Our first copter tour ever! We knew we wanted the best, so Blue Hawaiian was our only choice. We had a morning flight over a beautifully clear Kauai. Our pilot and guide was super. Flying close to falls, landslides, cliffs... not scary at all. Within a few seconds from the start of the flight, we were at ease and thrilled. Gorgeous views make this island the best, in my opinion. Just remember to wear dark, plain clothes. The woman seated in the front seat at the door had a black and white print shirt that reflected badly in the windows, making some views less exciting (and my photos more of her print than the view!) Well worth the money.
What a great way to tour the north Kohala area on the big island of Hawaii. Great flight from Waikoloa, over the Parker Ranch and along the northeastern side of the island. Smooth sailing aboard this comfortable and relatively quiet helicopter. Wonderful views flying up and down the canyons. Beautiful views of the many waterfalls and the lush landscape. No whales sited today, but the coastline was a sight to behold with the waves crashing on the rocky coast with the lush vegetation covered mountains as a back drop. Not even the thin layer of VOG (smoke and gases from the volcanoes) could hide the beauty. We would however suggest keeping an eye toward the VOG conditions as it does produce a haze that can reduce visibility. All-in-all great service, lots of opportunity for questions during the flight and just a terrific over-all experience. Thanks to Dale and the entire crew. We highly recommend Blue Hawaii Helicopters.
My family and I took the big island spectacular and really enjoyed it. It's a great way to see the island in a short period of time. You get up close on the volcano and several amazing waterfalls. The chopper we were in sat 6 passengers plus the pilot comfortably, but be forewarned, oversized people will be crowded. I'm 6 feet tall and was fine, but if you are 6'2" or taller, you'll have a problem.
Top notch operation. Excellent helicopters, pilots with the most experience and attention to safety and enjoyment. Eric was our pilot as we explored the diversity of Hawaii. As an added touch, he had a soundtrack of soft music that changed with the scenery or activity. Headphones allow the pilot to communicate with the passengers and listen to a soft soundtrack. We toured the arid volcanic area with amazing views of the activity. Eric had great knowledge and we were able to ask questions along the tour. We saw the changes in landscape, explored green valleys, toured the rugged coast, saw migrating whales, witnessed how the people and agriculture have changed over time Highly recommend as a splendid tour to get an overview of the Big Island, the diversity of the landscape, and it's history.
There's only one way to see Ohau....and this is it. Thank you for an amazing experience. Julie, our pilot, was friendly, professional and knowledgable. Would recommend this tour to anyone visiting Hawaii.
Thank you Captain Brad for an amazing flight and experience. Words fail to describe the scenery and beauty of the island. Captain Brad's flight was smooth and so enjoyable, thanks for a memorable tour.
This was our first helicopter ride and it was amazing. I'm glad we didn't miss this experience. Its a beautiful way to see Kauai. Blue Hawaiian helicopters are the best! Our pilot, Brad, was very informative. We got to fly through Waimea Canyon and up close to the Na Pali coast. We even saw whales. It was such a great experience. Make sure you buy the blu-Ray of your trip. We just watched it and the cameras on the copter capture all the scenery. The blu Ray helped us relive this great experience. It was expensive but totally worth it
We took the island/waterfall tour this afternoon while on a family vacation. What an amazing treat! The entire experience, from the personable and knowledgable pilot, to the headphone soundtrack, to the service at the end, was just priceless. Our pilot, Toshi, made the trip fun and personalized to exactly what we were looking to see. It was the most beautiful and breathtaking experience of my life. Unparalleled sights.
I have been to Hawaii numerous times but was afraid to fly in a helicopter. Christmas Day 2015 I overcame that fear and took the 2 hour tour of the island. I saw molten lava (something I had not been able to see on any other tour of the volcano) and when we flew into Waipio Valley and were surrounded by 6-8 2,000 foot waterfalls I felt like I was in heaven. I have seen almost all of this island on many tours, but this is by far the best way to see the Big Island. And, the helicopter ride was smooth and I did not have any problems with air sickness. It was such a great experience, that when I moved on to Oahu for the remainder of my vacation, I took a Blue Hawaiian Helicopter tour of that island -- and was in the front of the helicopter looking down the "bubble". Our helicopter pilot on the Big Island, Jason, was fantastic! He gave us lots of information and was very personable and friendly.
We did the "Big Island Spectacular" which includes Volcano, Coastal and Waterfalls. This is the only way to really see thye big island of Hawaii in all its spectacular beauty. It's a bit pricey but it's an experience that just can't be missed.
Wonderful view of the Island. Loren is an excellent host and pilot. Highly recommended for everyone.
A very professional helicopter operator with great facilities, modern helicopters and knowledgeable friendly staff. For one of us, it was their first time in a helicopter and the pilot went out of his way to ensure everyone felt entirely comfortable with the experience. I would highly recommend this tour. The only improvement I would suggest was with the hotel pick-up and drop-off service. We spent much more time getting from our Waikiki Hotel to the airport than we actually did in our helicopter. The service did the rounds of so many hotels dropping off and collecting passengers for two flights that we felt it detracted from an otherwise excellent service.
I've never been in a helicopter before and I was honestly a little scared. I'm extremely afraid of heights. But for some reason I felt oddly comfortable in the helicopter. The sights were amazing, our pilot Greg was amazing, everything about it was awesome. I did feel a little nauseous towards the end. But all and all 5/5
This is an absolute don't miss activity! It's pricey especially when adding the waterfall landing (if your spending the money add it you won't be disappointed) but what an experience saw a pod of whales in the ocean, lava flows, and flew right over the active volcano to see the lava bubbling! Ian was our pilot and was excellent - always trying to make sure everyone was comfortable - made sure everyone had ample opportunity to see the sights and very knowledgeable!
Understanding the climate zones and the geography of the Big Island could take one weeks (and probably much longer) or one could take the Big Island helicopter tour--with a stop at a waterfall. The part of the ride requiring your patience is at the beginning of the tour when you are climbing up the slope of a volcano with nothing very interesting to look at. It does give you an idea of the size of this volcano. But things get more interesting as you are able to see down into the crater and perhaps are fortunate enough to see the orange-red flare of lava. (We were fortunate.) On this tour one can see far enough south to South Point (the southernmost tip of the US). The tour briefly stops at Hilo where you can be energized by the moist air (if not rain) in the wettest city in the US. The tour continues on to the eastern coast line which is entirely different from the western side of the island. Freshwater falls from over 2000 feet on a cliff terrain with rainbows following along is certainly spectacular. We opted for the waterfall stop and were really delighted to explore the base of this fall for a bit. We were a party of 5 and were accompanied by a delightful couple for a total party of 7. To our delight, we witnessed (from a distance) a marriage proposal and acceptance from this couple. What a treat--and an idea for anyone wanting to have such a proposal in a very romantic location. The tour then circled through grassy pastures where cattle were grazing before dropping back to the dry region where the resorts (starting with Mauna Kea) can be observed along the shore line. On this tour was one senior (that's me), my daughter and son-in-law and two children, ages 12 and 6. It was entertaining enough to not bore the children into a coma while satisfying the adults with wonderful views and a much better understanding of where our future explorations on the Big Island will take place. We are rating this as a family where the two kids brought down the score a bit with ratings of 3 while the adults rated it a 5. But we are rating every experience as a family unit to possibly help those of you traveling as a family. The locations is very easy to find with plenty of parking. It is very professionally organized (with discrete weighing for those of you not interested in sharing your weight). All of the staff were helpful and professional. All of us felt very safe throughout the entire tour.