クチコミ

We were certainly excited to look over the volcano. We went up in the afternoon and it was a very sunny day. Our captain was great, but the light was a little blinding. It was also hard to see the lava with the sun in your eyes. We did go out over the water to see the lava falling into the sea. That was pretty amazing. Try to go earlier in the day or perhaps later in the afternoon. You might see more. Also the waterfalls weren't too active since it was the dry season. No matter what, flying over a smoking volcano and seeing lava is quite an experience.

Flowing red lava, scenic ocean views, arial whale sightings, panoramic valley views, and amazing waterfalls are the highlights of this adventure. We saw a mother whale with her baby from a vantage point that could never be matched. Shane, our pilot was beyond fabulous and safety was always the priority. Flying into the valley, surrounded by the valley walls and waterfalls was the most thrilling part of the ride. Photographs all turned out great.

We did the Big Island Tour. It went over the volcano, circled the craters, followed the lava tunnels then ran up the east coach of island into the waterfall areas. It was really fantastic. And it was also every bit as much "helicoptering" as I wanted to do. It was expensive and worth it!

We were on the Big Island from March 6-15, 2013. The helicopter excursion was the one trip that we debated about the most. In the end, we are both so very, VERY glad we did it and that we went for the two-hour island spectacular trip. I tend to get motion sick and was concerned that two hours would be too much for me, plus it's $990 for two people. But we decided to splurge, looking at the trip as possibly ONCE-in-a-lifetime. We took the 8:30 a.m. flight and it was great. The first hour is traveling from the west side to the east side of the island over the lava fields. If you have a good pilot, you'll learn all kinds of great facts, history and info about the area and what you're looking at. Because the lava wasn't flowing while we were on the island, we wouldn't have seen it at all except by helicopter and there's no where else in the world where you can see it either. So it was worth it. There is a brief stop in Hilo after the volcano tour and that really helped me get my bearings back again. I never got sick on the trip and I was really surprised by that. I did take Dramamine around 7 a.m. I chewed ginger gum the entire time. I wore sea bands on my wrists. And I bought a Quease EASE Motion Sickness Relief smelling thing when I checked in for the helicopter tour. I wanted to be prepared cause I didn't want to get sick. I'm glad I was cautious and that I didn't need all of that. The second half was my favorite part. Leaving Hilo, you travel along the coast over the water. I'm sure everyone else in the helicopter was watching the coastline and the valleys we passed. I was staring straight down into the water counting whales. The weather was great, sun shining and the water so clear that I could see the whales even underwater. I counted 12 pairs, almost all of them were mamas with their calf and I even saw false killer whales. Then the helicopter turned into the valley and WOW. This is where you get breath-taking views of the waterfalls and lush green valleys. Amazing and just gorgeous. Like nothing we've ever seen before, and, again, no other way to see this area besides by helicopter. If you can't do the two-hour tour and have to choose just one of the one-hour tours, I think the waterfalls and valleys were cooler than the volcano, but that's just me. The entire tour is being video-recorded and you can buy the DVD for just $20. Even though I think the DVD should be complimentary when paying $990, it's worth it to buy it and have for a lifetime. The video captures you inside the copter, as well as everything you're seeing while on the tour.

This was the first time in a helicopter for my wife, she absolutely loved it, a great pilot no foolish stuff, but a very informative 50 min. ride, it was good to see how nature can change a landscape in a few short years. We booked thru Expedia price was alright.

My husband and I took this flight for our 10th wedding anniversary vacation on Jan 20, 2013. I have flown in many Air Force aircraft during my military career, but I have never experienced the thrill I did on this helicopter tour! This was my first helicopter experience and it habe been one of the best life experiences I have had so far! Our pilot, Roger, was so kind, knowledgeable, and gave us an excellent air tour of the volcano flows and all around the Big Island! We actually got to see a new lava breakout during our flight! I advise EVERYONE to take this tour....it was AMAZING!

Did the volcano and waterfall tour. Fantastic views of recent eruptions and lava flows into the ocean. Pilot was very knowledgeable and great at making sure both sides got the same views and photo opportunities. Well worth the money, maybe not the cheapest option but do want to cut corners when flying over hot lava?

DH and I just did the Blue Hawaiian tour out of Hilo last Friday afternoon (Jan. 25). We booked the Circle of Fire plus Waterfalls tour on an eco-star. It's a six-seater, but we were only 5 passengers. The seating is determined by the company and is weight-dependent (not 'first-come'). Two seats in the front and four in the back. Each couple is guaranteed one window in the back. I had a middle seat and found the visibility to be very good all around on the eco-star. Our pilot, Jeremy, made sure that each side got at least two passes over the Kilauea's Pu`u O`o Crater and where the lava flowed into the sea. Be aware that helicopter tours are not allowed to overfly the caldera at Kilauea's Halema'uma'u Crater (the one by the Jaggar Museum overlook in Volcanoes National Park). Both DH and I were thrilled with the experience and very glad that we had great weather on that day.

In Hilo it rains most every day,so the views you can get of the volcano weren't nearly as good as you would hope. but the courtesy of the group and the ride itself were very good, and got to see the Lava flow as well as you could hope.

This was a thrill. First time up and the copter was comfortable even with the pilot and 5 passengers. We all could see and the headphones cut out all the sound of the rotor. The pilot was very knowledgeable and we had mics so we could ask questions. Great way to see the PU'u O'o crater and the flow into the ocean. Very nice operation and good people to work with. Saw the water falls also.

Blue Hawaiian Helicopters is very good. Their tours are top notch. This is my second trip with them and they do a great job with ensuring all seated in the helicopter (our family of 5, another couple and the pilot) can see everything. The pilot moved the helicopter and made 4-8 sweeps of certain areas to ensure everyone got equal views. They will also do a DVD or BluRay of the trip for $25. We saw flowing lava from the crater on the Big Island and followed it to the ocean. Amazing. My kids loved it. A little bit pricey though. About $200 each after some early booking discounts (need to book online, minimum 5 days in advance for 15% off). The drive to Hilo from Kona or Waikoloa is about 2 hours each way.

Taking a helicopter ride to see the volancoes has always been on my bucket list. Now it has been crossed off. My husband and I took the Blue Hawaiian Helicopter tour of the volcanoes and waterfalls. There was a lot of cloud with some rain in the area which made the ride quite choppy and the helicopter shook a lot. My stomach was not feeling too good at times. You have to check in 45 minutes prior to your flight in order to view a show and receive safety instructions, etc. You are not allowed to take any purses or bags (only cameras with no cases) on the flight but there is a place to store them (free of charge) just in case you don't want to leave valuables in the car. There is a charge for parking. The tour company takes every precaution to ensure your safety which I totally appreciated. They are a very friendly group. Oh and when you take this tour, be sure to wear dark clothing so that there is no reflection on the windows. If you forget, they do have t-shirts to lend you before you get on the tour. The lift off was smooth and not all that scary from what I thought it may be (I was sitting in front row by pilot next to the door). We took off towards the ocean to where the lava goes into same. We hovered around a bit and then we were taken to a place where the lava had covered a town. Next we flew to see where lava was on its way to the ocean (it was still hot) and finally over to Kilaeua where you could actually see the lava pulsing in the crater. Unfortunately none of this was spectacular as the volcano was quiet but still we were able to say we saw a lava flow. Our pilot made sure that all of us were able to see what was below us. If one of us did not, he would circle again. He also answered all questions and gave us quite a bit of information. From here we flew over to the waterfalls. This was a bit of a let down - not all that much to see here and everyone thought we would get lower and see more. After the falls our pilot took us out over the ocean where we saw humpback whales playing in the water. As we got closer they went under the water and we were only able to make out their shapes in the water. All in all, it was a good experience but I am not sure for the price (about $225 pp plus a bunch of taxes when you pay at airport) I would recommend same. I am glad I did it but for 50 minutes it is costly. We were lucky to have, for some reason, been upgraded from the helicopter I booked to another one. If you are planning on doing a helicopter ride in any case, this is a very good company. They take good care of you. If you have a weak stomach, do not eat before you take the tour. It may also be wise to take some medication for nausea if your stomach is really bad. They do have what they call "comfort bags" which on normal airlines is called an "air sickness bag". Happy travels!

After a horrible experience of attempting to book an ocean lava tour, we booked this helicopter ride. The staff was great. Super friendly and very professional. We booked a flight for the following afternoon. It took off from the airport and was super easy to find. We did have to get on a scale. Of you are more than 350 lbs, you're required to pay a bit more for extra room. After check in, we watched a safety video then followed re staff out to the helicopters. They took our photos with the helicopter (yay) and then helped us to get into our seats. Our pilot, Jeremy, was great. He talked the whole time, telling us what we were seeing and giving us history and trivia information about lava flows. Great personality and super personable. He took the time to fly by points of interest slowly, and then would fly by again so the people seated on the other side could see it, too. We had plenty of photo ops and he had a great eye for catching the elusive lava. We got to see lava bubbling up from a crater, as well as pouring into the ocean - more than we had hoped. Super fun experience. After we landed, we purchased the video from our actual flight. Can't wait to get home and relive this experience. Highly recommended.

We did the Circle of Fire and Waterfall tour. Our pilot, Rodger, made sure everyone on board had an opportunity to see the sights and take plenty of pictures. The seating was very comfortable. Rodger was very informative and personable. This is my second adventure with Blue Hawaiian Helicopters, and I was very pleased with both tours. I would highly recommend taking the tour when visiting Hawaii.

Wish the flight could have been MUCH longer! Even though it rained the whole time, it was an awesome experience. Great view of the volcano and surrounds including a couple of whales. We'd certainly come back and do it again.