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Take the Big Island Spectacular. It was awesome. Check ahead to see if the lava from Pu'u. O'o. is flowing. We saw it and the trip is worth every penny. North Kohala. Coast was lush and beautiful.

We took the Island Spectacular tour with Blue Hawaiian Helicopters in the Eco-Star. They came and picked us up from, and dropped us back to our hotel (Kona side) an hour away from their base in Waikaloa - they were on time, the bus was comfortable and clean, the driver excellent. The helicopters seem to be new and are state of the art. Blue Hawaiian developed them with the manufacturer specifically for this type of tourist activity and they are therefore very, very comfortable and smooth. The staff is friendly, informative and efficient. The pilot was entertaining, informative and very professional with over 13 years experience flying Black Hawks in the army. You feel completely safe and simply in awe of this Island and its extremely varied terrain. The tour leaves from Waikaloa, flies over the Saddle Road area, passes over the Kiluea and Pu'u O'o vents - circling a number of times, and then the ocean entry (if there had been lava flowing into the ocean at the time it would have been phenomenal). We saw bubbling pockets of lava the day we went, apparently the tours the day before saw a red lava lake. We flew over Hilo, and then along the incredible North shore and black sand beaches, through Waipio valley and its spectacular waterfalls which cascade hundreds of metres down sheer cliff faces, and back to Waikoloa. This is a once in a life time opportunity, do not miss it. If we get the opportunity to get to Big Island again we would not hesitate to do exactly the same tour with Blue Hawaiian. It is expensive ($395 + $95 fuel surcharge (USD)) but oh my goodness it was worth it.

The first thing I'm going to say is that if you think too much about the cost, you could end up psyching yourself out of what could be the overall highlight of your entire trip to Hawaii and you do not want to do that. It is not cheap, especially depending on the length of the tour you chose and also if you decide to go with the newer helicopter model or the old A-Star. First, you need to go onto their website and so some research. Depending on what part of the Big Island you are staying on-you will need to pick a tour that departs from close to your resort to save yourself an unnecessary 2 hour cross island drive(Tours depart from both Waikoloa/Kona side & The Hilo Side). Then you need to decide what you want to see. The two major attractions are : Active Volcano & The Valley/Cliffs on the north part of the island. Depending on this, and the amount of time you can tolerate riding you will select the appropriate tour. Personally, I think if you are going to go through the trouble and cost you should go for the 2 hour tour. It goes by pretty quickly. 50 Minutes just doesn't seem like enough. Also, the newer "ecostar" model gives you a little more legroom and comfort and the views are excellent (more glass on doors to view) so in my opinion the longer tour in the more expensive copter is the only way to go. On the two hour tour which we took, you can see both main attractions and basically the entire island. As for our trip experience it was simply fantastic. Our pilot was extremely knowledgeable and friendly, and just so passionate about what he does. He was able to provide a lot of knowledge and history on the various landmarks and attractions. We were very lucky because we got a very clear day and ACTIVE FLOWING LAVA. It was truly amazing. The pilot told us that normally you can just see the orange glow and sometimes some spitting here and there but to see it really gushing and flowing is 1 in a 100 so I wanted to share that with you as well to manage expectations on the lava. The cliffs/valley's with 2000 FT. waterfalls are amazing! No words can describe this. It looked like a scene out of Jurassic park. Upon return to the heliport, we purchased the 25 dollar DVD which was so cool. The pilot has 4 cameras at his disposal to control and record during the flight so you get all the best stuff right on a DVD for 25 dollars. Book early-they do fill up very quickly. If I didn't book the week before my trip we would have been locked out.....

OK my wife says this is a must-do if you can afford it, and I think it's the best way to get a sense of scale and unique views of the volcano craters and vents - I'm a geologist and have flown 100+ helicopter flights before so was less moved by the actual helicopter experience itself, compared to my wife who just had her first. We booked 3 seats on an A-star from Hilo (no Ecostar available) for myself, wife, 2-year old toddler and our son as a lapchild - we couldn't find a babysitter so had to pay the full seat price for our 2 y.o. My son sat on my lap (luckily he fell asleep as soon as took off!) When I booked I was told there was a 2pm slot - given the variable weather patterns that week I asked for a morning slot and was told 9am after some checking with the pilots. We turned up to check-in and was told that there was 'a technical problem with the aircraft, a faulty radio' and so were asked to re-checkin an hour later. I know from experience that this is an excuse often used for re-scheduling flights for another reason - I reckoned that either someone from Kona had asked for a full aircraft and was leaving so could only do 9am (our slot) or issues with ticketing such as merging of two flights into one. Sure enough when we checked in again, the other guests on our chopper were coming from Kona, and the teenager had slept in and was a bit moody, so the family was running late and called the company to delay the flight! Also we witnessed our chopper landing just before we went up - hmmm! We were given the DVD free as compensation. My wife was fretting over whether the other girl present was bigger than her as she was worried about not getting a view, but luckily she ended up beside the door in the front. (She now accepts that she is not as big as she thinks!) My 2-year old was assigned a rear window seat with me beside her and my son on top of me. In the rear there were two other guys who could see quite well. The views were great, although the waterfalls weren't that impressive from the altitude we were at, but they do happen to be on the way to the vents (remember I'm a geologist). The pilot was careful to hover and turn the chopper over each site so everyone could get a decent view. The VNP from above really is spectacular and you get much more satisfaction in seeing the volcanoes this way than on foot. Around 20-30minutes of the 45 minute flight were over the volcanoes, which was long enough to see what was going on. Any longer and our kids would have needed a diapir change! I would be concerned if I (of average height) was in the back and had someone large at the window, there is a risk of not having a clear view - this would depend on the good nature of the person at the window. The tall guy beside me had a teenage son on his window so sometimes he did not get a good view - but then again it was his son so he didn't mind. Overall if you haven't done a helicopter trip on the Big Island and can afford it, it is definitely worthwhile and makes a great highlight - given the relatively small $25 DVD cost this is worthwhile as well, for memory sake than than for only reasonable quality of picture and pilot narrative.

Me and my wife took the "Circle Of Fire Plus Waterfalls" from the Hilo airport (Big island, Hawaii) and I would say it was a lifetime experience. Ray was our pilot. He is doing this with blue hawaii for the last 7 years. He was very good with a ready wit. You might feel the trip cost a bit high but once you take, you would think it was worth and don't forget to get the trip DVD ($25). This was our first helicopter trip. We saw couple of water falls and the volcano itself. You will be thrilled to watch the volcano from the top, especially where the lava is meeting the ocean water. It is generating huge amount of smoke due to heat. The smoke is so pure, white and dense!!! The water color difference due to lava is also awesome. We could see some fires, lavas and trees getting burned. You will also have a nice view of the coast line and so many other things. Try to book it online to get the discounted rate (only available while booking over the internet).

We took the Eco-Star out of Kauai and it was a great experience. The helicopter was new, solid and appeared to be well maintained. The pilot was very professional, and knowledgeable, the was were pleasant. The views were great! Got some great photos & video. Its in the Harbor Mall, inside, you will NEVER find it without that.

We were not sure if we wanted to take a helicopter tour of the volcano area, but decided to do it after all. (We had done one years ago on Maui and loved it but they are expensive) We did the 50 minute "Circle of Fire + Waterfalls." The views of the landscape, ocean, clouds, and the taste of local information made the tour well worth the expense. We got to see many things that we would not have otherwise gotten to see. It also framed up the rest of our day in the volcano park very well. The staff was professional and efficient. Our captain Chris grew up in the area which was neat. He has been flying the area for about 10 years. The ride was smooth and the scenery was great. Make sure and get the DVD so that you don’t spend all your time taking pictures. The seatbelts in the back are a bit uncomfortable for tall people but not too bad. I was in the backseat middle and still had a great view.

This was my first time in a helicopter and I will admit, I was a little nervous before the flight. I had inquired with other companies for the same tour, but chose BH merely on reputation. Although BH was pricier than the other companies, I somehow felt more relaxed and reassured by booking a reputable company. The check in at Hilo Airport was very quick and the ladies working the front were nice and very welcoming. After a brief safety video and issuing of life jackets, we were on our way. We walked out to the helicopter and the pilot helped us get in. Our pilot was " Kimo". He provided us with a very smooth and informative ride. I was surprised at how "smooth " the ride in a helicopter was. The trip to see the volcano was awesome. We had the opportunity in 2005 to hike from Chain of Craters Road and see the lava flows up close. I knew before our arrival that surface flows would not be accessible by foot, thus the decision to fly over. We did see lava breakouts on our trip and it still is a sight to see. If you have an interest in seeing the world's most active Volcano, you can't miss this. What's another $200....you are most likely on vacation and have spent a bundle so far.lol Remember to take your camera for pictures, but sit back and enjoy the experience .They have a DVD of your ride which you can purchase after. Have fun.

This was our first helicopter trip and we really enjoyed it. We chose the two hour trip that pretty much covered all of the Big Island. The whole operation was classy---from the service to the maintenance of their building and helicopters. Safety was a high priority and their approach definitely created a high sense of confidence that you were in good hands. The pilot was extremely friendly, knowledgable and professional. He was outgoing and tried to engage everyone on the trip. We got great views of the Volcanoes, the coast and deep valleys with AMAZING waterfalls. Views you would likely never see----even if you are the most avid hiker/explorer. It was quite pricey, but the person we booked with on the phone offered a discount. One note---if you, or anyone in your party, are over 250 lbs. you will have to pay an additional 1/2 seat charge. They handled this very discreetly and it did not seem to be a big deal at all. Some of the seats were cramped---especially on leg room. If you have big issues with circulation----you might want to mention this to them in advance. They may not be able to do anything about it---but there are several choices of seat assignments that could possibly be altered depending on the other people on your flight. We enjoyed it immensely. Well worth the cost for a one-time experience.

They provide a very professional yet engaging experience. The Staff was excellent. Ruby was very helpful and friendly. Toshi was an excellent guide and very accommodating. We toured the whole island and saw lava flows, active vents and wonderful waterfalls. Everyone had a good view and Toshi made sure to turn the helicopter around so all could see the really cool stuff. Lot's of 'WOW' experiences. We highly recommend Blue Hawaiian.

I took a trip a few weeks ago over Hilo. It was raining in the early morning and I called ahead to see if the trip was cancelled or not. The lady said that the fog and rain was just local to Hilo. Once outside of Hilo just north we saw a few waterfalls, but not nearly as close as the pictures show. We then went south and didn't get too much of a view b/c of the fog and we circled around some of the steam and lava sites, which was real nice but it wasn't near what the website shows. It was a nice trip but not for the $180 p/p !! We were expecting to see lava pouring right into the ocean and swooping close to the waterfalls but we didn't get to see either. Like I said it was nice but not at all what either of us expected. I understand they don't control the weather but they should have cancelled the trip or rescheduled or cut the price since we didn't see many of the attractions. I would recommend this trip but with a grain of salt and not expect the beautiful sites you see in the pamphlet.

Our pilot offered us plenty of photo opps as he came around to the lava flow more than a couple times. James AKA Kimo was really great. He had plenty to tell us & put up with our questions very graciously. This is a must to consider if a helicopter ride is on your itinerary.

Mike, our pilot, was an AWESOME tour guide!! He gave a really interesting narration as we flew and gave every single person the opportunity to see and take photos of everything from lava, to the valleys, to waterfalls to the towns we flew over. Thanks Mike & Blue Hawaiian for making our first helicopter ride something we will never forget!

We chose the 2 hour tour, Big Island Spectacular in the Ecostar, over the volcano, up the East coast and up into to valleys with waterfalls with gorgeous weather. Awesome! We had a great pilot Jason who made it very entertaining and was very knowledgable. The gals that check you in etc. are as nice as they can be.

Let me just start off by saying this: of ALL the things I did on this two week vacation this was certainly #1! Not surprisingly- it was the most expensive too! There are a few different tours and two different types of helicopter you can b00k. I opted for the Big Island Spectacular on the Eco-Star helicopter. I really feel this was the way for me to go, as it allowed me to take-in the whole island- Seeing the volcanoes, flowing lava, waterfalls, and even a lone humpback whale! The pilot was a former Coast guide helicopter pilot. He was very friendly and full of info about what we were seeing. He even encouraged us to talk and be an active part of the trip. very interactive. As I said, I knew this would be expensive, and it was, but it was worth every penny. And doing it again would be a "no-brainer" for me!