Blue Hawaiian Helicopter Tours a Breathtaking Way to See the Big Island

The absolute best way to see the beauty of the Big Island is with Blue Hawaiian Helicopter Tours.  Board one of their Eco-Star or A-Star helicopters for a once-in-a-lifetime experience featuring the scenic wonders of the Big Island.

Blue Hawaiian offers two Big Island tours – the Kohala Coast Adventure and the Big Island Spectacular.  During my vacation on the island, I decided to splurge and chose the Big Island Spectacular tour.  Rated the “World’s Best Helicopter Thrill” by the Travel Channel, the tour boasts sights such as the Hawaii Volcanoes National park, including  the famous Kilauea volcano, the Hamakua and Kohala Coast, breathtaking waterfalls and towering sea cliffs.  I knew this was the perfect adventure to add to my Big Island itinerary.

I recommend arriving at the Blue Hawaiian Helicopters Big Island Waikoloa office about 45 minutes prior to your departure.  This gives the office adequate time to check their passengers in and present a quick safety briefing.  With anticipation building, my name was soon called and my group of six made its way to the helicopter.  Seat assignments are based on weight, but the Eco-Star helicopter provided excellent viewing no matter where  you were seated.  Two passengers are placed up front, along with the pilot, while four others are seated behind them.  I was on the inside of the four passengers,and still was amazed by not only the sights but at the quality images and video I was able to get.  A quick note about photos – be sure to wear shirts that are subdued in color.  If not, the camera picks those colors up in the reflection of the window and can really mar some of your gorgeous shots.  

The weather during my excursion was perfect and provided us with optimum viewing conditions.  The pilot, who I have to say was very relaxed, knowledgeable and engaging, even joked about how he was going to have to charge us extra for all of the extraordinary rainbows we were witnessing.  Truly, it seemed every 10 minutes we were flying through or over another rainbow, which added a magical touch to the experience.  During the flight, which was very smooth, everyone is given a headset and microphone so you are encouraged to ask questions and interact with the pilot.  In fact, the entire flight is recorded, both visually and aurally, and the DVD is available for purchase after the flight.  In my opinion the $25 charge for the DVD was well worth it as a mounted camera on the exterior of the helicopter captured spectacular sights of the tour while the interspersing of interior cabin shots and audio from the tour added the “we were there” vibe. 

Blue Hawaiian Tours gets you closer to the sights than ever possible by land.  The scenery was magnificent and I could not believe I was able to view Kilauea volcano steaming and spewing red, vibrant lava; swoop into valleys featuring numerous waterfalls cascading from lush mountains; see the emerald green splendor of the Hamakua Coast featuring waterfalls descending into the bright blue ocean waters; tour Waipio Valley, home to the breathtaking Hi’ilawe Waterfall, which drops an amazing 1,600 feet; and descend into the mountains and valleys of the Kohala Coast to view the lush, tropical rainforest and cliffs of the Big Island’s northern most point.  The full two hour tour gives you an in-depth look at the island and it is remarkable to see the contrasting landscapes.  From the sheer sea bluffs to the lush valleys and rainforests to the dry, stark lava fields and volcanic craters, the Big Island Spectacular tour takes you on a journey to the island’s most impressive sights.