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We drove to Hilo from Kohala area to take a shorter Helicopter trip, and save about $100 a head, but still see lava. We were very happy with Bule Hawaii and Tim our pilot, nice guy helpful commentary and scrupulous to ensure everyone got view of the lava. I agree with a previous post that you won't see rivers of red hot lava, you will however get an impression of how destructive a lava field is, and see islands of trees on mounds. We saw silver lava flows (below red but before black, and a few cracks glowing bright red, but we also got a great view into a 'cave' , which i presume was the end of a lava tube, with splashing red lava inside, just what you see on National Geographic! Helecopters was comfortable and smooth, best in the morning I was told and it was very good, nice drive to Hilo as well.

Not knowing what to expect when flying in a helicopter over a volcano, I was super excited to go on this excursion. After a brief safety meeting, we got our helicopter and seat assignments. Do be prepared to be weighed before you go- they don't actually announce your weight or anything but they do have to distribute the weight in the helicopters. Also good to know- you can't take any bags or such in the helicopter, basically just what you can fit in your pockets so either leave it behind or be prepared to lock it up at the airport. Jeremy was our pilot and he was super knowledgeable and was able to answer all of our questions. He was also super helpful in letting us know when he was communicating with air traffic control or other helicopters so we knew he wasn't just ignoring us! Obviously these guys know where to go but he took us over an active "bubbling" and showed us the river of lava and then out over the ocean to see where the flow had gone into the ocean (although it wasn't when we were there). We also flew over some really beautiful waterfalls. It was a great tour and having a great pilot made a big difference! I would go back and do this again in a heartbeat!

I made reservations for 6 of us to take this shorter Volcanoes and Waterfalls tour out of Hilo on the last day of our vacation. I figured if we had not seen any hot lava yet this tour would show us some. Blue Hawaiian Helicopters did not disappoint us. Tim, the very knowledgeable pilot, took us on a very smooth ride out to the only active viewing spot right now which is coming out of Pu'u O o vent. the only other way you can see any red hot lava right now, at least that day, was by taking a 6 mile dangerous hike out to this spot.... personally that is not for me. it looks dangerous and desolate out there, definitely not a family outing. It helps to know in advance what to expect. I knew from my research that there is not currently rivers of lava flowing to the sea. You kind of have to take and appreciate what Mother Nature gives you, and seeing even the small pools of red hot lava that we did was very exciting. Tim made sure we all got great pictures and a good view of the vent. He showed us the subdivision which was destroyed and the home of the last guy remaining which just got covered over last march. Then we whisked away over a beautiful multi tiered waterfall on the outskirts of Hilo which you cannot see any other way as it is on government land not open to the public. I really enjoyed this tour, and they tape it for you so you can buy the dvd when you get back... I like that a lot as my pictures never turn out as well as I hope they will. Nothing like seeing it in person. The price was reasonable I thought. How often do you make the trip to Hawaii... go ahead and spend a little extra to take this tour! and tip your pilot back at the office if you liked his tour.

I convinced my hubby that we had to do this. He was skeptical at best as his previous helicopter trip from 15 years ago he was stuck in the back seat. We did the two hour Circle Island tour in the eco-star and lucked out getting the front two seats. Absolutely breathtaking and worth the price. Our pilot,Scott, was excellent as he narrated the trip. We were able to see lava which we had not seen on our two prior visits to The Big Island and the Volcano National Park. The gorgeous valleys were my personal favorite. We booked online. Easy.

I'm giving this an excellent review. We didn't do this the first time we came to this island and I'm so glad we did this time. You see places you could never get to. I was nauseous for half the flight and I'm still saying its worth it. We were on the two hour tour, The pilot landed in Hilo for anyone who needed a break. and then we finished the rest of the tour. Pilot was full of history and all the cool extra info about the island.

I highly recommend this tour. The Adventure: We did the 2 hour tour, pricey but well worth it. We drove most of the island, but would never have been able to see all of the spectacular sights like the canyons in the north and the lava flows in the south without being in a helicopter. Our pilot Scott was very knowledgeable about the islands geography and history and used an agreeable amount of wry wit prior to take-off and in-flight to keep it interesting and to put the passengers minds at ease. The Pilot: Scott was great. He has been a helicopter pilot for many years including several years in Blackhawks. He went through the preflight safety checklist with the passengers (what to do what not to do), explained the controls for the Bose Noise Cancelling / 2 way communication system, had a constant feedback loop with the passengers to ensure his maneuvers were not causing motion sickness (we had a good group on so no issues there), and ran a constant narrative of what we were seeing, about to see and other island facts and history. The Equipment We booked the Eco-Star (Eurocopter) and it was a GREAT choice. I am a big guy and from the back seat could see out in all directions as well as had enough room for my legs. I have been in many helicopters and small planes and can tell you between the Bose headphone system and this greenhouse of a cockpit I have never had as good a view in all directions or as much room. For full disclosure I did have to purchase 2 seats because of my weight and would have been a bit squished if I had not (6' 4”, 60” chest, 40” waist)

Friends convinced us we should do a helicopter tour of the Big Island. After reading reviews of the competitors we opted for the Blue Hawaiian Big Island Spectacular Tour in an Eco-Star helicopter leaving from Waikoloa Heliport. It proved to be a great decision and well worth the price tag. The pilot, Scott, was very skilled; having flown in the US military for many years and he ensured we had a smooth flight. Scott's commentary throughout the flight was both entertaining and informative as a result of his local knowledge. I sat in one of the middle 4 rear seats but still had an excellent view out the front and to both sides so I didn't miss seeing anything. Scott offered the passengers the option of a pit stop at Hilo half way through the tour for anyone who needed it. I definitely recommend this tour and suggest that you pay the extra $25 for the DVD of your actual flight.

The flight with Blue Hawaiian Helicopters was the highlight of a wonderful holiday. We had booked a one hour flight from Hilo to fly over the volcano but after driving there from the other side of the island, it was cancelled because of the weather. there really is nothing they can do in these circumstances. We wanted to go so much that we re booked for the next day but from Waikoloa, on our side of the island. All we could get was the 2 hour flight but we took it anyway and we were so pleased we did! Not only did we fly over the volcano (an awesome sight) but the rest of the island too. We flew up sacred valleys, over the coast and mountains, and we looked down on waterfalls in places you'd never get to on foot. Our pilot was fantastic, as were all the people who worked at Blue Hawaiian. If you're there, DO IT!

Blue skies, very little wind, lava flowing...perfect conditions for our trip. If there had been 6 on our trip, perhaps the views wouldn't have been so great, especially for the middle 2 in back, but there were 4 in the eco-star we were in so all got great views. Unlike some of the reviewers, I thought the music added to the tour, especially on take-off. Our pilot did a great job of commentary, and made sure that we all got great views of the major sights. Due to the expense, we wouldn't do the tour again, but are glad we went once!

Booked to fly over the volcano and what a great trip. Pilot Roger was very knowledgable and the flight was very smooth. Saw what we could as the volcano is'nt very active right now but what we did see was spectacular. Don't miss this opportunity if you're on the Big Island. Try to go in the morning as it's smoother ride.

Our pilot, Greg, was great. The whole experience was awesome. This was not our first flight to view the volcanos on the Big Island, but it was by far the best experience. You definitely don't want to miss out on this!!!

I went on the helicopter trip with my partner just before Christmas and it must be the best thing I did on my holiday. It first sounded a pricey thing to do but it was worth every penny. Our pilot Justin was very friendly and informative and took us over lava flows, waterfalls, craters etc effortlessly. Basically was saw things would probably have been inaccessible over land or water. The trip made me appreciate the true scale and beauty of Big Island. The staff were friendly,efficient and informative. The trip got cancelled on out first day due to weather conditions but the staff were very professional and booked us in for the following day which worked out for us as the day was glorious.I also liked the fact that the price included pick up and drop off from the hotel. I would recommend it and would probably do it all over again

My sons have forever been asking to do a "helicopter tour" when we are on vacation, but I always cringe at the cost. Finally, I thought since you really can't get to the hot lava flow you should fly over it. The trip was great. We enjoyed the helicopter ride all by itself. We picked the eco star and were glad we did. Based on the weight distribution you don't know where you will sit so the extra window space in the copter is worth it. Our pilot Jeremy was very nice. It was a mixed morning of rain/sun/rain/sun so we didn't quite know what we would see. The lava flow (as you see from other posts) is pretty minimal right now but we did see some hot lava, red color/flow breaking through the surface and the remnants of homes lost in the current lava movement. I am a huge waterfall fan and was sad not to get to waterfalls. I didn't specifically ask for that and both at take off and as we approached to land it was raining in Hilo so not sure would have seen anything anyway -- but if you absolutely want to see waterfalls I would mention it so they know and you know in advance if not going to happen.

Our tour with Blue Hawaiian helicopter out of Hilo was terrific. The pilot was very informative and he was able to get us very close to some lava as well as showing us other sites within the lava field and waterfalls. The staff was professional and very helpful, thouroughly enjoyed the trip

We took the tour called the Circle of Fire plus Waterfalls. Our pilot, Rodger, was very knowledgeable about the Kilauea volcano and the surrounding area. There were six passengers, including me and my wife. As we got close to the active lava vent, Rodger kept passing over the vent so both sides of the copter could get some good pictures. This was nice of him, but it made both of us VERY sick. We used every sickness bag he had on board. I don't blame him for us getting sick. But we purchased the DVD of the flight, hoping we would see more of the sights than we did because we were ill. Unfortunately, we were disappointed that so much of the DVD had video of the inside of the cabin during the flight. We couldn't understand why he would choose to include so much of that footage when he knew we were sick. You could see my wife vomiting in the back seat on the video. I'm sure the other family that was with us wouldn't want to see it, either. My wife contacted Blue Hawaiian after coming home, to tell them of our dissatisfaction. Chelsea, one of the managers, not only apologized for our unhappiness, but she also refunded the cost of the DVD and the shirts we had to purchase after the flight (our original shirts were ruined). We have done a flight with Blue Hawaiian before, on Kauai, and had no problems. We appreciate their willingness to help us out.