loved watching the volcano erupting. Pilot was very good in getting us very close. Was able to take photos of the molten lava.

Me and my wife did the circle of fire tour. The tour itself is worth 5 start because - - it's amazing to see lava flow right from bird's eye view - our pilot Ethan was very knowledgeable and made sure that we are able to see the volcano n lava flow properly - the tour is professionally managed and worth the price - I will highly recommend this tour to anyone who wants to see volcano and lava activity The only reason I did not give 5 star to this tour was because: Our first tour was canceled because of rain and we switched it to a day after tour as we were in hilo for 2 more days. We were given the option of next day 11 am also which we declined at the time of rescheduling. Later we decided to take the tour next day and they said the tour was sold out. We suspected that as our was the last one and the chances of next dat 11am getting filled right at that moment were low. So we called them again pretending that we are booking a new reservation n they gave the 11 am option. Clearly these guys were trying to get extra slots booked in as they knew that we are coming in the day after. The moment I told the agent 'Oh I want to reschedule, I was told that the 11 am slot just sold out'!! Seriously!!! I would have been really mad if our rescheduled tour would have been canceled but thanks to the weather we were able to go on the tour day after. Given the scale of operations these guys run in Hawaii, lying for 2 seats seemed very greedy to me.

Everything was on time. Our guide was knowledgable and a great pilot. All the ground crew were helpful. Would definitely recommend. We went on the a star helicopter to save a few bucks and the views were great!!

We lucked out and had Ethan as our pilot. He was excellent and very knowledgable in the area. We saw great lava flows and flew over some beautiful waterfalls. I read complaints about seating arrangements and after taking the tour, do not understand that at all. I was in the middle and could see everything and Ethan did a great job making sure every one got an opportunity to take photos. This trip lasted about an hour and was a blast. Special thanks to ground crew, they did an excellent job as well. This one is a must to see a real volcano and lava.

Scott was an amazig pilot that made the experience memorable. Thank you to all for provide this adventure. Amazing!!! It was so incredible to see the Volcano active, waterfalls and even a whale putting on a show for us. A great way to see the island.

We flew over the open vent at Pu'u o'oa and the burning forest area. It was an amazing trip that is worth every penny. We were in the front two seats beside the pilot who was very informative - everyone in the helicopter could speak to the pilot through ear phones. He was able to answer all our questions. The company is very professional and competent. (My husband is a pilot and able to assess). After several circles around the vent at about 500 ft, he flew us over a couple of waterfalls and we were back on the ground.

We had Scott as our pilot and from the moment we boarded to the time we departed were treated to a great selection of music and knowledgeable tips. Scott was careful to ensure everyone had the best views possible and got the 'shots' they wanted. It really was special to fly over the world's most active volcano and witness the force of Mother Nature at play. It was eerie to fly over old roads and towns destroyed by the lava flow and see how some locals are determined to reclaim their homes - rebuilding their lives and townships at the foot of the volcano. What a blast. What a pilot. What a great time. We will be recommending this tour to others for sure. Mahalo to Blue Hawaiian.

This was the most expensive single activity of our two week vacation in Hawaii, but we’d never flown in a helicopter and wanted to see the erupting volcano and get those birds’ eye views of the waterfalls and coastline. So I carefully researched the many copter operations and although there were cheaper options with other companies and a more expensive option from Blue Hawaiian I was convinced by the detailed 360degree interior cabin comparisons on the website that the A-Star copter and the 2hr “Big Island Spectacular” was going to be a fantastic adventure. We were not disappointed. Driving a half hour north to a cross road outside Waikoloa Blue Hawaiian has a small helicopter field with a half dozen blue helicopters coming and going with five or six patrons on board for each flight. Flights are scheduled such that clients for multiple flights check in, are weighed, and go through the safety and flight briefing together and issued a little yellow fanny pack of survival gear for use in the unlikely event of an emergency water landing. After that we were broken up into our individual copter groups with seating positions partially dependent on balancing out the aircraft. There were four folks across in the back row and one other client sitting up to the left of the pilot. After being strapped into our seats by a flight tender one by one as we climbed aboard we were shown the headphones located behind our seats. These performed the dual role of muffling the pretty noisy copter sounds and also allowed the pilot to talk to us in flight. Corded microphones were located in front of us that we could pick up, press the button, and speak to our fellow passengers and pilot. His mic was attached to his helmet. After a quickie rap by the pilot and a run through by everyone in how to use the communications we were ready to take off. Gradually the blades spun faster as the engine wound up and there was a gentle, almost imperceptible feeling that we’d lifted off. Up a couple of feet vertically, a 90degree spin on our axis, then the pilot tilted the rotor, hit the gas, and we were roaring off both forward and upward chasing adter a couple of other blue copters that had preceeded us. The pilot’s talking, were gaining altitude, and all the passengers are looking around with big grins on our faces. This is fun! We took off eastward across some lava fields then the landscape changed to rolling green pasture with occasional trees and shrubs. The pilot tells us that this landscape is usually much browner but that the recent rains have greened things up in the last two weeks. On we go. At one point I ask him how high we were. He teaches the passenger “co-pilot” to read the altimeter and the thnswer comes back - over 1700ft. I’m surprised because it doesn’t feel that high but all of a sudden as we veer towards the mountains we see the cloud layer dead ahead. Our jokester pilot engages us in a discussion on whether we should go over, through, or above it. We basically suggest that he do alkl three and we had a magical few minutes in and out, over and under the cottan ball clouds. The pilot floated us up and down in altitude as we came over various noteworthy ground features. Here was a deep gorge ith a small river, over there was a jungle rainforest on the back side of Mauna Kea; it was a grand rideoff across the island over to the east side and the town of Hilo. One of the passengers was a 50 something gal who had recently moved to the big island and was taking a friend on this tour so she could get an overview of the island. Our pilot promises to try and find her house on the return trip. Course set for Kilauea volcano we fly along occasionally seeing another helicopter tour buzzing about hither and yon. All of a sudden we were obviously flying over a gigantic tongue of crusted black lava seemingly pouring through the green forest. Looking up this black river we see the volcano itself venting steam and smoke from its summit. On the way up we divert off to the side and see small pools of orange molten lava oozing out of underground lava tubes igniting the forest in half acre pockets of jungle. We zoom down for close ups, circling around with the pilot tilting our craft first one side and then the other so everybody could get a chance to shoot pictures of the fire and lava pools. Our visit corresponded with a period of relative inactivity by Madam Pele and the pilot prepped us to not expect huge columns of erupting lava. So I wasn’t disappointed when we flew into the crater and had to look hard to see the bathtub sized pockets of lava seething just below the black congealed skim coat over most of the crater. Giant pimples of black rock smoked and vented noxious gasses. It was a primitive sort of overview of our planet’s geological power. You could just feel it was a huge molten lake just waiting for a mountain sneeze to burst out and inundate the area with fire. We circled the inside and outer flanks of the volcano several times giving both port and starboard passengers a chance at photographs. Comments and commands flew back and forth across the communication system but eventually we’d all had our fill and we headed back down another black tongue of recent lava flow and out towards the ocean. Now we headed back north towards Hilo, bypassing the previously viewed port we headed a bit inland to buzz our compatriot’s property. Turns out she had a hefty number of acres and we buzzed her husband out on a tractor and she graciously offered us all mint juleps if we’d agree to land and drop her off. We accepted. However it was a forgone conclusion that this wasn’t about to happen. The pilot finessed his refusal and we headed up along the dramatic Hamakua coast. This side of the island has abundant rain and so is covered by verdant foliage covering huge towering cliffs cascading down into the sea. Our journey along the picturesque coastline was punctuated with gorges and waterfalls. Turning into these geologic features we scanned triple cascading waterfalls and viewed the alleged entrance to the Jurassic Park Island. It was spectacular! Eventually it was time to turn back to home base. I’d set my stop watch, and although I forgot to hit the button at the exact moment of landing I’d seen us passing well into the 1hr 55 minute range as we crossed a dramatic crack in the earth caused by an earthquake years ago. All in all this adventure, while expensive, was worth every penny.

I thought my husband was insane when he said he wanted to spend almost $500 for a 50-minute helicopter ride to view the Kohala Coast waterfalls via helicopter, but he was right. It was absolutely worth it. The sights are spectacular, and our timing couldn't have been better, since it was a very wet winter and early spring, and the waterfalls were booming. Our pilot, Toshi, was charming and engaging and has a very deft touch with his bird -- I could barely tell when we touched ground. The ground staff is friendly and courteous, and given that every helicopter was sold out, they did a great job of keeping people moving efficiently. The folks at our timeshare told us that Blue Hawaiian is the best helicopter company on the island, and I have no doubt that they're right.