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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.

We actually picked the Big Island over Kauai because of the active volcano and knowing what we know now we wouldn't have. After reviewing a lot of tour companies we booked with Blue Hawaiian. They seemed to be a little bit higher priced than everyone else but the staff was great. I guess when you hear active volcano you think mountains of lava pouring out of the thing but what we saw was one little lava tube pouring lava into the ocean. The lava is so hot it creates steam and for the most part you couldn't actually see the lava because the steam was in front of the opening. We only ended up with 2 pictures that actually had the lava in it. The other part of the tour was supposedly waterfalls but we just went over Rainbow Falls and that wasn't anything worth bragging about. Akaka Falls is maybe 10 minutes North of that so we were hoping to see that one which is spectacular but no such luck. For the amount of waterfalls and lava we saw we paid way too much. I guess maybe check and see what the lava is doing before you book anything.

while staying at the Hilton Waikoloa on the Big Island we booked a 45minute flight over the active volcanoes on the Hilo side of the island. we drove from the Kona side over to the Hilo airport where we boarded the helicopter. I thoroughly recommend this adventure. we were upgraded to the better helicopter which had more glass for viewing. our tour was late in the day ,about 4pm and the weather was good although we went through a light shower of rain on the way back as we flew over Akaka and Rainbow falls. as far as you could see there were waterfalls. Just beautiful. The staff were very friendly and the experience was great. As soon as we were buckled up and aquatinted with our pilot - we were all miked up and could all interact with each other and the pilot (there were 5 passengers on our trip) the soundtrack to Hawaii 50 began to play through our headsets. it was awesome!!! our pilot was fantastic. She talked the whole time. We learned all sorts of facts, not only about the volcanoes we were about to see but also many other landmarks we passed on our way. She was very knowledgeable.We hovered over the volcano crater for ages and she circled around so everyone could get photos from all angles. the flight itself was so smooth and quiet -I have never been on a helicopter before .although scary to me it was simple amazing to be hanging over the volcano peering into the crater and then we flew out over the water and then back to the airport via the many waterfalls. although this was my first helicopter experience and I have nothing to compare it to, I would recommend Blue Hawaii Helicopters . When we returned we waited for our DVD . Only about 15 minutes. They were not happy with the entire overall quality of the DVD so they never charged us for it. It was fine to us when we viewed it . as we left the airport we walked out with a young man who was the safety officer to got us prepared for the flight with i safety instructions and helped us into our gear. He stopped at his pickup and proceeded to show us coconuts he had on the back. He husked a coconut and gave us all a taste and explained that was his family's business. This fellow gave us his profits and was more than happy to share what was his . This just added to the wonderful day we had. once again if the mystery of the volcanoes are an interest to you then I recommend this adventure.