Let's put it this way, if you don't get too excited like everyone else on their way to see volcanoes you will be pleased. Please keep your expectations in line, whether you are flying or visiting on land, while this is the most active volcano in the world you wouldn't be allowed to visit if it was dangerous. If you get lucky, you may see some orange lava. If not you see smoke, its just the nature of it. Personally, I was very unimpressed by Volcano National Park. Fly over by helicopter and saw some spots of lava, pilot says we were lucky. I thought we would be able to get much closer than we did, but what can you do about it. Obviously, seeing volcano destroyed land isn't all that interesting. On top of the fact that it was sweltering in the Helicopter. We were on a 10am tour and I swear my legs were burning after we got off. The ladies that work at Blue Hawaii are nice. My complaint is they require the whole group they they placed into the helicopter to be together when they board. Two other people in our group (we don't know them) made us wait in the heat outside. Why take us out if they will make you stand in the sun? I found a shady spot by the hill and hung out there while the late couple strolled in. I would recommend taking the tour over Kauai much more over the Big Island tour. At least there are things to see. The whole place is very Jurassic Park. Not sure why there is a premium over the tour in Big Island. Go if you want to see lava, but be aware that you might not depending on how the volcano acts up that day.
Great tour, professional ground staff and pilot. Mark (pilot) gave a detailed description of what we were seeing throughout the hour-long flight. Points of interest were passed by multiple times, so both sides could get a clear view. Two styles of helicopter, both seat four-across in the back, then one or two in the front. Everyone has a great view. Ride was smooth, and quiet with the noise-canceling headphones.
Flew out of Kona heliport. Great experience even if my wife got airsick. Pilot Jason is a hoot. We bought the post flight DVD. Not sure it was a good value but their blue ray DVD of all the islands is excellent. NOT CHEAP..........over $700 without the DVDs. We took the cheaper helicopter and saw all we needed.
Great tour, Nate was a great guide. He was very informative and answered "all" of our 7 year olds questions.
the volcano tour was awesome.. it was so nice to see the volcano and lava fields from the air. we also saw a couple of waterfalls and got a quick passing rain shower. it was very short at 50 mins so $220 is a huge cost to time ratio. note that the internet prices are only good for 5 days advance reservations.
My hubby and I decided to take a short cut to the the Kilauea Volcano by taking a helicopter to it. I have to say what a neat experience we had! The staff at Blue Hawaiian Helicopters were top notch! Unfortunately, during the time we took our helicopter tour (September 2012), there was not much activity from the Kilauea Volcano. I have learned now, that for some reason, the volcano seems to be most active around December/January/February. So be sure, to research the volcanic activity and weather conditions before heading out on a helicopter adventure as they are not cheap! However, we did get to see the orange glow of lava and some smoke, but nothing grand a spectacular like I had hoped. But it was still really cool experience to see and be able to fly over one of the most active volcanoes in the world! We also had the opportunity to get a really great aerial view of the eastern side of the big island which included dozens of waterfalls! The land on the eastern side of the Big Island you will notice is completely green, lush and almost seems wild and untouched, with the exception of the areas of blackened lava where the island continues to expand. It is absolutely gorgeous when compared to the almost desert like conditions on the Kona side (west side) of the island. Overall, a really cool experience and I have no regrets! I hope to to do it again, in my life time especially when Kilauea is more active.
This was so much fun! Its a great way to see the island if you aren't afraid of flying. Our pilot was Todd and he was very careful about how he flew so he didn't make anyone sick. My wife isn't fond of flying but, in the end, this is one of her most memorable tours while on the big island. Everyone here is very friendly and you can tell they love their jobs. Extremely aware of safety precautions and they don't miss a beat. Don't miss this chance. Its expensive but worth every penny. Great value for the price. We did the Circle of Fire Plus Waterfalls.
Wow! Beautiful views!! The best way to get up close & personal. My parents and I did this tour back in 2012. Late I know! All the staff was great, the tour was very organized. I felt safe the whole time. We even purchased a dvd of the whole tour because we thought this was a once in a lifetime experience. I would recommend this tour especially if you have the extra bucks, it's quite expensive, but well worth it!
We had a blast taking the volcano and waterfall tour. First time for both of us in a helicopter and we found it fun and exciting. The best way to see a lot in a short amount of time. Brent (I believe that was his name) was very informative with some humor to keep the trip fun, and ensured everyone in the copter got a chance to see the views. Highly recommend!
I took an early morning ride around the island starting from their heliport in Kona. We started off with the Lava fields then stopped to refuel in HIlo and made our way back to Kona. We were in the bigger helo. It was air conditioned well and the noise cancellation headphones worked well. If you take the super early flight you need to plan to get food the day before that you can eat before they pick you up. There is nothing on the island or resort open before 6 or 7 and there is nothing to eat at the Kona helo port. We had to resort to pizza combos from a dirty vending machine when we stopped to refuel in Hilo. The flight would have been better with at least a croissant on my stomach, but I wouldn't advise having a huge meal before the flight either! :) It was really breath-taking. There is no other way to see the lava fields and the island so completely in such a short amount of time (flight time was bout two hours total). It was about 500.00 a piece for the full tour of the island. A lot of the island is protected reserve and the only way to see it is from the air and of course you can't really see all the volcanoes and lava flows from the ground either. A family of five shared the helicopter with us. Their kids were pretty young and they seemed to do well and really enjoy the trip too so I don't think it is a problem taking children. They were really well-behaved mature kids that were there with their father that competed in the Iron Man quals. So maybe not all kids would respond the same. They seemed to be an exceptionally nice family. You can buy a DVD of the trip. I recommend that you do. You see so much it is really overwhelming. It is good to be able to see it again on dvd.
We did the circle of fire and waterfall tour. Pilot was great. She said just enough to inform us without annoying us. She showed us fresh lava flows and took us right up to the smoking volcano. It was very cool. Kids loved it. I got air sick and she noticed and straightened out the helicopter. The hour long flight was just right. Waterfalls pretty and an added bonus.
We did the 50 minutes circle of fire and waterfalls tour, which is a great way to get close to the volcano, to see non accessible waterfalls and get a great view of the coast on the way back. The tour was very well organised, we felt safe and our pilot would give us information during the flight. Highly recommended!
Great experience. Our pilot was Calleen. She was very knowledgable & explained many of the sights that we saw. The would even fly over any areas that others couldn't see the first time.
Ever since we decided to honeymoon in Hawaii (probably about a year ago) my husband has been talking about going on a helicopter ride. I wasn't so fond of the idea....I'd rather live through the honeymoon. We made it through Maui with both feet on the ground, but when we got to the Big Island the concierge at our hotel insisted that the best way to see the island was by helicopter....thanks lady. And after dragging my husband to the spa I figured I owed him one so I agreed to the helicopter ride. The concierge told us the price was approximately $1050 for the 2 of us, which was the same price as the fabulous bottega purse I had been admiring earlier that day. I sighed thinking I'd so much rather have the purse...at least that wouldn't kill me! We decided to do an early morning helicopter ride so that we'd have the rest of the day to enjoy the resort (that is, if we lived to make it back to the resort). Tom, who works for Blue Hawaiian, picked us up and was so friendly that he eased my fears (at least a bit) about flying. Once there we met up with 2 other couples who'd be joining us on the ride. They weighed us and since I was the lightest I had the "privilege" of being the co-pilot...probably the one time I wished I was heavier (i should have had an extra dessert at Alan Wong's restaurant the night before). Dave was our pilot and when I hopped in right next to him I nervously asked him "so you've done this before, right???" Dave rolled his eyes and said "Nope, first time. Did you ask your pilot that on the 757 you took over here?" Oh great, I already pissed off the pilot... The take off was a bit scary (my husband has it on video and I'm gripping his leg), but once in the air I found it quite enjoyable. And we weren't that high in the air so I figured if anything happened I could easily jump and swim to shore. Ok, maybe not. I have to admit that this really is a great way to see the entire island...it was beautiful: waterfalls, rainbows, and very cool to see the lava! Pissy Dave happened to be very knowledgeable about the island as well. We made a quick stop in the middle of our 2 hour trip to refuel because I guess the helicopter needs more fuel than about an hour...kind of scary it can't make it through an hour, but landing and then taking off the 2nd time wasn't a big deal at all. I do recommend wearing a tank top and shorts...I had a hoodie on over my tank (it was a bit chilly that morning) and i was dying of heat and couldn't get it off after I was all strapped in. And your ears will hurt from the pressure, but it really is worth it...and this is coming from anti helicopter girl! And if you're not an early morning person Blue Hawaiian makes 4 trips a day and they have 5 helicopters going out at once. We were there during a slow time in Hawaii (right before schools get out) so we had no problem getting a last minute reservation, but I'd suggest booking it ahead of time during busy season. They do sell you a dvd after your trip (for the money you pay they really should give you one), but apparently our dvd player was broken so they gave us a highlights dvd to watch from other trips. Oh, and in case you're wondering...we survived!
We took the Volcano and Waterfall tour and paid for the cheaper helicopter. They must have not had anyone else book that though as we got put on the newer helicopter. The staff were very friendly and safety was their main focus. One thing that would have been nice is a tent where we were waiting outside to board the helicopters, something to keep the sun and/or rain off - though umbrellas were offered when the rain got heavy. Our pilot Scott was very cool, gave us a very nice tour. We spotted some flowing lava and some sloshing around in a hole, very lucky. He turned the helicopter in circles in both directions to give both sides good views of everything. The waterfalls were also pretty cool, just like the soundtrack Scott played on the flight. Would highly recommend this tour and company.