クチコミ

Friends cautioned us against touring the Big Island of Hawaii by helicopter because of the possibility of crashing, but we got so excited about the possibility of photographing this incredibly diverse island from the air that we "threw caution to the wind", literally. We were given the option of doing one of two 45 minute flights, or we could do a single hour and 45 minute flight encompassing the south eastern part of the island, the eastern coast and the northern tip. We decided this was a "once in a lifetime" event and went for the long flight .... and we're glad we did. We signed up for the first flight of the day which would leave at 7:00 a.m. so we got to the heliport by 6:15 a.m., dressed in black, so no light clothing would reflect in the windows and ruin photographs. The morning was beautiful on the western Kohala coast of the island, the side that is made up of large a'a lava fields, dry ranch land and tropical shores with white sand beaches. The sun was shining brightly and the sky was clear blue, with not a cloud to be seen. As we flew south toward Mauna Loa, we could see a solid layer of clouds below us stretching to the east for as far as the eye could see. It hugged the eastern base of the mountain which is where we descended into and then below the clouds - entering an entirely different atmosphere. We were now flying over dark black and slate-gray lava fields and could see volcanic gases spewing from a sizeable fumarole - ominous and foreboding were words that came to mind. As we continued northeast, the darkness and gray gave way to light and green - lush farm land, macadamian nut farms and the island city of Hilo. North of there is some of the most beautiful and dramatic coast line with steep cliffs and deep valleys, hiding waterfalls amidst their forests. Beaches on this side of the island are rocky and black. Cresting the Kohala Mountains, you see the lush greeness of the northeast coast on one side of the mountain and the arid beigeness of miles and miles of ranch land on the other. The contrasts on this island are amazing and truly a "wonder to behold" especially from the air. This excursion is not inexpensive, but we both feel it was worth every penny as well as the possible risks. Were we to do it all over again (given the recent crash on Molokai), we'd still make the decision to fly around the island with Blue Hawaiian.

Flew on Dec 28, 2011. Out of Kona. Large lava flow moving fast past the subdivision, burning trees, windows into lava tubes, and ocean entry in multiple locations. One spot looked like a red waterfalls dumping into the ocean. Pilot gave everyone fantastic views. Spent lots of time there. Then off to the unbelievable water falls. Will remember the views and trip till the day I die. Pilot was very good and made sure all sides had excellent views with detail info. Highly recommend this, but check the government web site first to see how active the flows are. If no lava, I would still recommend it for the waterfalls. You can't see this from a boat or on foot. BT

In two hours you will see spectacular places on the Big Island that you can't see any other way - it's just not possible even if you're a serious hiker with several weeks to crawl through incredibly rugged terrain. This is the trip that will blow away those with whom you travel. All the superlatives in the other reviews are correct, such as 'experience of a lifetime.' We had Greg as our pilot and flew in an A-Star aircraft. Greg was an excellent pilot, a personable host making everyone feel part of the adventure, and the 'mature ladies' on our flight referred to him as sexy [what do I know?]. Here's a few recommendations: - book online and get the online discount. - if you have the extra money go with the Eco-Star; but, the A-Star gives you the same tour over the same sights - you won't miss anything. - go for the two-hour Big Island Spectacular flight. Yes, it's the most expensive; but, are you going to come this far and go to all of this trouble and miss some of the amazing sights to save a few bucks? Come on, you'll only do this once. - buy the $25 DVD after your flight; it's a relatively inexpensive souvenir you can use to bore your friends and family for years to come showing the scenes you saw and including the audio of you talking with the pilot about what you're seeing. - schedule this flight early in your stay for two reasons: 1) weather can postpone flights for more than one day; and, 2) it helps put your time on Hawai'i in context - everything else you see and experience during your stay will be from the perspective of what you saw while flying. - take your camera, even if you plan to buy the souvenir DVD. You'll get incredible shots to upload to Facebook [and, Tripadvisor], and you can pose for a picture before/after your flight with your group and pilot that otherwise wouldn't be on your DVD. Finally, while I wouldn't force anyone to go who might have strong fears of such activities, I would suggest you strongly encourage those who are just tentative. My adult daughter was uncomfortable, if not nervous, both before and during the flight; but, felt afterwards that everything else we would do during our island visit would be anticlimactic - she really thought it was great. Enjoy your stay on the Big Island.

Went with my grandson, as a birthday present from my son. You will not forget this almost 2 hour trip. You see sights not possible any other way from the red-hot lava flowing into the sea in the south to the valleys in the northeast. We went after a week of heavy rain, so all the water falls were superb. Our pilot was Tosi, who was very friendly got everyone involved; also very experienced, who previously trained helicopter pilots in San Jose, CA. It is not low cost, but you can save by booking the lower cost helicopter (A-star) which is more than a $100 cheaper than the ECO helicopter. It turns out that most of their helicopters are ECO, so we went anyway in an ECO (very comfortable with good views). Also you can save another $50 if you book on-line in advance.

Everything was fantastic except for one factual misstatement. 150 people do NOT die each year from falling coconuts! Had to look that one up! Overall it was exhilarating, educational and entertaining. A must do on Maui.

This was one of the highlights of our Hawaiian Vacation. Our pilot took us out over the ocean where we saw 8 humpback whales swimming. We then circled back to the land where he flew us over waterfalls and flowing lava fields. The pilot was very knowledgeable and informative. Airsick bags are available for those of you who may have a problem while flying. The whole flight is recored by cameras in the cockpit and on the outside of the helicopter so you can buy your experience on DVD after you get back for $25. This was a great adventure for myself and my family.

So I wasnt sure what to expect at first. I was a little nervous being in a helicopter and not sure. Let me start off by saying I felt safe and relaxed the minute I got into the helicopter. We did the 2 hour tour and was amazed at everything I saw. The view you get of the volcano is nothing less than amazing and magical. The water falls were breath taking also. Our guide filled us in on everything we were seeing as well as some great information about the island itself. If you are thinking about doing to helicopter tour I would definitely tell you to do this one!

We (2 of us, married, in our 30s) opted for the Big Island Spectacular. We really wanted to see the volcano side, but we figured that since we were already shelling out money for that, that we should do the waterfall part too. It does cost more, but we figured that this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. If you can afford to pay for it, you should. It's not something we'd necessarily do again because of price, but well worth it. I thankfully got a window seat in the Eco-Star (can't rate it against the A-star), but you don't get to pick where you sit because of weight (they weigh you, but no one can see what it reads--very discreet, thank goodness). We read not to wear white, but no one told us not to. And the person in front wore a light color, so it shows in the pictures, along with their legs because they were wearing shorts :( so that was disappointing. The pilot was good, answered questions, flew around a few things that we all wanted to see so that each side could get a photo. I was dead-set against buying the DVD for $25, but in the end, I caved. After spending in 2 hours what some people make in salary for a month, what was $25 more to have our trip on DVD? I haven't actually watched it yet, so I can't comment on the quality, but it was OUR actual trip and not a general one, so it seemed like I might as well buy it. They seemed like a professional company. Always got my questions answered on the phone. They were nice. Couldn't say the same about everyone else on the helicopter necessarily. However, no tour company could guarantee good people with you on the trip. For views you couldn't get on the ground, it was a trip highlight.

You cannot come to Hilo with the intention of seeing the volcano and not take this tour! This was one of the best experiences we had on the island with unbelievable tours of the Volcano. There is no other way to get a complete overview and view of the amazing crater and the lava flow into the ocean. This helicopter tour is well conducted and the pilot took extra care to make sure people on both sides got a view of the important volcano spots. A Must-DO when on Big Island.

One of the best experiences in Hawaii. Now if you research you would know what to expect so that you are not disappointed. We knew we would not see lava flowing from a tepee type volcano. But we were excited to see some lava. All of the people that worked there were very nice. We had a wait a little bit to have it gassed up, but no big deal. A must do, but expect some fog/bog. The video was a good price at $25.00.

My husband is physically disabled and cannot walk or stand on his own, yet Blue Hawaiian was very willing to help us so that he could take this helicopter tour ride and see lava flows. I greatly appreciated their professionalism. The lift did have a problem at the end of the tour, but a staff member helped me to transfer my husband, and things worked well for us. This was the most accommodating helicopter company for disabled individuals, and that was why we chose Blue Hawaiian (that, and it didn't hurt that they appear to have some of the best reviews!). I am glad I knew ahead of time not to expect to see views like they show on their website, which can give you false expectations. There is a rule that helicopters have to fly at least 500 feet above the ground, so you're not going to get those close-up shots. However, what you do see is still really amazing. My husband and I got to see a vent with fiery hot lava, lava flowing into the ocean, steam vents galore, the eruption site, and waterfalls--all within what felt like a very short 45 minutes. We also liked being able to see the house in Kalapana that was destroyed by lava a few days after we arrived on the Big Island. I took photos, although I'm not so sure I was able to get great shots. However, we did purchase the tour video as well as their general island one (they are offering a special, buy both for $35--a deal!), and we look forward to watching them! I recommend this company and this tour--for us it was the best way for us to see lava flows, since it's hard for my husband to get around. Also, it helps you avoid sulphuric gasses and other problems you might encounter on the ground from the volcano. Blue Hawaiian seems to be the best based on the reviews, and I was very impressed with the professionalism that they displayed in addressing my questions before our tour. I also was impressed with their willingness to work with me and my husband with his disability. Even though our tour seemed very short, we were glad we took it and appreciative of the excellent views. Next time we hope to try a longer flight and see more (like Pololu and/or Waipio Valley). Plan on wearing light-colored clothing and don't set your expectations based on what you see on the website, and you should still have a pretty good time. Also, the Blue Hawaiian website will give you a huge discount and help you save money.

Our pilot / guide was Julie Fung and she "made the trip". We saw hump back whales over the water, a bunch of beautiful waterfalls and sweeping landscapes and other points of interest on the Hilo side of the island. The volcano area (Puo o) was breathtaking. Saw a little lava. Julie was expert in telling us when our view was coming and related all kinds of interesting info during the tour from the farmers market on Sat in Hilo to Jack's house in the lava fields to the Mauna Loa Macadamia nut factory and groves. Excellent. Blue Hawaiian has very nice equipment as well. Great job!

We had a excellent time on the helicopter and really enjoyed getting to see the sites. Our pilot was very knowledgeable and made sure that people got a good view from every seat. The only bad part was that neither couple on our trip got to sit together and the lava is not currently flowing all the way out to the ocean

Went out yesterday and had a very nice time. They had a great pilot Colin and he was really nice and was lovely with our children. He made us feel very safe. These helicopters are slow and bring you to fantastic views of the volcano. They are not for thrill seekers as it is not thrilling but very informative. We were five on the helicopter rather than six and we knew that one of the best seats would go to the sixth person who would book later. We thought that this was very unfair but that is the way it is. They say that it is weight distribution done by the computer but having looked at the combined weights, this is not the case. It would just be hard to sell a seat to an individual on a group tour if they did not have a front seat. If you want the best seat, join another group on your own. It is the only guarantee. I felt that the staff were great and everything was really well organised.

While on the Big Island we wanted to take a helicopter tour. We went on the Circle of Fire tour. In short it was excellent, everything you hope for, great views and a smooth ride. Jenny our pilot was fantastic and the ground crew were also very professional and pleasant. Don't miss out on seeing the island this way, well worth the cost.