We booked on line and made a mistake, we went to the office and the staff were friendly and really worked hard to make sure that we had the tour that we wanted, we booked to go from Hilo and the experience was fabulous, our pilot was informative and remembered everyone's names, this showed real attention and you felt valued, we saw lava and waterfalls incredible, don't leave the island without doing this
We did a 60 minute tour in April 2016 with two children (ages 8 and 11). We made our reservations online (save money by doing this!) and received email confirmation. They came to our hotel in Waikiki and picked us up. I was worried about the kids and whether or not they would be scared. It was a somewhat rainy day and we did have some turbulence but our pilot (Julie) assured them that the bumps were normal and not a problem. She was really great.
Had a great trip,would recommend it to anyone. My wife was a bit hesitant in getting in a Helicopter but loved every minute of it
This was a totally amazing experience. The pilot was excellent, and very knowledgeable. The scenery incredible, and the music so appropriate. So worth every penny spent. Gave me goose bumps.
If you plan right there'll be heavy rain the night before your trip, then the skies will clear before take-off. Though we encountered several areas of rain the views were spectacular. Unfortunately you don't get a choice of where you sit, otherwise I'd recommend the front right, this seat by far has the best views. The pilot will try to spin around a few times to give the rear left seat passenger a look but they by far will see the least. When we entered the crater with waterfalls all the way around the pilot, a Hawaiian native, said this was the best he'd ever seen it. Words cannot describe the sight. This tour was definitely one of the highlights of our trip. You CANNOT go to Kauai and not take this tour!!!
Awe inspiring scenery that is inaccessible by land...pictures don't even do it justice. Love this island! It is unspoiled Hawaii. Down to earth people, cottages and sights. Nit the crazy congestion and packs of tourists like Oahu! This hello tour is the best.. The pilot made us feel comfortable, shared history and stories as we went along....highly recommend!
This has to be the best single hour we spent on our vacation!! There were 6 of us plus the pilot which made for a full flight. We had been on a Na Pali boat trip the day before, which was also wonderful . Our pilot, Greg tailored the flight to show us what couldn't be seen from the ocean. We went in and out of canyons. Can't begin to count how many waterfalls we saw! Greg pointed out movie locations along the way. Also gave us recommendations on places to check out for the remainder of our trip. We went on an early flight because we had been told that it would be smoother and more chance of going into the crater. Not sure how true that is but it worked out for us.
Did the Circle of Fire Tour in the afternoon. From our Helicopter, saw the lava splashing around in the Volcano with smoke spewing up into the air. How amazing to see the Earth recreating itself. Tour then continued to the point where the lava is entering the Ocean... Really cool and safe way to see this. The ride itself was very smooth. Felt safe and confident the whole way. The Pilot was knowledgeable and spoke quite a bit to give us background and perspective on what we were seeing. This was my wife's favourte part of our visit to Hawaii. A real must see!!!!
We booked the 45 minute tour with Julie as our guide, and it was the most amazing experience. The views were spectacular, nothing like I've ever seen. Well worth the price. And Julie was a fantastic and knowledgable pilot who made each client feel included in her helicopter.
This is one expense that is worth the splurge! The views from above are stunning and will leave you breathless. Our pilot Scott was great, full of facts, jokes and a nice guy.
We booked a morning flight over Kauai with Blue Hawaiian Helicopters and the weather was beautiful. We went through a brief orientation. At first, I was a little apprehensive about whether we would be able to have a good vantage point for excellent viewing since there are 6 passengers plus the pilot. This is I guess the reason they ask for height and weights. I understand weight distribution and all, but they put the two taller passengers in the middle 2 seats that were in the back. I'm much shorter than my husband, so I was by the window in the rear row and he was on my left seated in the middle. He said he had no problem seeing the beautiful sights. Of course our pilot, Miguel, was fantastic about giving passengers on both sides of the aircraft a opportunity to view the sites. The view of Waimea Canyon and Napali Coast from the air cannot be beat. We had taken a sunset cruise on the Napali Coast, but the view from the helicopter is an entirely different experience. My advice is if its your first visit, then do it!!! You will not regret it.
Best money we spent on the trip! waimea canyon, jurassic falls, the Nao poli (spelling) coast... all fantastic. our pilot was a local and so very knowledgable. it rained a bit but all that did was create many waterfalls instantly. If you are going to do a chopper trip in the islands, i recommend this island and this trip. The chopper was very comfortable and every seat was a good one. Some companies have older choppers with limited visability.
Our group of 3 (2 adults and 1 senior 70+) totally enjoyed our flight with Christy, who was warm, fun, and knowledgeable. We got lucky with the weather condition and were able to see real red hot lava (including 3 lava flows coming down to the ocean). What a wonderful experience! The staff was nice. The helicopter (Airbus EC130 "Eco-Star") was new and super comfortable. Our video of the trip was of high quality and very fun to watch.
We booked this excursion called "Big Island Spectacular" through Royal Caribbean. It was quite expensive ($525 p/person), but we had read so many good reviews, and we must say, it was WELL worth it!!! Our pilot (with Blue Hawaiian Helicopters) was VERY confident, knowledgeable, and personable (he even addressed us by name throughout the flight). This experience was JUST like a documentary by National Geographic that you see on tv where the pilot flies in between the tree-lined narrow valleys, up close to the beautiful steep waterfalls, and along the ocean coast (where the lava empties into the water...a SPECTACULAR view!!). Being afraid of heights, I was a little nervous beforehand, but I have to say..this was the BEST excursion on our Hawaiian trip and we HIGHLY recommend it to EVERYONE that has the opportunity to go!! You will LOVE it and will talk about it for years to come!!!
Rowena, at check-in and during departure was awesome. Very helpful answering questions and making us feel valued and comfortable. Greg O or "Go" our pilot was very knowledgeable and answered all our questions. He explained things to calm nerves of first time flyers. Most importantly, he made me cry- he was right, the views of the valleys and waterfalls were too spectacular for words. I took the tour to see the volcanoes and craters, but the cliffs and valleys turned out to be my favorite part. The two hours were the best of our vacation. It's hard to spend that much money for just two hours- but believe me, those sites will forever be in your heart and mind.